According to a new study from the Netherlands, vitamin D deficiencies are related to chronic fatigue in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Researchers looked at vitamin D and hormone levels in 90 fatigued and non-fatigued subjects, all post-TBI. After systematically ruling out factors such as sleep, attention, emotional well-being, quality of life, coping styles, and daily activities, 65% of the patients with chronic fatigue were found to be vitamin D-deficient. For more information, go to the study online.

If you need another reason to eat dark chocolate, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that epicatechin—a compound found naturally in dark chocolate—protects the brain if ingested within three and a half hours after a stroke. Researchers induced an ischemic stroke in mice by essentially cutting off blood supply to the animals’ brains; mice that had been given epicatechin 90 minutes before the procedure suffered significantly less brain damage than the mice that had not. For more, go to the Johns Hopkins web site.

Two giants in the field of health and satellite communication are joining forces to meet the increasing demand for international telehealth services, including services for communication disorders. Bethesda, Md.-based GlobalPartnersUnited (GPU) has partnered with U.K.-based Global VSAT Forum to explore possible cooperative telehealth initiatives. For more information, visit GPU’s web site or Global VSAT Forum’s web site.