Stroke News and Research

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A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Small-vessel disease has uncertain impact on large-vessel stenosis outcomes

Research shows that small-vessel disease is common among patients with intracranial arterial stenosis, but that its effect on stroke risk cannot be separated from the effect of associated risk factors.

2 Dec 2015

Preventable comorbidities common in cerebral palsy patients

Medical comorbidities are common in patients with cerebral palsy and may impact on their mobility, report researchers.

2 Dec 2015

New device can help diagnose stroke in less than 10 minutes

Minutes count when treating stroke, but current diagnostics take as long as three hours, careful lab work and skilled technicians to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis. Scientists at Cornell University's Baker Institute for Animal Health have developed a device that helps diagnose stroke in less than 10 minutes using a drop of blood barely big enough to moisten your fingertip.

1 Dec 2015

STSI launches home-based clinical trial that uses wearable sensors to identify people with AFib

Researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute have launched a home-based clinical trial that uses wearable sensor technology to identify people with asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AFib).

1 Dec 2015

New model of arterial thrombus formation is similar to popular video game

A group of biophysicists, including representatives from MIPT, has developed a mathematical model of arterial thrombus formation, which is the main cause of heart attacks and strokes.

1 Dec 2015

TGen, Barrow researchers identify genetic risk factors linked to stress-induced cardiomyopathy

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Barrow Neurological Institute have for the first time identified genetic risk factors that are linked to stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC), a rare type of heart disease.

1 Dec 2015

Low levels of BRCA1 protein in the brain linked to dementia

Mutant forms of breast cancer factor 1 (BRCA1) are associated with breast and ovarian cancers but according to new findings, in the brain the normal BRCA1 gene product may also be linked to Alzheimer's disease. The results, published in Nature Communications, suggest that low levels of BRCA1 protein in the brain may contribute to dementia.

1 Dec 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers develop method to turn stem cells into retinal ganglion cells

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a method to efficiently turn human stem cells into retinal ganglion cells, the type of nerve cells located within the retina that transmit visual signals from the eye to the brain. Death and dysfunction of these cells cause vision loss in conditions like glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.

1 Dec 2015

Precision Image Analysis expands capabilities as provider of medical imaging services

Precision Image Analysis Inc., a leading provider of Post-Processing services, is pleased to announce a dramatic expansion of its capabilities as a provider of medical imaging services. Building on its ISO-9001:2008 certification for its Quality Management System, PIA has adopted and implemented comprehensive Core Lab protocols and procedures.

30 Nov 2015

BRCA1 depletion can potentially contribute to cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have shown for the first time that the protein BRCA1 is required for normal learning and memory and is depleted by Alzheimer's disease.

30 Nov 2015

Epilepsy common but variable in mitochondrial disease patients

Around a quarter of patients with mitochondrial diseases have seizures, but these do not appear to increase their risk of dying, report researchers.

27 Nov 2015

European and North American blood pressure guidelines may increase stroke risk in older Asian patients

European and North American blood pressure guidelines, issued last year, may actually boost the stroke risk if used for Asian patients, particularly the elderly, suggests an expert opinion published online in the journal Heart Asia.

27 Nov 2015

Structured personal diabetes care improves outcomes in women

A follow-up study to assess the effects of personally tailored diabetes care in general practice has revealed that such care reduces mortality (both all-cause and diabetes-related), in women, but not men. The study is by Dr Marlene Krag, The Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues, and is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

27 Nov 2015

Chikungunya may cause severe brain infection

The mosquito-borne virus chikungunya may lead to severe brain infection and even death in infants and people over 65, according to a new study that reviewed a chikungunya outbreak on Reunion Island off the coast of Madagascar in 2005-2006.

26 Nov 2015

Sedentary behaviour worsens health of heart disease patients

Patients with heart disease who sit a lot have worse health even if they exercise, reveals research from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and published today in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention.

26 Nov 2015

Ultrasound can help identify patients at increased risk of future stroke

Ultrasound, a non-invasive technique commonly used to study the presence of atherosclerosis disease in blood vessels, can be used to identify patients at increased risk of future stroke who could benefit from surgery. Since surgical treatment to prevent stroke is only considered beneficial to some, ultrasound can prove useful in preventing unnecessary surgical intervention, new research at Umeå University in Sweden shows.

25 Nov 2015

AF Association survey shows impact of AF diagnosis on patients

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Aware Week aims to raise awareness of an important, yet not well understood heart rhythm disturbance. Taking place from the 23-29 November AF Aware Week increases awareness and understanding of AF amongst the general public. With AF effecting over a million people in the UK it is important that understanding of this condition is improved.

25 Nov 2015

New study finds evidence to support meperidine-associated seizure risk

Meperidine, an opioid analgesic commonly used to control shivering in accidental or therapeutic hypothermia, has been linked to increased seizure risk, but a new study finds little published evidence to support this risk.

24 Nov 2015

Arterial imaging with 3-D MRI could help to determine stroke risk among diabetics

People with diabetes may be harboring advanced vascular disease that could increase their risk of stroke, according to new research being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

24 Nov 2015

Brain protein identifies presence of nerve fiber damage

Physicians and others now recognize that seemingly mild, concussion-type head injuries lead to long-term cognitive impairments surprisingly often. A brain protein called SNTF, which rises in the blood after some concussions, signals the type of brain damage that is thought to be the source of these cognitive impairments, according to a study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

24 Nov 2015