Stroke News and Research

RSS

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.

Men with permanent stress more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

Men who reported permanent stress have a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than men who reported no stress. This is the finding of a 35-year prospective follow-up study of 7,500 men in Gothenburg, by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

11 Feb 2013

sFRP3 protein appears to be target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy

Through a series of investigations in mice and humans, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy.

11 Feb 2013

Inhibiting JNK enzyme protects against ischemic/reperfusion injury

Using two different compounds they developed, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been able to show in animal models that inhibiting a specific enzyme protects heart cells and surrounding tissue against serious damage from heart attacks.

10 Feb 2013

Reprogrammed human skin cells highly effective in treating myelin disorders

A study out today in the journal Cell Stem Cell shows that human brain cells created by reprogramming skin cells are highly effective in treating myelin disorders, a family of diseases that includes multiple sclerosis and rare childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies.

10 Feb 2013

Positive data from POZEN's PA32540 Phase 3 studies presented at AHA 2013 stroke conference

POZEN Inc., a pharmaceutical company committed to transforming medicine that transforms lives, presented data today from the combined results of two Phase 3 studies of PA32540, an antiplatelet therapy of enteric-coated (EC) and immediate-release omeprazole, in patients with previous cerebrovascular disease.

10 Feb 2013

Marijuana may double stroke risk in young adults

Marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug, may double stroke risk in young adults, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2013.

9 Feb 2013

Nerve stimulator may be new option for migraine sufferers

Wearing a nerve stimulator for 20 minutes a day may be a new option for migraine sufferers, according to new research published in the February 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Feb 2013

Allopurinol may improve CV outcomes in kidney disease

The xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol appears to be beneficial in preventing cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality in patients with hypertensive nephropathy, show findings from a Japanese study.

8 Feb 2013

HIV prevention: don’t just target serodiscordant couples

A large proportion of heterosexual HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa occurs among stable couples who have sexual partners outside of their relationship, shows research published in The Lancet.

8 Feb 2013

Tai Chi associated with reduced falls among adult stroke survivors

Tai Chi may reduce falls among adult stroke survivors, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2013.

7 Feb 2013

Cedars-Sinai to include more patients in hypothermia plus clot-busting drug trial for stroke

An international multicenter clinical trial led by a Cedars-Sinai neurologist on the combination of brain cooling and "clot-busting" drug therapy after stroke has received Food and Drug Administration approval to expand from 50 patients to 400.

7 Feb 2013

Basis of antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy found

Through a series of investigations in mice and humans, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy. Results of their experiments explain how these therapies likely work to relieve depression by stimulating stem cells in the brain to grow and mature.

7 Feb 2013

Chlorhexidine bathing protects vulnerable hospital patients

Bathing hospital patients with chlorhexidine-impregnated washcloths reduces the risk for them acquiring multidrug-resistant organisms and developing bloodsteam infections, show study findings.

7 Feb 2013

Migraine, epilepsy and genetics: an interview with Dr. Melodie Winawer

This work is the product of an extraordinary consortium called the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome project (EPGP). It is a consortium of 27 centres in the U.S. and internationally with several hundred physicians and staff who have worked together to enrol more than 4000 patients with epilepsy and their family members.

7 Feb 2013

Study: 10 to 15% of people with TIAs will experience strokes within three months

Each year, as many as 500,000 Americans experience mini strokes called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Symptoms quickly go away, usually within an hour, and many people don't seek treatment. But 10 to 15 percent of people who experience TIAs will experience full-blown strokes within three months, and 40 percent of these strokes will occur in the first 24 hours, according to an article by three Loyola University Medical Center neurologists in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

6 Feb 2013

Boston College biologist to explore connection between peripheral neuropathy and HIV

Boston College biologist Tricia Burdo has been awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the role of the body's immune response in a debilitating form of nerve damage suffered by people living with HIV.

6 Feb 2013

Patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures are at increased risk of stroke

Patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures are at increased risk of stroke, leading to a high mortality rate and prolonged hospitalization, according to a study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Feb 2013

Study findings suggest physical and pharmacological solutions for human stroke victims

Johns Hopkins researchers have found that mice can recover from physically debilitating strokes that damage the primary motor cortex, the region of the brain that controls most movement in the body, if the rodents are quickly subjected to physical conditioning that rapidly "rewires" a different part of the brain to take over lost function.

6 Feb 2013

Injection-free vaccination technique shows promise

Study findings show that a new injection-free vaccination technique, applied through a patch on the skin, can induce the same level of immune response as a standard vaccine injection when given to mice.

5 Feb 2013

‘Urgent need’ for primary care pneumonia diagnosis tools

While family doctors can exclude pneumonia with a high level of accuracy, they can only identify around a third of radiographically confirmed cases, research shows.

5 Feb 2013