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.

Shared decision-making tool cuts antibiotic use

Patients are much less likely to take antibiotics for an acute respiratory infection if they consult a family doctor who has been trained in shared decision-making, report researchers from Canada.

2 Aug 2012

Combination hormonal therapy improves survival in advanced breast cancer

A study co-authored by a Loyola researcher and published in the New England Journal of Medicine is offering new hope to women with advanced breast cancer.

2 Aug 2012

ART resistance increasing in sub-Saharan Africa

The prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistance is on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa, an increase driven by resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in east and southern Africa, research shows.

1 Aug 2012

Lipid treatment absolved of hemorrhagic transformation guilt

The lipid profiles of patients undergoing thrombolysis for acute stroke predict their mortality risk but not their risk for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, shows a large study.

1 Aug 2012

Only 19% of seniors with lung disease quit smoking within two years

A recent study of adults age 50 to 85 found that only 19 percent of those diagnosed with lung disease quit smoking within two years.

1 Aug 2012

Tips on how to keep children safe during extreme hot weather

Several US states and cities have seen record breaking temperatures this summer. Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center want to give tips to parents and guardians on how they can keep their kids safe during the hot weather.

31 Jul 2012

Rituximab aids remission in idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Rituximab achieves good rates of remission in patients with persistent idiopathic membranous nephropathy, with few serious adverse events, study results show.

31 Jul 2012

Working outside 9-5 shifts vascular risk

People who undertake shift work may be at a higher risk for vascular events than those who do not, researchers say in the BMJ.

31 Jul 2012

Exercise hope for drug-resistant hypertension

Even patients who have hypertension despite taking multiple antihypertensive drugs can achieve blood pressure reductions with a program of aerobic exercise, research shows.

31 Jul 2012

'Fifth link' associated with increase in survival rate among survivors of sudden cardiac arrest

Fewer sudden cardiac arrest survivors had neurologic impairment after a novel regional system of care was implemented, according to research published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

31 Jul 2012

Kids with congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation for developmental disorders

Children born with a congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation, prompt treatment and ongoing follow-up for related developmental disorders affecting brain function, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation.

31 Jul 2012

Health coaches could play an important role in the battle of the bulge

Coaches can help athletes score touchdowns and perfect their golf swing, but can they also influence weight loss? Researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center say health coaches could play an important role in the battle of the bulge, according to the findings of a pilot study published online in the journal Obesity.

31 Jul 2012

HPV co-testing prospect for HIV-infected women

The risk for cervical precancer and cancer is similar in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women with normal cervical cytology and no evidence of oncogenic human papillomavirus infection, research shows.

30 Jul 2012

Hydroxychloroquine fails to modify HIV in patients not taking ART

The use of hydroxychloroquine does not reduce CD8 cell activation in HIV-infected patients not taking antiretroviral therapy, research shows.

30 Jul 2012

Healthcare-associated pneumonia management could be improved

Although healthcare-associated pneumonia is common among patients treated in internal medicine departments and linked to poor outcomes, rates of testing and adherence to therapeutic guidelines are low, say Spanish investigators.

30 Jul 2012

Early CT ‘definitive’ for subarachnoid hemorrhage diagnosis

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis is only necessary for patients with thunderclap headache and a negative computed tomography scan if they undergo imaging more than 6 hours after headache onset, research suggests.

30 Jul 2012

New compound effective at blocking damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy

Researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center have identified a compound that could interrupt the chain of events that cause damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy. The finding is significant because it could lead to a novel therapy that targets two mechanisms at the root of the disease: inflammation and the weakening of the blood barrier that protects the retina.

30 Jul 2012

Group yoga can boost motor function and balance in stroke survivors

Group yoga can improve motor function and balance in stroke survivors, even if they don't begin yoga until six months or more after the stroke, according to "Post-Stroke Balance Improves With Yoga: A Pilot Study," published online July 26 in the journal Stroke.

30 Jul 2012

Ephrin-A5 blocks formation of new connections between neurons after stroke

Researchers at UCLA have identified a novel molecule in the brain that, after stroke, blocks the formation of new connections between neurons. As a result, it limits the brain's recovery. In a mouse model, the researchers showed that blocking this molecule-called ephrin-A5--induces axonal sprouting, that is, the growth of new connections between the brain's neurons, or cells, and as a result promotes functional recovery.

29 Jul 2012