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.

Rheumatoid arthritis drug has added benefits

Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor drugs reduces the risk for cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, researchers report.

8 Jun 2012

eHealth offers Europe solutions that can help avoid healthcare crisis

Healthcare systems face enormous challenges over the coming years. The increasing demands of an aging population, the rising cost of treatments and medications, and budget shortfalls are all issues that will need to be addressed if Europeans are to continue to enjoy high standards of care. eHealth, enabled by information and communication technologies, offers Europe solutions that can help avoid healthcare crisis.

8 Jun 2012

Experts debate whether spinal manipulation for neck pain should be abandoned

The effectiveness of spinal manipulation divides medical opinion. On bmj.com today, experts debate whether spinal manipulation for neck pain should be abandoned.

8 Jun 2012

Study assesses impact of postoperative nHb and transfusion in patients with PAD

Vascular surgeons from Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Houston, TX, have released a study about the impact of transfusion and postoperative nadir postoperative hemoglobin (nHb) on short- and long-term outcomes after interventions for peripheral arterial disease.

8 Jun 2012

LUHS opens new renovated Emergency Department

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) unveiled its newly renovated Emergency Department (ED) today. This site has been named the John L. Keeley, MD Emergency Department in honor of the late Dr. John L. Keeley who served as chair of Loyola's Department of Surgery from 1958 to 1969.

8 Jun 2012

Millions of pre-diabetic Americans may be at increased risk of future stroke

Millions of pre-diabetic Americans may be at increased risk of future stroke, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in a new meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, but the precise degree of that threat is confounded by differing medical definitions and factors that remain unknown or unmeasured.

8 Jun 2012

Ocular pulse amplitude reliable, safe screening test for carotid artery stenosis

A simple eye test may someday offer an effective way to identify patients who are at high risk for stroke, say researchers at the University of Zurich. They showed that a test called ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) can reliably detect carotid artery stenosis (CAS), a condition that clogs or blocks the arteries that feed the front part of the brain.

8 Jun 2012

CardioKinetix commences Parachute Ventricular Partitioning Device clinical trial in IHF

CardioKinetix Inc., a medical device company pioneering a catheter-based treatment for heart failure, announced today that it has begun enrollment in PARACHUTE III, a post-market safety surveillance trial, in Germany with the CE Marked Parachute Ventricular Partitioning Device.

7 Jun 2012

Study describes how seizures in people with AS could be linked to brain cell activity imbalance

New research by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine may have pinpointed an underlying cause of the seizures that affect 90 percent of people with Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder.

7 Jun 2012

Study reviews role of gut microbes in nutrient absorption and energy regulation

Microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract form an intricate, living fabric made up of some 500 to 1000 distinct bacterial species, (in addition to other microbes). Recently, researchers have begun to untangle the subtle role these diverse life forms play in maintaining health and regulating weight.

7 Jun 2012

Boehringer Ingelheim updates U.S. prescribing information for Pradaxa with FDA

Boehringer Ingelheim has today announced that it has updated the US prescribing information for Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) in alignment with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to affirm that "Pradaxa 150mg twice daily was superior in reducing ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes relative to warfarin."

7 Jun 2012

Patent claims for technology to assess Parkinson’s disease issued to Great Lakes Neurotechnologies

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today that the U.S. Patent Office has issued claims under patent number 8,187,209 covering their Movement Disorder Monitoring System and Method for quantitative assessment of motor symptoms associated with movement disorders.

6 Jun 2012

STELARA effectively reduces signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis

Patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving the interleukin (IL)-12/23 inhibitor STELARA (ustekinumab) experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms of the disease, according to new findings presented today from a Janssen Research & Development, LLC, (Janssen)-sponsored investigational study.

6 Jun 2012

Patients with type 2 diabetes have 20% increased risk of blood cancers

Patients with type 2 diabetes have a 20 percent increased risk of developing blood cancers, such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma, according to a new meta-analysis led by researchers at The Miriam Hospital.

6 Jun 2012

Inflammation instigated by the immune system in ALS can trigger macrophages

In an early study, UCLA researchers found that the immune cells of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, may play a role in damaging the neurons in the spinal cord.

6 Jun 2012

High pollution increases risk of repeated heart attacks by over 40%

Air pollution, a serious danger to the environment, is also a major health risk, associated with respiratory infections, lung cancer and heart disease. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has concluded that not only does air pollution impact cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke, but it also causes repeated episodes over the long term.

6 Jun 2012

Soy protein may not enhance overall cognitive ability in women

Contrary to earlier reports, a new study suggests that soy protein may not preserve overall thinking abilities in women over the age of 45, but may improve memory related to facial recognition.

5 Jun 2012

Strong link between functional brain impairment and post-stroke depression

Researchers studying stroke patients have found a strong association between impairments in a network of the brain involved in emotional regulation and the severity of post-stroke depression. Results of the study are published online in the journal Radiology.

5 Jun 2012

Statisticians devise new predictive algorithm for future medical conditions

Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter.

5 Jun 2012

Caffeine/coffee intake associated with reduced risk of dementia or delayed onset

Those cups of coffee that you drink every day to keep alert appear to have an extra perk - especially if you're an older adult. A recent study monitoring the memory and thinking processes of people older than 65 found that all those with higher blood caffeine levels avoided the onset of Alzheimer's disease in the two-to-four years of study follow-up. Moreover, coffee appeared to be the major or only source of caffeine for these individuals.

5 Jun 2012