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.

Nose spray vaccine for type 1 diabetes could be a reality soon

Melbourne researchers are nearing the development of a vaccine for type 1 diabetes, after showing that a nasal spray can stop the body's immune system from attacking insulin-producing cells.

13 Jun 2011

Left ventricular assist device increases incidence of internal bleeding in heart failure patients

The incidence of internal bleeding was higher in the most commonly implanted heart device than in an earlier model, according to two studies at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

13 Jun 2011

fEITER imaging method reveals real time loss of consciousness in distinct brain regions

For the first time researchers have been able to watch what happens to the brain as it loses consciousness. Using sophisticated imaging equipment they have constructed a 3-D movie of the brain as it changes while an anaesthetic drug takes effect.

13 Jun 2011

Alliance receives $23.2M RWJF grant to extend Healthy Schools Program through 2014

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, announced today it has received a $23.2 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to expand and extend its Healthy Schools Program through 2014.

13 Jun 2011

Final data from Alexion's Soliris Phase 2 studies on aHUS presented at EHA 2011

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of final data from the two Phase 2 studies of Soliris as a treatment for patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

13 Jun 2011

GE and Mayo Clinic receive $5.7 million NIH grant to study dedicated MRI brain scanner technology

Driving new technologies that will help expand the availability of MRI scanners beyond the hospital to smaller clinic settings, GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric Company, and Mayo Clinic, have received a five-year, $5.7 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), components of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Jun 2011

Larger trial study needed to decide fate of niacin

Niaspan is a cholesterol drug manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. Doctors have customarily prescribed Niacin to raise levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol) in patients taking a statin pill that is successfully lowering their LDL ("bad" cholesterol).

10 Jun 2011

Inspire's Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction trial reaches milestones

Inspire Medical Systems, the leading developer of neurostimulation therapies for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced today The STAR trial, evaluating both the safety and effectiveness of Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy, is currently underway at 9 leading medical centers across the United States and at 4 sites in Europe.

10 Jun 2011

Exercise protects against silent stroke: Study

Strokes can cause brain damage by cutting off blood flow to the brain. But unlike major strokes, recognizable by symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body and trouble speaking, so-called silent strokes by definition go unnoticed. Symptoms can include subtle memory and mobility problems, as well as an increased risk for future strokes, according to the American Academy of Neurology. Silent strokes are also different from mini-strokes, which are noticeable but last only for minutes or hours.

9 Jun 2011

Merck announces changes to high-dose simvastatin prescribing information in the U.S.

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced changes to the prescribing information in the United States for the highest dose of simvastatin, 80 mg, and the use of simvastatin with certain other medicines.

9 Jun 2011

JDRF, Selecta Biosciences partner to develop type 1 diabetes vaccine

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Selecta Biosciences, Inc. announced today that they have established a research collaboration to support Selecta's development of a vaccine technology, which may subsequently help to better treat and potentially prevent type 1 diabetes.

9 Jun 2011

National survey finds women more likely to see doctor on regular basis than men

A national survey found that women were three times more likely to see a doctor on a regular basis than men. Even though men on average die younger than women and have higher mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke and AIDS, trying to get a man to a doctor can be harder than pulling teeth. So, why do men hate it so?.

9 Jun 2011

U.S. FDA announces safety label changes for cholesterol-lowering medication, simvastatin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today is announcing safety label changes for the cholesterol-lowering medication simvastatin because the highest approved dose--80 milligram (mg)--has been associated with an elevated risk of muscle injury or myopathy, particularly during the first 12 months of use.

9 Jun 2011

Older people who engage in moderate to intense exercise less likely to have silent strokes

Older people who regularly exercise at a moderate to intense level may be less likely to develop the small brain lesions, sometimes referred to as "silent strokes," that are the first sign of cerebrovascular disease, according to a new study published in the June 8, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Jun 2011

More women than men are unnecessarily referred for nuclear stress tests

New research from cardiologists at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals suggests a possible gender disparity in how patients are referred for nuclear stress tests, an imaging technique that measures blood flow to the heart muscle both at rest and during periods of stress, such as exercise.

9 Jun 2011

New research finds 74% drop in myocardial infarction over 20-year period

Better control of cholesterol levels and blood pressure and a decline in smoking have contributed to a 74% drop in the risk of heart attack among nearly 10,000 civil servants working in London over a 20-year period, according to new research.

9 Jun 2011

High-fat diet may cause brain nerve cell injury

Obesity among people who eat a high-fat diet may involve injury to neurons, or nerve cells, in a key part of the brain that controls body weight, according to the authors of a new animal study. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

9 Jun 2011

State roundup: N.J. plan would cut Medicaid by $500 million

States and territories are eligible for up to $40 million to strengthen and coordinate efforts to prevent chronic disease, the Health and Human Services Department announced Tuesday. The initiative is funded by the healthcare reform law and targets the nation's five leading chronic diseases: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and arthritis.

9 Jun 2011

DASH diet comes out on top

DASH diet, often recommended to help adults lower their blood pressure has ranked over more popular options in a ranking of 20 diets by U.S. News & World Report. The DASH diet, the magazine concluded, was the best overall. Government approved DASH standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension was chosen by the magazine’s panel of nutrition experts among other things, being nutritious, easy to follow and protecting against heart disease and perhaps diabetes.

8 Jun 2011

Eating at wrong time of the day reduces fertility in fruit flies

Dieticians will tell you it isn't healthy to eat late at night: it's a recipe for weight gain. In fruit flies, at least, there's another consequence: reduced fertility.

8 Jun 2011