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.

Hospital mortality rates decline by 7.98% from 2007 to 2009

A new independent study by HealthGrades of patient outcomes at America's hospitals found that patients at 5-star rated hospitals had a 72% lower risk of dying when compared with patients at 1-star-rated hospitals -- an enormous gap that has held steady over the past years even as overall mortality rates have improved.

20 Oct 2010

Pradaxa capsules receive FDA approval for reducing stroke and systemic embolism risk in AFib patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) capsules to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib).

20 Oct 2010

Anticoagulant Pradaxa receives FDA approval for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pradaxa capsules (dabigatran etexilate) for the prevention of stroke and blood clots in patients with abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation).

20 Oct 2010

Acorda announces data of GGF2 preclinical studies for focal ischemic stroke

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc, today announced that data from preclinical studies show that Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2) promoted functional recovery following a permanent focal ischemic stroke.

19 Oct 2010

Johnson & Johnson third quarter sales decrease 0.7% to $15.0 billion

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $15.0 billion for the third quarter of 2010, a decrease of 0.7% as compared to the third quarter of 2009. Operational results increased 0.1% and the negative impact of currency was 0.8%. Domestic sales declined 2.5%, while international sales increased 1.1%, reflecting operational growth of 2.6% and a negative currency impact of 1.5%.

19 Oct 2010

LRI releases results from scientific research impact report on lupus

Today, the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) released results from the organization's first scientific research impact report entitled, A Decade of Impact in Lupus Research Driving Discovery through Innovation. The results from the report demonstrate a significant impact in lupus research, which has seen no new treatment options approved in 50 years.

19 Oct 2010

Pseudobulbar affect impacts majority of stroke survivors, but few have any understanding of condition

A survey released today by National Stroke Association shows that 53 percent of stroke survivor respondents suffer from symptoms of another neurologic condition called pseudobulbar affect (PBA), a condition thought to be caused by structural damage in the brain due to injury or disease. PBA causes involuntary and unpredictable outbursts of laughing or crying, often in socially inappropriate situations. Even though a significant proportion of stroke survivors suffer from PBA, fewer than one in five are familiar with the condition.

19 Oct 2010

Amgen to review study results of ESA in chronic renal failure patients with FDA and CRDAC

Amgen will review the results from TREAT (the Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events with Aranesp® Therapy) and will discuss how these results inform the appropriate use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) for chronic renal failure (CRF) patients at today's meeting of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee (CRDAC).

19 Oct 2010

Study observes interaction between HLA-C and ERAP1 genes in psoriasis

Genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to psoriasis are reported in five papers published online this week in Nature Genetics. Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent skin disease, and one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases, with a global prevalence of 2-3%.

19 Oct 2010

Revised guidelines for first aid

The American Red Cross and American Heart Association today announced changes to guidelines for administering first aid. Among the revisions are updated recommendations for the treatment of snake bites, anaphylaxis (shock), jellyfish stings and severe bleeding. The First Aid Guidelines are being published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

19 Oct 2010

CoAxia presents SENTIS clinical trial for ischemic stroke at 2010 Congress in Seoul

CoAxia Inc. of Maple Grove, MN, announced today that the results of the SENTIS clinical trial a worldwide, multi-center, randomized study of its NeuroFlo catheter were presented on Saturday, October 16th, by SENTIS Principal Investigator, Professor Ashfaq Shuaib at the 2010 World Stroke Congress in Seoul, South Korea.

19 Oct 2010

Vitamin B12 may help protect against Alzheimer's disease

A new study shows that vitamin B12 may protect against Alzheimer's disease, adding more evidence to the scientific debate about whether the vitamin is effective in reducing the risk of memory loss. The research will be published in the October 19, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Oct 2010

BioSante enrolls 2,500th woman in LibiGel Phase III cardiovascular and breast cancer safety study

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced enrollment of the 2,500th woman in the LibiGel (testosterone gel) Phase III cardiovascular and breast cancer safety study. This important enrollment milestone triggers the first unblinded statistical analysis of cardiovascular events by the independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), which coincides with their fourth unblinded review of all adverse events.

18 Oct 2010

St. Jude Medical to acquire AGA Medical

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, and AGA Medical Holdings, Inc., today announced that the Boards of Directors of both companies have approved a definitive agreement under which St. Jude Medical will acquire all of the outstanding shares of AGA Medical for $20.80 per share in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion, including the assumption of approximately $225 million in outstanding debt.

18 Oct 2010

New emergency care guidelines simplify CPR

New emergency care guidelines simplify performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and highlight the need for high quality CPR by addressing some of the barriers to performing CPR. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, co-author of the 2010 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC), released the guidelines today.

18 Oct 2010

UCSF professor receives National Medal of Science

UCSF Nobel laureate Stanley B. Prusiner, MD, UCSF professor of neurology and director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, today (Oct. 15, 2010) was named to receive the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for science and technology.

18 Oct 2010

New imaging technique to study response of white blood cells to inflammation

Researchers at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine are using an innovative new imaging technique to study how white blood cells (called neutrophils) respond to inflammation, and have revealed new targets to inhibit the response.

18 Oct 2010

Botox receives FDA approval for treatment of chronic migraine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Botox injection (onabotulinumtoxinA) to prevent headaches in adult patients with chronic migraine. Chronic migraine is defined as having a history of migraine and experiencing a headache on most days of the month.

18 Oct 2010

FDA plans to revoke knee implant approval following intense political pressure for its approval

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it planned to revoke a medical-device company's right to sell a knee implant called Menaflex after an unprecedented yearlong review concluded the agency erred in allowing it on the market

18 Oct 2010

Tocotrienols can help reduce triglyceride levels

Scientists from Singapore found that tocotrienols, which are members of the Vitamin E family, are effective in lowering the levels of triglyceride, a form of fat in the blood. High levels of triglyceride are closely linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

18 Oct 2010