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.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty may help those with obstructive sleep apnea

A procedure known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) may help some patients improve or even eliminate their obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study.

24 Oct 2007

Racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol treatment

The negative consequences of alcohol use and abuse have a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.

24 Oct 2007

Study looks at religion in health care

Research shows that religion and spirituality are linked to positive physical and mental health; however, most studies have focused on people with life threatening diseases.

24 Oct 2007

Trial of an individualized menopause decision aid

Being aware of the health risks associated with treating menopausal symptoms might only make it harder for women to decide what to do.

24 Oct 2007

Two carotid stenting trials show results comparable to AHA guidelines

Two carotid stenting trials examining patient outcomes demonstrated results that are comparable to guidelines established by the American Heart Association (AHA) for patients treated with carotid artery surgery.

23 Oct 2007

Study explains why physical activity is beneficial in preventing heart attack and stroke

It is well known that physical activity can improve cardiovascular health. But it's the impact exercise has on specific known risk factors that accounts for about 60 percent of that improvement, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Oct 2007

Researchers discover genes linking stress, high blood pressure, alcoholism and tobacco addiction

A team led by a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher has uncovered a series of genes linking mental stress, high blood pressure, alcoholism and tobacco addiction.

22 Oct 2007

New method of oral insulin delivery patented

Syracuse University researchers have designed, tested and patented a new method of oral insulin delivery that can potentially help reduce daily insulin injections for millions of people with diabetes who require therapy for optimal glycemic control.

22 Oct 2007

New role discovered for cilia

Johns Hopkins researchers and colleagues have found a previously unrecognized role for tiny hair-like cell structures known as cilia: They help form our sense of touch.

22 Oct 2007

Scale back on weight obsession, urges obesity expert

"We need to change how we look at obesity, stop obsessing on weight and BMI and, above all, redefine the proper clinical use of weight loss drugs," says noted obesity expert Dr. Jean-Pierre Després, delivering the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Lecture at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2007.

22 Oct 2007

FDA to look at warnings about salt in food

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States will hear a consumer group's petition demanding that the federal agency should regulate the use of salt in food.

22 Oct 2007

Parents to be officially told if their child is overweight or obese

Obesity in children has reached such levels in Britain that under new government plans parents may be issued with a warning if their children are found to be overweight.

22 Oct 2007

Canada leads in new heart valve replacement surgery

Canada is the world leader in a new surgical technique that is transforming the lives of patients too sick to undergo conventional treatment to replace diseased aortic valves.

22 Oct 2007

Mayo Clinic clarifies diagnosis for primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV)

Mayo Clinic has clarified the methods of diagnosis and optimal management of a rare and little-understood blood vessel disease of the brain and spinal cord that often leads to stroke or death.

19 Oct 2007

Obesity epidemic in Britain blamed on society

According to a new report by a government think-tank in Britain the current obesity epidemic is the result of modern life and individuals cannot be blamed for being obese due to overeating and lack of exercise.

19 Oct 2007

Medsafe warns of "natural health" hazards

The New Zealand Ministry of Health's medicines and medical devices regulator Medsafe is warning New Zealanders to be aware of what they're buying when shopping for herbal remedies, following charges brought against a Chinese herbalist in Auckland.

19 Oct 2007

Childhood epilepsy research offers new hope for seizure control

Scientists still do not know what causes epileptic seizures, but researchers from Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute are one step closer to solving this puzzle with the help of their newly developed genetically modified epileptic mouse.

18 Oct 2007

Bypass surgery more likely than angioplasty to relieve coronary artery disease pain

Patients with mid-range coronary artery disease are more likely to get relief from painful angina and less likely to have repeat procedures if they get bypass surgery rather than balloon angioplasty with or without a stent, according to a new report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

17 Oct 2007

Little difference in risk rates for angioplasty, bypass procedures

Patients with heart disease who undergo coronary angioplasty have an equivalent risk of death and heart attack as patients who undergo coronary bypass surgery, according to Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.

17 Oct 2007

Severely mentally ill at high risk for cardiovascular disease

A psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that although mortality from cardiovascular disease has declined in the United States over the past several decades, patients with severe psychiatric illness are not enjoying the benefits of that progress.

17 Oct 2007