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.

Amicus Therapeutics presents positive results from phase 2 extension study of Amigal for Fabry disease

Amicus Therapeutics has announced positive results from its ongoing Phase 2 extension study of its investigational drug, Amigal (migalastat HCL) for Fabry disease.

29 Mar 2009

Using public transit may help you keep fit

The study, published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, finds that people who take public transit are three times more likely than those who don't to meet the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's suggested daily minimum of physical activity.

29 Mar 2009

Protein from tick saliva shows potential for myasthenia gravis treatment

Looking for a better treatment for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, researchers have found that a protein in tick saliva shows promise in limiting the severity of the disease in an animal model in a study published in the Annals of Neurology.

29 Mar 2009

Transdermal delivery of estrogen therapy may show safety benefits as opposed to oral delivery

Transdermal delivery of estrogen therapy available by prescription "seems not to alter" the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clotting, in postmenopausal patients when compared to oral delivery, a new study suggests.

29 Mar 2009

Researcher links cholesterol crystals to cardiovascular attacks

For the first time ever, a Michigan State University researcher has shown cholesterol crystals can disrupt plaque in a patient's cardiovascular system, causing a heart attack or stroke.

29 Mar 2009

New evidence supports use of catheter-based therapy to remove blood clots in stroke patients

Nearly 90 percent of the 700,000 strokes that affect U.S. patients each year are caused by a blockage of blood vessels supplying the brain, known as ischemic stroke.

29 Mar 2009

External focus improves postural stability in patients with Parkinson's disease

Patients with Parkinson disease may be able to improve their postural stability by directing their attention to the external effects of their movements rather than to the movements of their own body, according to a study published in the February 2009 issue of Physical Therapy, the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

29 Mar 2009

Simple, noninvasive finger sensor test predicts major cardiac events

Results of a Mayo Clinic study show that a simple, noninvasive finger sensor test is "highly predictive" of a major cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke, for people who are considered at low or moderate risk, according to researchers.

26 Mar 2009

Oxycodone effective against shingles pain

The painkiller oxycodone is effective at treating the acute pain of shingles, an illness that often causes severe pain which can become long-lasting and sometimes even permanent.

26 Mar 2009

Number of Alzheimer's cases growing annually, increasing costs, report finds

The number of U.S. residents with Alzheimer's disease is increasing annually, putting more pressure on the health care system, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the Alzheimer's Association, USA Today reports (Brophy Marcus, USA Today, 3/24).

25 Mar 2009

Radius starts Ppase 2a trial of RAD1901 in menopausal hot flashes

Radius Health ("Radius") announced today that the first patient has been dosed in the company's proof-of-concept Phase 2a study of RAD1901, an investigational selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) undergoing clinical evaluation for treatment of vasomotor symptoms (menopausal hot flashes).

24 Mar 2009

Tai chi improves balance in stroke survivors

Stroke can impair balance, heightening the risk of a debilitating fall.

23 Mar 2009

Social isolation makes strokes more deadly in mice

New research in mice suggests that social isolation may promote more damaging inflammation in the brain during a stroke.

23 Mar 2009

Listening to pleasant music could help restore vision in stroke patients, suggests study

Patients who have lost part of their visual awareness following a stroke can show an improved ability to see when they are listening to music they like, according to a new study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

23 Mar 2009

Environmental cardiology - the relationship between air pollution and heart disease

We are used to thinking of heart disease as a product of genetic factors or lifestyle choices, such as what we eat and how much we exercise.

23 Mar 2009

Exercise therapy benefits ICU patients

An exercise program developed at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center aimed at helping patients in the medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) maintain physical conditioning is a featured 'Innovation Profile' on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Web site.

23 Mar 2009

Astrocytes help separate man from mouse

A type of brain cell that was long overlooked by researchers embodies one of very few ways in which the human brain differs fundamentally from that of a mouse or rat, according to researchers who published their findings as the cover story in the March 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

23 Mar 2009

Injected luminol glows blue revealing immune cells' misdeeds

Detectives on television shows often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make blood glow.

22 Mar 2009

Nationwide alert on tainted weight loss products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding, for the second time, its nationwide alert to consumers about tainted weight loss products containing

22 Mar 2009

Abnormal EKG can predict death in stroke patients

People who suffer an ischemic stroke and also have an abnormality in the heart's electrical cycle are at a higher risk of death within 90 days than people who do not have abnormal electrical activity at the time of emergency treatment, according to new research.

22 Mar 2009