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.

New blood pressure drug Micardis (Telmisartan) good at reducing deaths from heart attacks

An international team of researchers have found that a new blood pressure medication is as effective in reducing cardiovascular death, with fewer side effects than the current treatments offered.

1 Apr 2008

Hypertension treatment for the elderly cuts the risk of heart disease and stroke

New research from Britain suggests that when the elderly are treated for hypertension (high blood pressure) the medication reduces their risk of heart disease, stroke and even death.

1 Apr 2008

Study shows Actos prevented progression of atherosclerotic plaque volume in patients

New data from a clinical trial using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) technology found that in patients living with type 2 diabetes, ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) reduced the atherosclerotic burden in the coronary arteries compared to glimepiride, and prevented progression compared to baseline.

1 Apr 2008

New blood pressure drug telmisartan has fewer side effects

A major Canadian-led global study has found that a new blood pressure medication is effective in reducing cardiovascular death, with fewer side effects than the current standard of care.

1 Apr 2008

Researchers publish MRI images of genes in action in the living brain

Biologists have just confirmed what poets have known for centuries: eyes really are windows of the soul—or at least of the brain.

1 Apr 2008

Two drug combo blood pressure therapy lowers cardiovascular risk

An international blood pressure study comparing two single-pill drug combinations has yielded results so significant that the study has been stopped early and the researchers say their findings might alter the way high blood pressure is treated worldwide.

1 Apr 2008

New genetic clues to diabetes

An international team that included scientists from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today reported it has identified six more genetic variants involved in type 2 diabetes, boosting to 16 the total number of genetic risk factors associated with increased risk of the disease.

31 Mar 2008

Gene mutations tied to immune comeback during therapy for HIV-1

A new study by U.S. scientists provides compelling evidence that two genes are linchpins in defining the course of immune restoration in HIV-positive individuals undergoing virus-suppressing therapy.

31 Mar 2008

Decreased sexual satisfaction in postmenopausal women not clearly associated with cardiovascular disease

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) and collaborators nationwide have found that decreased sexual satisfaction in postmenopausal women, is not clearly associated with cardiovascular disease.

31 Mar 2008

Relaxation response training may improve control of hard-to-treat systolic hypertension

Adding the relaxation response, a stress-management approach, to other lifestyle interventions may significantly improve treatment of the type of hypertension most common in the elderly.

31 Mar 2008

Type 2 diabetes genes linked with prostate cancer

Scientists have identified six new genes which play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, and among the group is the second gene known to also play a role in prostate cancer.

31 Mar 2008

Study shows that a larger abdomen in midlife increases risk of dementia

People in their 40s with larger stomachs have a higher risk for dementia when they reach their 70s, according to a study published in the March 26, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology .

28 Mar 2008

Cholesterol-associated gene variants can predict cardiovascular events

A study appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine confirms that a combination of gene variants previously associated with cholesterol levels does reflect patients' cholesterol levels and can signify increased risk of heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac death.

20 Mar 2008

Hispanics with clogged arteries at greatest risk of stroke, heart attack

Hispanics who have even a small amount of plaque build-up in the neck artery that supplies blood to the brain are up to four times more likely to suffer or die from a stroke or heart attack than Hispanics who do not have plaque, according to a study published in the March 19, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 Mar 2008

Disruption of the Contactin 4 gene on chromosome 3 may be linked to autism spectrum disorder

Eli Hatchwell, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology at Stony Brook University Medical Center, and colleagues have found that a disruption of the Contactin 4 gene on chromosome 3 may be linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

20 Mar 2008

1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men at risk for Alzheimer's disease in their lifetime

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have estimated that one in six women are at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) in their lifetime, while the risk for men is one in ten.

19 Mar 2008

HRT users and non-HRT users benefited equally from the exercise

Aerobic exercise significantly decreased the chemical imbalances that can lead to heart disease and stroke in postmenopausal women according to a study in the spring issue of the Journal of Women and Aging.

19 Mar 2008

HDL-associated protein gene linked to heart disease risk

The gene for the HDL-associated protein paraoxonase 1 (PON1) appears to be associated with coronary artery disease and with the risk of developing adverse cardiac events, and variations in both the PON1 gene and its related enzyme activity may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease events, according to a study in the March 19 issue of JAMA , a theme issue on Genetics and Genomics.

19 Mar 2008

An anti-inflammatory response to the vegan diet

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who eat a gluten-free vegan diet could be better protected against heart attacks and stroke.

18 Mar 2008

Minority, low-income diabetics least likely to monitor their blood glucose

Black and Hispanic adults with insulin-treated diabetes are less likely than whites to monitor their blood glucose, according to a new study presented at the American Heart Association's 48th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

17 Mar 2008