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.

Better use of kidneys from deceased donors

Several new studies suggest how transplant surgeons can make more effective use of kidneys from deceased donors – even those that are at the outer limits of acceptance criteria – according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

2 Oct 2007

Tree bark compound gambogic amide stimulates growth, survival of brain cells

Researchers have identified a compound in tree bark that mimics the chemical reactions of a naturally occurring molecule in the brain responsible for stimulating neuronal cell signaling.

2 Oct 2007

Reversal of blood flow to the brain may help protect against stroke during carotid stenting

Surgeons at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston have begun a new trial that will seek to protect patients from stroke by reversing blood flow in the brain during carotid stenting.

1 Oct 2007

Non-invasive imaging test could help prevent heart attacks

Kathy Brown says she always thought that heart disease was for those who smoked cigarettes, drank, ate a lot of red meat, and who were overweight.

1 Oct 2007

About half of California adults diagnosed with high blood pressure take blood pressure-lowering drugs

About half of California adults diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, do not take medication to lower it, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association's 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

29 Sep 2007

Occupational therapy helps stroke patients

Occupational therapy can improve the lives of patients who have suffered a stroke and lessen their chances of deteriorating, according to a study published on bmj.com.

29 Sep 2007

Simple tool improves communication between doctors and patients

A UCSF research team has developed a simple tool that can improve the effectiveness of communication between doctors and patients about prescribed medications and result in dramatic improvements in health and safety.

29 Sep 2007

High blood pressure may be due to excess weight in half of overweight adults

As many as 50 percent of overweight men and women with high blood pressure may have hypertension as a result of being overweight, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

29 Sep 2007

Exercise might actually increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer

Barcelona, Spain: A new study adds fuel to the debate over whether being fat or inactive affects the risk of developing ovarian cancer.

27 Sep 2007

Many patients with diabetes say burden of care rivals complications of disease

Many patients with diabetes say that the inconvenience and discomfort of constant therapeutic vigilance, particularly multiple daily insulin injections, has as much impact on their quality of life as the burden of intermediate complications, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the October 2007 issue of Diabetes Care.

27 Sep 2007

Clinical trials for diabetes drugs should measure outcomes important to patients

Most clinical trials for new diabetes drugs do not consider the impact medication will have on a patient's quality of life or other outcomes that are important to patients, such as the risk of developing complications associated with diabetes, according to a Mayo Clinic commentary in the current issue of The Lancet.

27 Sep 2007

Research at Rice may help explain aspects of synesthesia

A research team led by Rice University Psychology Professor Tony Ro has published its findings that may help to explain the phenomenon known as synesthesia, in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory pathway.

27 Sep 2007

New molecular target in blood clot formation

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have identified a new molecular target in blood clot formation, which seems to reduce clotting without excessive bleeding, the common side-effect of anti-clotting agents.

27 Sep 2007

New breast cancer screening guidelines

New guidelines from the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommend that women at very high risk for breast cancer receive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with annual mammography, reports the October 2007 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch .

27 Sep 2007

AGE-rich foods causes dysfunction linked to heart disease

A study in this month's Diabetes Care finds that ingesting food or drink rich in advanced glycation end products (AGEs) causes immediate, short-lived but significant endothelial dysfunction, shedding light on the mechanism by which dietary AGE content can be linked to cardiovascular disease.

27 Sep 2007

Scots second only to Americans when it comes to obesity

Health officials in Britain say Scotland now has the one of highest obesity rates in the developed world, and comes second to the United States.

26 Sep 2007

Coping with urinary incontinence

For older adults, increased urinary frequency is fairly common.

26 Sep 2007

Rehabilitation significantly underused after heart attack and bypass surgery

Despite strong evidence that cardiac rehabilitation reduces disability and prolongs life, fewer than one in five people receive rehabilitation services after a heart attack or coronary bypass surgery, according to a Brandeis study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

26 Sep 2007

University of Sydney receives $7.5 million grant for clinical trails

The University of Sydney has been successful in securing over $55 million in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council funding, including a $7.5 million grant for clinical trails, it was announced today.

26 Sep 2007

Hydrogen sulfide based drug shows promise in reducing heart-attack damage

Producing a state of "hibernation on demand" in mice by administering an experimental drug from Ikaria (an injectable formulation of the biological gas hydrogen sulfide) showed promise in a study designed to reduce damage from heart attacks.

26 Sep 2007