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.

Most women 55 years and younger who have heart attacks don't recognize warning signs

Women younger than 55 years represent less than 5 percent of all hospitalized heart disease patients, but because so many heart attacks occur in the United State each year, even this small percentage affects a large number of people.

11 May 2007

Worksite health programs improve blood pressure and diabetes control

Employees who participated in a worksite health program improved blood pressure control by 9 percent and diabetes control by 15 percent, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 8th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

11 May 2007

Whole grain foods lower risk of heart disease

A diet high in whole grain foods is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

10 May 2007

New Cordis device granted Humanitarian Exemption to treat intracranial aneurysms

Cordis Neurovascular, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) approval for the CORDIS ENTERPRISE Vascular Reconstruction Device and Delivery System for use with embolic coils in the treatment of wide-neck intracranial aneurysms.

10 May 2007

One-third to nearly one-half of all children and adolescents should be tested for cholesterol levels

According to the AHA, the physicians who care for these at-risk youth face an unexpected obstacle -- their parents. The AHA finds "low levels of parental compliance with both cholesterol screening and intervention."

10 May 2007

Baby aspirin better for your health

Nearly a quarter of a million Americans each year may be hospitalized with bleeding complications caused by needlessly taking a daily dose of an adult-sized aspirin rather than a baby aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke.

9 May 2007

Cut down on salt to cut down your high blood pressure

Researchers in Canada say if every Canadian cut their salt intake in half high blood pressure would be eliminated in one million people.

8 May 2007

New treatments for brain hemorrhage

The first scientifically proven treatments for intracerebral hemorrhage, or "bleeding," strokes, are on the horizon, including a new drug that holds promise for slowing bleeding and limiting brain damage resulting from such a stroke, according to updated American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines.

4 May 2007

Regular exercise associated with reduced risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Protection against heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, memory loss, colon cancer, fractures, and depression should be enough to get men exercising.

4 May 2007

Botox decreases pain and intensity of spasticity following a stroke

Final results from a multi-center study shows that repeated treatments of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA or Botox?) over one year is well tolerated and results in a significant decrease in spasticity, pain frequency and average pain intensity in upper limbs following stroke, according to research from a neurologist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

4 May 2007

People with a sibling who have had a stroke are almost twice as likely to suffer a stroke themselves

People with a brother or sister who have had a stroke are almost twice as likely as the average American to suffer a stroke themselves, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston.

4 May 2007

$Treatment with zoledronic acid effective in reducing fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis$

Treatment with zoledronic acid effective in reducing fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis

A treatment for osteoporosis delivered once a year is as effective as current monthly or weekly osteoporosis regimens at reducing the incidence of bone fractures, according to a new study led by a UCSF research team.

4 May 2007

Machine preservation may promote more organ sharing

Preserving the kidneys of deceased older donors on a pump, as opposed to the conventional method of storing and transporting organs in a cooler, may lower hospital costs, improve initial organ function, and promote greater use and more sharing of organs, according to new research by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

4 May 2007

Backup brain region compensates for stroke

Researchers have pinpointed in humans how a "backup" brain region springs into action to compensate for disruption of a primary functional area, as happens during stroke.

4 May 2007

Statins reduce risk of stroke and heart attack

People whose cholesterol improved after one month on cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins reduced their risk of stroke and heart attack, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 , May 5, 2007.

4 May 2007

Reclast found to cause abnormal heart rhythms

An osteoporosis drug with the potential to cut the risk of spine fractures by 70 percent and the chance of hip fractures by 41 percent, has been found to have an adverse side effect on some women.

3 May 2007

Just to confuse you even more - HRT now linked to Alzheimer's!

To add to the utter confusion many women are feeling with regard to Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), new research is now suggesting HRT may reduce a woman's risk of Alzheimer's disease.

3 May 2007

Use of antithrombotics means more intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke deaths in over 75s

A study suggests that the number of pensioners over 75 dying from intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke has increased in the last 25 years due to use of antithrombotic drugs.

2 May 2007

New way to target and potentially treat tumors

Research teams at Yale University and the University of Rhode Island have demonstrated a new way to target and potentially treat tumors using a short piece of protein that acts like a nanosyringe to deliver tags or therapy to cells, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2 May 2007