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.

Search for gene search for sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Though it's the more common form of the disease, sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which affects roughly 90 percent of those living with the fatal neurodegenerative illness, has been the one less studied, simply because, unlike familial ALS, no genes have turned up.

17 May 2006

German scientists synthesize new compound that reduces stroke damage

A group of German scientists has synthesized a new compound that dramatically decreases the damage to neurons in rats demonstrating stroke symptoms.

16 May 2006

Researchers discover naturally occurring growth factor that stimulates regeneration of injured nerve fibers in the central nervous system

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have discovered a naturally occurring growth factor that stimulates regeneration of injured nerve fibers (axons) in the central nervous system.

16 May 2006

Role of acetaminophen in acute myocardial infarction

Acetaminophen is safe to use as a pain reliever and fever reducer after a heart attack, but it does not protect the heart muscle, a new study using sheep and rabbits concluded.

16 May 2006

Nine million Americans with double whammy of obesity and smoking

According to new research from the American Legacy Foundation as many as nine million adults in the United States are affected by both obesity and smoking, two of the nation's top public health epidemics.

15 May 2006

Experts say Vioxx poses risks long after patients stop taking it

According to a leading American cardiologist patients who have taken the drug Vioxx are still at high risk of heart attacks or strokes even after they stop taking the medication.

14 May 2006

Researchers link novel mutated gene to mental retardation and imbalance syndrome

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a genetic cause for a form of pediatric brain malformation involving the cerebellum.

11 May 2006

Healthy habits and appropriate treatments help prevent stroke

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a major source of disability in the United States. Every year about 700,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke, resulting in nearly 158,000 deaths.

10 May 2006

Neuren granted US patent for NNZ-2566

Neuren Pharmaceuticals has announced that its patent application entitled "GPE Analogs and Peptidomimetics" (PCT/US02/16361) has been issued in the United States (US Patent No: 7,041,314) on 9 May 2006.

10 May 2006

Long term oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy increases breast cancer risk

According to new research women who take oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy for 20 years or longer to treat the symptoms of menopause, put themselves at greater risk of developing breast cancer.

10 May 2006

Statins may improve circulation in the eye

The cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins may improve circulation in the eye, potentially reducing the risk of certain eye diseases, according to a study in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

9 May 2006

Long-term estrogen therapy may be related to a higher risk of breast cancer

Previous studies have linked the use of hormone therapy to breast cancer among postmenopausal women, but have primarily focused on the hormone combination of estrogen plus progestin, according to background information in the article.

9 May 2006

Corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation

High doses of medications known as corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder characterized by an irregular heartbeat, according to an article in the May 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2006

Cardiovascular disease impact varies according to age, gender, other factors

Cardiovascular disease deaths have declined in the last 25 years, but the effect of America's No. 1 killer varies greatly based on gender, age, location and type, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

9 May 2006

NYU pediatric neurosurgeon reports on 25 children with tuberous sclerosis

Sadly, none of the treatments for epilepsy - anti-seizure medications, a procedure called vagus nerve stimulation, a special diet - could quell the electrical storms in the young boy's brain.

8 May 2006

Urgent effort underway to learn how diabetes increases heart disease risk

A researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center has won the 2006 Thomas R. Lee Career Development Award from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which includes an $842,400 grant to study how diabetes dramatically increases risk for cardiovascular disease.

8 May 2006

New technology to help physicians and engineers pool resources to prevent stroke

A professor at the University of Houston and his research students are working with physicians and scientists at the Methodist Neurological Institute on new technology to help identify which brain aneurysms are at highest risk of rupture and could cause a stroke.

8 May 2006

MRI clues identify stroke victims at risk of skull hemorrhaging

The appearance of parenchymal enhancement of stroke lesions and the hyperintense MCA sign on MRI may help identify stroke patients at risk of hemorrhaging in the skull, says a new study by researchers at Shantou University Medical College in China and the University of Toronto in Canada.

3 May 2006

Hormone therapy still the most effective for menopause symptoms

A new study has found that estrogen therapy is the best treatment for menopause-related hot flashes.

3 May 2006

Virtual reality simulation technology improves carotid angiography skills

Cardiologists can learn to perform risky catheter procedures such as carotid angiography on a virtual patient simulator, rather than on real patients, according to a new study in the May 2, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

3 May 2006