Stroke News Today

Archiving Stroke-Related News Since 2008

Article: Study Finds Clear Tie Between Parents' Stroke History, Offspring's Risk

Medical News Today

Intro: Children with a parent who had a stroke, particularly by age 65, have an increased risk of stroke, suggesting parental stroke as an important new risk marker, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers focused on 3,443 initially stroke-free subjects, all second-generation participants in the Framingham Heart Study. The participants' parents had reported 106 strokes by age 65, and subjects reported 128 strokes over the 40-year study. After adjusting for conventional risk factors, people with a parent who had a stroke by age 65 had twice the risk of having one at any age and four times the risk by age 65. "The study shows that parental stroke by age 65 is a powerful risk factor for stroke in the offspring," says Sudha Seshadri, M.D., lead author on the research. "We believe parental history of stroke should be included with other stroke risk factors in predicting a person's risk of stroke."

March 09, 2010

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Article: Medicine To Lower Blood Pressure Significantly Decreases Risk For Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke

Medical News Today

Intro: A long-acting ACE inhibitor used to reduce blood pressure significantly decreased the risk for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, in normal weight, overweight and obese patients, according to research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. In the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS), the rate of cardiovascular disease declined by more than 25 percent in normal weight, overweight and obese patient groups. The greatest benefit occurred in the heaviest patients, who started the study with higher blood pressure than their leaner counterparts, researchers said. The treatment prevented one major cardiovascular event - defined as stroke, heart attack or cardiovascular death - for every 13 obese patients treated, compared with one such event prevented for every 28 patients in the group that weighed the least.

March 09, 2010

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Article: Ocular Shingles Linked To Increased Risk Of Stroke

Medical News Today

Intro: Having a shingles infection that affects the eyes may increase the risk of stroke, according to new research published in the March 3, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, researchers identified 658 people diagnosed with ocular shingles and 1974 without the infection. None of these people had a history of stroke at the beginning of the study. Ocular shingles is an infection of the eye and the skin around the eye caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. About 10 to 20 percent of all people with shingles have ocular shingles. During the one-year study, stroke developed in 8.1 percent of the people with shingles and 1.7 percent of the people without shingles.

March 09, 2010

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Article: New Class of Brain Protecting Drugs Emerging 

Science Daily

Intro: Researchers have identified a compound that mimics one of the brain's own growth factors and can protect brain cells against damage in several animal models of neurological disease. 7,8-dihydroxyflavone is a member of the flavonoid family of chemicals, which are abundant in fruits and vegetables. The compound's selective effects suggest that it could be the founder of a new class of brain-protecting drugs. The results were published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Investigators at Emory University School of Medicine, led by Keqiang Ye, PhD, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, were searching for a way to mimic a protein found in the brain called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor).

February 01, 2010

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Article: Stroke’s Death Signal Can Be Blocked; Discovery May Aid Drug Development 

Science Daily

Intro: Biomedical scientists from the University of Central Florida and Louisiana State University have identified a way to block a "cell death signal" that they believe triggers brain damage during strokes. Strokes, also known as cerebral ischemia, are caused by inadequate blood flow to the brain and are the third-leading cause of death in the United States. The team's work focused on a neurotransmitter that typically plays an important role in communication among nerve cells in the brain and fosters learning and memory. This glutamate neurotransmitter opens the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, allowing the entry of calcium into the nerve cells. Under normal conditions, the activity of the NMDA receptors is tightly regulated to prevent nerve cells from becoming overloaded with calcium. During a stroke, however, that process of regulation breaks down. The excessive influx of calcium through NMDA receptors kills the nerve cells and can cause severe brain damage.

February 01, 2010

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Article: Silent Strokes Linked to Kidney Failure in Diabetics 

Science Daily

Intro: In patients with type 2 diabetes, silent cerebral infarction (SCI) -- small areas of brain damage caused by injury to small blood vessels -- signals an increased risk of progressive kidney disease and kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology(JASN). If SCI is present in the brain, it could be an indicator that small-vessel damage is present in the kidneys as well, suggests the new study by Takashi Uzu, MD (Shiga University School of Medicine, Otsu, Japan). Uzu comments, "Silent cerebral infarction may be a new marker to identify patients who are risk for declining kidney function."The study included 608 patients with type 2 diabetes, all initially free of symptomatic stroke, heart disease, or kidney disease (overt proteinuria or renal dysfunction). On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain, 177 of the patients (29 percent) had SCI -- subtle areas of brain damage caused by disease of the brain blood vessels, but not severe enough to cause overt symptoms of stroke. At long-term follow-up, diabetic patients with SCI had higher risks of progressive kidney disease. Compared to those with normal brain MRI scans, patients with SCI were about 2.5 times more likely to die or develop end-stage kidney disease. Their risk of declining kidney function or dialysis was nearly five times higher.

February 01, 2010

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Article: Observation About How Nervous System Learns and Encodes Motion Could Improve Stroke Recovery

Science Daily

Intro: Bioengineers have taken a small step toward improving physical recovery in stroke patients by showing that a key feature of how limb motion is encoded in the nervous system plays a crucial role in how new motor skills are learned. Published in the November 25, 2009 issue of Neuron, a Harvard-based study about the neural learning elements responsible for motor learning may help scientists design rehabilitation protocols in which motor adaptation occurs more readily, potentially allowing for a more rapid recovery. Neuroscientists have long understood that the brain's primary motor cortex and the body's low-level peripheral stretch sensors encode information about the position and velocity of limb motion in a positively-correlated manner rather than as independent variables.

January 24^th, 2010

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Article: Increased Risk of Death, Stroke in Postmenopausal Women Taking Antidepressants, Study Finds 

Science Daily

Intro: Women participating in the Women's Health Initiative study who reported taking an antidepressant drug had a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of stroke and of death compared with participants not taking antidepressants. The authors of a report in the December 14 Archives of Internal Medicine note that their findings are not conclusive but may signify a need for additional attention to patients' cardiovascular risk factors. "Depression is a serious illness with its own health risks, and we know that antidepressants can be life-saving for some patients. No one should stop taking their prescribed medication based on this one study, but women who have concerns should discuss them with their physicians," says Jordan W. Smoller, MD, ScD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, the study's lead author. "Older women taking antidepressants can talk with their physicians about their cardiovascular risk, work on modifying other risk factors, and discuss the risks and benefits of various treatment options. We need to study this association more to determine exactly what it signifies."

January 24^th, 2010

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Article: Regardless Of Gender, Race, Degree Of Obesity Raises Risk Of Stroke

Medical News Today

Intro: The higher a person's degree of obesity, the higher their risk of stroke - regardless of race, gender and how obesity is measured, according to a new study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. "It has not been clear whether overweight and obesity are risk factors for stroke, especially among blacks," said Hiroshi Yatsuya, M.D., Ph.D., study lead author and visiting associate professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "There are also questions about which measure of excess weight (body mass index [BMI], waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio) is most closely associated with disease risk." 

January 24^th, 2010

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Article: Muscle 'Synergies' May Be Key to Stroke Treatment

Science Daily

Researchers at MIT and San Camillo Hospital in Venice, Italy, have shown that motor impairments in stroke patients can be understood as impairments in specific combinations of muscle activity, known as synergies. Previous work in animals and humans has shown that groups of muscles tend to be co-activated as a unit in predicable patterns, or synergies, across a wide range of movements. These synergies are thought to represent the fundamental building blocks from which the brain constructs complex movements. The new findings support this concept and also suggest new approaches to the rehabilitation of stroke patients. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, with about 700,000 new or recurrent cases each year.

December 03, 2009

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Article: Stroke and Heart Disease Trigger Revealed

Science Daily

Intro: Scientists have identified the trigger that leads to the arteries becoming damaged in the disease atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and strokes, in research published in the journal Circulation. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say their findings suggest that the condition could potentially be treated by blocking the molecule that triggers the damage. The research also suggests that bacteria may be playing a part in the disease. In atherosclerosis, 'plaques' form in arteries that feed the brain and heart, obstructing the blood flow. The plaques are made of substances like fatty deposits and cholesterol. Immune cells are attracted into these plaques, which form inside the wall of the artery, leading to the artery becoming inflamed and to the artery wall being damaged. Sometimes, the plaque can burst as a result of this damage, causing a stroke or a heart attack.

December 03, 2009

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Article: Inadequate Levels of Vitamin D May Significantly Increase the Risk of Stroke

Science Daily

Intro: While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well -- and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease. For more than a year, the Intermountain Medical Center research team followed 27,686 patients who were 50 years of age or older with no prior history of cardiovascular disease. The participants had their blood Vitamin D levels tested during routine clinical care. The patients were divided into three groups based on their Vitamin D levels -- normal (over 30 nanograms per milliliter), low (15-30 ng/ml), or very low (less than 15 ng/ml). The patients were then followed to see if they developed some form of heart disease.

November 27^th, 2009

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Article: Migraine Raises Risk of Most Common Form of Stroke

Science Daily

Intro: Pooling results from 21 studies, involving 622,381 men and women, researchers at Johns Hopkins have affirmed that migraine headaches are associated with more than twofold higher chances of the most common kind of stroke: those occurring when blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off by the buildup of plaque or a blood clot. The risk for those with migraines is 2.3 times those without, according to calculations from the Johns Hopkins team, to be presented Nov. 16 at the American Heart Association's (AHA) annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando. For those who experience aura, the sighting of flashing lights, zigzag lines and blurred side vision along with migraines, the risk of so-called ischemic stroke is 2.5 times higher, and in women, 2.9 times as high.

November 27^th, 2009

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Article: Pushing Brain to Find New Pathways

Science Daily

Intro: Until recently, scientists believed that, following a stroke, a patient had about six months to regain any lost function. After that, patients would be forced to compensate for the lost function by focusing on their remaining abilities. Although this belief has been refuted, a University of Missouri occupational therapy professor believes that the current health system is still not giving patients enough time to recover and underestimating what the human brain can do given the right conditions. In a recent article for OT Practice Magazine, Guy McCormack, clinical professor and chair of the occupational therapy and occupational science department at the MU School of Health Professions, argues that health practitioners believe their clients need more time and motivation to reclaim lost functions, such as the use of an arm, hand or leg. With today's therapies, it is possible for patients to regain more function than ever thought possible, McCormack said.

November 27^th, 2009

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Article: Use Of Low Dose Aspirin To Protect Against Cardiovascular Disease Should Be Abandoned

Medical News Today

Summary: The latest issue of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) reports that the use of low-dose aspirin to protect against heart attacks andstrokes in individuals yet to develop obvious cardiovascular disease, should be abandoned. Low-dose aspirin is widely used to prevent further episodes of cardiovascular disease in people who have already had problems such as a heart attack or stroke. This approach is known as secondary prevention. It is well established and of confirmed benefit. Following an analysis of the available evidence, it is the use of aspirin in primary prevention with which DTB takes issue. This is for individuals without symptoms, who have not yet had, for example, a heart attack or stroke, but who may be at risk. 

November 08, 2009

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Article: To Provide Stroke Protection, Estrogen Therapy Probably Needs To Be Given Soon After Menopause

Medical News Today

Intro: For estrogen replacement to provide stroke protection, it likely must be given soon after levels drop because of menopause or surgical removal of the ovaries, scientists report in the Journal of Neuroscience. Animal studies indicate a "critical period" for estrogen replacement and that when therapy is delayed, estrogen receptors on brain cells are significantly diminished along with the neuroprotection estrogen typically conveys, according to scientists from the Medical College of Georgia, North China Coal Medical University and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. 

November 8^th, 2009

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Article: New Step Forward For Stroke Patients

ScienceDaily

Intro: New research will determine whether an inexpensive drug called L-dopa, widely used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, could also help thousands of stroke patients regain mobility and independence. The world’s first large scale study of this treatment, led by Professor Bipin Bhakta at the University of Leeds, will investigate whether L-dopa, when used with conventional physiotherapy and occupational therapy, increases the person’s ability to relearn essential day to day activities such as walking and dressing.

November 01, 2009

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Article: New review endorses CV benefits of fish oil

The Heart

Intro: New Orleans, LA - A new review concludes that there is extensive evidence from three decades of research that fish oils, or more specifically the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) contained in them, are beneficial for everyone [1]. This includes healthy people as well as those with heart disease—including post-MI patients and those with heart failure, atherosclerosis, or atrial fibrillation—say Dr Carl J Lavie (Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA) and colleagues in their paper published online August 3, 2009 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

August 05, 2009

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Article: Longer Life For Milk Drinkers, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily

Intro:  Research undertaken by the Universities of Reading, Cardiff and Bristol has found that drinking milk can lessen the chances of dying from illnesses such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke by up to 15-20 %.In recent times milk has often been portrayed by the media as an unhealthy food. The study, led by Professor Peter Elwood (Cardiff University) together with Professor Ian Givens from the University of Reading’s Food Chain and Health Research Theme, aimed to establish whether the health benefits of drinking milk outweigh any dangers that lie in its consumption.

July 27^th, 2009

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Article: Estrogen Can Reduce Stroke Damage By Inactivating Protein

ScienceDaily

Intro: Estrogen can halt stroke damage by inactivating a tumor-suppressing protein known to prevent many cancers, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. "Our research suggests that estrogen suppresses p53 after stroke, which stops the damage," says Limor Raz, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the MCG School of Graduate Studies. P53, the protein in the mitochondria, or powerhouse, of the cell, is known as "the guardian of the genome" because it regulates the cell cycle and prevents genome mutation. It also can prevent cancer by suppressing tumor growth.

July 20, 2009

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Article: Locust Study Points Toward New Treatment For Stroke And Migraine

Medical News Today

Intro: A similarity in brain disturbance between insects and people suffering from migraines, stroke and epilepsy points the way toward new drug therapies to address these conditions. Queen's University biologists studying the locust have found that these human disorders are linked by a brain disturbance during which nerve cells shut down. This also occurs in locusts when they go into a coma after exposure to extreme conditions such as high temperatures or lack of oxygen.

July 09, 2009

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Article: History Of Periodontitis Linked To Cerebrovascular Disease In Men

ScienceDaily

Intro: The potential role of periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the gums, in the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly ischemic stroke, has received growing attention during the last decade. A new study is the first prospective cohort study to use clinical measures of periodontitis to evaluate the association between this disease and the risk of cerebrovascular disease. Led by Thomas Dietrich of the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry, and Elizabeth Krall of the Boston VA and the Boston University School of Dental Medicine, the study analyzed data from 1,137 men in the VA Normative Aging and Dental Longitudinal Study, an ongoing study begun in the 1960s with healthy male volunteers from the greater Boston area.

July 01, 2009

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Article: Thrombolysis: An Enlarged Treatment Window And Stent Support Open Possibilities For More Patients

Medical News Today

Intro: Professor Ferro sees better chances for stroke victims in the newest scientific findings on thrombolytic treatment. This intravenously applied medication to break up blood clots has significantly improved survival chances for stroke victims. Guidelines and regulatory approvals have hitherto recommended a time window of three hours between the onset of stroke and the beginning of therapy. The recently published ECASS III study showed that treatment between 3 and 4.5 hours after the onset of a stroke with the thrombolytic agent alteplase can also improve clinical outcome. Data from the trial show that thrombolysis, when used in the 3 to 4.5 hour time window, is consistent with the safety profile reported for the approved time window of 0 to 3 hours. "These new insights open treatment possibilities for a variety of patients who hitherto were not able to profit from thrombolysis. Many patients today still are not able to reach a clinic within three hours," Professor Ferro says. "I assume that this will soon be reflected in the treatment guidelines and regulatory approvals."

June 24^th, 2009
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Article: Health Research Agencies Form Global Alliance To Curb Humanity's Most Fatal Diseases

 Medical News Today

Intro: Six of the world's foremost health agencies, collectively managing an estimated 80% of all public health research funding, today announced formation of a landmark alliance to collaborate in the critical battle against chronic, non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), several cancers, chronic respiratory conditions, and type 2 diabetes. The health impact and socio-economic cost of these largely-preventable diseases is enormous and rising, potentially derailing efforts at poverty reduction.

July 17^th, 2009

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Article: Opioid-induced Hibernation Protects Against Stroke In Rats

ScienceDaily

Intro: Using an opioid drug to induce a hibernatory state in rats reduces the damage caused by an artificial stroke. Researchers have shown that those animals put into the chemical fugue suffered less behavioral dysfunctions after a period of cerebral artery blockage than control rats. Cesar Borlongan, a neuroscientist at the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair, in Tampa, FL, worked with a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health, USA, to investigate the role of the opioid system in brain injury and protection. He said, "Studies in hibernating and active squirrels have shown that 'natural hibernation' has anti-ischemic effects. We've shown that a drug that induces hibernation can achieve similar results".

June 17^th, 2009

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Article: Suffer Stroke Symptoms? Second Strokes Often Follow Within Hours

ScienceDaily

Intro: About half of all people who have a major stroke following a warning stroke (a transient ischemic attack or mild stroke) have it within 24 hours of the first event, according to research published in the June 2, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Our study highlights the need for someone who is experiencing the symptoms of a mini-stroke or transient ischemic attack to get to an emergency room fast," said Peter Rothwell, MD, PhD, FRCP, FMedSci, with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. "That's because even after a very minor initial stroke, the immediate risk of a major stroke is very high."

June 10^th, 2009

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Article:  Window For Effective Stroke Treatment Expanded

Medical News Today

Intro: Once symptoms start, there's only a tiny window of time for stroke victims to get life-saving treatment. Now, research from the Stanford University School of Medicine has cracked that window open a bit wider. If a patient arrives at the emergency room within three hours of experiencing stroke symptoms, doctors can administer a potent clot-busting medication and often save critical brain tissue. But if more than three hours have passed, current clinical guidelines say the medication should not be used. But the new study suggests that the traditional three-hour time window is too short. By combining data from multiple clinical trials, Maarten Lansberg, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford, and colleagues from Belgium and Germany showed that treatment can benefit patients up to 4.5 hours after they experience their first symptom. Their findings were published online May 28 in the journal Stroke.

June 10^th, 2009

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Article: Low Priority 'Brain Attack' Patients Missing Out On Life-Saving Surgery

Intro: Patients with symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA or brain attack) are missing out on potentially life saving treatment because they are routinely considered by the NHS as low priority cases. Instead of being fast-tracked into hospital for surgery the vast majority of patients are spending weeks and sometimes months on poorly managed referral pathways with the risk of going on to have more severe strokes.
A joint audit commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and carried out by the Royal College of Physicians and the Vascular Society, published on the BMJ website, shows that these patients experience unacceptable delays; from the onset of symptoms, to diagnosis and GP referral to investigation to surgery. The report also highlights significant variations in quality of care provision across the UK and a complete lack of cohesive referral pathways in most hospital Trusts.

June 10^th, 2009

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Article: Controlling Cholesterol, Blood Pressure Adds Up To Prevent Stroke

Science Daily

Intro: Reaching optimal levels for cholesterol and high blood pressure in people who've had a stroke adds up to prevent a second stroke or heart attack, according to a study to be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 – May 2, 2009. Researchers looked at four risk factors for stroke: high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure. They found that for each risk factor that is controlled at the optimal level, the risk of stroke and other major cardiovascular problems goes down.

May 11^th, 2009

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Article: Research Shows Why Certain Arterial Plaques Can Turn Deadly

Medical News Today

Intro: A common misconception about arterial plaque is that it inevitably leads to a heart attack or a stroke. New research at Columbia University Medical Center, however, sheds light on why so few plaques in any given individual actually cause a problem. Furthermore, the research has identified a key protein that may promote the conversion from benign to dangerous plaques. While a vast majority of atherosclerotic lesions are relatively harmless, the rest some two percent of all plaques eventually lead to an acute blood clot and to heart attack, sudden death or stroke. What separates the average blood vessel plaque from those that are at high risk for triggering the development of dangerous even fatal blood clots, is the "billion dollar question," says Columbia University Medical Center's Ira Tabas, M.D., Ph.D., whose findings are presented in the cover story of the May issue of Cell Metabolism.

May 11^th, 2009

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Article: Immune Cells Protect The Brain From Further Damage After A Stroke

Medical News Today

Intro: In acute ischemic stroke, the blood supply to the brain is restricted. Initially, brain cells die from lack of oxygen. In addition, ischemia activates harmful inflammatory processes in the affected area of the brain. For the first time, scientists at the Neurology Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital have shown that certain immune cells in the blood inhibit inflammation after a stroke. These cells are known as regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg). The regulator cytokine Interleukin 10 plays an important role in this protection, perhaps offering a new approach to stroke therapy. The study has now been published in Nature Medicine.

April 20^th, 2009

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Article: Music Can Help Restore Stroke Patients' Sight

US News

Intro: Music may have charms to help restore sight to those recovering from a stroke, a new study finds. Stroke survivors can suffer impaired visual awareness called visual neglect. It's caused by stroke-related damage in brain areas that integrate vision, attention and action, the researchers said. Patients with visual neglect lose awareness of objects in the opposite side of space compared to the site of the brain injury. For example, if the stroke is on the right side of the brain, patients lose awareness of visual information that's to their left. This occurs even though there's no damage to the brain area associated with sight, according to the study." Visual neglect can be a very distressing condition for stroke patients. It has a big effect on their day-to-day lives," lead author Dr. David Soto, of Imperial College London, said in a school news release. "For example, in extreme cases, patients with visual neglect may eat only the food on their right side of their plate, or shave only half of their face, thus failing to react to certain objects in the environment."

March 30, 2009

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 Article: Boehringer Ingelheim`s Novel Oral Anticoagulant Dabigatran Etexilate Is The Frontrunner For Stroke Prevention In Atrial Fibrillation

Medical News Today

Intro: Boehringer Ingelheim announced that the last patient has completed treatment in the landmark phase III Randomized Evaluation of Long term Anticoagulant therapy (RE-LY®) study. This study compares the long-term efficacy and safety of the novel, oral direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa®) with the current standard therapy, warfarin (target international normalized ratio, INR, 2-3) for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Pradaxa® is the most advanced oral anticoagulant in development in this therapeutic area. RE-LY®, the largest stroke prevention in AF trial to date, enrolled 18,113 patients, in over 900 centres in 44 countries worldwide between December 2005 and December 2007. Data will now be analysed and results are expected to be presented later this year at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, taking place in Barcelona, Spain, from August 29th until September 2nd 2009.

March 30, 2009

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Article: Study Finds Social Isolation Makes Strokes More Deadly

Medical News Today

Intro: New research in mice suggests that social isolation may promote more damaging inflammation in the brain during a stroke. Researchers at Ohio State University found that all the male mice that lived with a female partner survived seven days after a stroke, but only 40 percent of socially isolated animals lived that long. In addition, the paired mice suffered much less brain damage than did the surviving solitary mice. "Under nearly every measure, it seems that there was something about living together that protected the mice by reducing the damaging inflammatory response," said Kate Karelina, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuroscience at Ohio State University.

March 30^th, 2009

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Article: Weighing The Options After Life-altering Stroke

Science Daily

Intro: Choosing to have aggressive brain surgery after suffering a severe stroke generally improves the patients' lives and allows them to live longer, according to research by neurologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The findings should help patients and families put into perspective a decision that is nearly always painful and difficult to make – whether putting a patient through aggressive surgery after a catastrophic stroke is worth it. "For families facing this difficult choice, the more information we can provide, the better for their decision-making," said neurologist Adam G. Kelly, M.D., who has helped hundreds of families chart a course after severe stroke. Kelly presented the findings last month at the International Stroke Conference in San Diego.

March 20^th, 2009

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Article: Predicting Risk Of Stroke From One's Genetic Blueprint

Science Daily

Intro: A new statistical model could be used to predict an individual's lifetime risk of stroke, finds a study from the Children's Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP). Using genetic information from 569 hospital patients, the researchers showed that their predictive model could estimate an individual's overall risk of cardioembolic stroke -- the most common form of stroke -- with 86 percent accuracy. The findings are reported in the March issue of Stroke. "For complex diseases like stroke, it's not just a single mutation that will kill you," explains CHIP researcher Marco Ramoni, PhD, the study's senior author, who is also an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. "More likely it is an interaction of many factors."

March 20^th, 2009

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Article: Brewing Up a Stroke Safeguard?

JSOnline

Intro:  The role coffee and tea play in a person's risk of having a stroke got a little clearer recently as two large observational studies found that the beverages may actually provide a modest amount of protection. For coffee, the more that was consumed - up to a point - the lower the risk. In a study that followed 83,000 women for 24 years, researchers found that those who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 20% less likely to have a stroke than those who drank less than one cup a month. Those who drank two to three cups a day had a 19% reduced risk and those who drank five to seven cups a week had a 12% reduction in risk, according to the Nurses' Health Study published last month in the journal Stroke. The reduced risk was more than double in those who did not smoke. Non-smokers who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 43% less likely to have a stroke, but among smokers the risk reduction.

March 20^th, 2009 

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Article: Aspirin Recommendation Underscores Need For Physicians And Patients To Discuss Benefits And Risk

Medical News Today

Intro: The President of the American College of Preventive Medicine commended the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for its recommendations on aspirin use for primary prevention of heart attack and stroke, released in the March 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, citing its improved specificity over previous guidelines. The task force recommends aspirin use for prevention of cardiovascular disease when the benefits clearly outweigh the risks or harms. The task force found that men between the ages of 45 and 79 should use aspirin to reduce their risk for heart attacks when the benefits outweigh the harms for potential gastrointestinal bleeding; and that women between the ages of 55 and 79 should use aspirin to reduce their risk for ischemic stroke when the benefits outweigh the harms for potential gastrointestinal bleeding. The task force also recommended against the use of aspirin for stroke prevention in women younger than 55 years and for myocardial infarction prevention in men younger than 45 years. 

March 20^th, 2009

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Article: Risk Of Stroke Increased By Kidney Disease

Medical News Today

Intro: Chronic kidney disease increases the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of heart arrhythmia, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente researchers in the current online issue of Circulation. It has long been known that chronic kidney disease is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study is the first to look at whether chronic kidney disease independently increases risk of stroke in patients with AF. AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) cause the heart to contract fast and irregularly, they explain.

March 09, 2009
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Article: Stem Cell Scaffolding Makes New Brain Tissue After Stroke Damage

Medical News Today

Intro: Researchers in the UK inserted tiny scaffolds with stem cells attached into the stroke damaged brains of rats and found that they grew into new tissue to fill the holes made by the stroke damage. The research was led by Dr Mike Modo of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and took place at the Institute of Psychiatry and University of Nottingham. It is to be published in the journal Biomaterials and was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

March 09, 2009

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Article: Stroke: Know the Warning Signs and How to Lower Your Risk

US News

Intro: "When it comes to breast cancer, we all know to check for breast lumps and get mammograms after age 40. When it comes to protecting ourselves against strokes, however, most of us don't have a clue. A new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke finds that fewer than 20 percent of women with atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) and little more than 15 percent of women with heart disease recognize that they're at increased risk for having a debilitating or even deadly stroke. In fact, strokes are the third leading killer of women, behind heart disease and all cancers combined."

February 16^th, 2009

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Article: Coffee Drinking Lowers Women's Stroke Risk

US News

Intro: Drinking coffee appears to lower the risk for stroke among women, with more consumption translating into more protection, Spanish and American researchers suggest. The finding stems from the tracking of both coffee habits and stroke occurrence among tens of thousands of American women across nearly a quarter century. And it adds to earlier indications that coffee might also offer some protection against diabetes, while not raising the risk for heart trouble."

February 16^th, 2009

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Article: Arteries Adjust Blood Flow After Stroke

UPI

Intro: "U.S. medical researchers have discovered a grid of small arteries at the surface of the brain redirects and controls blood flow following a stroke. University of California-San Diego scientists say they found the mesh-like network adjusts to restore normal supply when blood slows after a stroke. 'This is optimistic news,' said Professor David Kleinfeld, whose team studies blood flow in animal models of stroke."

 February 16, 2009

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Article: New Brain Helmet Could Detect Stroke Earlier

Duke News

Intro: "A prototype “brain helmet” that provides real-time images of major blood vessels may enable emergency personnel to perform quick scans of potential stroke victims’ brains, according to a team of Duke University bioengineers who developed the device. For patients suspected of having a stroke, the speed of diagnosis and subsequent treatment can make the difference between survival and death or disability."

February 16^th, 2009

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Article: The Growing Epidemic Of Stroke In Women

Medical News Today

Intro: "Studies on unique stroke risk factors among women and gender disparities in stroke care are featured in a special issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. According to an editorial accompanying the special issue, stroke among women is the third leading cause of death, a leading cause of disability and an ongoing epidemic, with women accounting for more than 60 percent of all stroke deaths in the United States."

February 16^th, 2009

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Article: Staying in Shape Makes Stroke Less Likely

Health Day News

Intro: Middle-age men and women who are in good physical health have been shown to be about half as likely to have a stroke as are their less healthy counterparts. But, researchers aren't sure if the relationship is a cause-and-effect association or if being in good shape is simply a marker of better overall health. Whatever the reason for the relationship, those in good physical form probably have less to worry about in terms of stroke, according to the researchers' findings, published in the journal Neurology.”

January 02, 2009

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Article: Mouse Studies Suggest "Toxic" Carbon Monoxide May Prevent Brain Damage After Stroke

Medical News Today

Intro: “Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that brain damage was reduced by as much as 62.2 percent in mice who inhale low amounts of carbon monoxide after an induced stroke. The scientists, in a report published online Dec. 15 in Neurotoxicity Research, say that although carbon monoxide (CO) gas has a long reputation as an odorless, colorless cause of organ damage and even death, there is now evidence that it can protect nerve cells from damage.”

December 21^st, 2008

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Article: Hypertension Develops Early, Silently, In African-American Men

Science Daily

Intro: Young and healthy African-American men have higher central blood pressure and their blood vessels are stiffer compared to their white counterparts, signs that the African American men are developing hypertension early and with little outward sign, according to a new study. While the study found that central blood pressure -- the pressure in the aorta, near the heart -- was higher in the African-American men, the study found no difference in brachial blood pressure -- measured on the arm -- between the two groups.

November 22^nd, 2008

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Article: Indian Spice In Turmeric Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke

Science Daily

Intro: This active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke, say Medical College of Georgia researchers.

November 22^nd, 2008

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Article: Potential To Improve Heart And Stroke Treatments Following Enzyme Discovery

Summary: A Queen's University study sheds new light on the way one of our cell enzymes, implicated in causing tissue damage after heart attacks and strokes, is normally kept under control.

November 22^nd, 2008

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Article: Improved Recovery Rates And Reduced Mortality Following Dual Treatment

Medical News Today

Intro: It appears that stroke patients who receive both intravenous thrombolysis - a minimally invasive treatment that dissolves abnormal blood clots - and endovascular interventions - such as drugs and implanting medical devices - are much more likely to recover and have lower chances of dying

November 15^th, 2008

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Article: Off-hour presentation linked to increased stroke mortality

MedWire News

Intro: Stroke patients who present outside of normal working hours have a slight but significant increase in the risk for dying in hospital, show findings from the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) initiative.”

November 07, 2008 

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Article: Australian Stroke Study: Research Could Save Lives And Millions Of Dollars

Medical News Today

Intro: “The Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Stroke Research Group has developed a system to fast track stroke treatment which could benefit thousands of Australian stroke patients and save millions of dollars annually.”

November 07, 2008

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Article: Mouse Studies Suggest Daily Dose Of Ginkgo May Prevent Brain Cell Damage After A Stroke

Medical News Today

Intro: "Working with genetically engineered mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that daily doses of a standardized extract from the leaves of the ginkgo tree can prevent or reduce brain damage after an induced stroke..."

October 11^th, 2008
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Article: The Claim: Manipulating Your Neck Could Lead to a Stroke

Intro: "Manipulating your neck is supposed to relieve pain, not cause it. But years ago neurologists noticed a strange pattern of people suffering strokes shortly after seeing chiropractors, specifically for neck adjustments."

October 11^th, 2008
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