Mar 30, 2018
Published first on ScienceDaily
A defining characteristic of stroke is the loss of motor control due to structural damage in specific brain areas. In fact, motor impairments (or deficits) are the number one complication after stroke. Losing the ability to carry out basic bodily functions, such as speaking, walking and swallowing, can be devastating for stroke survivors. Unfortunately, there are few effective recovery options beyond physical and occupational therapy to stimulate brain re-learning. While many researchers have tried to identify effective new therapies to mitigate motor function impairment and enhance quality-of-life, discoveries have been lacking. (more…)
Mar 30, 2018
Published first on ScienceDaily
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have demonstrated a method to accelerate motor skill recovery after a stroke by helping the brain reorganize itself more quickly.
In a preclinical study, the scientists paired vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with a physical therapy task aimed at improving the function of an upper limb in rodents. The results showed a doubled long-term recovery rate relative to current therapy methods, not only in the targeted task but also in similar muscle movements that were not specifically rehabbed. Their work was recently published in the journal Stroke. (more…)
Mar 28, 2018
Published first on ScienceDaily
A new device worn like a visor can detect emergent large-vessel occlusion in patients with suspected stroke with 92 percent accuracy, report clinical investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Mount Sinai, the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and elsewhere in an article published online on March 6, 2018, in the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery. Patients with large-vessel occlusions can then be routed to a Comprehensive Stroke Center with endovascular capabilities. In contrast, a standard physical examination achieved only 40 to 89 percent accuracy in identifying patients with large-vessel occlusion who could benefit from endovascular therapy. (more…)
Mar 28, 2018
Published first on ScienceDaily
An anti-inflammatory drug given to patients in the early stages of a stroke has been shown by researchers at The University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust to reduce harmful inflammation.
The drug, Kineret©, licenced for treating rheumatoid arthritis, was given as a small injection just under the skin without giving the patients any identifiable adverse reactions.
It is one of biologic agents transforming treatment in a range of illnesses. The protein Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is part of the body’s defences and naturally produced to combat a range of illnesses. However, scientists at the University of Manchester have previously shown IL-1 increases inflammation and brain injury following a stroke. (more…)
Mar 13, 2018
Published first on ScienceDaily
A landmark international study of DNA samples from 520,000 individuals worldwide — including 67,000 affected individuals — identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke. Sudha Seshadri, M.D., of UT Health San Antonio, is senior co-author of this largest genetic study of stroke to date. Nature Genetics published the results online March 12 2018.
Previously, only 10 genetic risk factors had been identified for stroke.
Dr. Seshadri, founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio and holder of the university’s Robert Barker Distinguished University Chair, said the identification of genetic regions that are strongly correlated to stroke will increase potential targets for stroke drug development. (more…)
Mar 13, 2018
Published first on ScienceDaily
A new study has found that people with dengue fever have a higher risk of stroke, especially in the first 2 months following infection. The study is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
“Clinicians in dengue-endemic areas should be aware of this association, especially for patients with dengue who have neurologic deficits or for patients with stroke who have unexplained fever,” writes Dr. Chia-Hung Kao, Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, with coauthors.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that infects at least 100 million people every year around the world, with about 4 billion people at risk of the illness, which includes dengue hemorrhagic fever that can lead to spontaneous bleeding, organ failure and death. It is found in many countries in South and Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, in the United States and more. (more…)
