Can high-dose oxygen therapy reduce the effects of stroke? The PROOF trial

Can high-dose oxygen therapy reduce the effects of stroke? The PROOF trial

Oxygen after stroke – the PROOF trial

Can high-dose oxygen therapy reduce the effects of stroke? A new international study called PROOF, funded by the EU, will investigate.

An ischaemic stroke is the most common type of stroke. The arteries that supply the brain with blood become clogged by clots. This kills the cells at the centre of the stroke and puts those nearby at great risk. (more…)

Low-cost therapy produces long-lasting improvements for stroke survivors

Low-cost therapy produces long-lasting improvements for stroke survivors

A new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Glasgow has found that a low-cost therapy can improve the lives of stroke patients with vision problems.

A stroke can affect the way the brain processes the information it receives from the eyes which can cause a number of visual processing problems. The study aimed to test the effectiveness of visuomotor feedback training (VFT) in treating the most common of these, visual neglect, which happens when the brain does not process the information about what is seen on one side of space. (more…)

Insulin-Controlled Diabetes Linked to Increased Stroke Risk in AFib

Insulin-Controlled Diabetes Linked to Increased Stroke Risk in AFib

HealthDay News, published on neurologyadvisor.com

For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), diabetes requiring insulin, but not diabetes without insulin treatment, is associated with an increased risk of stroke/systemic embolism, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Giuseppe Patti, MD, from the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, and colleagues examined the differential role of insulin vs no insulin therapy on thromboembolic risk in a cohort of patients with AF. The authors compared the rates of stroke/systemic embolism at one year according to diabetes status. Data were included for 5717 patients; 1288 of these had diabetes, of whom 22.4% were on insulin. (more…)

EBC holds AF-Related Stroke Policy Workshop at European Parliament

EBC holds AF-Related Stroke Policy Workshop at European Parliament

On 25 January 2017, EBC and MEP Aldo Patriciello (Italy) host an AF-Related Stroke Policy Series Workshop in the European Parliament in Brussels. Moderated by Peter O’Donnell of Politico, the workshop focuses on highlighting the importance of pre-screening and early detection of AF to reduce the threat of stroke and features expert speakers in both AF and Stroke.

18% of strokes are associated with Atrial Fibrillation—the most common heart rhythm disturbance. The early detection of previously unknown arrhythmias, such as AF, can enable patients to receive timely and effective diagnosis and treatment in order to avoid possible future onset of stroke. (more…)

What’s in a name? A call to reframe non-communicable diseases

What’s in a name? A call to reframe non-communicable diseases

Written by Luke N Allen, Andrea B Feigl

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30001-3

The global health community does not spend much time on branding, which perhaps explains why existing classifications for the three largest groups of diseases are both outdated and counterproductive. The first Global Burden of Disease study1 described infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and injuries. This grouping reflected a predominantly infectious disease burden in low-income and middle-income countries, which has since tilted towards NCDs. A name that is a longwinded non-definition, and that only tells us what this group of diseases is not, is not befitting of a group of diseases that now constitute the world’s largest killer. (more…)

Life after stroke: Tips for recovering communication skills

Life after stroke: Tips for recovering communication skills

Stroke can lead to ongoing communication problems, but recovery is often possible.

The source: medicalnewstoday.com
Written by Yvette Brazier

Every year in the United States, more than 795,000 people have a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, the United Kingdom’s Stroke Association note that 1 in 3 people will experience communication problems after a stroke.

Unfortunately, we often judge people on how well they communicate. From the outside, a person who has difficulty speaking may appear to have difficulty thinking, too, but this is not necessarily true. (more…)

Stroke at 34 – Interview with Diana Wong Ramos from Portugal AVC

Stroke at 34 – Interview with Diana Wong Ramos from Portugal AVC

by Jennifer Thomsen | 17.1.2017 |published on eso-stroke.org

Interview with a Stroke Survivor who had stroke at 34

By Francesca Romana Pezzella (Italy) and Anita Arsovska (Macedonia)

Diana Wong Ramos is a 39 year old stroke survivor, whom we met during the SAFE (Stroke Alliance for Europe) Conference in Amsterdam, 6th -9th of December, 2016. Diana is a brave young woman who had recently founded the Stroke Support Organization in Portugal, her Country, (Portugal AVC) together with Antonio Concenicao. (more…)

The lasting effects of ministrokes may contribute to dementia

The lasting effects of ministrokes may contribute to dementia

Evidence overwhelmingly supports a link between cognitive decline (including dementia) and cerebrovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, arteriolosclerosis, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Not only do individuals with cerebrovascular diseases have a much higher incidence of cortical microinfarcts (mini-strokes), but post-mortem histological and in vivo radiological studies also find that the burden of microinfarcts is significantly greater among people with vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) than in age-matched, non-demented individuals.

Until now, the mechanisms by which these miniscule lesions (~0.05 to 3 millimeters in diameter) contribute to cognitive deficits including dementia have been poorly understood. (more…)

Classic video game system used to improve understanding of the brain

Classic video game system used to improve understanding of the brain

Researchers use Donkey Kong video game to help guide new approaches in neuroscience

The complexity of neural networks makes them difficult to analyze, but human made computing systems should be simpler to understand. In a study published in PLOS Computational Biology, researchers applied widely used neuroscience approaches to analyze the classic games console Atari 2600 – which runs the video game “Donkey Kong” – and found that such approaches do not meaningfully describe how the console’s microprocessor really works. (more…)