At General Assembly 2016 SAFE elected new board members

At General Assembly 2016 SAFE elected new board members

At yesterday’s General Assembly, on 9th December 2016, SAFE delegates voted for the new board members.
As SAFE’s President Jon Barrick stressed out, much has changed for SAFE over the last 18 months, with a continually growing membership, more paid staff, a closer relationship with the ESO to proposed meetings with the EU Health Minister, and much more which was reported on at this year’s General Assembly held in Amsterdam.

During the SAFE board meetings this year, the board have discussed at length the requirements that are expected from SAFE into the future. (more…)

SAFE Working Conference: Burden of stroke seen through 12 indicators of care

SAFE Working Conference: Burden of stroke seen through 12 indicators of care

Amsterdam, 8th December 2016 – The Burden of Stroke is the main topic of this year’s Working Conference, with two days dedicated to analysis of the preliminary research findings around 12 indicators of care.

After a successful start yesterday, and a full day of discussion based on preliminary findings, SAFE delegates continue to work on recommendations on how to improve stroke prevention, acute & long-term care across 33 European countries.

This is just a start of an important journey which will culminate in second week of May 2017, the European Stroke Awareness Week, at the big launching event. (more…)

Diabetes advance: Cells produce insulin upon treatment

Diabetes advance: Cells produce insulin upon treatment

It promises to be a simple and elegant strategy to heal diabetes type 1: Replacing the destroyed beta-cells in the bodies of patients with newly-produced insulin-secreting cells. For years, researchers around the globe tried various approaches with stem or adult cells in order to induce this transformation. Their effort lead to a fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of beta cells — however, a compound capable of doing the trick was missing. (more…)

New drug limits and then repairs brain damage in stroke

New drug limits and then repairs brain damage in stroke

Researchers at The University of Manchester have discovered that a potential new drug reduces the number of brain cells destroyed by stroke and then helps to repair the damage.

A reduction in blood flow to the brain caused by stroke is a major cause of death and disability, and there are few effective treatments.

A team of scientists at The University of Manchester has now found that a potential new stroke drug not only works in rodents by limiting the death of existing brain cells but also by promoting the birth of new neurons (so-called neurogenesis). (more…)

SAFE and ESO met the European Union Health Commission

SAFE and ESO met the European Union Health Commission

Brussels, 30th November 2016 – Jon Barrick SAFE President and Valeria Caso President of the European Stroke Organisation of Stroke Professionals had a meeting today at the European Union Health Commission to discuss the quality of Stroke prevention, care and support within the countries of Europe.

SAFE and ESO made a number of proposals aimed at gathering EU support for encouraging countries across Europe to improve stroke intervention. Stroke now accounts for more than 9 percent of all deaths in Europe and is the leading cause of long term severe disability. (more…)

Stroke vs. Aneurysm: Treatment Options

Stroke vs. Aneurysm: Treatment Options

A brain aneurysm is a bulge in an artery in the brain that has the potential to burst or rupture. A ruptured aneurysm can cause a type of stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

An estimated 5 percent of Americans may have or develop a brain aneurysm each year, according to the Mayfield Clinic.

Not all aneurysms cause stroke, and vice-versa. However, if a person is at risk for a burst aneurysm, treatment is often required to prevent this potentially life-threatening occurrence. (more…)

How does alcohol affect stroke risk? Study investigates

How does alcohol affect stroke risk? Study investigates

Written by Ana Sandoiu
Published on medicalnewstoday.com

As the winter holidays are fast approaching, alcohol consumption rates are about to go up. While low to moderate drinking has been shown by some studies to have beneficial effects on the heart and circulatory system, new research suggests alcohol use may increase the risk of some types of stroke and not others.
Most people have consumed alcohol at some point in their lives. Low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption have been shown to be good for one’s health, but high and heavy drinking can have serious negative consequences. (more…)

Lowest stroke rates in older baby boomers; younger people rising

Lowest stroke rates in older baby boomers; younger people rising

Published on medicalnewstoday.com

Stroke rates continue to decline in people 55 and older, while more than doubling in those between 35 and 39, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

“People, especially those under 50, need to realize that stroke does not just occur in the old, and the outcome can be much more debilitating than a heart attack – leaving you living for another 30 to 50 years with a physical disability,” said Joel N. Swerdel, M.S., M.P.H., lead study author and a Ph.D. candidate at the Rutgers University School of Public Health in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (more…)

High Blood Pressure: Risk for Alzheimer’s?

High Blood Pressure: Risk for Alzheimer’s?

High blood pressure in middle age can lead to impaired cognition and is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a statement from the American Heart Association co-authored by Loyola Medicine neurologist José Biller, MD.

Dr. Biller is a member of the multidisciplinary panel of experts that wrote the statement, published in the heart association journal Hypertension. Dr. Biller is chair of the department of neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. The panel is chaired by Constantino Iadecola, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine and co-chaired by Kristine Yaffe, MD, of the University of California San Francisco. (more…)