Monthly Archives: February 2012

CFT: North Texas' McCarney suffered stroke

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

AP UPDATED 2/14/2012 @ 3:27 p.m. ET: North Texas head coach Dan McCarney confirmed to the Des Moines Register that he had indeed suffered a stroke over the weekend.  McCarney told the paper that, after his daily workout Sunday morning, he “was just sitting down to eat a sandwich when my left side went numb.” He remains hospitalized, but doctors told him he’s fine and that “[t]hey’re expecting a full recovery – no permanent damage.”  The health issue should not prevent McCarney from coaching his team in spring practice. As for the steps he will take to get beyond the medical setback and ensure his presence at the sessions? “Nothing wrong with me that a little Grey Goose won’t cure,” the 58-year-old coach said, quickly becoming the leader in the clubhouse for inspirational quote of the year in college football. In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, UNT confirmed that McCarney has been moved out of ICU and will continue to undergo medical treatment.  A statement from McCarney was also included in the release: First, thanks to all the wonderful people who sent well-wishes during my time of illness.  I am reminded of how truly blessed I am by the … Continue reading →

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UNT's McCarney confirms stroke, expects recovery

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

DENTON, Texas (AP)—North Texas coach Dan McCarney said Tuesday that he suffered a stroke over the weekend and expects to recover in time to lead his team through spring drills. McCarney said in a statement provided by the school that he felt his left side go numb Sunday and was taken to a hospital. Doctors later confirmed he had a stroke. McCarney, 58, is out of intensive care but remained in the hospital Tuesday for further treatment. He said he expected to be back to his normal routine “in time.” The team starts spring practice March 28. “While I have a great passion for coaching and approach my job with a tireless effort, I’m sure that my doctors will ask that I come back at a slower pace,” he said. “I fully intend on leading the North Texas football program through spring drills and can’t wait to be back around my staff and players.” McCarney told the Denton Record-Chronicle that he had finished a workout and was sending a text message when he felt numbness. “There was a blood clot that hit the back of my brain,” McCarney told the newspaper. “My son Shane and my wife were there. We … Continue reading →

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Moderate Air Pollution Linked To Stroke, Cognitive Decline

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

Chronic exposure to air pollution, even at levels typically considered safe by federal regulations, increases the risk of stroke by 34 percent and may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults, according to two separate studies published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In one study, researchers studied more than 1,700 stroke patients in the Boston area over a 10-year period, and found exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM), generally from vehicle traffic, was associated with a significantly higher risk of ischemic strokes on days when the EPA’s air quality index for PM was yellow instead of green. The researchers focused on tiny particles with a diameter of 2.5 millionths of a meter, less than 1/30th the width of a human hair, referred to as PM2.5. These particles come from a variety of sources, including power plants, factories, trucks and automobiles, and can travel deep into the lungs.  They have been associated in previous studies with increased numbers of hospital visits for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks. “The link between increased stroke risk and these particulates can be observed within hours of exposure and are most strongly associated with pollution from local or transported traffic emissions,” said the … Continue reading →

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Neuralstem Announces Closing of $5.2-Million Registered Direct Offering

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CUR) announced today that it has closed on its previously announced registered direct placement of 5,200,000 shares of common stock at a price of $1.00 per share, and 5,200,000 warrants each with an exercise price of $1.02 per share and exercisable starting six months from the issuance date for a term of five years. The company received aggregate gross proceeds of $5,200,000, which will be used for general corporate purposes, including ongoing U.S. clinical trials. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO ) T.R. Winston & Company, LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. About Neuralstem Neuralstem's patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem is in an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA. In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, … Continue reading →

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Velomedix Receives IDE Approval to Evaluate the Use of Rapid Therapeutic Hypothermia in the Management of AMI Patients

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Velomedix, Inc., a clinical stage medical device company advancing the field of therapeutic hypothermia, announced it has received Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to evaluate the use of rapid therapeutic hypothermia for the treatment of patients suffering an acute myocardial infarction (AMI or heart attack). The conditional approval allows the company to initiate a clinical trial at select sites in the United States. Therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to significantly improve outcomes for several acute events such as cardiac arrest, heart attack, and acute ischemic stroke. It has also been used with great success for spinal cord injury. While there are several technologies currently being marketed for hypothermia management, Velomedix’s proprietary technology delivers unparalleled cooling speed and procedural efficiency that is expected to result in enhanced clinical outcomes and enable more widespread clinical adoption of this promising therapy. “While current technologies can reach a therapeutic target temperature of 33C in 1-2 hours, the Velomedix system has shown the ability to achieve 33C in less than 15 minutes,” commented Jeff Gold, President and CEO of Velomedix. “For AMI patients requiring an intervention to open a blocked artery, the ability … Continue reading →

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Cleveland Clinic to Recruit Parkinson's Patients for 23andMe

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

By a GenomeWeb staff reporter NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Cleveland Clinic today said that it will recruit Parkinson's disease patients for 23andMe and the consumer genetics firm's ongoing research efforts in that area. The patients will be recruited to contribute their DNA to 23andMe's research database and complete online surveys regarding their health. Participants will be enrolled in 23andMe's Parkinson's Disease Research Community, enabling them to engage with other Parkinson's patients while getting full access to 23andMe's Personal Genome Service. Cleveland Clinic said the project is part of its own personalized healthcare initiative, which seeks to better predict risk for disease and response to therapies. "We are offering this opportunity to our patients because as part of our 'Patients First' mission, we feel it is an important collaboration that could lead to improvements in our ability to predict and treat Parkinson's disease," Kathryn Teng, director of the Center for Personalized Healthcare at Cleveland Clinic, said in a statement. 23andMe began a research collaboration in March 2009 with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center aimed at enrolling 10,000 people to be part of its Parkinson's Disease Research Community. That collaboration led … Continue reading →

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Cleveland Clinic Joins 23andMe in the Search for Genetic Clues to Parkinson's Disease

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

CLEVELAND, Feb. 14, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to study the interactions between genomics and Parkinson's disease, Cleveland Clinic has joined the ongoing efforts of 23andMe, a leading personal genetics company, to recruit Parkinson's patients to participate in research by contributing their DNA to a research database and completing online surveys about their health. Currently, little is known about how genes relate to Parkinson's disease, the effectiveness of treatments, or the natural course of the disease. The goal of this collaborative research effort – which also has support from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the National Parkinson Foundation and the Parkinson's Institute – is to discover how genes and the environment influence Parkinson's disease. "We are aware of the limitations of today's treatments, so we are always thinking about what we can do to advance the care of this incurable disease," said Andre Machado, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Neurological Restoration. "This collaboration will help us to learn more about the genomics of Parkinson's disease and how it may impact individualized care in the future." The project is part of Cleveland Clinic's personalized healthcare initiative, which aims to drive discoveries that allow medical professionals to better … Continue reading →

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Tai Chi Makes Parkinson’s Patients Steadier on Feet, Study Says

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

February 14, 2012, 4:03 PM EST By Nicole Ostrow Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Tai chi, a Chinese martial art of precise, gentle movements, helps patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease improve their balance, a study found. Patients who did tai chi twice a week for six months had improvement in steadiness that was 2.5 times greater than those who engaged in resistance training and 4 times greater than those who did only stretching exercise, according to research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors recommend exercise for patients with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes trembling, stiffness and balance impairment and increases the risk of falls, the authors wrote. Tai chi, known for its series of exact postures that flow one into the next, requires concentration and weight shifting that may have extra benefits for those with mild to moderate Parkinson’s, said lead study author Fuzhong Li. “We have clearly shown that tai chi has the potential to help patients ease some of the movement disorder,” Li, a senior research scientist at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Oregon, said in a Feb. 6 telephone interview. “It will definitely help people improve their balance. My recommendation would … Continue reading →

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New imaging methods show challenges of identifying cognitive abilities in severely brain-injured patients

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

ScienceDaily (Feb. 13, 2012) — Only by employing complex machine-learning techniques to decipher repeated advanced brain scans were researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell able to provide evidence that a patient with a severe brain injury could, in her way, communicate accurately. Their study, published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Archives of Neurology, demonstrates how difficult it is to determine whether a patient can communicate using only measured brain activity, even if it is possible for them to generate reliable patterns of brain activation in response to instructed commands. Patients in a minimally conscious state or who have locked-in syndrome (normal cognitive function with severe motor impairment) and can follow commands in the absence of a motor response may not generate clearly interpretable communications using the same patterns of brain activity, the researchers say. While less sophisticated methods have been shown successful, the authors say their new approach provides important new insights into brain function and level of consciousness. It also identifies mechanisms of variation in brain activity supporting cognitive function after injury. "In these studies we have reanalyzed earlier published data that demonstrated an effort to communicate using brain activations alone that apparently failed but was nonetheless a clear … Continue reading →

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Documenting THE CURE: Seeking Stem Cell Healing Offshore — MS patient – Video

Posted: Published on February 14th, 2012

13-02-2012 21:11 Documenting THE CURE is a funding project to write a book about patients leaving the US to receive natural healing Stem Cell treatments in Panama. http://www.kickstarter.com The FDA ban on all stem cell treatments forces Americans to seek adult (non-embryonic) stem cell treatments offshore. This new type of stem cell treatment is documented in Dr. Roger Nocera's new book, Cells That Heal Us From Cradle To Grave: A Quantum Leap in Medical Science. JL Thompson will document the effectiveness of this treatment on an MS patient, and other patients seeking treatment at the Panama clinic. Follow this link: Documenting THE CURE: Seeking Stem Cell Healing Offshore -- MS patient - Video … Continue reading →

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