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Poor understanding of stroke signs causes concern in NZ

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

Latest figures show a lack of awareness and understanding in New Zealand of stroke signs, which will have a significant impact on stroke survivors having the best chance of recovery. Mark Vivian, CEO of the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand, said recent research into stroke awareness in the Waikato alone has shown alarming results. "Last month the Stroke Foundation conducted a survey of 352 Waikato residents over 45 years of age to gauge their understanding of the symptoms of stroke. Only one in five could correctly identify three typical signs of a stroke," said Mr Vivian. "These figures are incredibly concerning because if we cant recognise a stroke from the onset, that causes a delay in getting to medical intervention and treatment, which can have tragic consequences, including further brain damage or death," he explained. Current statistics from the Ministry of Health show about 9,000 New Zealanders have a stroke every year. Tragically 2,500 of those people die, making stroke the third largest killer in New Zealand after heart disease and cancer. "Of the survivors, half will have long term disabilities or need significant daily support, and 15% will need full-time institutionalised care," said Mr Vivian. "The key to reducing … Continue reading →

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Paralyzed man walks after cell transplant

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS (CNN) -- A ground-breaking cell transplant has allowed a paralyzed man to walk again, researchers announced Tuesday. Polish man Darek Fidyka, 38, had been left paralyzed from the chest down after a 2010 knife attack caused an 8mm gap in his spinal cord. An initial 13 months of rehabilitation followed by an additional 8-month program before the experimental treatment had not produced an improvement in his condition, researchers said. But two years after the 2012 cell transplant he can walk with the aid of a Zimmer frame, also known as a walker. Scientists at University College London (UCL) developed the treatment, which saw olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from the nose transplanted to Fidyka's spinal cord. OECs are what allow the sense of smell to return when nerve cells in the nose are damaged. Surgeons at Wroclaw University in Poland led by Dr Pawel Tabakow injected the OECs above and below Fidyka's spinal cord gap, then used nerve tissue taken from his ankle to act as a bridge for spinal nerves to grow across, UCL said. The underlying idea is 'can we get something out of an area where repair works and transfer it into an area where repair … Continue reading →

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Mere expectation of treatment can improve brain activity in Parkinson's patients

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

Learning-related brain activity in Parkinson's patients improves as much in response to a placebo treatment as to real medication, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and Columbia University. Past research has shown that while Parkinson's disease is a neurological reality, the brain systems involved may also be affected by a patient's expectations about treatment. The new study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, explains how the placebo treatment -- when patients believe they have received medication when they have not -- works in people with Parkinson's disease by activating dopamine-rich areas in the brain. "The findings highlight the power of expectations to drive changes in the brain," said Tor Wager, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU-Boulder and a co-author of the study. "The research highlights important links between psychology and medicine." Parkinson's patients have difficulty with "reward learning," the brain's ability to associate actions with rewards and make motivated decisions to pursue positive outcomes. Reward learning is supported by neurons that emit dopamine when an action, like pushing a particular button, leads to a reward, like receiving money. Reward learning is impaired in Parkinson's patients because the disease causes the … Continue reading →

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CU-Boulder prof: Placebo effect beneficial to Parkinson's patients

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

The power of positive thinking appears to have tangible benefits for people with Parkinson's disease and could have broader implications, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Colorado associate professor. Learning-related brain activity in Parkinson's patients improves as much in response to a placebo treatment as to real medication, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. It was co-authored by Tor Wager, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, and by researchers at Columbia University. "I think there's so much hype around the fact that placebos work, that they do everything or they don't do anything at all," Wager said. "I think the truth sort of lies somewhere in between. It was surprising to me that the placebo effect and drug effects were very comparable." Funded with "a couple of hundred thousand dollars" by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Wager said, the study shows how the placebo treatment patients being led to think they have received medication, although they have not works in people with Parkinson's disease by activating the dopamine-rich areas in the brain. Wager said the results underscore the power of expectations to effect changes in the brain. "Many … Continue reading →

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Domestic violence perpetrator speaks about abuse, treatment

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

Editors note: This is the final story in the Mirrors In Her Shoes three-part series about domestic violence. Samantha Cavin woke up in jail last year and couldnt remember how she got there. Her friend later told her exactly what happened. Cavin, then 22, was drunk and got into an altercation with her boyfriend at their home. I got mad and I took my head and head-butted him, the Kent resident recalled. My friend told me I went into the room and he was screaming for someone to help him and I took my cell phone that he had broken and hit him several times in the head with it. At the time, he was very scared. Cavin said her boyfriend, who has cerebral palsy and is disabled, was bleeding from his head so she took him into the bathroom and began cleaning him up. I apologized over and over again, I didnt mean to hurt you, she recalled. Then I was handcuffed and went to jail. Cavin was charged with domestic violence assault and a judge ordered her to complete 30 days of domestic violence treatment, attend a panel and do an alcohol assessment. She didnt comply. So when … Continue reading →

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Doctor awarded for baby brain studies

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

An Auckland professor has been awarded a medal for using a cooling cap that induces mild hypothermia to treat and prevent brain injuries in newborn babies. Alistair Gunn was awarded the MacDiarmid Medal on Wednesday for his research into the use of brain cooling on babies who experience low oxygen at birth. Using his research, the University of Auckland professor of paediatrics and physiology developed a "cooling cap", a mild hypothermia treatment to reduce brain injury in newborns. Dr Gunn's ongoing experimental studies are credited with providing the foundation for understanding how, when and for which babies, the cooling cap can successfully reduce brain damage. Based on those results, he went on to develop and lead a major international trial involving 25 perinatal centres and 234 babies in New Zealand, the US, Canada and the UK. This trial demonstrated cooling could improve survival among babies and prevent disability in all but the most severely affected babies. Follow-ups with the children at age seven and eight confirmed these results, which were supported by subsequent trials carried out by others around the world. Therapeutic hypothermia is now the global standard of care for treating babies with brain injury caused by low oxygen … Continue reading →

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Penn Researchers Identify Protein Elevated in Blood That Predicts Post-Concussion Symptom Severity in Professional …

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise PHILADELPHIA New Penn Medicine research has found that elevated levels in the blood of the brain-enriched protein calpain-cleaved II-spectrin N-terminal fragment, known as SNTF, shortly after sports-related concussion can predict the severity of post-concussion symptoms in professional athletes. The complete findings were released today in the Journal of Neurotrauma. This new study builds on previous research from this group showing that elevated blood levels of SNTF on the day of a mild traumatic brain injury treated in the emergency room predicted those patients who would go on to suffer diffuse axonal injury and long-term cognitive dysfunction. We extended this biomarker research to the domain of professional sports to test its merit as an objective and rapid way to determine players severity of brain injury, says lead author, Robert Siman, PhD, Research Professor of Neurosurgery at Penn. This blood test may aid neurobiologically-informed decisions on suitability for return to play following a sports-related concussion. The study, conducted in collaboration with Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD and Kai Blennow, MD, PhD, of the Sahgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and their colleagues, enrolled 288 players in the top Swedish professional ice hockey league. Each … Continue reading →

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Penn researchers identify protein that predicts post-concussion severity in professional athletes

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 25-Nov-2014 Contact: Lee-Ann Donegan leeann.donegan@uphs.upenn.edu 215-349-5660 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine @PennMedNews PHILADELPHIA - New Penn Medicine research has found that elevated levels in the blood of the brain-enriched protein calpain-cleaved II-spectrin N-terminal fragment, known as SNTF, shortly after sports-related concussion can predict the severity of post-concussion symptoms in professional athletes. The complete findings were released today in the Journal of Neurotrauma. This new study builds on previous research from this group showing that elevated blood levels of SNTF on the day of a mild traumatic brain injury treated in the emergency room predicted those patients who would go on to suffer diffuse axonal injury and long-term cognitive dysfunction. "We extended this biomarker research to the domain of professional sports to test its merit as an objective and rapid way to determine players' severity of brain injury," says lead author, Robert Siman, PhD, Research Professor of Neurosurgery at Penn. "This blood test may aid neurobiologically-informed decisions on suitability for return to play following a sports-related concussion." The study, conducted in collaboration with Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD and Kai Blennow, MD, PhD, of the Sahgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and their colleagues, enrolled 288 players … Continue reading →

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Hughes in good hands: doctors

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

Swift medical attention has given Phil Hughes the best possible chance for a positive outcome. The CPR and excellent hospital care given to cricketer Phillip Hughes has given him the best possible chance of recovery, a leading emergency doctor says. Hughes, 25, is in an induced coma and fighting for his life following emergency surgery to reduce pressure on his brain after he was struck on the head by a bouncer at the SCG on Tuesday. The president of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, Anthony Cross, said Hughes' treatment would involve doing further scans and monitoring for swelling in the brain. Dr Cross, who has not been involved in treating Hughes, said a ball travelling at speeds of around 145km/h that impacts the cerebellum or "little brain" region at the back of the head could inflict incredible damage. "He sustained the blow and then a few seconds later collapsed. "There would rapidly be some bleeding inside or around the brain, which leads to a build up of pressure in an important part of the brain which is responsible for his balance and wakefulness. "When he had the operation on Tuesday they would have made sure there was no further … Continue reading →

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Beat Multiple Sclerosis with a Paleo Diet

Posted: Published on November 26th, 2014

By Dr. Mercola Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, degenerative disease of the nerves in your brain and spinal column, caused through a demyelization process. Myelin is the insulating, waxy substance around the nerves in your central nervous system. When the myelin is damaged by an autoimmune disease or self-destructive process in your body, the function of those nerves deteriorate over time, resulting in a number of symptoms, including: MS may progress steadily, or acute attacks may be followed by a temporary remission of symptoms. In the video above, Dr. Terry Wahls tells the inspiring story of how she reversed multiple sclerosis after seven years of deterioration on the best conventional treatments available -- simply by changing her diet! Through her research into MS, Dr. Wahls discovered that, for some unknown reason, in addition to the commonly known symptoms, MS patients' brains also tend to shrink. This roused her curiosity, and led her to research other diseases that have similar brain shrinkage, namely Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. One common denominator is poorly functioning mitochondria. Mitochondria are like little "batteries" in your cells that manage the energy supply to the cell, and unless you consume the correct nutrients, eventual mitochondrial … Continue reading →

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