(CBS) - If your blood pressure is anything over the normal reading of 120/80 mmHg, a stroke may be in your future -- even if it's not high enough to be considered hypertension. That's what a new study published March 12 in Neurology suggests. Researchers analyzed data collected on 760,000 people, and found people with "prehypertension" were 66 percent more likely to develop a stroke than people with a normal blood pressure reading. Prehypertension is a blood pressure that's higher than 120/80 mmHg, but lower than the high blood pressure (hypertension) threshold of 140/90 mmHg. Twenty percent of all strokes seen in the study were among people with prehypertension. The raised risk remained even after ruling out other factors that could lead to a stroke, including high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. A closer look found people with blood pressure over 130/85 mmHg (but still less than the "high" 140/90 mmHg) were 95 percent more likely to develop a stroke than people with normal blood pressure, while prehypertensives lower than 130/85 were 44 percent more likely to have a stroke than someone with a normal 120/80 mmHg reading. The study has important takeaways for the public, according to the researchers. "Considering … Continue reading →

A blood pressure reading only slightly above normal may increase stroke risk, a surprising new study suggests. Blood pressure levels ranging from 120/80 to 139/89 raised the risk of stroke by 66 percent, according to the study published Wednesday in Neurology. In a smaller group of patients with blood pressures between 120/80 and 129/84, the risk was still increased by 44 percent. Even low-range prehypertension, which is defined as normal blood pressure in some hypertension guidelines, could increase the risk of stroke significantly, said cardiologist Dr. Yuli Huang, the studys lead author and researcher at the Nanfang Hospital of the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China. Data for the new research was combined from 19 previous studies, involving 762,393 individuals who were followed from four up to 36 years. The prevalence of prehypertension ranged from 25 to 54 percent. Blood pressure is considered optimal if it is below 120/80 mm Hg. Hypertension is diagnosed when blood pressure is at or above 140/90. Everything in between is defined as prehypertension. Current guidelines do not recommend medical treatment for prehypertension. Instead lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, reducing salt intake and increasing exercise, are advised to bring pressure down. The … Continue reading →

Home > News > health-news Washington, March 12 : Researchers have said that a molecular substance occurring naturally in humans and rats was found to "substantially reduce" brain damage after an acute stroke. Li Zhang, M.D., a researcher at Henry Ford and lead author of the study, said that their data showed that treatment of acute stroke with AcSDKP alone or in combination with tPA substantially reduced neurovascular damage and improved neurological outcome. The Henry Ford study found that this narrow "therapeutic window" is extended for up to four hours after stroke and the therapeutic benefit of tPA is amplified when tPA is combined with AcSDKP. Further, the researchers discovered that AcSDKP alone is an effective treatment if given up to one hour after the brain attack. The researchers tested the actions of both substances on laboratory rats in which acute stroke had been induced. It was already known that the peptide AcSDKP provides anti-inflammatory effects and helps protect the heart when used to treat a variety of cardiovascular diseases. The researchers found that AcSDKP can readily cross the so-called "blood brain barrier" that blocks other neuroprotective substances. A battery of behavioral tests was given to the lab rats both … Continue reading →

12 March 2014 Genetic markers provide unprecedented primate link in human evolution Genetics provide stunning new answers to the question of human evolution, according to Auckland cancer researcher, Dr Graeme Finlay. Genetic markers that are used to follow the development of populations of cells have exactly the same character as those that track the development of species, says Dr Finlay who has just published a book on genetics and human evolution. His book, Human Evolution: Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies, was published by Cambridge University Press late last year. Dr Finlay is senior lecturer in Scientific Pathology at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, in the University of Auckland. Controversy over human evolution remains widespread, but the human genome project and genetic sequencing of many other species has provided myriad precise and unambiguous genetic markers that establish our evolutionary relationships with other mammals, says Dr Finlay. This book identifies and explains these identifiable, rare and complex markers including endogenous retroviruses, genome-modifying transposable elements, gene-disabling mutations, segmental duplications and gene-enabling mutations. These new genetic tools also provide fascinating insights into when and how many features of human biology … Continue reading →

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter Latest Prevention & Wellness News TUESDAY, March 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Commercially available tests can analyze your genetic profile and try to predict your risk of a host of diseases. But a new study suggests they aren't ready for prime time. The technology, known as whole-genome sequencing, allows scientists to "map" the information encoded in most of the billions of building blocks that make up a person's DNA. So far, whole-genome sequencing has been used mainly in research. But the hope is that the technology will help fuel a new era of "personalized medicine" -- where doctors will be able to identify patients with gene variants that raise their risk of certain diseases. In the past few years, the cost of whole-genome sequencing has fallen to the point where it could soon be feasible to use it in everyday health care, said Dr. Frederick Dewey, of Stanford University, the lead researcher on the new study. But based on his team's findings, Dewey said, a lot more work is needed before that idea becomes reality. The study, reported in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that sequencing a … Continue reading →