CTVNews.ca Staff Published Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 6:35PM EDT Last Updated Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 8:32PM EDT A Canadian-made drug may decrease the risk of stroke by making the brain more resilient to a lack of oxygen, according to a new study. The study showed that patients who were given the drug NA-1 saw significantly fewer brain lesions following brain surgery -- which carries a risk of stroke -- compared to a placebo group. Researchers also found that the drug was safe, with just two incidents of low blood pressure in the group that received the treatment. The findings were published Sunday in the international journal The Lancet Neurology. Lead study author Michael Hill of the University of Calgarys Hotchkiss Brain Institute of Canada, said NA-1 provided brain surgery patients with tissue neuroprotection, meaning brain cells were protected during surgery, when there is restricted blood flow to the brain. He said the drug was shown to reduce tissue damage in patients who suffered small strokes after operations to repair brain aneurysms. Its a major unmet need in stroke treatment, Hill said in a news release. Dr. Markku Kaste of Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland said the drug could be … Continue reading →

Their results, published in the Lancet journal, showed that those who were given the drug rather than a placebo had an average of seven lesions, or damaged sites, compared with 12 in those given a placebo. There was no significant difference in the overall size of the damaged area, but this may have been because there were too few patients to notice a clear difference. Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said the treatment could have a major impact on patients undergoing a host pf procedures, if its benefits are proven in further studies. He said: "The important thing is that this is just one procedure in which we know some brain damage is caused, so it is a good one in which to test the drug. "If it turns out that this protects the brain, we could use it on umpteen procedures on the brain, so it might have a much broader umpact than just these patients." Prof Michael Hill of the University of Calgary, who led the study, said safe drugs to protect the brain during operations that restrict blood flow to the brain was a "major unmet need in stroke treatment". "Our research, … Continue reading →

7 October 2012 Last updated at 20:40 ET It may be possible to use a drug to prevent some of the lasting and crippling damage caused by a stroke, according to doctors in the US and Canada. A safety trial, published in the Lancet Neurology medical journal, suggested the chemical NA-1 was safe to use. The study on 185 people also hinted that patients given the drug developed fewer regions of damaged brain tissue. The Stroke Association said that it was promising, but needed more research. Tests in primates had suggested NA-1 prevented brain cells dying when a stroke starved them of oxygen. A small trial was set up at 14 hospitals in the US and Canada. Patients who took part were having an operation to repair a brain aneurysm, a weakened blood vessel which could rupture, are at increased risk of a stroke. Ninety-two people had the drug injected into a vein, while another 93 were injected with salty water. The doctors concluded that NA-1 was safe, with only two patients having mild side effects. Read the original here: Drug 'may' prevent stroke damage … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2012) Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) investigators have led the first genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The study, which is published online in PLOS ONE, points to the involvement of specific genes and alterations in their expression as influencing the risk for developing PD. Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, assistant professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's lead author and Richard H. Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's principal investigator and senior author. A recent paper by the PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium (PDGC) confirmed that an increased risk for PD was seen in individuals with genetic variants in or near the genes SNCA, MAPT, GAK/DGKQ, HLA and RIT2, but the mechanism behind the increased risk was not determined. "One possible effect of the variants would be to change the manner in which a gene is expressed in the brains, leading to increased risk of PD," said Latourelle. To investigate the theory, the researchers examined the relationship between PD-associated genetic variants and levels of gene expression in brain samples from the frontal cortex of 26 samples with known PD and 24 neurologically healthy control samples. … Continue reading →

When modern medicine is unsuccessful in curing diseases, some seek alternative treatments. For Pastor Charles Daugherty, that time has come. After a year-long battle with multiple myeloma, during which time he has undergone chemotherapy, radiation and stem cell treatment, and then diagnosed with a second type of cancer, liposarcoma, he has decided to try something different. I dont have anything to lose from trying, he said. According to the American Cancer Society, normal plasma cells are found in the blood marrow and are a part of the bodys immune system, which is made up of several types of cells, working to fight off infections. One of these types of cells, B cells, transform into plasma in response to infections. When they grow out of control, a tumor is formed. When more than one tumor grows, it is called multiple myeloma. While the outcomes for those with multiple myeloma have gotten better in recent years, the reality, according to the American Cancer Society, is that the disease never really goes away for most patients. Its considered terminal. Its considered fatal, Daugherty said. Since February 2011, the pastor has undergone cancer and radiation treatments. Daugherty also had a stem cell transplant, which … Continue reading →