ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) Physicians are prescribing anti-depressants for stroke patients without first giving them a proper diagnosis, they are over-treating some patients, and overlooking others, according to a study presented October 1 at the Canadian Stroke Congress. "A lot of people are being treated for depression, but we don't know if they're the right ones," says lead researcher Ms. Katherine Salter of Parkwood Hospital in London, Ontario. "This study found that 40 per cent of stroke patients were treated for depression, but most were not screened or diagnosed. Who are we treating?" Researchers examined medical charts for 294 patients discharged from five in-patient rehabilitation programs in southwestern Ontario over a six-month period beginning in September 2010. Only three of 294 patients given an antidepressant were formally screened, assessed and diagnosed with depression first. However, 40 per cent of all patients, whether or not they were screened or assessed for the condition, received treatment for depression. Depression is the most common mental health issue following stroke, affecting more than a quarter of all stroke patients. Depression may affect a patient's ability to participate in post-stroke therapy and is associated with slower progress in rehabilitation and longer stay in hospital. Researchers … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) When it comes to stroke rehabilitation, it takes a dedicated team to help a person regain as much independence as possible: physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, recreation therapists, caregivers and others. Now, a University of Calgary research team has added a robot to help identify and customize post-stroke therapy. Rehabilitation robots improve detection of post-stroke impairments and can enhance the type and intensity of therapy required for recovery, according to a study presented October 1 at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Researchers studied 185 subjects -- 87 recovering from stroke and 98 people unaffected by stroke -- and found that tests using a robot better measure patients' sense of limb position, speed and direction of limb movement. Patients were assessed approximately 15 days after stroke. "For years, therapists have known that limb awareness is very important to predicting a person's outcomes after stroke. Yet we have never before been able to quantify it," says lead researcher Dr. Sean Dukelow. "Identifying these deficits opens the door to the next step: how do we treat it?" Until now, rehabilitation experts have relied on their judgment and subjective rating scales to assess impairment after stroke. Robotic technology standardizes … Continue reading →

Public release date: 1-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Cathy Campbell cathy@canadianstrokenetwork.ca 613-852-2303 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Home delivery of stroke rehabilitation improves care, eliminates waiting lists for treatment and saves hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in hospital costs, according to a quality improvement project presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Early Supported Discharge, introduced as a permanent part of the Calgary Stroke Program in 2011, has resulted in equally good or better cognition, communication and physical function for people who receive therapy in their own homes as opposed to in a hospital or facility. Not only that, the program has helped to virtually eliminate waiting lists for inpatient stroke therapy in Calgary, reduced lengths of stay in inpatient rehabilitation by an average 12 days, and saved approximately $1 million in the first year. The 160 Calgary residents who received therapy in their homes for an average of five weeks following stroke saw significant improvements in knowledge use, upper limb use, domestic life and interpersonal interactions. All participants said they would recommend this approach to other people with stroke. The program "blurs the boundaries between different disciplines providing care," including occupational therapy, physical therapy, … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) Home delivery of stroke rehabilitation improves care, eliminates waiting lists for treatment and saves hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in hospital costs, according to a quality improvement project presented October 1 at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Early Supported Discharge, introduced as a permanent part of the Calgary Stroke Program in 2011, has resulted in equally good or better cognition, communication and physical function for people who receive therapy in their own homes as opposed to in a hospital or facility. Not only that, the program has helped to virtually eliminate waiting lists for inpatient stroke therapy in Calgary, reduced lengths of stay in inpatient rehabilitation by an average 12 days, and saved approximately $1 million in the first year. The 160 Calgary residents who received therapy in their homes for an average of five weeks following stroke saw significant improvements in knowledge use, upper limb use, domestic life and interpersonal interactions. All participants said they would recommend this approach to other people with stroke. The program "blurs the boundaries between different disciplines providing care," including occupational therapy, physical therapy, recreation therapy, speech-language pathology, social work and nursing, says project lead Darren Knox, Unit Manager of … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - The life sciences sector continued to outperform the broader markets in September, but developments during the month were notable for highlighting the acceleration of the transformation of healthcare through personalized medicine, Burrill & Company says. "Our healthcare system is dysfunctional and has largely been unchanged through human history in its episodic approach that focuses on treating the symptoms of illness," says G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company, a diversified global financial services firm. "Although personalized medicine's transformation of healthcare is an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process, the events of the past month point to a rapid acceleration of efforts to make medicine personalized, predictive, and pre-emptive and promises to bend the cost-curve of healthcare in a meaningful way." The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's announced an ambitious $3 billion Cancer Moon Shots Program, which seeks to develop new diagnostics, devices, drugs, and policies to detect, prevent, and treat cancer by capitalizing on the convergence of low-cost sequencing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies. September also saw a number of developments on the sequencing front. Chinese sequencing giant BGI-Shenzhen announced a $117.6 million acquisition of the struggling next-generation … Continue reading →