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Smoking after stroke increases death risk by 3-fold

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Public release date: 28-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: European Society of Cardiology press@escardio.org 33-049-294-8627 European Society of Cardiology Munich, Germany August 28 2012: Patients who resume smoking after a stroke increase their risk of death by three-fold, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012 by Professor Furio Colivicchi from San Filippo Neri Hospital. The researchers also found that the earlier patients resume smoking, the greater their risk of death with one year. "It is well established that smoking increases the risk of having a stroke," said Professor Colivicchi. "Quitting smoking after an acute ischemic stroke may be more effective than any medication in reducing the risk of further adverse events. However, on the other hand, our study shows that stroke patients resuming active smoking after leaving the hospital can raise their risk of dying by as much as three-fold." The purpose of the study was to gauge the effects of resuming smoking after a stroke, and to see how many patients are likely to relapse. Cardiologists from S. Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome, in collaboration with neurologists from the Santa Lucia Foundation of Rome, tracked 921 patients (584 men and 337 women, mean age 67 16 … Continue reading

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Mechanical Blood Clot 'Retrievers' May Aid Stroke Patients

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A new generation of "retriever" devices, designed to mechanically remove blood clots from arteries and restore blood flow in stroke patients, could improve treatment, studies suggest. The most common treatment for stroke is taking a drug that dissolves the blood clot and reopens the blocked artery. The drug must be taken within three hours of the onset of stroke, however, and is not suitable for all patients. In addition, the drug often fails to dissolve large blood clots. A different approach involves the use of a mechanical blood flow restoration device or "stent-triever" that is inserted through the groin and then guided to the site of the blood clot. The device retrieves and removes the blood clot and restores blood flow to the brain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first of these devices in 2004. The device, called the Merci retriever, has since been used in thousands of stroke patients worldwide. In two studies, researchers evaluated two new mechanical clot retrievers and found that they have the potential to better restore blood flow and lead to improved patient outcomes. One expert not connected to the studies explained how the new models, … Continue reading

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Researchers investigate surfing injuries

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Researchers hope to make one of Australia's most iconic sporting pastimes even safer by investigating surfing injuries. Royal North Shore Hospital specialist Dr Simon Dimmick studied head and spinal injuries of surfers admitted to the hospital over the past two years. The research, to be presented this week at a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiology conference in Sydney, found head and neck damage accounts for about 25 to 37 per cent of surfing injuries. Dr Dimmick said more than 50 per cent of all spinal injuries sustained by surfers affected the neck, also called the cervical spine. Advertisement Only 10 per cent were thoracic spine fractures and five per cent were fractures of the lumbar vertebrae. About one quarter of spinal injuries involved bruising to the spinal cord, Dr Dimmick said. Spinal injuries were mostly caused by contact with the sea floor, while head and facial injuries resulted from being hit with a surfboard, he said. Two studies involving 28 patients each were carried out at the hospital, which is NSW's main treatment centre for spinal injuries. Although significant injuries can occur from surfing, the sport is considered relatively safe. Continue reading here: Researchers investigate surfing injuries … Continue reading

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Acorda Therapeutics to Present at Baird and Stifel Nicolaus 2012 Healthcare Conferences

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOR) today announced that it will present at two upcoming conferences in September. Jane Wasman, Chief, Strategic Development and General Counsel, will present at the Baird 2012 Health Care Conference on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 8:25 am ET at the New York Palace Hotel in New York. A live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed under Investor Events in the Investor section of the Acorda website at http://www.acorda.com, or you may use the link: http://wsw.com/webcast/baird30/acor/ Ron Cohen, Acordas President and Chief Executive Officer will present at the Stifel Nicolaus 2012 Healthcare Conference on Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm ET at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. A live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed under Investor Events in the Investor section of the Acorda website at http://www.acorda.com, or you may use the link: http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/stifel/healthcare2012/29215201.cfm Archived versions of these webcasts will be available until October 5, 2012 on the Investors section of http://www.acorda.com. About Acorda Therapeutics Acorda Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with MS, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. Acorda markets AMPYRA … Continue reading

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An antibody that could help spinal cord injury patients

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Melbourne, Aug 29: Damage to the central nervous system from trauma could be reversed with the help of a new antibody, Australian researchers have claimed. The new antibody works by blocking the effects of a molecule called lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) that is released in response to injury, promoting inflammation leading to scarring and nerve cell death. After a neurotrauma event, such as a spinal cord injury, the body produces an inflammatory response that often leads to scarring and permanent nerve damage for which there are currently no treatment options, said the research team led by Australian Regenerative Medicine Institutes Yona Goldsmith and Centre for Eye Research Australias Alice Pebay. The team demonstrated that by administering the antibody soon after the injury occurred, it was possible to preserve nerve cells and limit the amount of scarring, while substantially reducing the losses in motor function. Goldshmit said the study reinforced earlier research on the role of LPA after an injury. By blocking the effects of LPA, we can help nerve cells survive a traumatic injury and this will hopefully lead to better outcome for patients in the future, Goldshmit said. Read the original: An antibody that could help spinal cord injury patients … Continue reading

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Wockhardt gets US nod for Parkinson's disease drug

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Wockhardt gets US nod for Parkinson's disease drug The co will manufacture the extended release tablets of ropinirole at its facility in Aurangabad Press Trust of India / New Delhi Aug 28, 2012, 18:07 IST Drug maker Wockhardt today said it has received approval from US health regulator to sell generic ropinirole hydrochloride, which is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is for extended-release tablets in multiple strengths of 2mg, 4mg, 6mg, 8mg and 12mg containing ropinirole hydrochloride, the company said in a statement. Ropinirole's extended release tablet is the generic name for the brand Requip XL, marketed in the US by Glaxo SmithKline, the company said. Wockhardt will manufacture the extended release tablets of ropinirole at its facility in Aurangabad. The technology for the tablets was developed in-house, it said. Citing IMS Health data, Wockhardt said the total market for this product in the US is about USD 58 million. Commenting on the approval, Wockhardt Founder Chairman and Group CEO Habil Khorakiwala said: "This is the sixth US FDA approval for Wockhardt in the past two weeks. Three of these have been for extended-release products". Wockhardt scrips closed … Continue reading

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Deep brain stimulation changes rhythms to treat Parkinson's disease and tremor

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2012) Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) may stop uncontrollable shaking in patients with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor by imposing its own rhythm on the brain, according to two studies published recently by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers in the journal Movement Disorders. An article addressing brain stimulation for essential tremor was published online August 28; a related article on Parkinson's disease was released May 30. DBS uses an electrode implanted beneath the skin to deliver electrical pulses into the brain more than 100 times per second. Although this technology was approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 15 years ago, it remains unclear how it reduces tremor and other symptoms of movement disorders. With the help of electroencephalography or EEG -- electrodes placed on the scalp -- study authors used new techniques to suppress the electrical signal associated with the DBS electrode. That enabled the first clear, non-invasive EEG measurements of the underlying brain response during clinically effective, high-frequency brain stimulation in humans. The results show that nerves in the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, fire with rapid and precise timing in response to individual stimulus pulses. This suggests that DBS may … Continue reading

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Parkinson's patient finds hope through Michael J. Fox Foundation

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

FAIRHOPE, Alabama -- A sense of doom enveloped Jayne Godfrey when doctors diagnosed her in 2007 with early onset Parkinsons disease at 39. "It was depressing," said the Spanish Fort mother of two, paralegal and recreational runner. "Doctors told me, You have a progressive neurological disease for which there is no cure. I kept thinking, Could this be a wrong diagnosis? Where was the hope?" A persistent tremor and increasingly frequent falls while jogging brought Godfrey to neurologists in Fairhope and in Jacksonville, Fla. at the Mayo Clinic. "My life was unraveling and I had to do something about it," Godfrey said. The diagnosis confirmed her worst fears. "It was so absolutely devastating for both of us," Godfreys mother, Mary Robbins of Daphne, said. "You are told there is no hope. It is a death sentence." But during an Internet search for information about the chronic, progressive movement disorder, Godfrey happened upon to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research. It was a beacon in an otherwise bleak landscape, connecting Godfrey to others in the Parkinsons community and illuminating her with knowledge and hope. Established in 2001 by actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinsons, the foundations mission is … Continue reading

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Cerebral palsy procedure: Girl, 4, denied operation to help her walk due to postcode lottery to have surgery after …

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Evie suffers from cerebral palsy and can only shuffle using a walking frame She will undergo a procedure to 'free' her legs thanks to contributions from well-wishers after her story was featured on MailOnline in January By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 05:30 EST, 28 August 2012 | UPDATED: 15:44 EST, 28 August 2012 A four-year-old girl denied an operation that could help her walk because of an NHS postcode lottery will now have the procedure - after well-wishers raised 30,000. Evie Tucker suffers from cerebral palsy - causing painful spasms in her legs - and can only shuffle a few steps at a time in her walking frame. She will be unable to walk without a 30,000 operation, equipment and physio which is only performed at one hospital in Britain - which happens to be just 12 miles away from her home. Evie Tucker, 4, suffers from cerebral palsy and can only shuffle a few steps at a time in her walking frame. She will be unable to walk without an operation costing 30,000 - the amount well-wishers have raised But her local NHS Trust ruled that Evie's case was not strong enough to justify the cost. Her determined family … Continue reading

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Allstate Suit Says Brain-Injured Washed Cars as Therapy

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

By David Armstrong - 2012-08-28T14:14:58Z Allstate Corp. (ALL), the second-largest U.S. auto insurer, is seeking fraud damages in a lawsuit alleging that a Florida brain-injury facility warehoused patients who were beaten and abused by staff. The suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Tampa, seeks $7.6 million that the insurer says it paid the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation to treat its claimants, as well as triple damages under federal racketeering laws and other costs. Allstate alleges patients from Michigan, which mandates unlimited lifetime medical benefits for automobile injury coverage, were recruited to the Florida facility through an aggressive marketing campaign that promised an array of services that were never provided. Some patients washed the cars of the centers employees, an activity that was considered vocational training, according to the lawsuit. Wayne J. Miller, an attorney representing the facility, known as FINR, said in an e-mail that he was confident that this matter will ultimately be resolved in FINRs favor. The lawsuit, which also named FINR owner Joseph Brennick as a defendant, follows a Bloomberg News report last month on dozens of cases of alleged abuse at the facility. Patients families or state agencies have accused FINR of abuse … Continue reading

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