tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54615193627724939462024-02-18T21:31:19.639-08:00World AphasiaiRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-49287336856387850772012-12-09T11:12:00.001-08:002012-12-09T11:12:43.306-08:00Tapgram Overview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3eMbJeyMzpU" width="560"></iframe></div>
iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-70162503320634201762012-03-11T13:03:00.003-07:002012-03-11T13:06:05.115-07:00Experiencing a Stroke<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NdG2ai0pORQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-77553313260209874792012-03-08T15:35:00.000-08:002012-03-08T15:35:39.700-08:00Smartphone app helps stroke victims<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="hn-headline" itemprop="name"><br />
</div><div class="hn-byline"> (UKPA) – <span class="hn-date">Feb 20, 2012</span> <span style="position: relative; top: 2px;"><span id="plusone-div" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-style: none; display: inline-block; float: none; font-size: 1px; height: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; width: 70px;"></span></span> </div>Stroke patients could be helped to hospital quicker with a new smartphone app.<br />
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are set to release an application called Fast which identifies key symptoms of a stroke.<br />
It is hoped the app will help diagnosis, treatment and prevention in the future.<br />
Funding for the app has been provided by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) whose research shows that stroke is the third-biggest killer in Scotland, behind heart disease and cancer.<br />
Fast asks users if the person can smile, can lift both arms and if their speech is slurred. If all these symptoms are present, the user is told to call 999.<br />
The app, available on iPhone and Android handsets, points to different symptoms and indicators, while providing instant access to nursing staff and hospitals on demand.<br />
David Clark, chief executive of CHSS, said: "Around 12,000 people will have a stroke each year in Scotland.<br />
"We hope that our app will help people to recognise the symptoms of stroke and guide them through the process of calling for help.<br />
"In a typical stroke, you lose two million brain cells a minute so it is vital that you're treated as quickly as possible."<br />
The app is part of the Fast campaign by NHS Scotland and CHSS, aimed at treating and preventing strokes.<br />
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gmR_fLH_fLImI1hN5CpBSCWPN4vQ?docId=N0636081329739851584A">Next......................................... </a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-46210380369822156112012-03-08T14:58:00.000-08:002012-03-08T14:58:11.974-08:00ENGLAND legend Jimmy Greaves has revealed he has suffered a stroke.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="intro"> <h1 class="large centered"> England legend suffers stroke </h1><div class="text-center"> <img alt="Jimmy Greaves" src="http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01460/JimmyGreaves_1460156a.jpg" style="height: 355px; width: 532px;" /> <div class="padding-top-5"> <div class="small bold">Legend ... former footballer Jimmy Greaves</div><span class="text-666 small">David New/The Sun</span> </div></div><div class="flag-author"> <div class="display-byline"> By DAN SALES </div></div><div class="published-date"> <div class="published-date-text"> Published: 26th February 2012 </div></div></div><div class="h2-wrapper"> <h3> ENGLAND legend Jimmy Greaves has revealed he has suffered a stroke. </h3></div><div id="column3"> <div class="cf" id="social-media"> <div class="comment"> <a class="com-text" href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4155535/England-legend-suffers-stroke.html#comment-rig" rel="nofollow"><img alt="comment on this story" src="http://www.thesun.co.uk/img/buttons/btn-have-ur-say.png" /></a> <span class="com-bubble"><a class="com-bubble lf-comments" href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4155535/England-legend-suffers-stroke.html#comment-rig" id="article-4155535" rel="nofollow">22 comments</a></span> </div></div></div>The former Spurs ace, 72, had to spend two nights in hospital after he fell ill at home. <br />
Medics at Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital discovered the striker had suffered a transient ischaemic attack. <br />
He also had to undergo neck surgery, but said that he had now made a full recovery. <br />
He said: "I had a mini-stroke but just weeks later I'm honestly feeling better than I have in years - I'm as fit as a butcher's dog. <br />
"I'm out and about, enjoying life to the full. <br />
"I lost a stone, which I needed to do and it's made me feel a lot younger. <br />
"If anyone complains about the NHS don't believe a word of it. <br />
"The people who looked after me couldn't have been any more professional or caring."<br />
<a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4155535/England-legend-suffers-stroke.html">Next................................................................. </a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-71054217778695352412012-03-08T10:58:00.000-08:002012-03-08T10:58:51.918-08:00Life after a stroke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<br />
<b>The harder you work during rehabilitation, the better your chances of significant recovery after a stroke.</b><br />
THERE are many questions that come to the minds of stroke victims and their caregivers. Some people view a stroke negatively, whilst others take up the challenge of recovery and restoration of function as much as is possible.<br />
Importantly, the stroke victim’s attitude has a substantial influence on recovery.<br />
The care of stroke patients requires a multidisciplinary approach. The ideal is for all stroke patients to be managed in a stroke unit, which is a dedicated unit in the hospital that only manages strokes. Such a unit would be staffed by neurologists, geriatricians, general physicians with an interest in stroke, trained nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. It would also include neurosurgeons, social workers and dietitians.<br />
<div class="story_image center" style="width: 279px;"> <img alt="" height="366" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2012/2/26/health/sf_8nasam.jpg" width="265" /> <span class="caption">The extent of recovery of motor functions is often influenced by the extent of compliance with the rehabilitation plan.</span></div><div class="story_image center" style="width: 279px;"><span class="caption"> </span></div><div class="story_image center" style="width: 279px;"><a href="http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2012/2/26/health/10772127&sec=health"><span class="caption">Next................. </span></a> </div></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-43311296966046079922012-03-08T10:57:00.000-08:002012-03-08T10:57:15.215-08:00Sudbury woman files negligence lawsuit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="float_l m5r dateline">SUDBURY — </div><div> <div class="entry-content-pagination"> A Sudbury nursing home resident has filed a lawsuit against the home and its owner, alleging negligence in hiring a man she said sexually assaulted her in 2009.<br />
Ruby McDonough, 63, through her lawyer, Harold Levine, filed the lawsuit in Middlesex Superior Court against the Sudbury Pines Extended Care Center and its owner, Roberta C. Henderson.<br />
Henderson was served the suit yesterday.<br />
In February 2009, McDonough accused then-Sudbury-Pines-employee Kofi Agana of sexually assaulting her.<br />
McDonough suffers from expressive aphasia, a condition that limits her ability to speak or communicate.<br />
Agana, 50, was found not guilty last year in Framingham District Court of the sexual assault after a two-day trial.<br />
“Our focus is on accountability,” said Levine. “For us, it’s about finding out who, how and why? In particular, we want to find out how Mr. Agana had access to Ms. McDonough. From what I understand, he was here illegally, yet he was licensed, he was hired and he was supervised.”</div></div><br />
Read more: <a href="http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1679919739/Sudbury-woman-files-negligence-lawsuit#ixzz1oYMTdkHd" style="color: #003399;">http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1679919739/Sudbury-woman-files-negligence-lawsuit#ixzz1oYMTdkHd</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-67516809075368993632012-03-08T10:23:00.000-08:002012-03-08T10:23:30.209-08:00USC stroke trial gives hope to stroke victims with speech impairment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WOr2YJ3gr5I" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
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COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) -- A USC professor and speech pathologist is conducting a stroke trial for people who have impaired speech after experiencing a stroke.<br />
<br />
Internationally known speech pathologist Dr. Julius Fridriksson will conduct a study looking into the effectiveness of using electrode stimulation of the brain.<br />
<br />
According to Fridriksson, the voltage used during the study is applied to the scalp and is low enough that patients will not feel it.<br />
<br />
Mark Cox, one of Fridriksson's patients. will participate in the upcoming trial.<br />
<br />
Cox is a retired Airforce Liutenant Colonel and Deputy Commander. The father of three was set to deploy to Afghanistan, but then he had a stroke.<br />
<br />
According to Fridriksson, Cox has Aphasia resulting from his stroke, which causes him to have impaired speech.<br />
<br />
"I would not have gotten through the Aphasia without Robyn, my wife. I am hard headed. She set me straight and made me do it," said Cox.<br />
<br />
Annie Hill, another participant in the trial, also had a stroke, which caused impaired speech.........................<br />
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<a href="http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=727393#.T1j4O3kzDTo">Next...........</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-85515060881687850522012-01-16T13:49:00.000-08:002012-01-16T13:49:28.754-08:0010 Things to Know About Aphasia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">If a stroke has left you with lingering language problems, called aphasia, you might recover some limited abilities on your own. However, you'll probably need speech-language therapy for the best possible improvement. Fortunately, experts know more today than ever before about treating aphasia effectively. Here are 10 essential facts about the most up-to-date treatment strategies...<a href="http://inhealth.cnn.com/speech-recovery-and-development-center/10-things-to-know-about-aphasia-treatment?did=t1_rss1&hpt=hp_c1">.Next</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONuhix2tM-VQjpk1XEHl_C1q5OMOZMyY7oeJog6OOT8Ocz6Ooy4YFcMqETp8hlUkOTZCgUkiFaDTAY_XExLM1w0nb667IK2xelgoAglbnplj-RDfyBjibUh8BFOv8lBr7c5IJmnLqxcEP/s1600/inhealthdims-751421392.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONuhix2tM-VQjpk1XEHl_C1q5OMOZMyY7oeJog6OOT8Ocz6Ooy4YFcMqETp8hlUkOTZCgUkiFaDTAY_XExLM1w0nb667IK2xelgoAglbnplj-RDfyBjibUh8BFOv8lBr7c5IJmnLqxcEP/s320/inhealthdims-751421392.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-68331541003156924422012-01-12T16:38:00.001-08:002012-01-12T16:39:52.582-08:00Aphasia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ANd5N_saVo4" width="560"></iframe></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-31088205943622227102011-10-04T21:38:00.001-07:002011-10-04T21:38:38.267-07:00Understanding Aphasia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30021475" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/30021475">Understanding Aphasia</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2806810">Shepherd Center</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
</div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-17897136773206508832011-10-02T18:27:00.000-07:002011-10-02T18:27:51.468-07:00Fire in the Brain - FAST TVC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/29934249"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8APXyQMaEZn5LyLaH_BhyT558cLaA76PZLl2Zn9acNhW0MTDrgXCgSUfEN3h8NVNh2FptmnMKj3mWSov0M_0tHzfKNU3Cpbl_Gnm967ML2Desv0Z9R3cUGYMi8PMyEJUwqbS-AhbY5M0c/s640/photo.PNG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
</div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-57208010989915210892011-09-27T10:27:00.000-07:002011-09-27T10:27:36.938-07:00Assisted suicide: why I want the right to die - video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><object height="370" width="460"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.guardian.co.uk/video/embed"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="endpoint=http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/video/2011/aug/18/assisted-suicide-right-to-die-video/json"></param> <embed src="http://www.guardian.co.uk/video/embed" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="460" height="370" flashvars="endpoint=http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/video/2011/aug/18/assisted-suicide-right-to-die-video/json"></embed> </object></div><br />
Assisted suicide: why I want the right to die. Credit: Sarah Boseley and Cameron Robertson Link to this video<br />
<br />
A 46-year-old-man who wants to die after a stroke that left him almost completely paralysed is bringing a groundbreaking legal action that could effectively lead to the legalisation of assisted suicide in the UK.<br />
<br />
Martin, as he has agreed to be called to preserve his anonymity and that of his family, was a fit and active man who enjoyed rugby, cars and socialising with friends in the pub before suffering a brainstem stroke three years ago. Now requiring round-the-clock care, his mobility is limited to moving his eyes and small movements of his head. He communicates by staring at letters on a computer screen which the machine recognises and forms into words spoken by a digitised voice.<br />
<br />
Martin has been asking to die since six months after the stroke but says he has no one willing to assist him and cannot on his own organise a trip to the Swiss clinic Dignitas, where he could end his life legally. His wife, who chooses to be known as Felicity, says....... <a href="http://bit.ly/rfuSuR">http://bit.ly/rfuSuR</a>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-1432329208676843272011-09-19T15:47:00.001-07:002011-09-19T15:47:53.298-07:00The Girl Who Played With Fire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XA0cuxkKOP8" width="560"></iframe></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-73901967955418973462011-09-18T18:41:00.000-07:002011-09-18T18:41:07.207-07:00Visionary physician: Dr. Joseph Gravlee back at work after suffering stroke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AC1sVcaNcCoI2zbQe5ujSQuJa3Fjzc6wo8ayzlOXHyOiQlNVI3hMqwAAbHGt8rtCQUgaSuD1clnc7fiFyrVzZi9jdTD8RQ3c9CLYIerFo1SmJ8NuR7A9aRP_UWSBsyHvJ8OTeHlBvy1I/s1600/9934263-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AC1sVcaNcCoI2zbQe5ujSQuJa3Fjzc6wo8ayzlOXHyOiQlNVI3hMqwAAbHGt8rtCQUgaSuD1clnc7fiFyrVzZi9jdTD8RQ3c9CLYIerFo1SmJ8NuR7A9aRP_UWSBsyHvJ8OTeHlBvy1I/s320/9934263-large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>FAIRHOPE, Alabama — More than 2 years after a massive stroke left him partially paralyzed and in a coma for 12 days, ophthalmologist Joseph Gravlee has returned to work in a supervisory role at the practice that he founded here. While it’s still difficult for him to speak with anything more than a “yes” or “no,” he’s driving again, getting around in an old Ford 250 diesel pickup that was modified with a knob so he can steer with his left hand. <br />
“The patients love seeing Joe,” said his wife, Glenda Gravlee. “Everywhere I go, people ask me how he is doing.” <br />
Since the Feb. 18, 2009, stroke, Gravlee, 57, has struggled with expressive aphasia, which is the loss of ability to produce spoken or written language.<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/nE40ns">http://bit.ly/nE40ns</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-84436588889749965172011-09-18T17:10:00.000-07:002011-09-18T17:10:00.541-07:00Jennifer Aniston’s mother has a strok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHpZuuBsdj22BwVxW3zE56JMLrn6RPnQd80yZZrgDMxN0EXyYLqacFLcFxMLcP1JSMf1W7LOYws2CQRTTHj4oqtzxNw4x688Ps40sGLzhG8O1IU_kUu3MS-IEiqLRHw25ZBFwFXwwOVs_/s1600/jennifer-aniston10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHpZuuBsdj22BwVxW3zE56JMLrn6RPnQd80yZZrgDMxN0EXyYLqacFLcFxMLcP1JSMf1W7LOYws2CQRTTHj4oqtzxNw4x688Ps40sGLzhG8O1IU_kUu3MS-IEiqLRHw25ZBFwFXwwOVs_/s200/jennifer-aniston10.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><h1 class="title"><br />
</h1><div class="meta"><span class="submitted"> 9/18/2011 </span> </div><div class="field field-type-text field-field-article-author"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd">Vanessa Munoz </div></div></div>Jennifer Aniston’s 75-year-old mother, Nancy Dow, a former model, suffered a stroke over the weekend and was hospitalized in Beverly Hills.<br />
Dow, according to the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2036630/Jennifer-Aniston-heals-rift-mother-Nancy-Dow-hospital-bedside.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">Daily Mail</a>, was in critical condition when she was first admitted into the hospital. <br />
Aniston, along with boyfriend actor Justin Theroux, was at her mother’s side in tears on Saturday, according to <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/jennifer-anistons-mother-suffers-a-stroke-2011139">Us Magazine</a>, despite their previously strained relationship. The mother and daughter have been distant since Dow spoke about their troubles in a 1996 interview and later wrote a tell all book about the relationship, <i>From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir</i>. The two were estranged from that point until they went through a painful reconciliation in 2009, and now Aniston only wants to support her mother during this rough time. <br />
No update has yet to be giving on Dow’s condition. Aniston wishes to keep the matter private as her family gets through this. </div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-75567317120970079342011-09-17T19:10:00.001-07:002011-09-17T19:10:46.269-07:00Ode to the Brain! by Symphony of Science<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JB7jSFeVz1U" width="560"></iframe></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-83423360393111418722011-09-11T11:28:00.000-07:002011-09-11T11:28:10.827-07:00Medical Treatment: The Key to Stopping Stroke?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="StoryHeadline"> <h1 class="StoryTitle"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766">Medical Treatment: The Key to Stopping Stroke?</a></h1></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766"> </a> <div class="MediaBlockFirst"> <div class="TabBox"> <div class="TabBoxHeader"> <ul><li class="SelectedTab" id="ctl00_ctl00_ctl00_CommonPage_CommonBody_Main_V___BlockList_B0___ctl02_0_Tab"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766">Images</a></li>
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</tbody></table></div></div><div class="ContributorsSubContainer"> <div class="PrintStory"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766">Print Story</a> </div><div class="StoryPublished"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766"> Published: 9/09 4:38 pm </a></div></div><div class="ContributorsSubContainer"> <div class="ShareStory"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766"><span class="addthis_button_compact" id="add-this-1">Share</span></a> </div><div class="StoryUpdated"> <div class="StoryUpdated"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766">Updated: 9/09 4:39 pm</a></div></div></div><div class="ContributorsSubContainer"> <div class="StoryRecommended"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320837766"> </a></div></div></div><a href="http://www.cbs42.com/content/health/story/Medical-Treatment-The-Key-to-Stopping-Stroke/g-qn1Khta0SOIV1hABkc1Q.cspx"> BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The key to preventing a common type of stroke may be aggressive medical therapy by itself, rather than in combination with surgery, according to new research.Investigators studied 451 patients aged 30 to 80 who had at least 70 percent narrowing in the arteries in the brain and had experienced symptoms in the past month. Patients in one group were assigned to receive intensive management that involved smoking cessation and blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and blood-clot prevention medications. The other group of patients received the same medical treatment but also had balloon angioplasty and a stent procedure.Nearly 15 percent of patients who received stents had a stroke or died within 30 days of enrolling in the study compared to less than 6 percent of patients in the medical therapy group. At one year, about 21 percent of the patients who received the stents had negative effects compared to 12 percent in the medical treatment group.“This study provides an answer to a longstanding question by physicians -- what to do to prevent a devastating second stroke in a high-risk population. Although technological advances have brought intracranial stenting into practice, we have now learned that when tested in a large group, this particular device did not lead to a better health outcome," Walter Koroshetz, M.D., deputy director of the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which funded the clinical trial, was quoted as saying.These results were surprising to the researchers who thought patients receiving stents would fare better. However, they say more studies are needed to determine the long-term benefits of each strategy."The real question is, is there a benefit to patients over the long-term," study co-author and co-principal investigator Brian L. Hoh, M.D., who is an associate professor of radiology and neuroscience in the UF College of Medicine, was quoted as saying. "If you think about it, when people are concerned about stroke, it's not just their first month that matters, so we're waiting to see what the longer-term results will be."Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. Patients with the type of stroke known as symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis do not respond well to existing treatments. About one-quarter of them have another stroke within a year.</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-67887105813613482842011-08-21T11:45:00.000-07:002011-08-21T11:48:40.345-07:00Estimating the lifetime economic burden of stroke according to the age of onset in South Korea: a cost of illness study<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The recently-observed trend towards younger stroke patients in Korea raises economic concerns, including erosion of the workforce. We compared per-person lifetime costs of stroke according to the age of stroke onset from the Korean societal perspective.<br />
<h4>Methods</h4>A state-transition Markov model consisted of three health states ('post primary stroke event', 'alive post stroke', and 'dead') was developed to simulate the natural history of stroke. The transition probabilities for fatal and non-fatal recurrent stroke by age and gender and for non-stroke causes of death were derived from the national epidemiologic data of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services and data from the Danish Monitoring Trends in Cardiovascular Disease study. We used an incidence-based approach to estimate the long-term costs of stroke. The model captured stroke-related costs including costs within the health sector, patients' out-of-pocket costs outside the health sector, and costs resulting from loss of productivity due to morbidity and premature death using a human capital approach. Average insurance-covered costs occurring within the health sector were estimated from the National Health Insurance claims database. Other costs were estimated based on the national epidemiologic data and literature. All costs are presented in 2008 Korean currency values (Korean won = KRW).<br />
<h4>Results</h4>The lifetime costs of stroke were estimated to be: 200.7, 81.9, and 16.4 million Korean won (1,200 KRW is approximately equal to one US dollar) for men who suffered a first stroke at age 45, 55 and 65 years, respectively, and 75.7, 39.2, and 19.3 million KRW for women at the same age. While stroke occurring among Koreans aged 45 to 64 years accounted for only 30% of the total disease incidence, this age group incurred 75% of the total national lifetime costs of stroke.<br />
<h4>Conclusions</h4>A higher lifetime burden and increasing incidence of stroke among younger Koreans highlight the need for more effective strategies for the prevention and management of stroke especially for people between 40 and 60 years of ages. <br />
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hitting back ... Dr Jon Scott of South Tyneside NHS Trust.<br />
<div class="byline"> By <a href="mailto:verity.ward@northeast-press.co.uk">VERITY WARD</a> <br />
<span>Published on <strong class="pubDate">Friday 19 August 2011 06:54</strong></span> <br />
</div>HOSPITAL bosses in South Tyneside have hit back at figures which appear to show that the treatment of stroke patients in the borough is not up to scratch.<br />
Quarterly data on the quality of stroke care, released by the Royal College of Physicians, charts the first 72 hours of care a patient receives.<br />
The figures, collected between April and June, show South Tyneside District Hospital NHS Trust performed significantly worse than the national average.<br />
Hospital chiefs say the figures are not a true representation of their performance because they don’t take into account the way patients are admitted in the borough.<br />
The Trust has spent £1m revamping the stroke unit at the Harton Lane hospital and say the numbers aren’t a true representation because a third of the 75 units involved didn’t supply information and the way in which patients receive treatment is also not taken into account.<br />
The data claimed that it took 421 minutes for patients in the borough to receive a scan on arrival at hospital, compared with the national average of 143 minutes.<br />
It also highlighted that it took 227 minutes – compared with 128 minutes nationally – for patients to come into contact with a member of the stroke team. <br />
This increased to 230 minutes – above the national average of 188 – when out of hours.<br />
Dr Jon Scott, consultant stroke physician, said the figures are assumed to be correct, but not all stroke units entered data into the Stroke Improvement National Audit Programme (SINAP) so the national average wasn’t a true representation.<br />
He said: “The guidance for CT scans is that they need to be done for all patients within 24 hours and, for a small minority, as soon as possible. <br />
“The national average includes data from hyperacute units, where patients are diverted past their local hospital. Therefore, it is rather difficult to interpret as the national average figure comprises many different types of stroke service.” <br />
He said South Tyneside has a 24/7 consultant-led and delivered service that is able to guarantee treatment, irrespective of time of onset of symptoms and guarantees a consultant review within 24 hours for all patients, even at weekends and bank holidays.<br />
Dr Scott says the pathway the hospital uses to treat its patients through its A&E department, before they are transferred to the stroke unit, has also affected scores.<br />
He said: “Our pathway utilises the on-call registrar to review acute stroke patients in A&E. <br />
“This is not classified as a ‘member of the stroke team’ according to the SINAP data definitions, hence the higher than average score. <br />
“First contact with someone who fits the SINAP definition tends to occur when the patient arrives on the stoke unit. <br />
“This is why our in-hours and out-of hours contact times are virtually identical.”<br />
The next audit figures are due in November.<br />
verity.ward@northeast-press.co.uk http://bit.ly/nu1yrJ</div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-76332041963628870352011-08-21T11:24:00.000-07:002011-08-21T11:24:20.952-07:00Neurology: Ultrasound markers may predict high stroke risk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A pair of visual ultrasound markers may help physicians better determine which patients with <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/topic/asymptomatic+carotid+stenosis">asymptomatic carotid stenosis</a> face a higher stroke risk, and better determine which patients might benefit from <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/topic/carotid+endarterectomy">carotid endarterectomy</a> (CEA), according to a study published online Aug. 17 in <em>Neurology</em>.<br />
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The absolute benefit of CEA is small, which has spurred concerns about the cost effectiveness and utility of the procedure. However, limiting the procedure to patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (CS) at higher risk for <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/topic/ipsilateral+stroke">ipsilateral stroke</a> could yield cost and clinical benefits.<br />
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Thus, <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/person/Raffi+Topakian">Raffi Topakian</a>, MD, of the department of neurology at <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/organization/Academic+Teaching+Hospital+Wagner-Jauregg">Academic Teaching Hospital Wagner-Jauregg</a> in Linz, Austria, and colleagues devised a study to determine whether a predictive score based ultrasonic plaque morphology assessment and the detection of asymptomatic <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/topic/emboli+signal">emboli signal</a>s on transcranial Doppler ultrasound might improve prediction of stroke or <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/topic/transient+ischemic+attack">transient ischemic attack</a> (TIA).<br />
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The researchers leveraged data from 435 patients with asymptomatic CS enrolled in the <a class="hasTip" href="http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/_news/topic/Asymptomatic+Carotid+Emboli+Study">Asymptomatic Carotid Emboli Study</a> (ACES). Participants were enrolled between July 1999 and August 2007 and had <span style="text-decoration: underline;">></span> 70 percent asymptomatic CS. Ultrasound was performed at study entry.<br />
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The primary endpoint was stroke or stroke/TIA risk predicted by plaque echolucency at study entry. Secondary endpoints were ipsilateral stroke alone, any stroke or cardiovascular death.<br />
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The research team analyzed plaque morphology and graded plaques as echolucent or echogenic, using a five-type classification scale.<br />
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Nearly 38 percent of plaques were graded as echolucent, and of the 428 patients with analyzable transcranial Doppler recordings, 17.1 percent had at least one emboli signal detected on either of the two baseline recordings.<br />
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During the nearly two-year follow-up, researchers recorded 10 ipsilateral strokes, 20 ipsilateral TIAs and 17 strokes in any territory, with 33 patients suffering any stroke or CV death.<br />
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Also, during follow-up, 33 patients underwent CEA and there were 29 deaths.<br />
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According to Topakian et al, plaque echolucency was associated with an increased risk of ipsilateral stroke and showed a trend toward association with ipsilateral stroke and TIA and any stroke. Subjects with both echolucency and embolic signal positivity at baseline faced a significant increase in risk for ipsilateral stroke and TIA, ipsilateral stroke and any stroke.<br />
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“[Patients] with both conditions present had at least a 10-fold increase in the risk of ipsilateral stroke with an annual risk of about 8.9 percent compared with a 0.8 percent risk in individuals without both risk markers,” wrote Topakian.<br />
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The researchers noted that the visual scale is relatively easy to use and could be incorporated into outpatient clinical management of patients with asymptomatic CS, while providing a strong prediction of future risk.<br />
<br />
However, one limitation of the study is that physicians may have excluded high risk patients with asymptomatic CS from ACES.<br />
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Still, the researchers concluded that the combined markers enable differentiation between low-risk and high-risk patients and may help inform decision-making and selection of appropriate candidates for CEA. http://bit.ly/qQ3M5k</div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-80704264202315953002011-05-01T11:22:00.001-07:002011-05-01T11:22:34.387-07:00Gaming glove may help stroke patients recover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h1>Gaming glove may help stroke patients recover</h1><div class="postByline"> <span class="author">by <a href="http://www.cnet.com/profile/legerdemain/" rel="author">Tim Hornyak</a> </span> </div><div class="socialBadges"> <span class="fbShare"> <span></span> </span> </div><div class="postBody"> <br />
<div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="width: 538px;"> <img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="361" src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/04/28/biomedical-sensor-glove-0.jpg" width="538" /> <span class="image-credit">(Credit: McGill University)</span> </div>In addition to <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10468364-247.html">shaking hands with a robot</a> to regain motor skills, stroke patients may be able to retrain their brains and recover hand motion by playing video games with a sensor glove developed at McGill University. <br />
Mechanical engineering students under <a href="http://people.mcgill.ca/rosaire.mongrain/">Rosaire Mongrain</a> produced the <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/item/?item_id=173639">Biomedical Sensor Glove</a> in cooperation with Montreal start-up <a href="http://jintronix.com/">Jintronix</a>. <br />
The prototype has inertial measurement units to track the movement of the wrist, palm, and index finger. Patients play a video game involving a virtual hand that manipulates objects. <br />
<blockquote> <b>Related links</b><br />
• <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10468364-247.html">Robot's handshake helps stroke survivors</a><br />
• <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10460039-247.html">Grandma had a stroke? Teach her to play Wii</a><br />
• <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-20051881-247.html">Study: Video games aid post-stroke motor skills</a><br />
• <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20048568-1.html">U.S. Navy submarine sonar tech targets strokes</a> </blockquote>Associated software produces 3D models and lets patients monitor their progress at home. The system also sends data to treating physicians so they can keep tabs on the recovery process. <br />
"The glove could take on many forms, and even rings alone could be used," Mongrain says. "The technology could also benefit people learning surgery and instruments such as piano." <br />
Similar commercial gloves exist, but cost tens of thousands of dollars. By using cheaper sensors, the Biomedical Sensor Glove would cost about $1,000 to produce. Jintronix has submitted the idea to <a href="http://www.grandchallenges.ca/">Grand Challenges Canada</a>, an international development NPO, for funding. <br />
Yet another good reason to keep playing video games. </div><br />
Read more: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/gaming-glove-may-help-stroke-patients-recover/8301-17938_105-20058402-1.html#ixzz1L7tbW0bt" style="color: #003399;">http://news.cnet.com/gaming-glove-may-help-stroke-patients-recover/8301-17938_105-20058402-1.html#ixzz1L7tbW0bt</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-16151374958820877172011-04-19T19:41:00.000-07:002011-04-19T19:41:54.131-07:00Best Life: Nick Chisholm The Death and Life of Nick Chisholm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="grid-4 alpha omega" id="mh-115x25-top-ad"> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://s0.2mdn.net/1128457/1x1_Pixel.GIF" width="1" /> </div><div class="grid-4 alpha omega" id="mh-article-welcome-top"> </div><div class="node-article-content-top grid-4 alpha omega clearblock" id="article_top"> <h1 class="pretitle">Best Life: Nick Chisholm</h1><h1 class="black_yellow" id="page-title"><canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 84px;" width="84"></canvas>The <canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 118px;" width="118"></canvas>Death <canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 88px;" width="88"></canvas>and <canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 88px;" width="88"></canvas>Life <canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 66px;" width="66"></canvas>of <canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 94px;" width="94"></canvas>Nick <canvas height="30" style="height: 30px; left: -2px; top: -4px; width: 144px;" width="144"></canvas>Chisholm</h1><div class="deck"><a href="http://cdn2.menshealth.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4-column-666px-wide/2010-10-21%2010:00/Nick-Chisolm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="imagecache imagecache-4-column-666px-wide imagecache-default imagecache-4-column-666px-wide_default" height="361" src="http://cdn2.menshealth.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4-column-666px-wide/2010-10-21%2010:00/Nick-Chisolm.jpg" title="" width="666" /></a>A decade ago, he lay in his hospital bed, unable to move but alert enough to overhear doctors telling his family he wouldn't survive. That made him angry. Angry enough, in fact, to prove them wrong</div><div class="node-article-publish"> <div class="roles">By Oliver Broudy, Photographs by Tom Holland, Posted Date: September 14, 2010</div></div><div class="mainimage"></div></div><div id="article_share_social"> </div>Boyd was the last person you'd expect to turn all serious, but that day he left the jokes at the door. Pulling a chair up to Nick's bed, he steadied himself and then did for his friend what only a best friend would do. He offered to kill him.<br />
The proposition was not altogether unreasonable. A few weeks before, Nick Chisholm had been a vigorous 27-year-old, a fearsome rugby player who pumped iron three times a week and on weekends tamed mountains with his Diamondback Zetec bike. Now he lay in a hospital bed, submerged inside a body he no longer controlled. And yet he knew this body was his, for it never stopped screaming at him to attend to it. An unsoothed calf spasm felt like a spear wound; an unscratchable itch like a spider gnawing his flesh. He longed to cry out—but his voice was gone, too. All that remained was the terror.<br />
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They call it locked-in syndrome. The phrase conveys a certain mechanical accuracy, but a nearer description might be "hell." It's usually brought on by a stroke when the neural isthmus connecting the brain to the body is catastrophically blocked, leaving the body unresponsive but all cognitive faculties intact. For a long time the doctors didn't know Nick was even conscious. <em>No hope of recovery</em>, he heard them say. <em>Better if he'd died</em>. And perhaps this was true. In many respects he was dead already, his consciousness orphaned. Pinching out that spark might even be an act of mercy. <a href="http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/nick-chisholm">More read....</a><br />
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</div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-76532132295495349872011-04-17T19:26:00.000-07:002011-04-17T19:28:21.309-07:00Virtual reality game can greatly help stroke victims<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><object height="268" id="otvPlayer" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=kgo§ion=&mediaId=8074087&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=" ></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=kgo§ion=&mediaId=8074087&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site="></embed></object><br />
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CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- A new technology is helping some elderly patients regain their balance and flexibility. It works by allowing the patients to work out with their virtual selves.<br />
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At 74-years-old, Beale Hughes doesn't play quite as much beach volleyball as she might like, but her avatar does.<br />
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Beale is rehabbing from cancer at the Rheem Valley Convalescent Hospital in Contra Costa County. She's strengthening her balance with the help of a new interactive exercise system called the Omni-VR.<br />
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"It feels, believe it or not, like fun," said Hughes.<br />
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As Beale moves, an infrared camera mounted on top of the monitor is capturing her entire body in 3D. Her movements are then relayed via software to her avatar -- the character playing the game on the screen. When Beale twists, bends and moves her arms, the avatar does the same.<br />
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"I'm a little tired, but happily so," said Hughes.<br />
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Ernie Escovido is an occupational therapist with Accelerated Care Plus, the company that developed the system. He says the games engage the patient's upper and lower bodies far more than simple gaming controls used in earlier systems, encouraging them to stretch and move in natural motion.<br />
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"It enables us to really engage the patient's true movements and then drive the actual rehab programs we're using," said Escovido.<br />
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Beale needs the help of a therapist to complete some of the movements, but says she's already made strides using the system.<br />
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"like my friends who come and visit, noticed a difference in my balance. You have to have balance and I certainly need more of it," said Hughes.<br />
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There is new research backing this type of rehab. A study from the University of Toronto found using virtual reality games led to significant improvement in patients who suffered a stroke. They found that patients who played virtual reality games in therapy had nearly a five time higher chance of recovering strength in their limbs than patients who did not. <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=8074086">more read...</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-57568487368360707392011-04-17T18:52:00.000-07:002011-04-17T20:00:52.180-07:00Voice for the voiceless<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">CHENNAI: Innovation sprouts only when a strongly-felt need arises. Ajit Narayanan sensed such a need two years prior, when he visited Vidya Sagar, an organisation that works with children and young adults with neurological disabilities and speech disorders. As a result of his device, Avaz, hundreds of such children are now able communicate with ease.“Avaz is a handy hardware device for people with speech disorders such as cerebral palsy, autism and aphasia that translates their muscle movements into speech,” says this 29-year-old city based innovator. Lacking controlled movements makes communication hard for people with neurological disabilities and Avaz works on the principle of scanning their movements. It displaysvarious options on a screen and presents a highlight that moves between the different options. When a full sentence has been constructed, Avaz converts the message into speech. <a href="http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/voice-for-the-voiceless/259683.html"> more read...</a></span></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461519362772493946.post-44517966922217715012011-04-17T18:28:00.000-07:002011-04-17T18:28:45.174-07:00Coffee studies should warm your heart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="he-coffeeheartdisease11" border="0" height="510" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-04/60767718.jpg" width="341" /> <div class="small"> Just last month, Swedish researchers announced results of a large study showing that coffee seemed to reduce the risk of stroke in women by up to 25%. <span class="credit">(<span class="photographer">Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles Times</span> / <span class="dateMonth">April </span><span class="dateDay">10</span><span class="dateYear">, 2011</span></span>)</div><div class="articlerail"> <div class="articleRelates module"> <ul><li class="relatedTitle" style="float: none;">Related</li>
<li> <div class="clearfix"> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-caffeine-genes-dna-20110405,0,7970172.story" target=""><img alt="Like caffeine? There's a gene for that -- two of them, actually" height="44" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-04/60668768-05115741.jpg" width="80" /></a> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-caffeine-genes-dna-20110405,0,7970172.story" target=""><span> </span>Like caffeine? There's a gene for that -- two of them, actually</a> </div></li>
<li> <div class="clearfix"> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-coffee-good-20110407,0,7756304.story" target=""><img alt="Coffee drinkers, what do those genes say about your health?" height="44" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-04/60721210-07122149.jpg" width="80" /></a> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-coffee-good-20110407,0,7756304.story" target=""><span> </span>Coffee drinkers, what do those genes say about your health?</a> </div></li>
</ul></div><div class="googleAd"> </div></div><span class="toolSet" style="width: 259px;"> <div class="byline"> <span class="byline">By Elena Conis, Special to the Los Angeles Times</span> <div class="date"><span class="dateString">April 10, 2011</span></div></div></span> Looking for a reason to not give up your coffee habit? Here's one possibility: heart health.<br />
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Numerous studies in recent years have reported that drinking coffee may be good for the cardiovascular system and might even help prevent <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/physical-conditions/stroke-HEPHC0000035.topic" id="HEPHC0000035" title="Stroke">strokes</a>. Just last month, Swedish researchers announced results of a large study showing that coffee seemed to reduce the risk of stroke in women by up to 25%.<br />
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Not long ago, researchers thought quite the opposite about coffee and <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/human-body/heart-circulatory-system-HHA000028.topic" id="HHA000028" title="Heart and Circulatory System">the heart</a>, says Dr. Thomas Hemmen, director of the <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/university-of-california-OREDU0000192.topic" id="OREDU0000192" title="University of California">UC</a> San Diego Stroke Center: "Coffee is fun and it tastes good, so people assumed for many years that it would be bad for you."<br />
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Studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s offered little in the way of confirmation or refutation. Several suggested an increased risk of <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/physical-conditions/heart-attack-HEISY000062.topic" id="HEISY000062" title="Heart Attack">heart attack</a> among coffee drinkers. Others showed a lowered risk of heart attack and stroke. Still others found no connection at all.<br />
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Many of these early studies were criticized for being too small or too brief. In response, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health decided to look at coffee consumption, <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/diseases-illnesses/heart-disease-HEDAI0000026.topic" id="HEDAI0000026" title="Heart Disease">heart disease</a> and stroke risk among more than 45,000 healthy men enrolled in the school's ongoing Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Their analysis, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1990, found that coffee drinking had no effect on the men's risk of heart attack or stroke.<br />
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But in the last few years, a spate of studies has revisited the question, and many of them have found — unexpectedly — that coffee drinking is linked to a decreased stroke risk.<br />
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A 2008 study of more than 26,000 male smokers in Finland found that the men who drank eight or more cups of coffee a day had a 23% lower risk of stroke than the men who drank little or no coffee. And a few other reports suggest the effect applies to healthy nonsmokers too. Researchers at UCLA and USC examined data on coffee consumption and stroke prevalence among more than 9,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Sur <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-coffee-heart-disease-20110410,0,7175647.story">more read...</a></div>iRDMunihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885805731977569538noreply@blogger.com0