News

Bill Lohmann: Seeking the right words about aphasia

2012-01-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

Elaine Ackman has spent much of her life speaking — in voice and deeds — on behalf of others.
Now she struggles to find the right words.
Ackman, 80, of Henrico County, suffers from aphasia, a communication disorder that affects the expression and comprehension of language — the same condition that afflicts Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, whose aphasia was brought on by a brain injury caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
In Ackman's case, the culprit was a stroke, the most common cause of aphasia, according to the National Aphasia Association. As far as speaking, she has had to relearn almost everything.
"I couldn't remember anything," Ackman said Tuesday, sitting at her kitchen table Tuesday morning, as she tried to recall that day almost five years ago when the words went away.
The road back has been long. Through intensive therapy and the great support of family and friends, Ackman has regained much of her ability to communicate, but not all. To look at her, you would have no clue she has any problem at all, no idea of the frustration she feels when she tries to express herself and simply can't.
"She gets stuck on a lot of words, and she doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to talking to people," said Lynn Burris, one of Ackman's four children. She sometimes finds it easier to just say nothing.
Which is why Burris thought it would be helpful for her mother to connect with other aphasia patients. She believes meeting others facing the same challenges would make her mom less self-conscious and could go a long way to helping her grow more comfortable talking to others....Next

Traffic police arrested a woman for drink driving when she was actually dying from a stroke,

2012-01-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Traffic police arrested a woman for drink driving when she was actually dying from a stroke, an inquest heard today.
Julie Hawkins, 55, crashed her car and was tended by another motorist who noticed the side of her face was drooping.
But when police arrived on the scene they arrested her on suspicion of drink driving - even though another driver told them Mrs Hawkins was displaying the classic symptoms of a 'catastrophic' stroke.

Tragedy: Julie Hawkins, 55, suffered a 'catastrophic' stroke while she was behind the wheel, but was arrested by police for drink driving, an inquest heard

The officers breathalysed the mother-of-three because her speech was slurred and she could only give them one-word answers.
The inquest heard mother-of-three Mrs Hawkins collapsed as she was taken from her car in Pontyclun, Wales, on October 14 and died of a stroke less than five hours later.
A post mortem examination showed Mrs Hawkins, from nearby Pontypridd, had no alcohol in her blood or urine at the time of the accident, as she drove home for a 50th birthday party.

More...

Schoolgirl, 16, killed by pensioner who drove onto the pavement three days after failing eye test and refusing to surrender his licence

Driver Jonathan Sharpe told the inquest how he went to help after seeing Mrs Hawkins’ Peugeot 107 swerve into an oncoming car.
He said: 'I opened the car door and at first I thought maybe she had too much to drink.
'But then I saw her face was drooping, I think on the left-hand side.
'They were the classic symptoms of a stroke. I would liken it to the advert on TV.'

Arrest: Mrs Hawkins crashed her car in Pontyclun, pictured, and when paramedics tended to her they found her lips had turned purple

Mr Sharpe said as soon as police arrived he told them about Mrs Hawkins' symptoms but they went ahead and arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.
After Mrs Hawkins collapsed and an ambulance arrived paramedics noticed her lips were purple.
Pc Rhodri Wilson told the inquest Mrs Hawkins gave only single word answers to his questions and he arrested her on suspicion of drink driving.
He said her speech was slurred and she replied 'no' when he asked if she had been drinking.
A spokeswoman from South Wales Police said: 'The officers acted in good faith based on the information presented to them in difficult circumstances.'
The Cardiff inquest heard Mrs Hawkins was taking painkillers for headaches in the weeks before the crash.
She died at 3.30am on October 15 at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, after a scan revealed a stroke.
Mrs Hawkins is survived by sons Kristian and Nicholas and daughter Laura, all in their twenties.
Pathologist Dr Allen Gibbs told the hearing: 'In my opinion she lost control of the car when she began to have a stroke which later became catastrophic.'
The jury returned a narrative verdict that Mrs Hawkins, of Llanharan, near Pontypridd, South Wales, died of a stroke.

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innocent until proven guilty? i think the police went the extra mile to try and get a conviction and to hell with the poor womans health, crazy crazy world we live in now where the innocent are treat as the criminals!

- judge M, rotherham, 13/1/2012 19:50

Click to rate Rating 953

First and foremost, a Police Officers duty is to the Safety and Wellbeing of the public. They should of ruled out Stroke before an arrest was made. It's time they open their eye's, the world isn't black and white! A Little common sense on the Force would go a long way!

- Thor, Valhalla, 13/1/2012 19:44

Click to rate Rating 795

Did someone comment that the police treat everybody as criminals? Rubbish they only treat the good guys like criminals as they appear to be afraid of going anywhere near the thugs and crooks. R.I.P. Mrs Hawkins Sincere sympathies to her family and friends.

- Patsy B, UK, 13/1/2012 19:42 .....Next

Scott Douglas, driving force behind UM Entertainment Management program, fighting back after stroke

2012-01-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

His right shoulder hangs slightly lower than his left. His brow is constantly knitted in a look of combined puzzlement and intense concentration. His eyes are steady as ever, but in place of Scott Douglas' once-piercing gaze is the look of a man uncertain, searching.
"You started off basically paralyzed on the right side," says Judy Douglas to her husband.
"Yes, paralyzed," he nods, speaking slowly. "Leg and arm and feet."
"So you're walking now," she says.
"Yes."
"And building ..."
"... Muscles. The mass for my arm. Doug, the acupuncture ..."
"... Has been helping. And lots of physical therapy."
"Yes. Occupational. Speech. And Doug. And, uh ..."
He picks up a pen, carefully positions a sheet of yellow paper on the table in front of him, then writes a name in neatly printed letters and gazes at it intensely for a mom

Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/scott-douglas-driving-force-behind-um-entertainment-management-program-fighting/article_7c3240e0-39b4-11e1-b040-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1jIy3jpw2

Telemedicine Robots Give Time-Sensitive Stroke Care

2012-01-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

Hospitals are starting to use telemedicine robots to extend the reach of specialists who are not available onsite. These robots are particularly useful in time-sensitive situations, such as when patients suspected of having had strokes arrive at the emergency room.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, for example, has been using a robot from InTouch Health since 2010 to help care for stroke patients. Jefferson's neurologists are now doing stroke consults via robots in 22 community hospitals (another three will come on board soon).....Next

Tragedy Leads to Hope: Mark Kelly Opens Up at the Anniversary of Giffords' Shooting

2012-01-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, Jan. 9, 2012 — Yesterday marked one year since the tragic shooting of 19 people in Tucson, Ariz., that rocked the nation and nearly took the life of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (six others did not survive). While Giffords clung to life after a bullet pierced the left side of her brain that day, the woman we have all come to know as “Gabby” has made remarkable strides in her recovery. Yesterday, she surprised and delighted those gathered in Tucson for a candlelight vigil commemorating the events of Jan. 8, 2011, as she proudly climbed an outdoor stage and led the pledge of allegiance.
After a year of rehab and therapy to learn how to talk and walk again, the congresswoman — still limping but holding her head up high — stood before her constituents, bringing a much-needed sense of healing to the remembrances of the tragic events on that day. She was back in her hometown with her beloved husband, Navy Captain and former astronaut Mark Kelly, by her side, as he has been since that fateful day.
Everyday Health spoke with...Next

I Shot Asteroids – With My Eyes [VIDEO]

2012-01-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS — The concept of eye-tracking has been around for more than a century, but it’s only in recent years that we’ve seen it applied to computing. Early implementations let you control, say, your cursor with your eyes, but only if you kept your head perfectly still and only moved your eyes. Tobii Technology breaks out of that boundary by making a 3D model of your eyes that allows for eye tracking and head movement. Mashable took the innovation for a test drive at CES 2012.
To start using Tobii, you sit about a foot-and–a-half from the screen and, at least initially, do have to keep your head still and stare at the screen while it calibrates. The screen shows you a series of objects that you have to look at without moving your head. Two infrared cameras shoot your eyeballs and create 3D models of your eyes than can now track their position and movement. (The whole process takes about 10 seconds.) Those cameras, by the way are art of a Tobii’s add-on eye-movement and control response system that can be used with desktops or laptops.
The technology has been programmed to work with an Asteroids-like game and even the Windows 8 Metro interface. I tried it out with the Asteroids game and found it remarkably effective — even if my asteroid-destroying skills stunk. It got so bad, I started to wish I had eight eyes instead of two..... Next

French doctor confirms Kim had stroke in 2008

2011-12-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

AP) PARIS — A French neurosurgeon confirmed Monday that Kim Jong Il had a debilitating stroke in 2008, and described secretly treating the reclusive dictator while the North Korean public and world remained unaware of his condition.

Dr. Francois-Xavier Roux — speaking to The Associated Press on Monday — described Kim's concerns for his future, the challenge of working under constant surveillance, and Korean doctors' fears of making final decisions about how to save their supreme leader.

North Korean state media announced Monday that Kim had died Saturday at age 69.

Roux, the chief of neurosurgery at Sainte Anne Hospital in Paris, said he was urgently flown to North Korea in August 2008 to examine Kim who was unconscious and "in a bad way" and in intensive care at Pyongyang's Red Cross Hospital, in the communist nation's capital.

The two-month trip and medical exam gave Roux unparalleled access for a Westerner to the North Korean regime and an intimate view of its enigmatic, weakened chief.

North Korean officials first contacted Roux by phone in 1993 after Kim suffered a "small head injury following a horse-riding accident," the doctor said, adding that he never understood why they had sought him out.

And then, three years ago, North Korea contacted Roux again after Kim suffered the stroke — never formally acknowledged by authorities. This time officials arranged for the doctor to come to Pyongyang with a few other French doctors..... Next

Merck Blood Thinner Study Ends in Stroke Patients, Limiting Possible Sales

2011-10-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

A study of Merck & Co.’s vorapaxar, an anticlotting pill that had potential for $5 billion in annual sales, was halted and a second trial narrowed in scope, limiting the drug’s possible use.
All participants will stop taking the drug in the trial of 13,000 patients who began the medicine at the time of a heart attack or chest pain, researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston and the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina, said today. A second study, of 26,500 patients with prior heart problems, will be stopped for the 25 percent who had suffered a stroke.
Shares of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based Merck declined the most since April 2009. Vorapaxar was touted by the company as its most promising experimental drug from the $49 billion purchase of Schering-Plough in November 2009. The company doesn’t know if it will be able to file for approval on the basis of a remaining study, for long-term clot prevention, said Peter Kim, president of Merck Research Laborato.... http://bloom.bg/gpWbiR

An Explosion of New Anticoagulants

2011-09-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

News from the World of Pharmacology

An Explosion of New Anticoagulants

There has been a lot of activity in the anticoagulant arena over the past year. Dabigatran (Pradaxa®), approved in October 2010, became the first orally available anticoagulant contender to compete with age-old warfarin, at least in the atrial fibrillation market. While dabigatran, a direct thrombin inhibitor, offers some advantages over warfarin, such as more predictable pharmacology (ie., minimal potential for pharmacokinetic, life style or dietary interactions or genetic variability), easier dosing options and little or no need for monitoring in most patients, it is still far from the perfect oral anticoagulant. Stomach upset and the requirement for b.i.d dosing threaten compliance and, in this case, poor compliance can result in treatment failure and thrombotic events. Conversely, in the case where the anticoagulant causes hemorrhage, as all anticoagulants can do, there is no antidote to turn to, like vitamin K (warfarin) or protamine (heparin).
Enter Xarelto® (rivaroxaban), an oral Factor Xa inhibitor approved in July 2011 for prevention of DVT following orthopedic surgery. Much like Pradaxa, Xarelto has more predictable pharmacology than warfarin and no requirement for monitoring. One potential advantage it offers over Pradaxa is once daily dosing. It is also less likely to cause GI distress; that's a big plus for compliance. So far, so good, right? Not so fast. Xarelto, unlike Pradaxa, is cleared through the cytochrome P450 system (CYP3A4) and, therefore, the possibility for drug interactions could complicate therapy. There is also no specific antidote if hemorrhage occurs.
Both drugs are actively looking to compete with each other's currently approved indication: Pradaxa is looking for approval for prevention of DVT following orthopedic surgery (RE-NOVATE, RE-MODEL) and, just this week, Xarelto got a favorable nod from an FDA advisory committee for approval in the atrial fibrillation arena (ROCKET-AF). Of course, both would like to get approval across the board for everything thrombosis...........
http://bit.ly/qbhH9L

FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Approval of Rivaroxaban for Stroke Prevention in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

2011-09-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

On September 8, 2011, an FDA advisory committee recommended approval of rivaroxaban (Xarelto – Janssen Pharmaceutical / Johnson & Johnson) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib). While this is good stroke prevention news for patients with Afib, it is important to note that, at this point, FDA has not approved rivaroxaban and it is not bound to follow the advisory committee’s recommendation. For more information, click here.

Until recently, warfarin has been the only oral blood thinner available for 60 years. National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) President, Randy Fenninger said that “we await to learn of FDA’s decision. The National Blood Clot Alliance, on behalf of its Afib constituents looks forward to other safe and effective blood thinners to prevent strokes as well as the prevention of DVT/PE in other patients at risk.”

Rivaroxaban was approved in July 2011 for patients with total hip or knee replacement to prevent DVT/PE. Rivaroxaban is one of several new oral anticoagulants (blood thinners) developed in the last several years as an alternative to warfarin for the treatment of Afib. Dabigatran (Boehringer Ingelheim) is FDA approved and Apixaban (Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer) study data will be submitted to FDA for review.

“We rely on FDA to make sure that any new drug is safe and effective for patient use,” said Jack Ansell, MD, Chair of NBCA’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Ansell added that “warfarin is often difficult for patients and doctors to manage, and other blood thinner options are needed for preventing stroke in Afib patients and for treating patients at risk for or with DVT/PE.”....

http://bit.ly/r3nAoc

Psoriasis May Increase Stroke Risk

2011-09-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Aug 17, 2011 | 4:18 PM ET | By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

Credit: Christine Langer-püschel | Dreamstime

The skin condition psoriasis may increase the risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart beats irregularly, a new Danish study says.
In some cases, patients with psoriasis had nearly 3 times the risk of experiencing these conditions compared with people without psoriasis. The risk was greater in patients with severe psoriasis.

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The findings add to a growing body of research linking psoriasis with heart and blood vessel problems, including an increased risk of heart attack and death from cardiovascular disease.
"In recent years, psoriasis has certainly taken the step from a disease affecting appearance to a systemic disease and cardiovascular risk factor," said study researcher Dr. Ole Ahlehoff, a cardiologist at Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte.

Patients with psoriasis should be monitored for indicators of cardiovascular disease, including heart arrhythmias, Ahleoffsaid.

And these patients may be candidates for interventions that will reduce cardiovascular disease risk, including lifestyle modifications, such as quitting smoking and getting more exercise, and in some cases, medications, Ahlehoff said.

Future studies should investigate whether treating psoriasis reduces patients' cardiovascular disease risk, he said.

Psoriasis and the heart

Psoriasis is common and causes skin redness and irritation, according to the NationalInstitutes of Health. In those with the condition, skin cells rise to the skin's surface too quickly, which doesn't leave enough time for the old skin cells to fall off, leading to build up of dead skin cells. The condition may be triggered by abnormal signals from the body's immune system.

Ahlehoff and colleagues counted the cases of atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke in the entire adult and adolescent population of Denmark — about 4.5 million people — from 1997 to 2006, using a national database. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel to the brain becomes blocked.

The researchers identified about 36,700 patients with mild psoriasis and about 2,800 with serve psoriasis during that time period.

Patients younger than 50 with psoriasis had about a 3-fold increased risk of atrial fibrillation, and a 2.8-fold risk of stroke, compared with those who didn't have psoriasis. Older patients and those with mild psoriasis had a smaller, but still significant, increase in their risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation.

The results held even after the researchers took into account factors that could affect the findings, including age, gender, medical treatment and procedures, and level of income.

Behind the link

Psoriasis patients are thought to be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease for two reasons, said Dr. Robert Kirsner, a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who was not involved with the new study.

One is that, as a group, they tend to have more cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, smoking and high lipid levels.

The other is that an increase in inflammation in the body links the conditions, Kirsner said.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease, or a condition in which the immune system is in a constant state of alert, Ahlehoff said. This type of inflammation is also thought to play a role in stroke and atrial fibrillation, Ahlehoff said.

Kirsner said the study provides additional support for inflammation as being a factor in psoriasis that increases patients' vascular disease risk.
http://bit.ly/pX5l3S

Dutch engineers make 'robot legs' for stroke patients

2011-09-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

By Neil Bowdler Health reporter, BBC News

The LOPES therapeutic robot can do all or some of the walking for you

Scientists in the Netherlands are using robotic legs to try to improve the movement of stroke patients.

The prototype device is called the Lower-extremity Powered ExoSkeleton, or LOPES, and works by training the body and mind of a patient to recover a more natural step.
The machine is also being tested on spinal injury patients who have recovered some restricted movement in their legs.
It is hoped a commercial version could be made available to rehabilitation centres around the world as early as next year.
Feedback mechanism LOPES has been developed by engineers at the University of Twente in Enschede in the Netherlands over several years. Designed for the rehabilitation clinic, it is not a mobile device but supports the patient as they walk on a treadmill.
It can do all the walking for the patient, or it can offer targeted support in either one leg or with one element of the walking process. The machine can also detect what the patient is doing wrong.
"For instance, some people cannot lift their foot up appropriately," explains Dr Edwin van Asseldonk, who is working on the project. "What this device does is it senses that the foot is not lifting properly.
"It then compares it with a reference pattern and then exerts a force or torque to assist that subject in doing it."

Dr Edwin van Asseldonk explains what LOPES can do

Petra Hes is one of those testing the device. She suffered a stroke aged just 17. Years of physiotherapy have helped, but she still has what is known as a "drop foot", which means she cannot lift and flex her left foot in the way she once did, or even remember how to do so......
http://bbc.in/oxiDL3

Stroke victim sues Paradise hospital

2011-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

PARADISE -- It's been nearly two years since Jim Livingston had a stroke and was treated at Feather River Hospital. While he's made progress at recovering, he still speaks haltingly. The stroke also caused him to lose his ability to read and write although that has come back a little, he said in a phone interview this week.
On Sept. 13, Livingston filed suit against the hospital, claiming he was given a drug that is not approved for treating stroke and was not the one doctors in the emergency room ordered him to have.... http://bit.ly/qB1HHm

New Study Shows Soy Protein Consumption Reduced Progression of Clogged Arteries in Women Within Five Years of Menopause

2011-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

This Large Scale, First-of-a-Kind Study Will Be Published in the November Issue of 'Stroke'

ST. LOUIS, MO, Sep 22, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- A new study, which Solae provided product for, will be published in the November 2011 issue of Stroke that reveals some promising data on the positive effects of soy protein reducing the progression of clogged arteries in women who were within five years of menopause. This study was the largest and longest randomized controlled human study conducted to-date that directly investigated the efficacy of isolated soy protein consumption on the progression of atherosclerosis (lipid deposition in the artery walls).

"These results are consistent with what we have learn..... http://bit.ly/plCv78

Scientists identify 70 genes to help stroke patients

2011-09-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Healthcare News
22/09/2011
Scientists have detected some 70 genes which could help stroke patients to recover.
A new discovery could aid the recovery of individuals who have experienced a stroke or spinal cord injury.

Scientists identified 70 genes which promote axon re-growth, helping to regenerate nerves, following stroke or spinal injury. .... http://bit.ly/nmG5Qh

Ultrasound of Neck Predicts Who Will Have a Stroke

2011-09-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Aug. 17, 2011 -- Two noninvasive imaging tests may help determine which people with a narrowing of arteries in the neck will need surgery to reduce their future risk of stroke, a study suggests.
A narrowing of the carotid arteries in the neck is known as asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS). "Asymptomatic" means the patient does not experience any symptoms.
Carotid arteries in the neck deliver blood to the brain. They typically become narrowed when plaques build up in the inner lining of the arteries.
There is some uncertainty within the medical community on how to best identify people with ACS who are at high risk for stroke and need surgery or stenting to open their carotid arteries as opposed to treatment with medication.
In a two-year study of 435 people with severe ACS, researchers used ultrasound to assess the quality and composition of the plaque in the carotid arteries and a Doppler ultrasound test to look for the presence of tiny blood clots or particles called microemboli that may break off from the arteries and travel to the brain, causing stroke.
The study is published in Neurology.

http://bit.ly/nyNi9i

battling progressive aphasia,

2011-09-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

The former premier has been battling progressive aphasia, a form of dementia which affects his speech, reading and writing. However, they are happy to have their support for Mar known.

“We’ve spent a great deal of time with Gary and his wife over the years,” said Colleen. “He’s a good man, we’re glad to support him.”
Mar is pleased Klein is backing his campaign, a spokesman said.
“Gary is honoured Ralph would give him his endorsement,” said Mark Kastner. “He learned many valuable lessons from Ralph in the past including listening to people and fiscal accountability.”
Getty, meanwhile, said backing Horner was a natural choice given the long relationship between the families.

http://bit.ly/p47WmV

Depression may increase stroke risk in women

2011-09-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Depression may boost women's risk of stroke, according to a new study.

More from TODAY.com

Among study participants, those who'd had depression were 29 percent more likely to suffer a stroke over a six-year period.
And women who took an anti-depressant medication — especially a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) — had a 39 percent increased risk of stroke, the study said. Examples of these drugs include Prozac, Zoloft and Celexa.
The researchers said they do not think anti-depressants cause the increased stroke risk; rather, the connection exists because those who take these medications may have more severe depression, said study researcher Dr. Kathryn Rexrode, an associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.....
http://on.today.com/qVQBah

Lower stroke risk found from eating apples and pears

2011-09-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

submitted by Kathleen Blanchard RN on 2011-09-18

More about:

Stroke
Current News

If you're looking for a natural and tasty way to protect from stroke, new research suggests apples and pears might be good preventive medicine.

First study shows color of fruit may help prevent stroke

The health benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is well known, but the study is the first to discover that eating fruit with a white edible portion could lower stroke risk by 52 percent. Another recent study shows potassium, found in abundance in bananas, can reduce the chances of stroke.
Researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands published the finding in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
For their study, the researchers classified fruits and vegetables according to their color group, which also indicates different classes of phytochemicals that have been studied for their impact on promoting good health.
Lettuce, cabbage and green leafy vegetables, red and purple colors, citrus fruits of the orange and yellow variety, and white colors of fruits were all studied by the researchers. Fifty-five percent of the white fruits were apples and pears.
The findings showed a 9 percent reduction in stroke risk for every 25 grams of apples, pears or white vegetable consumption added to the daily diet. The participants were followed for 10 years. Dietary intake was tracked using food frequency questionnaires.
According to Linda M. Oude Griep, M.Sc.,
"To prevent stroke, it may be useful to consume considerable amounts of white fruits and vegetables. For example, eating one apple a day is an easy way to increase white fruits and vegetable intake.”
However, other fruits and vegetable color groups may protect against other chronic diseases. Therefore, it remains of importance to consume a lot of fruits and vegetables.
The study doesn’t show conclusively that apples and pears can lower stroke risk. The authors suggest more studies. People who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may also practice other healthier lifestyle habits, accounting for the finding.
Apples, pears and other fruits in vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial health compounds. The study suggests apples, pears and other white fruits and vegetables may be good medicine for stroke prevention.
Stroke, AHA journal: doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.611152
“Colors of Fruit and Vegetables and 10-Year Incidence of Stroke”
Linda M. Oude Griep et al.
Image credit: morguefile

City teen suffers massive stroke while awaiting heart transplant

2011-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Jessica Bondar: having seizures since stroke (FACEBOOK)

A Winnipeg teen awaiting a heart transplant in Montreal has taken a turn for the worse.
Jessica Bondar, 19, suffered a massive stroke Thursday morning in the hospital and has been experiencing seizures ever since, according to her mother, Charlotte Roy.
Nurses found Jessica on the floor in her bathroom around 9:15 a.m. and when they helped her up, they noticed her speech was "garbled." Within 15 minutes, she had lost the ability to speak altogether. A day-and-a-half later, she still can't speak.
Roy was called in for consultation with the medical team Thursday morning to discuss various options, depending on which way the swelling goes.
"We're having the kinds of conversations you never want to have, whether they should do anything or just let nature take its course. We said we want them to give her every chance that they can," Roy said. "All we can do is pray and wait. That's the hardest part."
Jessica has been moved into the intensive-care unit with a nurse by her bedside and an operating room on standby.
Roy said Jessica is on medication to shrink her brain so there's room in her skull for swelling. If that doesn't work, they'll consider cutting out a piece of her skull at the back of her head and replace it once the swelling goes down.
Roy said Jessica has had three CT scans so doctors can watch the progression of the stroke, but they won't know if the worst is behind her until late Friday night or early this morning.
Bondar, 19, has battled health issues since April 2009, when she went on life support after suffering heart failure as a complication of the influenza A virus. Since moving to Montreal later that year, she has been in and out of hospital battling a long list of setbacks, including pneumonia, a broken heart pump, blood transfusions and a bleeding kidney.
As if that wasn't enough, two weeks ago, Winnipeg police arrested Jessica's aunt for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from a trust fund set up to pay her medical bills.
"How much can one person take? We have to hope she is tough and that she'll make it through this," Roy said. more read.....

Director Sidney Lumet dies after stroke at 86

2011-04-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Director Sidney Lumet dies after stroke at 86

Saturday, April 09, 2011

In this file photo, Director Sidney Lumet speaks at the 17th Annual Gotham Awards at Steiner Studios, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007 in New York. Lumet died at his home in Manhattan on Saturday, April 9, 2011. His stepdaughter said the cause of lymphoma. He was 86. (AP Photo / Evan Agostini) more read...

Stroke risks fade when women stop taking estrogen

2011-04-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Strokes and other health problems linked with estrogen pills appear to fade when women quit taking them after menopause, the first long-term follow-up of a landmark study found. It's reassuring news for women who take the hormone in their 50s when menopause usually begins.
The latest study bolsters previous evidence that concerns about breast cancer and heart attacks are largely unfounded for those who take the hormone for a short period of time to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.
Estrogen-only pills are recommended just for women who have had a hysterectomy, and the study focused only on that group. About 25 percent of women in menopause have had hysterectomies. Other women are prescribed a combination pill of estrogen and progestin because for them, estrogen alone can raise the risk for cancer of the uterus.
The study results don't really change the advice doctors have been giving for several years now: Take hormones to relieve menopause symptoms in the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time.

more read....

Heart and Stroke Foundation wants to help kids get healthy

2011-04-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Heart and Stroke Foundation wants to help kids get healthy

The organization launched the program Friday morning.

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Date: Friday Apr. 8, 2011 3:36 PM CST

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan is taking aim at making young people healthy.
On Friday morning, the organization launched its "Heart Healthy Children and Youth" program. The initiative will see special coordinators work within communities to find ways to get people to lead healthier lifestyles.
Lucy Buller, CEO of the foundation, says the goal is to decrease youth obesity in Saskatchewan. "Heart disease and stroke are affecting younger and younger people, and if that continues, ultimately what happens? We're not a healthy population, our healthcare costs increase - you know it's just not a good scenario. We need to turn that around. And we hope to do that through working with communities, starting where they're at."
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan is setting aside $715,000 for the program. more read...

Antidepressants could help with stroke recovery

2011-04-17T18:13:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON: Patients treated with a short course of antidepressants after a stroke have significantly greater improvement in physical recovery than patients treated with a placebo, a University of Iowa study has found.It is the first to demonstrate that this physical recovery continues to improve for at least nine months after the antidepressant medication is stopped."The idea that antidepressants might benefit early recovery from stroke has been around for a couple of years," said Robert Robinson, UI professor and senior study author."But one major question left unanswered by previous studies was 'does the effect last after the medication stops?'"What our study demonstrates is that not only does the beneficial effect last, but the improvement in physical recovery continues to increase even after the patients stop taking the medication," added Robinson.The study found that both depressed and non-depressed stroke patients who received antidepressant medication had greater physical recovery after stroke than patients who received placebo.In addition, the effect compared to placebo was observed even after controlling for patients' age, total hours of rehabilitation therapy and initial severity of stroke.In the study, 83 patients who had recently had a stroke were randomly assigned to receive antidepressants (54 patients) or placebo (29 patients) for three months.The patients' physical, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms were assessed every three months for one year. Thirty-six of the patients who received antidepressants and 25 of the patients on placebo completed the one-year study.Using a global measure of overall physical and motor disability, the researchers showed that antidepressants significantly reduced physical disability over the one-year period compared to placebo.The study is detailed in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Feb. 24. more read....

Hinds player's death causes cancellation of MGCCC baseball doubleheader

2011-04-17T17:40:00.001-07:00

PERKINSTON, Mississippi -- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's baseball home doubleheader against Hinds scheduled for Saturday was canceled due to the recent death of Hinds player Chase Wroten. The games will not be made up unless they affect the MACJC South Division race.
Wroten, 19, suffered a stroke and collapsed on the mound during the seventh inning of a game against East Central Community College on Wednesday. He underwent emergency brain surgery that night at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, but died Friday afternoon.
Gulf Coast (16-16, 9-5) is back in action in a 2 p.m. Tuesday doubleheader at Copiah-Lincoln. The Bulldogs are 2 ½ games behind first-place Jones County in the South Division, with eight games remaining in the regular season. more read...

Fashion, fragrance designer Bijan dies at 67

2011-04-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Celebrity fashion designer Bijan Pakzad is shown in this photo from his website. Pakzad died Saturday, April 16, 2011 after he suffered a stroke on Thursday. (www.bijan.com)

Tags:

fashion, famous death, entertainment

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Fashion, fragrance and jewelry designer Bijan Pakzad has died after suffering a stroke. He was 67.

He passed away at Cedars Sinai Medical Center Saturday. The Iranian native, who went simply by the name, Bijan, designed clothes for movie stars, presidents and kings.
He once described his boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills as the "most expensive store in the world."

more read...

Walking dogs for heart and stroke

2011-04-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday's inaugural Dog Walk for Heart raised money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Play Video

Walking dogs for heart and stroke

By Denis Langlois

Updated 7 days ago

Steady rain and a cool breeze couldn't stop about 20 people and their canine companions from strolling around the Owen Sound Harbour Sunday morning to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The inaugural Dog Walk for Heart, sponsored by Reigning Cats & Dogs, raised several hundred dollars. A final tally was not available at press time.
"All the money goes to research for humans for heart and stroke and to raise awareness of heart issues in pets as well," said event organizer Victoria Will, owner of Reigning Cats & Dogs on 2nd Ave. E.
Will's dog Chester suffers from a heart condition and she said her goal is to educate dog owners on the health issue.
The walk began at the west-side boat launch and ended at the new dog park on the city's east side. more read...

Video Games Speed Up Stroke Patient Recovery

2011-04-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Medical experts and researchers are now looking into video games as an effective way to counter the effects of stroke.
The claim is made by researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada. The research while related video game play to recovery of stroke patients focused on 12 different video games. They have found out among other things that video games can aid in regaining upper arm strength of stroke patients, thereby improving general mobility.
Video games help improve cognitive and motor skills in stroke victims thereby increase the speed of their recovery according to the research. The challenges, quests and tasks that these video games bring forth require the players (the stroke victims) in this case to undertake simple tasks that exercises their cognition.
The whole research can be read in Journal of the American Heart Association.

Video games could help stroke patients recover

2011-04-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Video games could help stroke patients recover

Video games aren't for the couch bound anymore. As they change, so could their uses. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

By Marissa Cevallos, HealthKey

April 11, 2011, 9:34 a.m.

Video games that get players moving, at least in some small fashion, can not only have positive health effects -- they might even have a place in stroke rehabilitation centers, helping some patients regain upper body strength and coordination after suffering a stroke.

That seems to be the consensus from an analysis by Canadian researchers of 12 studies involving 195 stroke patients who tried their hands at virtual-reality games as part of rehabilitation. And the games might even offer an edge. In the five studies that compared video gaming to more traditional therapies, the video-gaming patients were more likely to improve their arm strength than were those who relied on traditional therapies.

A variety of virtual-reality gaming systems now exist, used by children and adults to practice their skills at virtual bowling, boxing and the like. The studies in the latest analysis used both household consoles and gaming consoles customized for rehabilitation, tracking players' movements while they wore gloves or held a remote.

The results, released Thursday, are published in the May issue of Stroke.

Strokes happen when a blood vessel to the brain is blocked or bursts.

If blood is stopped for more than a few seconds, brain cells are starved of oxygen and die. When brain cells die in a part of the brain that controls movement, the stroke victim may have trouble with everyday tasks such as drinking a glass of water or opening a doorknob.

The key to getting mobility back is to strengthen neural connections in the brain -- something that can be done by learning a new skill and practicing it.

Video games -- in which players use a remote to simulate playing a sport or to accomplish some goal -- could be part of that rehabilitation, researchers have speculated.

Small studies have suggested that video games have some advantage over traditional treatment tools, such as learning to play cards, bingo or Jenga, a block-balancing game. A small pilot study by some of the same researchers last year found that stroke patients who played Wii Sports (using a handheld remote to “bowl” or swing a golf club) for a few weeks could perform tasks such as folding a towel about 7 seconds faster than patients who played leisure activities such as cards.

But before you pick up the Wiimote, keep in mind that it’s a little early to prescribe a daily dose of Nintendo to stroke survivors. More research is needed -- with more participants -- before patients or rehab-program directors routinely buy shiny new game consoles for the sake of rehabilitation.

The researchers did conclude that it’s at least safe for stroke patients to play on video games, including those that use virtual reality programs requiring movement. The only side effect, they found in one patient, was nausea. So if the console is already in the house -- no harm, and possible gain. more ready...

Vegetarians may be at lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke

2011-04-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Vegetarians experience a 36 percent lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome than non-vegetarians, suggests new research from Loma Linda University published in the journal Diabetes Care. Because metabolic syndrome can be a precursor to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, the findings indicate vegetarians may be at lower risk of developing these conditions.
Metabolic syndrome is defined as exhibiting at least three out of five total risk factors: high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, high glucose levels, elevated triglycerides, and an unhealthy waist circumference. The Loma Linda University study found that while 25 percent of vegetarians had metabolic syndrome, the number significantly rises to 37 percent for semi-vegetarians and 39 percent for non-vegetarians. The results hold up when adjusted for factors such as age, gender, race, physical activity, calories consumed, smoking, and alcohol intake.
"In view of the high rate of metabolic syndrome in the United States and its deleterious health effects, we wanted to examine lifestyle patterns that could be effective in the prevention and possible treatment of this disorder," says lead researcher Nico S. Rizzo, PhD.
"I was not sure if there would be a significant difference between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and I was surprised by just how much the numbers contrast," he continues. "It indicates that lifestyle factors such as diet can be important in the prevention of metabolic syndrome."
The study examined more than 700 adults randomly sampled from Loma Linda University's Adventist Health Study 2, a long-term study of the lifestyle and health of almost 100,000 Seventh-day Adventist Christians across the United States and Canada.
Thirty-five percent of the subjects in this smaller sub-study were vegetarian. On average, the vegetarians and semi-vegetarians were three years older than non-vegetarians. Despite their slightly older age, vegetarians had lower triglycerides, glucose levels, blood pressure, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI). Semi-vegetarians also had a significantly lower BMI and waist circumference compared to those who ate meat more regularly.
"This work again shows that diet improves many of the main cardiovascular risk factors that are part of metabolic syndrome," says Gary Fraser, MD, PhD, principal investigator of Adventist Health Study 2. "Trending toward a plant-based diet is a sensible choice." more ready....

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New neuro-robotic arm could aid stroke patients

2011-04-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

New neuro-robotic arm could aid stroke patients

Relaxnews

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

enlarge

2011-04-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Pollution tied to stroke risk only for some people

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK | Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:27pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Spikes in air pollution may not boost the short-term risk of stroke in most people, but may present a hazard to some who are at high stroke risk, a new study hints.
In a study of 9,200 patients hospitalized for stroke, researchers found no clear connection between people's stroke risk and their exposure to short-term increases in fine-particle air pollution.
There was a link, however, among people with diabetes -- one of the major risk factors for stroke. On a relatively polluted day, versus a relatively "clean" day, people with diabetes were about 11 percent more likely to suffer a stroke.
The findings, published in the journal Epidemiology, do not prove that air pollution triggers strokes in some people.
"The evidence is still mixed on this topic," said Dr. Gregory A. Wellenius of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the researchers on the study.
"Those with stroke risk factors, like diabetes, may be at increased risk (from air pollution), but clearly more studies are needed," Wellenius told Reuters Health.
Fine particulate matter is released into the air when fossil fuels are burned, so car exhaust, wood burning, and industrial sources like power plants all contribute.
The particles are small enough that they can be inhaled deeply into the lungs, and researchers suspect they may trigger heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular "events" in vulnerable people by causing inflammation in the blood vessels and irritating the nerves of the lungs.
A number of studies have found a relationship between daily spikes in air pollution, particularly fine-particle pollution, and heart problems.
The American Heart Association now recommends that people with established heart disease and others at risk -- including the elderly and people with diabetes or high blood pressure -- try to limit their exposure to congested roadways and spend less time outside on days when air quality is poorer.
Some studies, but not all, have also found connections between stroke risk and short-term increases in fine-particle pollution.
For their study, Wellenius and his colleagues looked at data on 9,200 Ontario residents who had suffered a stroke and had the date and time of their first stroke symptoms in their medical records.
The researchers compared that information with local pollution levels collected from government air-quality monitors. They looked at pollution measurements during the two days before a patient's stroke, and on other days of that same month.
Overall, the researchers found no strong association between fine-particle pollution and patients' stroke risk.
The result was different, however, when they focused on the one-quarter of patients who had diabetes before having the stroke. For each fine-particle increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air, their stroke risk climbed by almost 11 percent. more read...

Beyond Boundaries: connecting brain to machine

2011-04-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

Beyond Boundaries: connecting brain to machine

A Duke University neuroscientist wants to help paralyzed people walk again using a robotic vest that takes commands from the brain.
His name? Miguel Nicolelis, who writes in his new book, Beyond Boundaries, that a “paradigm shift” is underway in science, in which scientists are beginning to think that physical and mental activities aren’t controlled by specialized regions of the brain, but rather groups of “multitasking neurons, distributed across multiple locations.”
But theory becomes practice when Nicolelis dives into brain-machine interfaces. His team has built robotic prostheses that can be controlled via electrical impulses transmitted by neurons in the brain — a major advancement for paralyzed people who don’t have full control of their ability to interact with their environment.
Drive your car just by thinking? Chat with your mother without uttering a word? These are the far-out goals that brain-machine interfaces make a little more possible.
(Perhaps I won’t have to lift a finger to write my next SmartPlanet report.)
Nicolelis appeared on Comedy Central’s Daily Show this week to discuss his research and how it impacts reality. A look: the paralyzed will use thin exoskeletons to move around, Parkinson’s patients will have more options, and manufacturing, communication and space exploration will never be the same.
Host Jon Stewart gets right to it:

We want to make computers that have intelligence. You’re taking the creatures that already have the intelligence and connecting us to machines — cutting out the middle man of creating a machine that would do that.

Here’s the video:

The Daily Show - Miguel Nicolelis
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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More young people see a surge in strokes

2011-04-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

More young people see a surge in strokes

Hospitalizations for ischemic stroke — the most common type — rose 51 percent in boys and men 15 to 34 years old between 1994 and 2007, and 17 percent in girls and women in the same age group, according to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By LAURA UNGAR
The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

Published: Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 8:47 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 8:47 a.m.

SANTA CLAUS, Ind. — Bethany Miller was getting ready to shower at her Indiana home after high school basketball practice in January when her left leg grew weak, then numb. Soon, her entire left side was numb, and she slid to the tile floor.

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die. An ischemic stroke is caused by a clot obstructing the flow of blood, and a hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a blood vessel rupturing and preventing blood flow.
Signs of stroke
— Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
— Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
— Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
— Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
— Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Ways to avoid stroke
— Check blood pressure and keep it under control.
— Check cholesterol and get high cholesterol under control.
— Stop smoking or don’t start.
— Keep diabetes under control.
— Be particularly vigilant if you’ve had a transient ischemic attack, a “warning stroke” that produces symptoms but no lasting damage.
— Eat well, exercise regularly and maintain normal weight.
— Don’t abuse alcohol or use drugs.
Risk factors particular to women younger than 55
— Migraines:Recent research shows that women who suffer from migraines can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer a stroke.
— Birth-control pills:Women who take even a low-estrogen pill may be twice as likely to have a stroke than those who don’t.
— Hormone replacement therapy:Women who take hormone replacement therapy may have a slightly increased stroke risk.
— Autoimmune diseasessuch as diabetes or lupus
— Clotting disorders:Women who’ve had more than one miscarriage may be at higher risk for blood clots, which can increase their chance of a stroke. Other signs of a possible clotting disorder include a previous history of clots in the legs.
Sources: American Stroke Association and Courier-Journal reporting

Brain Stimulation Might Help Stroke Patients With Swallowing Problems

2011-03-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

Brain Stimulation Might Help Stroke Patients With Swallowing Problems

Small, preliminary study found electrical therapy led to improved function in patients

FRIDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Electrical stimulation of the brain could help stroke patients avoid potentially dangerous problems with swallowing, preliminary research indicates.
The treatment has only been tested in a small number of patients and needs further exploration. Still, the findings published online March 24 in the journal Stroke are "encouraging," said Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Center at Duke University Medical Center.

An estimated 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States, and most of them survive, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But many lose some of their ability to swallow, a problem known as dysphagia.
"Post-stroke swallowing difficulty is an important problem. Up to half of stroke patients studied have dysfunctional swallowing, and up to a third of these patients aspirate, swallowing material that enters the windpipe rather than going into the stomach," Goldstein explained. "This can cause pneumonia, which can prolong hospitalization, interfere with recovery or increase the chances of dying."
In the new study, researchers mildly stimulated the brains of patients through electrodes placed on the scalp. The idea is to boost activity in certain parts of the brain.
Patients who received the treatment had an easier time swallowing than patients who didn't. Eighty-six percent of patients who received the treatment improved their swallowing by at least two points on a seven-point scale, while only 43 percent of other patients did.
The 14 patients in the study had all suffered strokes between one and seven days earlier, and were being treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
"Further studies are warranted to refine this promising intervention by exploring effects of stimulation parameters, frequency of stimulation, and timing of the intervention in improving swallowing functions," the researchers wrote.
More information
For more about dysphagia, visit the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
more read.....

Brain can compensate loss of new cells

2011-03-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

Brain can compensate loss of new cells

2011-03-20 14:20:00

Regenerative Med Forum

Ads by Google

Annual Forum, 2011 Washington, DC Registration as low as $395 regenerativemedicinefoundation.org

Washington, March 20 (IANS) The brain is an amazingly adaptable organ that can restore critical functions linked with learning and memory even if its ability to make new cells is curtailed, researchers say.
These findings bring scientists a step closer to isolating the mechanisms by which the brain compensates for disruptions and reroutes neural (nerve cell) functioning which could open the way to treating cognitive impairments in humans.

'It's amazing how the brain is capable of reorganizing itself in this manner,' says Geoffrey Murphy, study co-author at the University of Michigan Molecular and Behavioural Neuroscience Institute, reports the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

'Right now, we're still figuring out exactly how the brain accomplishes all this at the molecular level, but it's sort of comforting to know that our brains are keeping track of all of this for us,' adds Murphy, according to a Michigan statement.

In previous research, scientists found that restricting cell division in a vital component of the brain in mice curtailed cellular mechanism linked with memory formation.more read...

Breakthrough in delivering drugs to the brain

2011-03-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Breakthrough in delivering drugs to the brain

By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News

Getting drugs to brain cells has hampered medical advances

A new way of delivering drugs to the brain has been developed by scientists at the University of Oxford.

They used the body's own transporters - exosomes - to deliver drugs in an experiment on mice.
The authors say the study, in Nature Biotechnology, could be vital for treating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Muscular Dystrophy.
The Alzheimer's Society said the study was "exciting" and could lead to more effective treatments.
Research barrier One of the medical challenges with diseases of the brain is getting any treatment to cross the blood-brain barrier.
The barrier exists to protect the brain, preventing bacteria from crossing over from the blood, while letting oxygen through.
However, this has also produced problems for medicine, as drugs can also be blocked.

more read....

Brave teen stands up for all those who struggle to speak but have so much to say

2011-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Mar 6 2011 Maggie Barry, Sunday Mail

connor stewart Image 2

FRUSTRATION echoes in Connor Stewart's voice.
Because every word is a struggle for the 17-year-old, who is sharp and extremely bright.
A bone marrow transplant to save him from childhood leukaemia resulted in a brain injury which means he must fight to get his words out.
But Connor knows he is not alone and that even his limited skills make him luckier than some who cannot speak at all.
Which is why he has become an ambassador for the Talk for Scotland campaign, representing thousands who cannot communicate properly.
He said: "Being unable to communicate can make you feel very isolated but when I went to Civic Participation Network meetings, I found people with similar problems."
Some of them had suffered throat cancer, strokes or brain haemorrhages. Others had MS, Parkinson's or Aphasia. But they all had one thing in common - they found it difficult to express what they wanted to say.
Connor, from Bathgate, West Lothian, said: "Since working with these people, I have become more determine.... Read More...

Imaging Study Probes Consciousness in Brain-Injured Patients

2011-03-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

New research uses imaging technology to assess higher-level cognitive functioning in severely brain-injured patients. The study provides a window into consciousness — but the view it presents is one that is blurred in fascinating ways, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College.
In a novel study of six patients ranging in their function from minimally conscious state to the locked-in syndrome (normal cognitive function with severe motor impairment), the researchers looked at how the brains of these patients respond to a set of commands and questions while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Read more...

BoyCriedWolf - he didn’t

2011-03-02T20:04:00.001-08:00

Two years ago, travelling through Vietnam on a family holiday, Antonio (Toni) Ianella suffered a stroke. He was 38 with three young children and spent three days in intensive care before being moved to a ward and flown home to Melbourne 11 days later.
His stroke was the result of an undiagnosed AVM (arteriovenous malformation) and occurred as a bleed on his brain stem.
He is lucky to be alive: “I was told only one in five people survive a bleed in the base of their brain,” Toni says.
Back in Melbourne Toni spent time at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Sunshine Hospital in intensive three-month rehabilitation.
The former construction site project manager found he had to reassess the life he had led. With some cognitive, hearing, speech and mobility changes post-stroke the construction site job was no longer viable.
“I had my chosen career pretty much taken away from me. Really, the next step was to work on what I could do and what I was still passionate about.”
For Toni that was music. He had always written and played songs and had a string of projects that he dabbled in – all around music. No longer able to play an instrument, he turned his energy to writing songs and forming a band – BoyCriedWolf.
“I had to think about the things I love and that has always been music,” he says.
“Music is about making magic out of emotion.”
The band has been successful – winning a Battle of the Bands competition last year, the small winnings of which has allowed an album to be recorded – and is not the only project Toni works on in his modest home recording studio.
“It’s been two years now, a relapse last July and I have to accept this (his recovery) is going to stick around for a while. I have to work around it. I’ve done a web design course and am focusing on family and getting better in small steps.”
To hear Toni’s music click here.
Read More...

Harvard Researchers Illuminate Connections Among Brain Cells in Technicolor

2011-02-27T15:19:00.001-08:00

Fly Brainbow HHMI via Technology Review

In 2007, Harvard scientists figured out how to combine fluorescent proteins to create an entire color palette, and then used it to make mouse neurons glow so they could be traced through the brain. The “Brainbow” technique has helped scientists follow neurons’ connections, which had been almost impossible to untangle.
Fruit fly researchers have now done the same thing, producing a dual Brainbow of methods for making Drosophila neurons glow. It is much simpler and faster than staining individual neurons, another method for mapping brain connections.
Many neurons are visible in the above cross-section of a fly brain, which was published in the journal Nature Methods last week.
The image below was made with the dBrainbow method, which involves six colors that help indicate which neurons arose from which progenitor cells. This is useful for studying how connections form between neurons, as Technology Review explains. The red and blue groups are both olfactory neurons, but they arose from different progenitor cells.

Olfactory Neurons: Phuong Chung, Stefanie Hampel, and Julie H. Simpson/HHMI via Technology Review

The Flybow method, which involves four colors, allows cells to change color at any point during their development by applying heat.
Scientists have plenty of techniques to manipulate fruit fly genes, which means they will be able to exert even more precise control over the colors, only illuminating certain neurons or subsets of neurons. Tech Review says. The following dBrainbow image shows a group of about 2,000 neurons that are thought to underlie male courtship behavior.

Male Courtship Neurons: Phuong Chung, Stefanie Hampel, and Julie H. Simpson/HHMI via Technology Review

Take time for tea and give your brain a lift as well as reduce tiredness

2011-02-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

More benefits: A cup of tea can improve brain power, a new study has claimed

Having a cuppa could help you solve the crossword faster, according to the latest study.

Natural ingredients found in a cup of tea can improve brain power and increase alertness, it is claimed.

Researchers looked at the effect of key chemicals found in tea on the mental performance of 44 young volunteers.

The effects of these ingredients, an amino acid called L-theanine – which is also found in green tea – and caffeine at levels typically found in a cup of tea, were compared with a dummy treatment.

The active ingredients significantly improved accuracy across a number of switching tasks for those who drank the tea after 20 and 70 minutes, compared with the placebo.

The tea drinkers’ alertness was also heightened, the study found.

Tea was also found to reduced tiredness among the volunteers, who were aged under 40, according to the Dutch researchers reporting on their findings in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.

‘The results suggest the combination helps to focus attention during a demanding cognitive task,’ they said. Previous trials have shown that adding milk to a cup of tea does not affect the drinker’s absorption of flavonoids – or antioxidants – or disrupt the health benefits from these.

Read More...

Professors offering free seminars for Healthy Aging Series

2011-02-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

Professors offering free seminars for Healthy Aging Series
01-25-11

ShareThis
Misericordia University professors Jim Siberski, M.S., C.M.C., CRmT, assistant professor and coordinator of gerontology education, and Hunter Manasco, Ph.D., C.C.C.-S.L.P., assistant professor of speech-language pathology, are participating in the free Masonic Village at Dallas Spring 2011 Healthy Aging Series at the Irem Country Club beginning in February.

Dr. Manasco is presenting the seminar, “Normal Changes in Cognition with Aging,’’ on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. Dr. Manasco earned his undergraduate degree in English literature with a minor in economics from Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama. He also received a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in communications disorders at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. He completed his doctorate in speech-language pathology at the University of South Alabama.

His areas of specialization include neuroanatomy, aphasia, motor speech disorders, dysphagia, traumatic brain injury, dementia and autism. His primary research interests center on stroke and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. Dr. Manasco’s current research project concentrates on poetry as language therapy and as a coping mechanism in aphasia. He has also presented numerous papers in his areas of specialty at state and national conferences.

Next.....

Memory loss crash victim identified

2010-12-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

AUTHORITIES have finally identified an Asian man who lost his memory after being knocked down in a road accident five months ago.

The victim, whose name and nationality had remained a mystery, suffered post traumatic amnesia and could not recall simple details such as his country of birth.

He was also diagnosed with aphasia, meaning he lost the ability to speak.

But thanks to the intervention of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), officials were able to identify him within minutes.

They have refused to reveal his full details, but he has been identified as Indian Ramasamy, 42.

He is understood to have been living here illegally since 2004 when the factory he was working for closed down.

The patient was being treated in the BDF Hospital in Riffa and the hospital had failed to get anywhere despite an exhaustive search for answers.

However, once LMRA officials stepped in they were able to identify him within minutes using a fingerprint device linked to its database of expatriates.

"The LMRA was able to get his details within eight minutes from among nearly half a million expatriates," it said in a statement sent to the GDN....next

Disneyland job helps aphasia victim talk

2010-11-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

Roseanna Uman happily goes about her job at Disneyland as a merchandise hostess, a job she has held for four years and one that helps her keep talking.
Uman is an aphasia victim. The 36-year-old woman suffered brain damage at the age of three and has always had difficulty speaking.
For several years, Uman has been a part of a stroke and aphasia victims’ recovery group that meets on a regular basis at the the First Presbyterian Church in Fullerton.
“The purpose is to practice adult conversation skills and also to reduce isolation that happens after stroke or aphasia,” said Dr. Candace Vickers, the founder of the program.
The program works with the help of volunteers and practices conversation techniques with the victims in a relaxed setting....next

Bypass patients can benefit from a few drinks

2010-11-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO — Men who underwent heart bypass surgery and consumed about two drinks a day afterward had fewer subsequent cardiovascular procedures than those who abstained, according to a study released Sunday.

Light alcohol consumption was associated with a 25 percent reduction in additional heart procedures, heart attacks or strokes in the study by Italian researchers, presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago....next

Frank Wappat Leaves BBC after 40 Years

2010-08-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

BBC Newcastle broadcaster Frank Wappat has announced he is to leave the station for health reasons.

Three months ago Frank suffered a further stroke, which has left him with a condition known as Aphasia.

“Thanks to the dedicated staff of Wansbeck Hospital I’m back on my feet and adjusting to life at home”, says Frank. “The reality is that I can no longer give 110% to my radio shows, so I have sadly resigned from my broadcasting commitments. No one likes to make tough decisions and this one has been the hardest of my life”. Next..

Nuvaring Stroke Risk

2010-08-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Nuvaring stroke risk problems are caused by blood clots that travel into the carotid arteries and restrict the flow of blood to your brain. Your brain tissue needs a constant supply of oxygenated blood in order to function properly. If the cells are deprived – even for a few moments – they will begin to die. This triggers a stroke.
If your brain tissue becomes damaged from a lack of blood, you will experience one or more impairments. The form of the impairment depends on the area of your brain affected by the stroke. Its severity depends on the size of the blockage within the carotid artery and the length of time that passes prior to receiving treatment. Stroke rehabilitation is usually necessary to regain lost function.
Goals Of Stroke Rehabilitation
During rehabilitation, you’ll work with several health care professionals to recover physical and mental function lost during the stroke. The areas of expertise of these providers will depend on your needs. For example, physical therapists will address disabilities related to movement; occupational therapists focus primarily on motor skills and related functions; speech pathologists can help you cope with aphasia.....next

Unprofessional Translation: What Aphasia Tells Us

2010-08-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

When something goes wrong, the malfunction may give us an insight into how it goes right. Most of what I know about the workings of our car, I learnt to my cost when it went wrong. Seriously, though, we can learn something about language from people’s inability to speak normally under certain conditions. One such condition is aphasia, inability to produce or understand speech due to brain damage. The damage may have been caused by an external agent of ‘insult’ such as an accident or an operation, or internally by a stroke for example.....next

Aphasia (Speech impairment (adult)) in the use of Linezolid, who, when, how?

2010-08-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

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A real world study of 2 Aphasia (Speech impairment (adult)) reports in people who take Linezolid. Duration of Linezolid, gender and age of the users, and severity of Aphasia (Speech impairment (adult)) are studied...next

Home / News / Local Badly injured pilot wants to cross county in gyroplane Living an impossible dream

2010-08-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

When the Santa Maria Times wrote about local pilot and former motorcycle racer Vance Breese more than two years ago, the Nipomo resident had recently received medical clearance to pilot an experimental gyroplane. He was content learning how to fly his unique aircraft on solo trips around the Central Coast.
In the years since, however, Breese — who lost vision in his left eye and suffered a brain injury in a high-speed crash 15 years ago — earned a full-fledged pilot’s license in the summer of 2008 and the right to legally carry passengers. And that’s a good thing, because Breese and his girlfriend, Edna Arlt, are pursuing a dream of flying cross-country in a new gyroplane that they are designing and building with the help of friends...next

Speech Therapist Joins NARH Rehabilitation Services

2010-08-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Jane Kingsley Apkin of Sarasota, Fla., a speech-language pathologist, has joined the Rehabilitation Services department of North Adams Regional Hospital. Apkin will be treating inpatients and outpatients at NARH. Apkin earned her master’s degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences from Ohio University and has since worked in a variety of positions including as a speech pathology clinical supervisor, speech-language pathology consultant for the state of Georgia, and speech-language pathologist in a rehab hospital and long-term acute care hospital. Most recently she was Vice President of Operations and Southern Regional Director for Health Connections Rehabilitation Services in Tallahassee, Fla.

Study of the Aphasia Persisting during Convalescence after Evacuation of Brain Abscess

2010-08-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Epilepsy may affect language development

2010-04-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Epileptic activity in the brain may affect the development of language in children, the results of a new study indicate.

Anyone can have a seizure if the brain is exposed to a strong enough stimulus. One in every 20 people will have a single seizure at some time during their lives. However, people with epilepsy have recurring seizures. This is caused by abnormal electrical impulses in the brain. Up to 40,000 people in Ireland are estimated to have epilepsy.

Swedish researchers divided 60 children of different ages into three groups. The first comprised of children with language dysfunction, such as slow speech development or inadequate language comprehension. NEXT....

Brain surgery done while patient was awake

2010-03-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

The first-ever open brain surgery with the patient wide awake in the Gulf region was successfully conducted on a 38-year-old Indian patient at the ity SKMC last month.

The surgery included removal of a tumour from the patient’s brain located near the cells responsible for vocalisation and speech. A multi-disciplinary team of more than 20 medical personnel worked on the patient to ensure a successful operation.

According to a statement issued by the hospital on Monday, the patient (name withheld on request), who was brought to the Emergency Department in an unconscious state, had suffered several epileptic fits, post-critical transient aphasia (language impairment) and hemiparesis (muscle weakness on one side of the body).

A CT (computed tomography) scan and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the brain showed a left frontal cortico-subcortical tumour, which  was in the brain area responsible for  the speech. Next....

iPhone App Opens World to Boy with Rare Syndrome

2010-03-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Andrew, who at age 8 is the size of a 3- or 4-year-old, has Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. It is characterized by low birth weight, slow growth, distinctive facial features and small stature.

But a new iPhone application Andrew uses on an iPod has opened the doors to Andrew's mind.Next...

Music and lyrics: How the brain splits songs

2010-03-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

>Your favourite song comes on the radio. You hum the tune; the lyrics remind you of someone you know. Is your brain processing the words and music separately or as one? It's a hotly debated question that may finally have an answer.

People with aphasia, who can't speak, can still hum a tune, suggesting music and lyrics are processed separately. Yet brain scans show that music and language activate the same areas, which might mean the brain treats them as one signal. Next...

Daniel Rubin: More stories of horrors at airport take wing

2010-03-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

On June 23, 2007, David Camp, a zoning consultant from Cary, N.C., was forced to watch, helpless and in horror, as his father - a stroke victim in a wheelchair - was told to stand and walk.
They were traveling through Philadelphia on their way from Venice to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Clearing customs quickly, they then went through the TSA security area before catching their connecting flight.
L. Raymond Camp, a retired professor of speech communication at North Carolina State University, was paralyzed on his right side and suffers from severe aphasia, which left him unable to talk.
"They separated him from us, took away his airport wheelchair, then insisted he stand up and walk through the machine without using his cane," according to his son. "Well, of course that was an impossibility, but they wouldn't listen to us and he can't speak. Next...

NFL partners with brain injury study

2009-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

The NFL is creating a partnership with researchers at Boston University who are studying the longterm effects of brain injuries on players, the Associated Press reported.

Comparing US healthcare costs with Europe

2009-12-27T14:50:00.000-08:00

Buzz, Indiana, US:"One day, back in 1992, I started feeling pain in my lower back, below the kidney and a gurgling feeling. I went to a local community hospital and the doctors examined me and indicated that I was having a heart attack.
"The doctors decided that if I were to survive I would need a heart transplant. I was then put on the top of a list for transplant recipients in the mid-west region. Within a couple of days, fortunately, I was able to get a heart and I had wonderful treatment at all three hospitals.

Bury Speakeasy

2009-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

I suspect that the only people who read local political blogs are other local politicians, and I’m no exception to that rule. Occasionally I look at Conservative PPC David Nuttall’s, and it was whilst doing so the other day that I was alerted to the existence of Bury Speakeasy, a very worthy charity helping people with a condition called Aphasia...more...

Early speech therapy benefits stroke patients significantly

2009-12-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

In an Australian first, a joint project between Curtin University of Technology and the State Health Research Advisory Council (SHRAC) has shown that early intense therapy can significantly benefit the communication recovery of stroke patients....more...

MICARDIS receives Health Canada approval to reduce the risk of non-fatal stroke

2009-12-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

New treatment option will reduce cardiovascular risk for the up-to-44 per cent of patients who cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors

MICARDIS(R) (telmisartan) has received Health Canada approval to reduce the risk of non-fatal stroke or non-fatal myocardial infarction in..Next..

Words, Gestures Translated by Same Brain Regions

2009-12-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

The brain regions that have been recognized as a center where words are decoded also are important in interpreting gestures, according to new research funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). The findings suggest these regions may play a broader role in interpreting symbols than previously thought ..Next..

Injured boy's mom wants helmet laws for skiers, snowboarders

2009-12-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

VANCOUVER – Karen Condon's world turned upside down on Feb. 20, 2007, when a snowboard went through her son's skull, shattering it like a cracked eggshell...Next...

Make Strokes Less Deadly with This Vitamin

2009-12-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

Having a stroke is a definite life crisis. But what if you could reduce the chances that it'll be deadly?
Enter vitamin D. New research is suggesting that vitamin D may help reduce a person's risk of dying from a stroke -- by as much as 50 percent!
...Next.......

Help Us Celebrate Our 25th anniversary in 2009 and 2010!

2009-12-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

With one mission and one voice, National Stroke Association has been an active participant in fighting stroke

in America since 1984. By designing and implementing programs that provide education and support to carry

on after a stroke, to support stroke research and to help prevent strokes across the country, National Stroke

Association has been integral in continuing the fight against stroke for 25 years! Next...

Ask the Expert: Help for Undiagnosed Brain Injury

2009-12-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

The resources and interventions suggested above will help with this. Person-

centered planning is a process for helping individuals with TBI move on in

their lives by focusing on what it is they want in life and on the steps needed

to get there.Next...

New research to aid stroke victims

2009-12-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

December 8, 2009

AAP
Stroke-damaged brains could be repaired using adult stem cells from teeth, a

leading stroke physician says.

Associate professor Simon Koblar, from the University of Adelaide and

Adelaide's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, is leading a research project that

suggests dental pulp stem cells extracted from teeth may prove far more beneficial for brain repair than other stem cells.Next...

Brain wave recognition of words

2009-12-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Electrical and magnetic brain waves of seven subjects under three experimental conditions were recorded for the purpose of recognizing which one of seven words was processed. The analysis consisted of averaging over trials to create prototypes and test samples, to both of which Fourier transforms were applied, followed by filtering and an inverse transformation to the time domain. Next...

Man controls cybernetic hand with thoughts

2009-12-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

European scientists have successfully built a brain-controlled bionic hand that could be used to kill or maim hundreds of humans in the coming robot versus humans' civil war. Or, far more admirably, allow amputees to feel hand sensations and manipulate their limb--via the brain--as if it were still there.

Pierpaolo Petruzziello--who lost his arm under the elbow in a car crash several years ago--has done just that, Italy's University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome</span> announced Wednesday. Next...

How our brains build social worlds

2009-12-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

How can such behaviour be explained in terms of

neuroscience? We think that two people performing

together in this way are best described as a single,

complex system rather than as two systems interacting.

We also believe the same kinds of description should be

applied generally to the brain activity that occurs

when two people interact, because their brains also
become a single complex system. Next...

Challenging The New York Times: Is FOXP2 really a "speech gene"?

2009-11-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

One of the things I hope to do in this space is facilitate communication between scientists and science writers about how to best describe complex scientific research to the public. After hearing some concern from University of Iowa neuroscientist and Behavioral Neuroscience Editor-in-Chief Mark Blumberg about Nicholas Wade's recent New York Times story, "Speech gene shows his bossy nature," I invited Blumberg to submit an open letter to Wade. Here it is, along with Wade's response: Next...

Kirk Douglas

2009-11-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

11/25/2009 - Kirk Douglas (stroke survivor) - 2009 Thanksgiving Meal for the Homeless Served by The Los Angeles Mission and Hosted by Kirk & Anne Douglas - Los Angeles Mission - Los Angeles, CA. USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/Kirk-Douglas/pictures/2009-Thanksgiving-Meal-for-the-Homeless-Served-by-the-Los-Angeles-Mission-and-Hosted-by-Kirk-Anne-Douglas-412060#ixzz0Y7OPwABx

Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke,

2009-11-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. The results of the study were recently published online in Nature Medicine. Next...

Improved vocabulary production after naming therapy in aphasia:

2009-11-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

Background: Naming accuracy for nouns and verbs in aphasia can vary across different elicitation contexts, for example, simple picture naming, composite picture description, narratives, and conversation. For some people with aphasia, naming may be more accurate to simple pictures as opposed to naming in spontaneous, connected speech; for others, the opposite pattern may be evident. These differences have, in some instances, been related to word class (for example, noun or verb) as well as aphasia subtype. Given that the aim of picture-naming therapies is to improve word-finding in general, these differences in naming accuracy across contexts may have important implications for the potential functional benefits of picture-naming therapies. Next...

Intel Wants Brain Implants in Its Customers' Heads by 2020

2009-11-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

If the idea of turning consumers into true cyborgs sounds creepy, don't tell Intel researchers. Intel's Pittsburgh lab aims to develop brain implants that can control all sorts of gadgets directly via brain waves by 2020.

The scientists anticipate that consumers will adapt quickly to the idea, and indeed crave the freedom of not requiring a keyboard, mouse, or remote control for surfing the Web or changing channels. They also predict that people will tire of multi-touch devices such as our precious iPhones, Android smart phones and even Microsoft's wacky Surface Table. Next..

Words, Gestures Are Translated by Same Brain Regions, Says New Research: Findings May Further Our Understanding of How Language Evolved

2009-11-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Your ability to make sense of Groucho's words and Harpo's pantomimes in an old Marx Brothers movie takes place in the same regions of your brain, says new research funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health.
In a study published in this week's Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers have shown that the brain regions that have long been recognized as a center in which spoken or written words are decoded are also important in interpreting wordless gestures. The findings suggest that these brain regions may play a much broader role in the interpretation of symbols than researchers have thought and, for this reason, could be the evolutionary starting point from which language originated.

Speech Defects (Aphasia, Dysphonia, and Stuttering)

2009-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Because speech is essential to human communication, anything that interferes with it can be isolating and emotionally distressing. Primary mutism, in which a person cannot speak due to absent vocal cords or another structural defect, is rare. More commonly, difficulty speaking is secondary to other conditions, including paralysis, deafness, retardation or other mental disorders, and larynx cancer. In certain cases, a person knows how to speak but has difficulty forming words.

Three often encountered disorders are: Aphasia (from the Greek, meaning "without speech"), in which brain damage impairs a person's ability to speak and/or understand spoken or written words. Sudden aphasia usually is due to a stroke or a head injury, whereas the likely cause of slowly developing aphasia is a brain tumor or progressive dementia.
next..............
http://www.healthlessonsonline.com/speech-defects/

Stem-Cell Repair Kit for Stroke

2009-11-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

A novel matrix of neural stem cells and a biodegradable polymer can quickly repair brain damage from stroke in rats. Within just seven days of injecting the concoction directly into the damaged part of the brain, new nerve tissue grew to fill stroke-induced cavities.

Abigail Breslin to Play Helen Keller on Broadway

2009-11-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Sunshine herself is headed for the Great White Way. Abigail Breslin has officially been tapped to play Helen Keller in the Broadway revival of William Gibson's 'The Miracle Worker.'

The show, scheduled to open March 3 with previews beginning February 12 at Circle in the Square Theatre, will be produced by David Richenthal, longtime friend of Gibson, and directed by Kate Whoriskey. Breslin, a 13-year-old New York native, will also be joined onstage by Alison Pill, playing the role of Helen's unwavering teacher Annie Sullivan.NEXT................

Web Exclusive Chronically Upbeat After a Stroke, a Song?

2009-11-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Harvey Alter's voice suggests a man in search of his song. His speech has a musical tone, but at some moments the words themselves seem computer-generated, intended simply to spit out thoughts that make sense. His deeply human laugh begins in his belly when he strains to say something he knows is funny. But this is a vast improvement. For Harvey, a 62-year-old criminologist, there used to be only silence.

* Discuss Richard's Column and Chronic Illness in the AARP Online Community
* Biologics: New Miracle Drugs (November & December 2009)
* Inspire Awards 2009 Honoree Richard M. Cohen (January & February 2009)
* Drug-Free Remedies for Chronic Pain (January & February 2009)
* Super Healing: Tap Into Your Powers of Recovery (November & December 2008)
* New Hope for Treating Chronic Disease (AARP Bulletin Today)
* Americans With Chronic Disease Get Mixed Messages From Caregivers (AARP Bulletin Today)
* AARP.org's Health Encyclopedia: Learn About Multiple Sclerosis
* Subscribe to the AARP Health Newsletter

His journey began one day in 2003. Harvey was in his Greenwich Village apartment, putting the leash on his dog in preparation for their ritual morning stroll around the neighborhood. "Suddenly, I was disoriented and felt dizzy," he remembers. "I stumbled and tried to gain control, but couldn't." Harvey was having a stroke.

Opposition Leaders to experience ‘Wednesday Without Words’

2009-09-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

State Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek and Deputy Leader Lawrence Springborg will take part in a ‘Wednesday Without Words’ function today with the Aphasia Association Queensland.

Guests at the function on the Speakers Green at State Parliament today will take part in activities with the Aphasia Association to better understand the difficulties experienced in communicating only through facial expressions and gestures.

Aphasia Association Queensland branch spokesman Peter Stuart said the event aimed to draw attention to the thousands of Australians who are unable to speak as a result of a stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and brain injuries.

“Aphasia is a devastating communication/speech disability that affects about 80,000 Australians, yet less than five per cent of the population know what aphasia is and how it affects people,” Mr Stuart said....next....

NextUp.com Text to Speech Software

2009-09-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

TextAloud and NextUp Talker are modestly priced software titles offering real voice-communication alternatives to high-priced gadgets and devices costing thousands of dollars (and more)

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB ) September 23, 2009 -- With health care coverage a hot-button issue in recent weeks, one topic that continues to make headlines is the fact that health insurers are repeatedly willing to cover devices and options that cost patients thousands of dollars, yet those same insurers will not cover the modestly priced, everyday alternative gadgets that are proving far more useful to those battling illnesses or other afflictions day to day. The issue is a familiar one for the software creators at NextUp Technologies (http://www.Nextup.com ), which specializes in Text to Speech software for PC users everywhere. The company's top two software titles NextUp Talker and TextAloud are bestsellers in part because they have been adopted and championed by those with illnesses or disabilities, and because they are not only affordable solutions (both titles are priced at under $100), they simply work better than machines or devices that often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars....Next......

SIDCUP: Queen Mary's Hospital thanks teenage CSV volunteers

2009-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

A HOSPITAL has thanked more than 150 teenagers who volunteered for work over the summer.

The teens helped patients and staff at Queen Mary’s Hospital during the holidays in a scheme run by volunteering charity Community Service Volunteers...next...

Accessibility Changes Lives

2009-09-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Accessibility Changes Lives

Accessibility Changes Lives

Accessibility Changes Lives

This is the first post in a series about assistive technology. I want to show you why accessibility, adaptive technology, assistive technology, and other disability-friendly practices matter. Really matter.

Accessibility changes lives.

I don’t mean “changes lives” like buying a new house might change your life … accessibility changes lives so completely it’s almost impossible to imagine if you haven’t been there.

I am completely bedridden with my disability; I can’t sit up enough to use a wheelchair, so I spend 24 hours a day lying in a hospital bed set up in my living room. I can’t hold up a book or magazine long enough to read. I can’t open the curtains during the day because my eyes are too sensitive to light. I can’t paint or draw because I don’t have the stamina and strength. I can’t listen to music for more than 5 minutes or so, because of the sensory overload. Pretty much all that I can do is passive activities: listen to talk radio and audio book CDs, watch a little TV, talk to people on the phone.

If it wasn’t for my accessible computer setup, that would be my entire life. To be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure that life would be worth living.

With my accessible computer setup I can do almost anything I can imagine. I’ve used it to compose and play music. I browse and shop on the internet. I run support groups via mailing lists. I advocate for myself and others. I take care of all my finances and banking. I meet new friends who have then become RL friends who visit my physically. And, of course, I have created and maintain this blog and several others. My life is interesting and productive, and full of things I can’t wait to do.

I think we need more information around showing people with disabilities using technology, so able-bodied people can get a glimpse of how much this really changes lives.

I’m going to make a series of posts about it - this is just the beginning. This series won’t be specific to people using technology on Mac computers or Apple products. For just this one series, I’m going to include everything I can my hands on that shows the effects of accessible, partially accessible, and inaccessible technology, including showing and discussing how difficult it is for us to work around inaccessibility.

For a start, I want you to go and read about why closed captioning makes a big difference to online video. Go read it now, and then come back.

Now imagine that 99.9% of all the videos on the internet are like that for you; that they make no sense without the captions. That’s one thing that happens to people who’ve lost most or all of their hearing, and those who have an auditory processing disorder or disability such as aphasia.

Insurers Fight Speech-Impairment Remedy

2009-09-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

Kara Lynn, with her 5-year-old son, Aiden, uses an iPhone to run text-to-speech software.

By ASHLEE VANCE

Published: September 14, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO — Kara Lynn has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , or A.L.S., which has attacked the muscles around her mouth and throat, removing her ability to speak. A couple of years ago, she spent more than $8,000 to buy a computer, approved by Medicare , that turns typed words into speech that her family, friends and doctors can hear.

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Bits: Text-to-Speech Technology Reaches an Inflection Point (September 17, 2009)Read All Comments (146) »

Under government insurance requirements, the maker of the PC, which ran ordinary Microsoft Windows software, had to block any nonspeech functions, like sending e-mail or browsing the Web.

Dismayed by the PC’s limitations and clunky design, Ms. Lynn turned to a $300 iPhone 3G from Apple running $150 text-to-speech software. Ms. Lynn, who is 48 and lives in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., said it worked better and let her “wear her voice” around her neck while snuggling with her 5-year-old son, Aiden, who has Down syndrome .

Medicare and private health insurers decline to cover cheap devices like iPhones and netbook PCs that can help the speech-impaired, despite their usefulness and lower cost...Next

Student-athlete works his way back from brain injury

2009-09-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

By Jonathan Raymond Globe Correspondent / September 20, 2009

Hit in the face by a line drive, Matt Cook (shown with father Tom and mother Ann) spent four weeks in the hospital. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff/File 2007)

By Jonathan Raymond Globe Correspondent / September 20, 2009

Text size – +

After the injury. After the rehabilitation. After the attention, and recovery, and return to the diamond and court, Matt Cook finally gets to take a breath, and just be a senior in high school.

	Discuss
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It was in March 2007 when a stray line drive found its way around a protective screen and struck Cook, who was tossing batting practice, in the face.

Then a freshman, Cook incurred a brain injury called expressive aphasia, leaving him with symptoms similar to a stroke victim. Speech and walking were difficult for a time. But after four weeks of therapy at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, he was able to return home to Hamilton.

And 10 months after being hit, he was back on a basketball court, suiting up as a small forward for the Hamilton-Wenham varsity boys’ team...next

WALTHAMSTOW: Ex-footballer admits attempted murder of teenager

2009-07-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

She was left with paralysis down one side of her body as well as a condition known as aphasia, meaning she was unable to communicate.

But she has since recovered and nine months after the attack, she was able to tell officers that Celaire, now calling himself McNish, had admitted unintentionally killing Miss McDermott.

Miss Hoyte told detectives she had found court papers relating to Celaire's 2002 trial and that he had confessed the killing when she confronted him.

His acquittal for murder was subsequently overturned at the Court of Appeal and he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Next...

U-M program helps stroke victim recover

2009-07-17T14:25:00.001-07:00

by Lisa Carolin | The Livingston Community News
Wednesday June 24, 2009, 4:35 PM

Terri Thompson was working out at a gym with her sister in January 2007 when her world suddenly changed.

Thompson, 49, of Putnam Township, suffered a stroke and, although she received medical attention quickly, she couldn't move her right arm and leg, and she couldn't speak. Next..

GE Healthcare And Its Partners Launch Major Stroke Campaign With The Support From China's Ministry Of Health

2009-07-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

22 Jun 2009 , Beijing, China : GE Healthcare and China’s Ministry of Health announced today the official kick off of the “Stroke Prevention and Control Project” organized by the Chinese Association of Geriatrics Research, the Chinese Health Development Foundation and GE Healthcare. The project aims to build a national stroke prevention and control network in China in an effort to reduce stroke incidence and mortality rates, improve people's health and quality of life as well as to reduce the stroke-related cost burden for the country. Next..

Acquired Childhood Aphasia

2009-07-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Aphasia is an acquired condition. In other words, it occurs in children whose language skills had been developing normally. The language loss or impairment follows damage to the brain caused by, for example, tumour, head injury, stroke or infection. The aphasic child may have a partial or total inability to NEXT..

http://ithinkeducation.net/?p=4843

2009-07-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Next
Medical breakthroughs are bringing new hope to people with traumatic brain injuries September 6, 2008, was a clear-blue Indian summer day in Nebraska. Jennifer Ruth sat in the stands and watched her 12-year-old son, Derek, run with the football. She was unconcerned when he was tackled in a routine play. But as he fumbled the ball, she remembers seeing his right arm drop oddly, almost in slow motion. “He never does that” flickered through her mind. The coach noticed a glazed look on Derek’s face in the team huddle. He pulled him aside and asked him for the date, score, and his brothers’ names. Derek answered correctly. Then, minutes later, he screamed, “My head,” pulled off his helmet, and collapsed.

Derek was taken to a trauma center and went into surgery. After several weeks in the ICU and months of therapy, he is regaining his physical and cognitive abilities. At first, he could only give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down response to questions; now he reads at a sixth-grade level and tackles algebra problems NEXT...

Selective aphasia in a brain damaged bilingual patient [Neurophilosophy]

2009-07-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

N THE 1860s, the French physician Paul Broca treated two patients who had lost the ability to speak after suffering strokes. When they died, he examined their brains, and noticed that both had damage to the same region of the left frontal lobe. About a decade later, neuropsychiatrist Carl Wernicke described a stroke patient who was unable to understand written words or what was said to him, and later found in this patient’s brain a lesion towards the back of the left temporal lobe. Next..

ViVA / Potential Advantages for Aphasiacs

2009-07-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

As the average age of humans increases, a person will face the increased likelihood of developing at least one chronic condition that may have an impact on his/her cognitive abilities (Czaja, Gregor, & Hanson, 2009). Aging can have physical, cognitive, and eve Next...

Health Talk: Foreign Accent Syndrome

2009-04-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Imagine a Caucasian speaking English with an exotic Chinese accent. Strange as it sounds, patients with the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) do just this.FAS is a rare brain disorder often caused by a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or multiple lesions. Only around 50 cases have been reported since 1941.

People with this syndrome speak their native languages with a foreign accent. FAS has been documented in cases around the world, and accent changes from Japanese to Korean, British ....next....

Cyclist Crashes Head First Into Telephone Pole at 27mph

2009-04-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

n July of 2005, Mark was competing in an annual race in Winston-Salem. The road was slick from an earlier rain shower, and the rider in front of Mark fell. When Mark tried to avoid the fallen cyclist, he crashed headfirst into a telephone pole going about 27 miles per hour. Mark was not expected to live and only due to the proximity of his accident to a level 1 shock trauma unit at Bowman Grey was he able to be in surgery in 30 minutes. Mark received a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Mark's brain injury forced him to relearn everything, including how to walk, talk, eat, and get dressed. The severity of the injury made him lose all of the function in his right arm, which causes him tremendous pain. Three years later, Mark is ambulatory and slowly recovering his ability to speak. He has aphasia, thus making it difficult for him to speak effectively with people or to express his thoughts and questions. He is continuing to make progress in his communication. Mark also has other cognitive deficits including loss of short-term memory, mood swings, and the inability to read or write.....next....

Obama's Slip On Jay Leno Show and My Aphasia

2009-04-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

by Phil Staudt
blog.philstaudt.org
March 21, 2009

After my stroke it took me many months to learn how to talk again. I had never heard of aphasia, much less understood it. But I have been able to pick up on it with people who I would have previously thought were "under the influence" or mentally challenged. I have asked people up front if they have aphasia, and they get so relieved that somebody understands. I was fortunate to have minimal damage from having a stroke, and I have been able to overcome my aphasia enough for most people to not notice it unless they have known me a long time. Now when I see people on television or anywhere making fun of peo......Next....

Yesterday I got this update from my mentor about his cancer: "I had a drastic turn about in how I was feeling and ended up going into the emergency r

2009-04-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got this update from my mentor about his cancer:

"I had a drastic turn about in how I was feeling and ended up going into the emergency room. They kept me there for two days and stabilized my "stats" so that I could fly home on Tuesday. What I experienced on Sunday was a severe case of expressive aphasia, due to a combination of complications caused by the chemo drugs I was taking. I am still experiencing some of the aphasia but am working through that. next...

More bang for your buck

2008-06-28T18:11:00.001-07:00

More money will be raised by the Mòolelo Performing Arts Company this summer due to Board of Trustees member Elaine Hiel's promise to match every dollar individuals donate between June 14 and Sept. 21, 2008.

Pledging as much as a $5,000 contribution, Hiel created the fundraising challenge to promote awareness for aphasia, a disability suffered by her deceased husband, Joel Hiel.

Aphasia, which is the loss of the ability to produce or comprehend language, is also the affliction that tortures the central character of “Night Sky,” a play the company is producing in homage to the late Hiel.

Exploring a communication struggle universal to all humans, the play compares black holes in the galaxies to the mind of an astronomy professor who is unable to express his innermost thoughts due to a brain injury.

Donations, which will be matched dollar for dollar, can be made to Mòolelo by calling 619-342-7395 or contributed online at

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