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Many strokes cannot be explained by known risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking, and scientists have speculated that infection could play a role. A new study is linking cumulative exposure to five common pathogens with an increased risk for stroke. The infections in order of significance are Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, according to the study, published online on Nov. 9 in The Archives of Neurology. “Each of these common pathogens may persist after an acute infection and contribute to perpetuating a state of chronic low-level infection,” said the paper’s lead...

After World War II, the U.S. government invested an enormous amount of money in medicine; medical research, medical procedures and medical technologies. This investment made contemporary scientific medicine into American medicine, characterized by a continuing flow of new treatment possibilities. These advances raised all kinds of ethical questions. Some were personal and individual, others were social and political. Both type questions are addressed by a new academic discipline called bioethics. The first attempt to develop a scientific medicine took place in Greece in the 5th century B.C. It was called Hippocratic medicine. Closely linked with this first scientific medicine was...

Asking for prayers for my 77 y/o Mother-in-law, who had a stroke Sunday morning. She holds down two part-time jobs for the Church, which she will probably now lose due to her condition and the need for extended rehab.

/begin my excerpts N. Korea's Kim Jong-il, Irascible and Hallucinating(S. Korean Think Tank Head) (Seoul = Yonhap News) Kim Sung-jin = Due to complications from the stroke suffered August last year, N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly 'tends to be irascible and have trouble accepting negative reports,' according to Nam Sung-wook, the director of the Institute for National Security Strategy. He said, "During the first half of this year, Kim Jong-il's health is believe to be stable in general but he shows some idiosyncratic symptoms which are believed to be complications from his stroke." The comments are from excerpts of...

  Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue!         I will continue to forward this every time it comes around! STROKE:Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R.  My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read: STROKE IDENTIFICATION: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics).  She said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new...

SEATTLE — Optimally controlling lipid and blood pressure levels can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 65% in patients at high risk, Dr. Pierre Amarenco reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. The findings are based on a new analysis of data from the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) trial. The results of this trial, as well as the findings of a recent meta-analysis of stroke-prevention trials (Lancet Neurol. 2009;8:453-63), suggest that the risk of stroke falls steadily in direct proportion to declines in the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol...

A stroke victim who has been paralysed for more than two decades can walk again after being injected with Botox. Russell McPhee was a healthy meat worker who played football, cricket and basketball when, at the age of 26, he collapsed suddenly at work. When he woke in hospital he was told he had suffered a stroke and would never walk again. “I felt my life had ended,” he said. “I lost my job, my wife left me, I ended up with nothing.” Today, Mr McPhee, 49, of Gippsland in Victoria, can walk almost unaided for up to 20 metres...

SAN DIEGO — Physicians in rural Georgia are achieving the optimal window for administration of tissue plasminogen activator, tPA, to stroke patients thanks to a telemedicine network spearheaded by the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta. Known as the Georgia REACH Telestroke Network, the setup involves the use of phone consultations, videoconferencing, audio recording, review of images, and other aspects of telemedicine delivered by a neurologist to physicians in rural hospitals who don't have the benefit of a neurologist on staff or on call when a stroke patient presents to the emergency department. “The idea is that you're getting tPA [tissue...

AN ELDERLY stroke patient was left without food or water for 20 hours after delays in her care by the NHS, a report revealed yesterday. The woman was taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Shetland after her feeding tube became blocked. But after delays in getting an ambulance and then discharging her from the hospital, she had been without fluid or nutrition for 20 hours and was becoming dehydrated. Yesterday, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman upheld complaints made by the woman's husband about her treatment. The report said that the patient – known as Mrs C – suffered a...

After her stroke, Francine V. Corso, a software engineer who worked on NASA’s lunar lander, was housebound from 1992 to 2001. Her left arm was twisted up near her neck, making it difficult to pull on a blouse, and her fingers curled so rigidly that her nails buried themselves in her palm. When she finally learned to rise from her wheelchair, her contorted left leg had the so-called horse gait of many brain-injury victims — she stepped toe-downward, and then fought to keep her foot from rolling over. Now, with injections of botulinum toxin every three months, she says, “I’m...

PLease pray for my daughter, Katie, who had a stroke and was rushed by helicopter to Cleveland for surgery. She is in her forties and has two children, one still in grade school. Since we live in different states, the information has been sketchy, but we do know that the stroke was a bad one.

Stroke patients to be treated with tailor-made brain cells. Stem cells will be grafted into the brains of patients during the new trial.ALAMY UK researchers have been given the go-ahead for a clinical trial to assess the use of stem-cell transplants for stroke. Twelve people will take part in the preliminary safety study, the first time that brain-derived stem cells have been used to treat stroke patients.The trial, due to start later this year, will see different doses of cultured human neural stem cells grafted into the brains of patients who have had a stroke — often caused by a...

British scientists have been given permission to treat stroke patients with injections of cells from an aborted baby, it emerged last night. In a world first, stem cells from a 12-week-old foetus will be injected into patients' brains. Experts believe the cells will regenerate areas damaged by strokes and restore movement and mental skills. But anti-abortion groups condemned the trials as 'sick' and said it was barbaric for society to use aborted foetuses this way. A quarter of a million Britons have a severe disability caused by a stroke. Until now there has been no way of repairing the damage...

The goats being raised on a farm in central Massachusetts are genetically engineered to make a human protein in their milk that prevents dangerous blood clots from forming. The company extracts the protein and turns it into a medicine that fights strokes, pulmonary embolisms and other life-threatening conditions. GTC has asked the Food and Drug Administration to OK the drug, called ATryn. An expert panel voted overwhelmingly Friday that it is safe and effective, putting it on the verge of becoming the first drug from a genetically engineered animal to be approved in the U.S. The agency is expected to...

The other day the guys from BaconToday.com contacted me in search for some barbecue bacon recipes. Of course I have plenty of great uses for bacon in a barbecue pit, but the longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to step it up a notch and clog a few arteries for those guys. Behold, BACON EXPLOSION!!! Here’s what you’ll need…2 pounds thick cut bacon 2 pounds Italian sausage 1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce 1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

A 70-year-old Wauwatosa man has been arrested for disorderly conduct after he was seen stroking women's hair and arms at AMC Theater in Mayfair Mall. According to a Wauwatosa Police Department report: A woman told a theater manager that an older man sat down in the seat behind her as she was watching a film at about 5 p.m. on Dec. 22 and soon felt him "caressing" her arms. She thought it was strange he chose to sit there since there were only a few people in the theater and plenty of open seats with better views. The manager told...

New research by a Rice University psychologist clearly identifies the parts of the brain involved in the process of choosing appropriate words during speech. The study, published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help researchers better understand the speech problems that stroke patients experience.

GULFPORT -- With what she says was inspiration from above, Deborah King made her decision when it was clear her 11-year-old son wasn't going to survive the illness that hit him Saturday. King donated her son Cameron Emanuel King's organs, knowing it was what the child, remembered by friends for his generosity, would want. And the move has given hope to other families waiting for organs for their seriously ill children, which Cameron's survivors said comforts them. "The Lord just laid it on my heart," King said. "He was a healthy little boy and he said he always wanted...

/begin my translation Kim Jong-il had Stroke Last Month, Emergency Operation was Considered The health of N. Korean leader Kim Jong-Il (age: 66) deteriorated again, suffering another stroke in late last month, and emergency operation was considered, said Chinese sources who are familiar with N. Korean situations on Nov. 25th. Kim collapsed in August due to a stroke. Survivors who suffer from aftereffect tend to recover, so we suspect that tension ran high at intelligence agency of many countries when Kim suffered the relapse. According to the sources, Kim’s chronic heart condition worsened in last August, requiring urgent hospitalization. After...

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed and lost consciousness while delivering a speech last night, a Justice Department official said. "The attorney general is conscious, conversant, and alert," Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said after doctors admitted Mukasey to George Washington University Hospital for the night.

TOKYO (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il may have had a second stroke in October that has affected his speech, a Japanese news report said Tuesday. US intelligence received information that Kim, 66, had another stroke in late October, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) said on its website, citing an unnamed American intelligence source based in South Korea. According to the information, Kim was receiving treatment at an exclusive Pyongyang hospital for a first stroke he suffered in mid-August, TBS said. "However, he had the second stroke in late October, which caused him difficulty moving his left hand and leg,...

Mystery deepens over Kim Jong Il's 'French doctor' By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Write Thu Oct 30, 1:22 pm ET PARIS – A French brain surgeon with links to North Korea denies he is treating the communist country's ailing leader, Kim Jong Il. Yet Japanese TV filmed what appeared to be neurosurgeon Francois-Xavier Roux boarding a plane for the North Korean capital.

South Korea — South Korean intelligence indicates that ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has suffered a serious setback and has been hospitalized, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The report in the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper cited an unnamed government official in saying intelligence obtained Sunday suggested "a serious problem" with Kim's health. The report did not elaborate.

Johnson & Johnson has paid at least $68.7 million to settle hundreds of lawsuits related to its Ortho Evra birth-control patch, which has been linked to harmful blood clots. The patch exposes women to higher doses of estrogen than ordinary contraceptive pills. Some studies have suggested that increased exposure raises the risk of blood clots, which can lead to strokes or heart attacks. J&J says the patch is safe if used according to its Food and Drug Administration-approved label. According to the wire service: Of 562 complaints reviewed by Bloomberg News, the vast majority of users alleged the patch caused...

'Kim Jong-il Has Slightly Recovered' Tuesday, September 23, 2008 17:54:35 South Korea’s intelligence chief says North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, who reportedly suffered a stroke last month, has recovered somewhat. Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Chul-woo on Tuesday quoted National Intelligence Service Director Kim Sung-ho as saying that the North Korean leader has "slightly recovered." The spy chief made the remarks before the parliamentary intelligence committee. Regarding reports that Pyongyang had asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to remove cameras and seals placed at its main atomic facilities, the intelligence chief said that it is possible but that he cannot...

ADELAIDE, Australia, September 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers within the University of Adelaide's new Centre for Stem Cell Research are aiming by the end of this year to show repair in stroke-damaged brains using stem cells taken from adult teeth. The world-leading research using dental pulp stem cells from extracted human teeth and stroke-affected rat brain tissue will be outlined as part of the launch of the Centre for Stem Cell Research. The focus of the new Centre will be on turning novel basic research into potential life-saving treatments and cures for serious conditions and diseases. The Centre will draw...

Kim Jong-il's Eldest Son 'Leaves N.Korea' Kim Jong-nam (37), the eldest son of North Korea’s apparently ailing leader Kim Jong-il, reportedly left Pyongyang and arrived in Beijing last weekend, it emerged on Tuesday. A South Korean government source said Kim Jong-nam was in Pyongyang to attend celebrations of the country’s 60th anniversary on Sept. 9, and he flew to Beijing by Air Koryo with others, probably last weekend. There is speculation that Kim Jong-il must be on the mend if Jong-nam, a potential candidate to take power in case his father is incapacitated, has left Pyongyang. But a South Korean...

Doctors’ long stay may point to trouble for Kim September 17, 2008 Five Chinese doctors who were summoned to Pyongyang last month to treat North Korea’s bedridden leader Kim Jong-il are still staying in the country, an indication that Kim’s recovery from an apparent stroke may be slower than hoped or that the outcome of last month’s brain surgery may be worse than expected. Either way, the latest revelation is expected to further cloud the uncertain future of the country whose fate is determined by the idolized 66-year-old leader. Meanwhile, Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to defect...

Kim Jong-il Fails to Attend Chuseok Event By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter North Korean leader Kim Jong-il remained out of the public eye Monday, a day after Koreans marked one of their largest traditional holidays, the Yonhap News Agency reported. Japan's Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, meanwhile, said Kim's illness was far more serious than reported and that he was unable to govern the nation, while the Kyodo News Agency reported Kim has difficulty using his arms and legs after suffering a stroke and undergoing surgery performed by Chinese doctors last month. Those reports contrast with the remarks by a South Korean...

â—†Chinese doctors performed surgery on N. Korean leader after stroke BEIJING, Sept. 14 KYODO North Korean leader Kim Jong Il collapsed from a stroke on Aug. 14 and underwent surgery performed with help from five Chinese military doctors dispatched by China at North Korea's request, according to multiple Chinese sources. The sources said that while Kim is recovering from the stroke, he is still experiencing problems in the functioning of his limbs, which is typical with stroke victims. While his affected limbs are expected to recover to almost the way there were before the stroke, that will require a long...

North Korean Leader Under the Microscope By Michael Ha Staff Reporter If North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had a chance to watch South Korean television news over the past couple of days, he might well be surprised at just how thoroughly informed his Southern neighbors are about his health. An average South Korean may very well know a lot more about Kim's health news, including reports on his recent stroke, than the average Pyongyang resident. South Koreans can thank their spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), for that. The agency has been able to provide a highly detailed health...

The government has apparently been forging a completely new policy to prepare for any contingencies in North Korea, an issue that is gaining fresh urgency amid reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s ill health. A senior government official on Thursday said the previous administration maintained a secret plan to prepare for contingencies including regime collapse in Pyongyang. But another senior official said, "The previous administration's plan was aimed at keeping the North Korean system stable rather than preparing for unification. It only envisaged a minimum of administrative measures we could take.” He said the new administration “has been working...

The hermetically sealed regime of North Korea dismissed yesterday the swirling doubts over the health of the Dear Leader as a “worthless conspiracy plot” concocted by the West. In an attempt to scotch speculation that Kim Jong Il had suffered a stroke, as suggested by several intelligence sources yesterday, Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's second-in-command, told reporters that there were “no problems” with his master's health. Without referring to the health issue, the Korean Central News Agency — the propaganda mouthpiece of Pyongyang — even offered proof that the dictator was well, pointing to a birthday telegram he sent to...

/begin my translation Kim Jong-il Experiencing Intermittent Irregular Seizure from Stroke Chinese Intelligence, "Will have long-term effect on his rule" Park Seung-joon, Beijing N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who is said to be recovering from stroke, is experiencing intermittent and irregular seizure, which is why he could not attend the 60th anniversary celebration of N. Korean state's founding on Sept. 9, a reliable diplomatic source on N. Korea in Beijing said on Sept. 11. The source said that a senior Chinese official visited Pyongyang a few days before the anniversary and did meet Kim Jong-il, and he reported (his findings)...

NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-Il had brain surgery after a stroke but is recovering, South Korea's defence minister has told parliament in a private briefing. Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee said no unusual troop movements had been detected in the communist state and South Korea's military was maintaining its customary alert level,

/begin my summary Kim Jong-il's Health Trouble Started in Mid-August...Lost Consciousness at One Point sparse human traffic at his office...medical team visits thought to be treated at Bong-hwa Clinic in Pyongyang Chang Il-hyun and Ahn Yong-hyun His current condition Based on information gathered so far, as of Sept. 10, Kim Jong-il is conscious and can speak, but he is not well enough to go around. He still suffers from some paralysis on his left side of body. He lost consciousness at one point, panicking N. Korean inner circle. Emergency treatment was administered and best medical team attended to him. The...

North Korean Leader Is Very Ill, U.S. Official Says By MARK MAZZETTI and CHOE SANG-HUN WASHINGTON — Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s leader, is seriously ill and is likely to have suffered a stroke weeks ago, American officials said Tuesday, raising the prospect of a chaotic power struggle in nuclear-armed North Korea. Intelligence officials in Washington said that the exact status of Mr. Kim’s health was unclear, but that he failed to attend a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of North Korea and that American intelligence agencies believe that he is now under the care of doctors in...

/begin my translation U.S. Intelligence "Kim Jong-il Recuperating" Washington = Lee Hawon We are told on Sept. 10 that, according to U.S. Intelligene, N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il had trouble with his health recently but is now recuperating. A senior official at U.S. administration reportedly said, "Regarding the allegation of Kim's health trouble, we can tell you that Kim recently had health problems, but is recovering now." U.S. Intelligence is closely monitoring everything related to Kim's health, and analyzing the information on his health trouble via various channels. Another figure at the administration said, "It is highly unusual that Kim...

/begin my excerpt Kim Jong-il Paralyzed ... Still Conscious Had a stroke a few weeks ago... government in all-out efforts to find out the situation N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il had a stroke and are suffering from paralysis, a credible U.S. diplomatic source on N. Korea conveyed on Sept. 9. He said, "Kim had a stroke a few weeks ago and was paralyzed(hemiplegia?) but he is still conscious. It is not clear how alert he is or where he is being treated." /snip /end my excerpt

SEOUL, South Korea - A U.S. intelligence official said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, 66, may have suffered a stroke, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. A U.S. intelligence official said there is reason to believe Kim Jong Il is sick after he failed to show up at a North Korean national celebration on Tuesday. That official and another U.S. source spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive intelligence gathering. Earlier, South Korea's largest daily, the Chosun Ilbo, said Kim collapsed last month, citing a South Korean diplomatic source in Beijing.

Roxanne Taylor (D-Bowie), a Barack Obama Democratic National Committee delegate from the 5th District, suffered a stroke early this morning, WTOP reports. Fellow delegates noticed Taylor not looking well shortly after midnight while at Comptroller Peter Franchot's reception at a downtown Denver bar. They alerted emergency medical personnel who said she was having a stroke. She is currently at the Denver Medical Center, where she is listed in fair condition.

I just received an email from a very dear FRiend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous informing me that her husband had a very serious stroke on Sunday morning and will likely be needing surgery to remove swelling on the brain. This woman is one of the finest FReepers I know, she is a true conservative and a staunch defender of life. She went through cancer surgery herself last year and is now facing this. She and her husband and family need all the prayers we can give them. Thank You All and God Bless

Hispanics With Clogged Arteries At Greatest Risk Of Stroke, Heart Attack, Study Shows ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2008) — Hispanics who have even a small amount of plaque build-up in the neck artery that supplies blood to the brain are up to four times more likely to suffer or die from a stroke or heart attack than Hispanics who do not have plaque, according to a study published in the March 19, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, researchers used ultrasound to determine the thickness of the plaque in the...

Ibuprofen Destroys Aspirin's Positive Effect On Stroke Risk, Study Shows ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2008) — Stroke patients who use ibuprofen for arthritis pain or other conditions while taking aspirin to reduce the risk of a second stroke undermine aspirin's ability to act as an anti-platelet agent, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown. In a cohort of patients seen by physicians at two offices of the Dent Neurologic Institute, 28 patients were identified as taking both aspirin and ibuprofen (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID) daily and all were found to have no anti-platelet effect from their daily aspirin....

Several new studies point to the promise of new ways to treat different types of stroke. The research was presented during a teleconference Friday at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in New Orleans. The first trial found some benefit when tPA, the only approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke, was given outside the usual three-hour treatment window. Patients in this Australian trial who were given tPA three to six hours after having a stroke had increased restoration of blood flow and a smaller area of the brain was deprived of blood. The study was expected to be published...

AP Medical Writer Strokes have tripled in recent years among middle-aged women in the U.S., an alarming trend doctors blame on the obesity epidemic. Nearly 2 percent of women ages 35 to 54 reported suffering a stroke in the most recent federal health survey, from 1999 to 2004. Only about half a percent did in the previous survey, from 1988 to 1994. The percentage is small because most strokes occur in older people. But the sudden spike in middle age and the reasons behind it are ominous, doctors said in research presented Wednesday at a medical conference. It happened even...

Transplanting brain cells produced from human embryonic stem cells helped fix stroke damage in the brains of rats, according to scientists who hope to test the same thing in people within about five years. Researchers have been looking for ways to repair the brain damage from a stroke, which can cause permanent disability. In a study published on Tuesday, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California reported that treatment involving human embryonic stem cells may be a solution. The transplanted cells helped repair the stroke damage and enabled the rats to recover lost function in front legs weakened...

ORLANDO — Vitamin E has finally fulfilled its promise as an antioxidant that can slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. Patients with diabetes who also had the haptoglobin 2–2 genotype and who were treated with 400 IU of vitamin E daily for 18 months had about half the incidence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, compared with patients who received placebo in a study with 1,434 patients that was done in Israel, Dr. Shany Blum reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association. Further analysis showed that the benefit was concentrated in patients with poorly controlled...

Flu doubles risk of heart attack and stroke By Nic Fleming, Medical Correspondent Last Updated: 3:01am GMT 06/12/2007 A bout of flu doubles the immediate risk of having a heart attack or stroke, a groundbreaking study has found. Sufferers are four times more likely to be affected within three days of falling ill with the flu and are at double the risk for up to a week, according to the study of two million people. More than 15 million flu jabs will be given to elderly and vulnerable patients in the next two months Flu dislodges fatty deposits that build...

The identification of a new marker is making it possible to track brain stem cells for the first time, U.S. researchers report. The achievement is already opening doors to new research into depression, early childhood development and multiple sclerosis, the team's senior author said. "This is a way to detect these cells in the brain, so that you can track them in certain conditions where we suspect that these cells play a certain role," explained Dr. Mirjana Maletic-Savatic, an assistant professor of neurology at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. "This is also very applicable for situations where...