Stroke Newsfeed Review

Stroke Article Newsfeed

Reviewed by Jean Kirshenbaum

The news about stroke last month was wide ranging. But lately, with the Olympics going on in Athens, our news screening service has been picking up a lot of news stories about the strokes of swimmers and rowers. Not exactly our kind of stroke.

But, on a more serious note, there are some interesting news items that have come up. For example, there is additional news about cell implants to improve functioning:

Stem Cell Research

“Brain cells taken from fetuses may be able to replace some of those killed in a stroke, United States researchers have reported. Implanting the brain cells in rats showed that the immature brain cells found their way to the area of stroke damage and stayed alive - an important feat, because the damage caused by stroke often kills off neighboring cells, too. The cells may also offer a way to treat devastating brain diseases and spinal cord injuries, the team at Stanford University in California said. "It's the first time it's been shown that such a human cell can survive, migrate and differentiate in a stroke environment, which is not the most favorable environment," said neurosurgeon Gary Steinberg, who led the study. Dr Steinberg's team used cells that were originally taken for aborted fetuses years ago and that have been growing in laboratories run by Palo Alto-based Stem Cells Incorporated.

The brain cells "are not embryonic stem cells," Dr Steinberg said, referring to controversial cells taken from days-old human embryos. "They are from a line established many years ago and should not be as controversial." Stem cells are immature cells that have the potential to give rise to any number of different kinds of cells and tissues. There are various sources, from the bone marrow to fetal tissue to embryos. Use of embryonic cells results in controversy, because of philosophical differences over the nature and beginning of life. Dr Steinberg's team tested the fetal brain cells in rats given an artificial stroke. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, they said the cells lived for as long as a month in the rats and also found their way to the site of the stroke. "These are smart cells," Dr Steinberg said. "Why do these cells migrate towards the stroke? We think and have some preliminary evidence that it is due to chemicals or chemokines being released in the stroke area."

Chemokines are chemical signals released by cells - a kind of molecular call for help in this case. Now his team is evaluating the rats to see if the cells did them any good. Stroke can cause paralysis, loss of language and other problems in people. Dr Steinberg said it is not yet clear whether immune-suppressing drugs such as cyclosporin would have to be used to prevent the body from rejecting the cells. The rats were given the drug. Next Dr Steinberg says his team plans to use the cells in human experimental trials for a "devastating brain disease", but said he could give no details. -- Reuters Print Email Brain cells taken from fetuses may be able to replace some of those killed in a stroke United States researchers have reported Implanting the brain cells in rats showed that the immature. Read the article at http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200407/s1163295.htm

Fish Consumption

Now about food and diet. Several studies indicate that fish consumption reduces the chances of having a stroke. In fact, the findings suggest that the incidence of ischemic stroke might be significantly reduced by consuming fish as seldom as 1 to 3 times per month. The article URL is

http://www.heartcenteronline.com/myheartdr/home/research-detail.cfm?reutersid=4560

Western Diet
And, not surprisingly, our diet generally is recognized as a stroke risk, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found two dietary patterns in the group of nearly 72,000 nurses, which they terms 'prudent' and 'Western'. The prudent diet comprises higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, fish, legumes and whole grains. The Western diet is focused more on red and processed meat, refined grains, sweets and desserts. Those with the highest Western diet score had a 58 per cent higher stroke risk than those with the lowest score.

Those with the highest prudent diet score had a 22 per cent lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest score (but the researchers find this result not to be statistically significant). Women on the Western diet with high blood pressure were also three times more likely to have a stroke than those who ate the Western diet but did not have high blood pressure. These results are quite likely to apply to men. A shift towards the prudent diet and away from the Western diet could, therefore, cut the risk of having a stroke.” See the article at http://www.healthandage.com/Home/gm=1!gid1=5996.

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