STROKE NEWS IN MAY: DIVERSE AND IMPORTANT

May was truly a month of diverse and interesting news about stroke, with stories about the reluctance of emergency physicians to give TPA to stroke patients; the politics of stem cell research and a warning about men with belly fat. But to me, the best news is the introduction of the STOP Stroke Act in the Senate.

Bill in Congress to educate public about stroke

U.S. Senate has introduced a bill to help ensure that stroke -- the nation's No. 3 killer and a leading cause of disability -- is more widely recognized by the public and treated more effectively by healthcare providers. The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of 2005 (STOP Stroke Act), introduced by Senators Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., will help educate the public about the risks and symptoms of stroke and will provide critical resources for states to help ensure that stroke patients receive optimal care.

http://press.arrivenet.com/pol/article.php/640693.html

40% of ER docs reluctant to give tPA to drug patients

This is something I am familiar with since I was given tPA when I had my first stroke. It saved my life and my functioning. In fact, I was interviewed in May for video that will promote the drug to hospitals and others in the healthcare community. The National Stroke Association, and Genentech, the drug’s manufacturer, are sponsoring the video. Unfortunately, according to the news story, 40 percent of emergency physicians say they're unlikely to give stroke patients the only FDA-approved drug shown to improve their prognosis, even in an ideal setting, mostly because of the fear of causing brain bleeding. But the majority of the doctors surveyed said that if they had appropriate backup from neurologists and a brain scanner available to help them diagnose and treat appropriate patients, they'd give the drug, called tPA. And if the risk of bleeding associated with tPA could be reduced, more physicians said they'd use it.

http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=237147&categoryid=40

Congress to vote on stem cell research – Bush will veto

With Republican leaders preparing to allow a vote next week on a bill that would roll back President Bush's policy on human embryonic stem cell research, the President said today he would veto such legislation if it came to his desk.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-052005stem_lat,0,4680960.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

New experiments in stem cell research in South Korea

South Korean scientists have surmounted a key hurdle in stem cell research, reporting Thursday that they have produced 11 human embryo clones of injured or sick patients and have harvested individualized stem cells - a template for creating therapeutic cells for anyone. The experiment involved both male and female patients ranging in age from 2 to 56 and produced stem cells much more efficiently than before, validating the technology's medical feasibility. The findings were reported by the same team that produced the first human embryo clones last year. If the process can be replicated in other labs, scientists said, they could create individualized lines of stem cells to produce tissues suitable for transplants without running the risk of rejection. Patient-specific lines of embryonic stem cells could be created to produce new heart muscle to repair the damage from a heart attack, for instance, or fresh brain tissue to treat stroke victims.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050520/1069184.asp

Fat men beware of belly fat – greater stroke risk

Men who carry most of their fat in the belt area may be at increased risk of suffering a fatal stroke, new research suggests. Excess weight and obesity are established risk factors for heart disease and stroke, but the new study adds to evidence that the location of the extra pounds may be a key factor. The study, which followed more than 9,100 Israeli men for 23 years, found that those who carried their excess fat mainly around the middle were at greater risk of dying from a stroke than those with more evenly distributed fat stores. The effect of abdominal fat on stroke risk was seen regardless of a man's body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight that takes a person's height into account.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-05-10T151323Z_01_B372455_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-FAT-STROKE-DC.XML