A Bigger Heartbreak than stroke? Try the combo of stroke and Katrina...

Stroke is usually a heartbreaker, but there has been no heartbreaker like that vixen, Hurricane Katrina. So, you stokers out there, believe it or not, things could always be worse. I hope that if any of you were caught up in that turmoil, you are now getting some relief and see a glimmer of hope. If you can even receive this newsletter, you must be in a half-decent position. The first article this month addresses the evacuation of the flood victims--in particular, a disabled stroke survivor who is at a loss for what to do next in his life. And, more heartbreak: in Canada at least one child every day has a stroke, which is often misdiagnosed as a migraine or seizures. Finally, obesity and binge drinking, not known for their positive effects on our health, increase the chance of vascular disease and stroke--Duh, what’s new?

On the brighter side, stroke victims in rural areas of Georgia are getting a break with a new network that allows physicians real-time consultation with stroke experts at the Medical College of Georgia. And, there is now a new drug being tested to prevent brain damage in stroke victims by controlling blood vessel dilation.

So, read on. September was an interesting month for stroke-related news.

Feds plan temporary cities for evacuees

Marion Orsini, 75, moved into an air-conditioned trailer last week at the end of a dirt road in remote Patterson. Orsini, who has no family and is disabled from a stroke six years ago, doesn't know what happened to his former neighbors, his car is flooded and he doesn't know when - or if - he can go home.

He feels isolated in the trailer, which is located 90 miles southwest of his former New Orleans home. He has no way to get to the store and relies on another evacuee for food and supplies.

"I'm at the end of my life and I never knew I'd be relying on someone like this," said Orsini, holding back tears. "When I wanted something, I'd go out and get it."

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/12660705.htm

Internet helps speed stroke therapy in rural areas

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An internet-based network that allows doctors in rural hospitals to consult a stroke expert in real-time can hasten the delivery of clot-busting drugs to treat stroke patients, new research indicates. With the network, known as REACH, doctors at eight rural hospitals in Georgia were able to immediately consult a stroke expert at the Medical

College of Georgia (MCG). The system, which incorporates a video feed, allows the consultant to examine the patient and view the CT scan and then decide if treatment with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is needed. A previous report has shown that stroke care at rural hospitals often does not follow published guidelines and that tPA is used infrequently.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-09-22T185633Z_01_EIC268112_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-INTERNET-STROKE-DC.XML

MCW Research Foundation licenses invention for stroke treatment

A new drug to prevent brain damage in stroke victims was licensed by the Medical College of Wisconsin Research Foundation to Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The new treatment was co-developed in the laboratories of Richard Roman, Ph.D., and David R Harder, professors of physiology at the Medical College, in cooperation with Taisho scientists. The Research Foundation awarded Taisho exclusive, worldwide rights to further develop and commercialize the drug. Dr. Roman, director of the Medical College's Kidney Center and a member of its Cardiovascular Research Center, and Taisho scientists have been working together testing the new drug for its effect on brain tissue protection shortly after a stroke. The drug helps control blood vessel dilation, which can result in saving brain tissue from damage. Taisho has collaborated with Dr. Roman and funded research in his laboratory toward this end.

"The drug will now enter the path toward approval for use in humans by the FDA," explains William Hendee, Ph.D., president of the College's Research Foundation.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/mcow-mrf092305.php

Children and stroke

At least one child every day in Canada suffers a stroke", reports the Vancouver Sun Newspaper. Neurologist, Gabrielle Devebeh director of the Canadian Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry says that child stroke victims must receive immediate treatment, or they will have "bigger strokes and more neurological damage." According to the newspaper, "clot-busters must be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke." But childhood strokes "are often misdiagnosed as seizures or migraines." The paper notes that symptoms indicating stroke "include numbness or weakness, particularly on one side of the body, confusion, impaired speech, loss of vision, dizziness and sudden, severe headache." Youthful strokes can be triggered by certain treatment for heart disease and cancer, and some experts suspect that "child obesity and diets high in fats may also be risk factors."

http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=09/25/2005&qrTitle=Children%20
and%20stroke&qrColumn=KALEIDOSCOPE

Binge Drinking Can Increase Chance of Stroke

Having too many cocktails could not only give you a headache, it could also increase your risk for having a stroke. A new study finds men who consumed five drinks a day had a 45 percent higher risk of atrial fibrillation, that's a type of irregular heartbeat that could increase the risk of stroke

http://www.ksdk.com/news/health_article.aspx?storyid=84621

First link found between obesity, inflammation and vascular disease

Description: Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have found that human fat cells produce a protein that is linked to both inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/uoth-flf091605.php