Ischemic stroke tagged posts

A team of scientists identified a molecule that may reduce stroke-induced brain damage. Credit: Image courtesy of the NINDS

Multi-step screening process leads to molecule that may protect brain cells. In the fight against brain damage caused by stroke, researchers have turned to an unlikely source of inspiration: hibernating ground squirrels. While the animals’ brains experience dramatically reduced blood flow during hibernation, just like human patients after a certain type of stroke, the squirrels emerge from their extended naps suffering no ill effects. Now a potential drug could grant the same resilience to the brains of ischemic stroke patients by mimicking the cellular changes that protect the brains of those animals.

“For decades scientists have been searching for an effective brain...

Solitaire is one of two approved stent retrievers used to treat some strokes.

“Stent retrievers are a major advance in acute ischemic stroke care and will have significant impact on the evolution of stroke systems of care,” according to Loyola Medicine neurologists Rick Gill, MD and Prof. Michael J. Schneck, MD.

87% of strokes are ischemic, ie caused by clots that block blood flow to a portion of the brain. In selected patients, stent retrievers can be used to remove such clots. Loyola used stent retrievers on 34 patients in 2015, and 21 patients during the first six months of 2016.

A stent retriever is a self-expanding mesh tube attached to a wire, which is guided through a catheter...

Highlights • Genetic loss of PHD1 provides substantial protection against brain ischemic injury • PHD1 loss reprograms glucose metabolism without vascular changes • Increased oxPPP flux, at the expense of glycolysis, enhances redox balance in neurons • Intracerebroventricular delivery of anti-PHD1 oligos protects against stroke

Despite (minor) improvements in stroke treatment, stroke remains the 4th leading cause of death and the most common reason of severe disability. Research led by Prof. Peter Carmeliet and Dr. Annelies Quaegebeur (VIB/KU Leuven) indicates inhibition of PHD1 offers protection against stroke, via an unexpected mechanism, raising hope for future stroke treatment.

Brain cells rely on oxygen and glucose to generate energy, necessary to function normally...