PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Liver disease a possible predictor of stroke: Study

2011-01-08
(Press-News.org) TORONTO, Ont., January 7, 2011 — People suffering from fatty liver disease may be three times more likely to suffer a stroke than individuals without fatty liver, according to a study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the London Health Sciences Centre. The study is the first to find a link between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease — a disease characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver in non drinkers — and stroke.

In a research letter to the editor in the journal Epidemiology released Thursday, Drs. Joel Ray, Ivan Ying and colleagues explain they found high levels of enzymes known to be markers of liver disease in adults who had an acute stroke. Between 2005 and 2009, they reviewed 103 consecutive adults who had an MRI-proven acute stroke between 2005 and 2009 and compared them to 200 adults with suspected acute stroke, but whose MRI was normal, thereby ruling out acute stroke.

"The risk of stroke in relation to fatty liver disease has never been tested," Dr. Ray says. "Our study shows a strong link between the two and the possibility in future that currently available blood liver enzyme tests, or novel markers of fatty liver, may be used to predict the risk of stroke and help us better care for and treat at risk patients."

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a common condition that often has no symptoms or complications. Risk factors include obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and, especially, insulin resistance.

While the findings are promising, additional research is needed to validate the study's findings, Dr. Ray said.

###

About St. Michael's

St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who walk through its doors. The Hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, and care of the homeless are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research at St. Michael's Hospital is recognized and put into practice around the world. Founded in 1892, the Hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

More than 3,000 survivors of the WTC attacks experience long-term post-traumatic stress disorder

2011-01-08
January 6, 2010 -- Nearly 10 years after the greatest human-made disaster in U.S. history-- the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers -- there has been little research documenting the attacks' consequences among those most directly affected -- the survivors who escaped the World Trade Center towers. In a study just released by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR), researchers found that of the ...

Grape ingredient resveratrol increases beneficial fat hormone

2011-01-08
SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 7, 2011) — Resveratrol, a compound in grapes, displays antioxidant and other positive properties. In a study published this week, researchers at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio describe a novel way in which resveratrol exerts these beneficial health effects. Resveratrol stimulates the expression of adiponectin, a hormone derived from cells that manufacture and store fat, the team found. Adiponectin has a wide range of beneficial effects on obesity-related medical complications, said senior author Feng Liu, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and ...

Scientists shed light on what causes brain cell death in Parkinson's patients

2011-01-08
SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 7, 2011) — Just 5 percent of Parkinson's disease cases can be explained by genetic mutation, while the rest have no known cause. But a new discovery by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio may begin to explain why the vast majority of Parkinson's patients develop the progressive neurodegenerative disease. This week in the Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers demystified a process that leads to the death of brain cells – or neurons – in Parkinson's patients. When researchers blocked the process, the neurons survived. The ...

MicroRNA-TP53 circuit connected to chronic lymphocytic leukemia

2011-01-08
HOUSTON - The interplay between a major tumor-suppressing gene, a truncated chromosome and two sets of microRNAs provides a molecular basis for explaining the less aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, an international team of researchers reports today in the Jan. 4 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Our findings could reveal new mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy among leukemia patients as this feedback mechanism could help us differentiate between patients with poor or good prognosis," said co-senior author George Adrian Calin, ...

Study shows promise for new drug to treat Fragile X

2011-01-08
The first drug to treat the underlying disorder instead of the symptoms of Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, shows some promise according to a new study published in the January 5 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Researchers from Rush University Medical Center helped design the study and are now participating in the larger follow-up clinical trial. The data from the early trial of 30 Fragile X patients, found the drug, called AFQ056, made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, helped improve symptoms in some patients. Patients who had ...

Blame the 'chaperone'

2011-01-08
A Jackson Laboratory research team led by Professor Patsy Nishina, Ph.D., has identified a mutation in a gene that's essential for correct protein-processing in cells. Defects in protein folding are associated with a variety of abnormalities and diseases. Cells don't come prefabricated, with pieces plunked down and tacked together like modular homes offloaded from trucks. The structural proteins that give cells shape, tubulin and actin (think beams and girders), are themselves subject to essential processing before they become part of the assembly. Proteins must be folded ...

Link between signaling molecules could point way to therapies for epilepsy, stroke, other diseases

2011-01-08
SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 7, 2010) — In the Old West, camps sent smoke signals across distances to share key developments or strategy. Likewise, two important signaling molecules communicate across nerve cells to regulate electrical and chemical activity, neuroscientists from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reported today. The findings in rodent models have implications for potential future treatment of epilepsy, stroke and other problems, the researchers said. "We now have novel targets for therapeutic intervention for a range of neurological and cardiovascular diseases, ...

Prof. Erantha De Mel Receives The US President's Service Award

2011-01-08
Sri-Lankan born Psychologist / Cognitive Neuroscientist Prof. Erantha De Mel received the President's Call to Service Award at a ceremony held in Washington DC recently. This distinguished service award by President Barack Obama was presented to him for his outstanding services to the American community in the fields of Psychology and Psychotherapy. This lifetime achievement award was established in 2003 after President George W. Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. It is given annually to individuals who have dedicated over 4,000 ...

GridBuddy: an award-winning cloud application for the Force.com platform

2011-01-08
Salesforce.com announced that AppBuddy's new application GridBuddy was recognized as one of the top 4 installed applications in the 'Hack into Dreamforce' contest. Awards were given to applications with the highest number of customer AppExchange software installs between 9/20/10 and 11/30/10 leading up to the annual Dreamforce conference. GridBuddy is a 100% native Force.com application that allows users to edit multiple related Salesforce objects using an Excel-like view. GridBuddy has a clean, simple-to-use interface for users to view one parent object with multiple ...

Start Your New Year With A Kick, Women Self-Defense Lessons

2011-01-08
In recent years, programs geared to women only have began to take popularity. From fitness kickboxing classes, boot camps, and women fitness clubs -- women only programs have taken off like a grand slam in baseball. Starting on February 7th, 2011, local martial arts and fitness school owner and instructor, Javier Lozano, Jr. will be teaching a series of 8 Week Women Self-Defense Courses throughout the year. These 8 week courses are designed to teach women the basic fundamentals of empty-hand self-defense by using effective strikes, kicks, and blocks to fend ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Unlocking the mysteries of the human gut

High-quality nanodiamonds for bioimaging and quantum sensing applications

New clinical practice guideline on the process for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of cognitive impairment or dementia

Evolution of fast-growing fish-eating herring in the Baltic Sea

Cryptographic protocol enables secure data sharing in the floating wind energy sector

Can drinking coffee or tea help prevent head and neck cancer?

Development of a global innovative drug in eye drop form for treating dry age-related macular degeneration

Scientists unlock secrets behind flowering of the king of fruits

Texas A&M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Prosthetic material could help reduce infections from intravenous catheters

Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can

Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact

Rice researchers take ‘significant leap forward’ with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer

Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp

How everyday activities inside your home can generate energy

Inequality weakens local governance and public satisfaction, study finds

Uncovering key molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

UC Davis researchers help decode the cause of aggressive breast cancer in women of color

Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus

SNU researchers develop the world’s most sensitive flexible strain sensor

Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication

Neutrality has played a pivotal, but under-examined, role in international relations, new research shows

Study reveals right whales live 130 years — or more

Researchers reveal how human eyelashes promote water drainage

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

DFG to fund eight new research units

Modern AI systems have achieved Turing's vision, but not exactly how he hoped

Quantum walk computing unlocks new potential in quantum science and technology

Construction materials and household items are a part of a long-term carbon sink called the “technosphere”

First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables

[Press-News.org] Liver disease a possible predictor of stroke: Study