(Press-News.org) A new drug that showed promise in animal studies and an early clinical trial didn't improve disability among stroke patients, according to late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.
After a stroke and other types of brain damage, the brain naturally produces more granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). The protein can prevent further cell injury by protecting nerve cells and boosting blood vessel growth.
The new drug, AX200, is a manufactured form of G-CSF.
Ninety days after treatment, patients receiving AX200 or a placebo both scored a three on the 0-6 modified Rankin scale, a common test for stroke-related disability.
In a secondary analysis, also at day 90, researchers assessed patients with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The difference between the drug and placebo was less than half a point (8.88 on AX200 vs. 8.45 on placebo), which was statistically insignificant.
"These top line results are disappointing and unexpected to us because AX200 showed signs of efficacy in a previous clinical trial with a limited number of patients, as well as in numerous animal studies," said Bernd Ringelstein, M.D., lead author of the study and Professor of Neurology at the University of Münster, Germany.
"At this time, we cannot speculate about their implications, but our current conclusion is that we were not able to show efficacy for AX200 as a treatment for acute ischemic stroke. We will have to analyze the complete data set in order to fully understand these results."
The study was conducted between August 2009 and November 2011 on 328 patients at 78 stroke treatment centers in eight European countries. The average age of the patients was 69 years and 52 percent were male.
Continuous intravenous infusion of AX200 began within nine hours of first symptoms and lasted for three days. Neither patients nor researchers knew which participants randomly received the drug or placebo.
In the United States, stroke is the No. 4 killer and a primary cause of long-term disability among adults. The most common type, ischemic stroke, is caused by a blocked blood vessel to the brain.
Stroke warning signs are:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If any of the symptoms occur, call 9-1-1 immediately, the American Stroke Association advises.
### Co-authors are Vincent Thjis, M.D., Ph.D.; Angel Chamorro, M.D.; Martin Grond, M.D., Ph.D.; Jeffrey Saver, M.D.; Bo Norrving, M.D.; and Franz Aichner, M.D.
Author disclosures are on the abstract.
SYGNIS Bioscience funded the study.
Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
NR12-1024 (ISC 2012/Ringelstein)
(Note: Actual presentation is 12:24 p.m. CT, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012.)
Additional resources:
All downloadable video/audio interviews, B-roll, animation and images related to this news release are located on the right column of the release link located at http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/_prv-clopidogrel-with-aspirin-doesn-228204.aspx
General ISC video and ISC photos available at http://www.newsroom.heart.org/ISC12-Video or http://www.newsroom.heart.org/ISC12-Photos.
Follow news from ASA International Stroke Conference 2012 via Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/heartnews. Follow #ASANews12.
The great majority of geriatric patients in a German rehabilitation hospital were found to have vitamin D deficiency. Stefan Schilling presents his study results in this week's issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012; 109[3]: 33-8).
In order to establish the vitamin D status in geriatric patients in Germany, the researchers measured 25-OH vitamin D in 1578 patients in the geriatric rehabilitation hospital in Trier after they had been examined on admission.
Insufficiently high concentrations were found in 89% of patients, and 67% had severe ...
An innovative approach to genome screening has provided clues about rare mutations that may make people susceptible to brain aneurysms, predisposing them to brain bleeds, according to preliminary late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.
For the first time, scientists applied a process called whole exome sequencing to seek gene mutations in families in which multiple relatives have intracranial aneurysms, a condition in which weakened, ballooned-out areas in arteries of the brain can rupture and cause a ...
In the largest and longest head-to-head comparison of two anti-clotting medications, warfarin and aspirin were similar in preventing deaths and strokes in heart failure patients with normal heart rhythm, according to late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.
"Although there was a warfarin benefit for patients treated for four or more years, overall, warfarin and aspirin were similar," said Shunichi Homma, M.D., lead author of the study and the Margaret Milliken Hatch Professor of Medicine at Columbia University ...
Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) are part of an international team that has pooled their radio observations into a database, producing the highest precision map to date of the magnetic field within our own Milky Way galaxy.
The team, led by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), used the database they created and were able to apply information theory techniques to produce the map, explains NRL's Dr. Tracy Clarke, a member of the research team. "The key to applying these new techniques is that this project brings together over 30 researchers ...
Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction—say, doing a puzzle—relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests they do. When applying a placebo, scientists see activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. That's the part of the brain that controls high-level cognitive functions like working memory and attention—which is what you use to do that distracting puzzle.
Now a new study challenges the theory that the placebo effect is a high-level cognitive function. The authors—Jason T. Buhle, ...
Refugee children have scant access to medical care and are particularly vulnerable to disease. Fresh research results from the University of Copenhagen show that just a few hours of schooling a week may have a pronounced positive impact on their health not only in childhood but later in life when they achieve adulthood.
"There is an unambiguous link between health and schooling among refugee groups as they flee," says external Associate Professor Tania Dræbel, PhD from the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, where she works as an expert in health among ...
People who suffer a traumatic experience often don't talk about it, and many forget it over time. But not talking about something doesn't always mean you'll forget it; if you try to force yourself not to think about white bears, soon you'll be imagining polar bears doing the polka. A group of psychological scientists explore the relationship between silence and memories in a new paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
"There's this idea, with silence, that if we don't talk about something, it starts ...
Jim Black is fighting the meanest, most aggressive, most common kind of brain tumor in the United States: recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In the United States, each year, approximately 10,000 patients are affected by GBM. Now, a novel investigational device – available only at clinical trial sites – is offering new hope to these patients.
The non-invasive procedure – called Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) – is delivered using a portable device – called the NovoTTF-100A System made by Novocure. The TTF procedure uses alternating electrical fields to disrupt the ...
BinDataSet, an BIN database service provider, has released the largest BIN database on the Internet. The database contains over 350,000 records.
What is BIN?
BIN stands for Bank Identification Numbers. It is a database that contains credit and debit card numbers. On top of that, the database also provides additional information such as Country, Brand, and Bank. Most BIN databases provide only card type and brand. BinDataSet ensures that more fields are available for higher accuracy.
Why is there a need for BIN databases?
The Internet is growing at an amazing ...
An experimental device for removing blood clots in stroke patients dramatically outperformed the standard mechanical treatment, according to research presented by UCLA Stroke Center director Dr. Jeffrey L. Saver at the American Stroke Association's 2012 international conference in New Orleans on Feb. 3.
The SOLITAIRE Flow Restoration Device is among an entirely new generation of devices designed to remove blood clots from blocked brain arteries in patients experiencing stroke. It has a self-expanding, stent-like design and, once inserted into a clot using a thin catheter ...
