Botox jab may aid recovery in stroke survivors

PTI | Jan 9, 2013, 07.06 AM IST
READ MORE Neuroscience Research Australia|Botox
MELBOURNE: Injecting botox into the arm muscles of stroke survivors may aid their long-term recovery, according to new research.
Researchers at Neuroscience Research Australia found that when botox is injected into the arm muscles of stroke survivors, with severe spasticity, it changes electrical activity in the brain which assists in long-term recovery.
Researchers monitored nerve activity in the arms and brains of stroke survivors before and after botulinum toxin (botox) injections in rigid and stiff muscles in the arm.
They found that botox indeed improved arm muscles, but also altered brain activity in the cortex. "Botulinum toxin is used to treat a range of muscular and neurological conditions and shows that this treatment results in electrical and functional changes within brain itself," said William Huynh, lead author.
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New drug can help paralyzed people walk again

PTI | Jan 9, 2013, 01.23 PM IST
READ MORE the rest|Placebo|Ohio State University|Frank|Axon
LONDON: Scientists have developed a pill which they claim could help paralyzed people walk again.

The new drug allowed mice with no movement in their lower limbs to walk with 'well-coordinated steps' and even to replicate swimming motions, researchers said.

The experimental drug, called LM11A-31, was developed by Professor Frank Longo, of Stanford University, California.

The researchers gave three different oral doses of LM11A-31, as well as a placebo, to different groups of mice beginning four hours after injury and then twice daily for a 42 day experimental period, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

In tests, the experimental medication did not increase pain in the mice and showed no toxic effects on the animals.

It also efficiently crossed the blood brain barrier, which protects the central nervous system from potentially harmful chemicals carried around in the rest of the bloodstream.

An injury to the spinal cord stops the brain controlling the body and this is the first time an oral drug has been shown to provide an effective therapy.

"This is a first to have a drug that can be taken orally to produce functional improvement with no toxicity in a rodent model," Professor Sung Ok Yoon, of Ohio State University, Columbus, said.

"So far, in the spinal cord injury field with rodent models, effective treatments have included more than one therapy, often involving invasive means. Here, with a single agent, we were able to obtain functional improvement," Yoon said.

The small molecule in the study was tested for its ability to prevent the death of cells called oligodendrocytes.

These cells surround and protect axons, long projections of a nerve cell, by wrapping them in a myelin sheath that protect the fibres.

In addition to functioning as axon insulation, myelin allows for the rapid transmission of signals between nerve cells.

The drug preserved oligodendrocytes by inhibiting the activation of a protein called p75. Yoon's lab previously found p75 is linked to the death of these specialised cells after a spinal cord injury. When they die, axons that are supported by them degenerate.

"Because we know oligodendrocytes continue to die for a long period of time after an injury, we took the approach that if we could put a brake on that cell death, we could prevent continued degeneration of axons," she said.

The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
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Tomato pill could ward off heart attacks, stroke

IANS | Jan 7, 2013, 09.01 PM IST
READ MORE Tomato pill|capsule derived from lycopene|Cambridge University study|American Heart Association
Tomato pill could ward off heart attacks, stroke
'Tomato skin' pill could help cut stroke risks and slow down cancer.
LONDON: A capsule derived from lycopene, which gives tomato its distinctive red colour, could ward off strokes and heart attacks, says a Cambridge University study.

The study found that taking the capsule boosted blood flow and improved the lining of vessels in patients with pre-existing heart conditions. It also increased the flexibility of their arteries by 50 percent.

Researchers believe it could limit the damage caused by heart disease and help cut drastically deaths from strokes.

Each pill provides the equivalent of eating nearly three kg of ripe tomatoes, daily. They also hope it could benefit those with arthritis, diabetes and even slow the progress of cancer, the Daily Mail reports.

Ian Wilkinson of Cambridge University's clinical trials unit said: "These results are potentially very significant, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes."

Preliminary results from a two-month trial, in which the pill was given to 36 heart disease patients and 36 healthy volunteers with an average age of 67, showed that it improved the function of the endothelium -- the layer of cells lining blood vessels.

It also boosted their sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas which triggers the dilation of the arteries in response to exercise.

Studies have shown that eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in tomatoes, fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil can significantly reduce cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

The findings were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.
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