The role of HIFs in ischemia-reperfusion injury

What is your doctor doing to prevent the damage occurring  after the clot is blown out and the blood comes rushing back in? ANYTHING AT ALL?
http://www.dovepress.com/articles.php?article_id=17775

Authors Howell NJ, Tennant DA
Published Date July 2014 Volume 2014:2 Pages 107—115
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/HP.S49720
Received 22 March 2014, Accepted 21 May 2014, Published 30 July 2014

Neil J Howell,¹ Daniel A Tennant<sup>2

1</sup>Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK; ²College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

Abstract: The reduction or cessation of the blood supply to an organ results in tissue ischemia. Ischemia can cause significant tissue damage, and is observed as a result of a thrombosis, as part of a disease process, and during surgery. However, the restoration of the blood supply often causes more damage to the tissue than the ischemic episode itself. Research is therefore focused on identifying the cellular pathways involved in the protection of organs from the damage incurred by this process of ischemia reperfusion (I/R). The hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are a family of heterodimeric transcription factors that are stabilized during ischemia. The genes that are expressed downstream of HIF activity enhance oxygen-independent ATP generation, cell survival, and angiogenesis, amongst other phenotypes. They are, therefore, important factors in the protection of tissues from I/R injury. Interestingly, a number of the mechanisms already known to induce organ protection against I/R injury, including preconditioning, postconditioning, and activation of signaling pathways such as adenosine receptor signaling, converge on the HIF system. This review describes the evidence for HIFs playing a role in I/R protection mediated by these factors, highlights areas that require further study, and discuss whether HIFs themselves are good therapeutic targets for protecting tissues from I/R injury.

CardioBuzz: 'Lifestyle Medicine'

The be all and end all of doctor uselessness. 'Blame the patient', 'You didn't live the correct lifestyle so if you got a stroke or heart attack, it is all your fault'. 'We as doctors have no need to come up with any interventions to help you recover from these self-inflicted diseases.'
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/47018
That is my understanding of what this is trying to say, I'm sure your doctors is totally different.

New Study Finds Running For 20 Minutes Each Day Could Add Years Of Soreness To Life

Ask your doctor if it is better to believe The Onion or the research of the 5 minute daily run.
New Study Finds Running For 20 Minutes Each Day Could Add Years Of Soreness To Life
“Even subjects who jog just five to 10 minutes a day are likely to see an appreciable increase in the amount of time they live with radiating hip pain and throbbing in their knees.

Running Just 5 Minutes a Day Can Help You Live Longer

Soreness or extra life?

Concussion Coach By US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

iTunes app. I'll have to look at it to see if any of this is decent at all and applicable to stroke/TBI/TIA.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/concussion-coach/id713590872?mt=8

Description

Concussion Coach was designed for Veterans, Service members, and other individuals who experience physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that may be related to mild to moderate traumatic brain injury. This app provides users with information about concussion, a self-assessment instrument for symptoms and their severity, tools to help users build resilience and manage symptoms, and recommendations for community-based resources and support. Users can customize tools based on their references and can integrate their own contacts, photos, and music. This app can be used by itself, but it may be more effective in combination with treatment by a healthcare professional. Concussion Coach was created by VA’s Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services, the National Center for PTSD and DoD’s National Center for Telehealth & Technology.

Upper Neck Manipulation: Caveats for Patients and Providers

But this is from France so of course the US will never listen to the recommendations.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/upper-neck-manipulation-caveats-for-patients-and-providers/?utm_source=rss

Development of flexible μECoG electrode arrays for chronic use in brain cavities

And maybe with this our researchers could listen in on neuron signalling and figure out precisely how neuroplasticity works. Why would a neuron give up its current job and switch careers to a neighboring neuron?
https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/457677

Authors:	Ceyssens, Frederik van Kuyck, Kris Deprez, Marjolijn Nica, Ioana Gabriela Aerts, Jean-Marie Nuttin, Bart Puers, Bob
Issue Date:	Jun-2014
Conference:	Neural Interfacing Conference location:Dallas date:June 2014
Abstract:	Ultra-flexible thin film microelectrode arrays were designed, fabricated and tested in vitro and in vivo, aiming at μEcoG and neurostimulation applications in the wall of brain cavities arising after e.g. hemorrhage or tumor resection. In order to conform to cavity walls and to minimize irritation, the arrays were designed in a tree or web shape for high bendability over a 5 mm radius sphere. Compared to an unpatterned sheet, the required bending energy per area was reduced by 95%. The very low total thickness of 7 μm further adds to the bendability. The arrays carry 100 μm and 350 μm diameter electrodes, for a charge injection capacity of 75 μC/phase/cm2 for Pt and 2000 μC/phase/cm2 for sputtered IrOx. Fabrication was done using lithographic techniques. The arrays consist of a polyimide-Pt-polyimide structure. An improved fabrication process was designed in order to enhance insulation lifetime in a saline environment. In accelerated aging tests at 87 degrees C, this process has been shown to improve lifetime by a factor 7.4 comparing to the state of the art. Similar lifetime tests were done to select the connector's underfill isolation. Finally, in vivo tests in freely moving rats have shown satisfying operation of the implants in neural recording and stimulation over a period of at least 3 months.

The architecture of the chess player׳s brain

What stroke protocol does your doctor have for high-functioning brains like this? If they truly believe in 'All strokes are different, all stroke recoveries are different', then they have to create unique stroke protocols for every person. Ask for examples from the last 200 patients.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393214002395

• Jürgen Hänggi^{a, ,} ,
• Karin Brütsch^{a, b,} ,
• Adrian M. Siegel^c, ,
• Lutz Jäncke^{a, d, e, f, g, ,}

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DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.07.019

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---

Highlights

•

Reduced grey matter volume in the occipito-temporal junction in chess players.

•

Reduced cortical thickness in the occipito-temporal junction in chess players.

•

Negative correlation between caudate nucleus volume and years of chess experience.

•

Increased mean diffusivity in the superior longitudinal fasciculus in chess players.

•

Negative correlation between mean diffusivity of the SLF and the Elo score.

---

Abstract

The game of chess can be seen as a typical example for an expertise task requiring domain-specific training and experience. Despite intensive behavioural studies the neural underpinnings of chess performance and expertise are not entirely understood. A few functional neuroimaging studies have shown that expert chess players recruit different psychological functions and activate different brain areas while they are engaged in chess-related activities. Based on this functional literature, we predicted to find morphological differences in a network comprised by parietal and frontal areas and especially the occipito-temporal junction (OTJ), fusiform gyrus, and caudate nucleus. Twenty expert chess players and 20 control subjects were investigated using voxel-based and surface-based morphometry as well as diffusion tensor imaging. Grey matter volume and cortical thickness were reduced in chess players compared with those of control men in the OTJ and precunei. The volumes of both caudate nuclei were not different between groups, but correlated inversely with the years of chess playing experience. Mean diffusivity was increased in chess players compared with that of controls in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus and the Elo score (a chess tournament ranking) was inversely related to mean diffusivity within the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. To the best of our knowledge we showed for the first time that there are specific differences in grey and white matter morphology between chess players and control subjects in brain regions associated with cognitive functions important for playing chess. Whether these anatomical alterations are the cause or consequence of the intensive and long-term chess training and practice remains to be shown in future studies.

Stroke Society of Australasia (SSA) is hosting its 25th Annual Scientific Meeting at Hamilton Island,

300 leading minds but I bet not a single stroke survivor is doing a presentation.
http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=3204691419&group=0&frame_type=a&blog=8336069&frame=1&click=0&user=0
Contact those presenters and ask what the strategy is to get everyone to 100% recovery. With no strategy there is no hope of ever solving stroke problems. We're just fumbling in the dark.

The Stroke Society of Australasia (SSA) is hosting its 25^th Annual Scientific Meeting at Hamilton Island, bringing together around 300 of finest minds in stroke. This is the premier conference event for all stroke clinicians in Australia, New Zealand and in the Asia Pacific region.
Stroke Society of Australasia President Professor Mark Parsons said this year’s meeting was focused on reperfusion and plasticity; that is the tissue damage to the brain after blood supply returns following a stroke and retraining the brain to compensate for areas that were damaged by a stroke.
“There have been some really exciting developments in these areas. The brain is an amazing organ and it can be retrained to compensate for areas that have died as a result of stroke,” Professor Parsons said.
“During this meeting we will be discussing the latest research into maximising the brains potential through rehabilitation and other methods, this includes looking at the use of electronic gaming devices, creating serine environments for rehab, the use of anti-depressants in rehab patients and the benefits of fast movement versus slow.
“Over the period of the conference we will be discussing the full spectrum of stroke care from acute and secondary stroke prevention treatments as well as stroke rehabilitation and recovery.”
The SSA Scientific Meeting brings together the leading minds in stroke from Australia, New Zealand and the world.
International stroke care experts to present at the meeting include:

• Prof Dr Anne Alexandrov - Nurse Physiologist, A/Dean for Program Evaluation and Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
• Prof Dr Joachim Berkefeld - Neurointerventionist, Head of Neurovascular Group and Leading Senior Physician, Goethe University Hospital, Germany
• A/Prof Dr Ken Butcher - Neurologist, Division of Neurology, Dept of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada
• Prof Dr Michael Hill - Neurologist, Director of the Stroke Unit, Alberta Health Services, University of Calgary, Canada
• Prof Heidi Johansen-Berg - Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, FMRIB Centre, Dept of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, UK
• Dr Cathy Stinear - Clinical Neuroscientist, Senior Lecturer, Dept of Medicine, University of Auckland, NZ

The Stroke Society of Australiasia  is the peak professional body for health professionals committed to improving the lives of people with stroke.
“This meeting has provided an opportunity for some of the nation’s great medical minds to come together to benefit the 420,000 stroke survivors living in Australia, as well as the one in six people who will have a stroke in their lifetime,’’ Professor Parsons said.

5 Things You Can Do Now to Avoid Alzheimer's Disease

Pretty damn generic and non-specific.
https://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/5-things-now-avoid-alzheimers-disease-175500463.html

My 3 legged milking stool ones are here:
Fish Oil Supplements Reduce Incidence of Cognitive Decline, Brain Atrophy
Leg two:
Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Dementia
Leg three:
Evidence-Based Medicinal Properties of Coconut Oil - brain boosting 

Or my complete version here:
Dementia prevention 19 ways

Don't ever follow my ideas, they are not doctor approved. 

10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Stroke from WebMD

You will notice that not a single one involves asking the doctor what they are doing to help your stroke recovery. They are letting millions of your neurons die in the first week by not stopping the neuronal cascade of death.
http://www.webmd.com/stroke/guide/questions-doctor-stroke
F*cking Pathetic!!!

Prefrontal cortex reactivity underlies trait vulnerability to chronic social defeat stress

You as a stroke survivor are under tremendous amounts of stress, so much that PTSD following stroke or TIA was 23%.
How is your doctor using all this knowledge to ameliorate your stress? Doing ANYTHING AT ALL?
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140729/ncomms5537/full/ncomms5537.html

• Sunil Kumar,
• Rainbo Hultman,
• Dalton Hughes,
• Nadine Michel,
• Brittany M. Katz
• & Kafui Dzirasa

• Affiliations
• Contributions
• Corresponding author

Nature Communications

5,

Article number:

4537

doi:10.1038/ncomms5537

Received

25 April 2014

Accepted

26 June 2014

Published

29 July 2014

Article tools

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Abstract

• Abstract•
• References•
• Author information

Psychological stress contributes to the onset and exacerbation of nearly all neuropsychiatric disorders. Individual differences in stress-regulatory circuits can therefore dramatically affect vulnerability to these illnesses. Here we identify neural circuit mechanisms underlying individual differences in vulnerability to stress using a murine model of chronic social defeat stress. In chronically stressed mice, we find that the degree of prefrontal cortex (PFC) control of amygdala activity predicts stress susceptibility in individual mice. Critically, we also find that individual differences in PFC activation (that is, reactivity) during exposure to an aggressor mouse predict the emergence stress-induced behavioural deficits in stress-naïve mice. Finally, we show that naturally occurring differences in PFC reactivity directly correspond to the intrinsic firing rate of PFC neurons. This demonstrates that naturally occurring differences in PFC function underlie individual differences in vulnerability to stress, raising the hypothesis that PFC modulation may prevent stress-induced psychiatric disorders.

How do you solve a problem like stroke?

You could put your head in the sand and sing along with the nuns; How do you solve a problem like Maria.
Or what should have been done 50 years ago.
Patients should have  gotten right in their doctors face and demanded what the doctor was doing to get them back to 100% recovery.  Screaming in their face would have concentrated the mind and maybe led the doctors to actually get their doctor and stroke associations to actually research  stroke rehab.
But alas, it wasn't done and 50 years were lost.
It still would be cathartic if you were to do this today. You can tell them Dean has already done all the hard work - identifying possibilities - They can read my blog, all 4300 entries, it will only take 2 weeks.
That's the slow way, the faster way would be to have the board of directors have an intervention and replace the existing staff with survivors who will actually do something.
The creation of a great stroke association means the weak will not survive.
Carnage, blood in the water; lots of cheering.

You don't follow what being done today in the pathetic stroke associations, its not working and it won't work. Can't anyone see what failure looks like?

More on Sleeping Pills and Older Adults

I think everyone on my stroke ward got Ambien at night.  There was obviously no attempt to find out why I was having trouble sleeping.
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/more-on-sleeping-pills-and-the-elderly/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and its Neurological Consequences

Is your doctor testing and taking care of this problem post-stroke?
http://brainblogger.com/2014/07/30/vitamin-b12-deficiency-and-its-neurological-consequences/
Full details at link.

1. Vitamin B12 assists an important step of the one-carbon cycle

2. Vitamin B12 acts as a coenzyme in another important reaction that is needed for myelin synthesis and stabilization

Vitamin B12 deficiency causes various neuropsychiatric problems ranging from neuropathy to dementia in the elderly

a)      Subacute Combined Degeneration (SCD)

b)     Peripheral neuropathy

c)      Psychiatric problems related to vitamin B12 deficiency

d)     Vitamin B12 deficiency in brain shrinkage and neurodegenerative disorders

e)      Vitamin B12 and vascular complications

Vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies in the fetal and early life cause poor brain development and cognitive functions

For the Elderly, Falls May Prove Deadly

And yet our physical therapists are complicit in helping stroke survivors walk again. Thus putting them at extreme risk of falling and dying. Did you sign a release form acknowledging that you accepted that risk?
http://www.agingcare.com/Articles/falls-prove-fatal-for-elderly-patient-149687.htm


Is your therapist working on fall prevention with any of these?
It seems to me that if you're are going to get better at walking you have to get a lot closer to falling by massive number of perturbations in your gait. Like this;

Motorized Shoes Help Elderly Prepare for Walking Accidents

Or this;

The effect of vibrotactile feedback on postural sway during locomotor activities

Or this;

Clinic helps stroke patients recover balance, avoid future falls

Or these;

1. Unstable Shoes Increase Energy Expenditure of Obese Patients
2. Compelled BodyWeight Shift Technique to Facilitate Rehabilitation of Individuals with Acute Stroke
3. Documenting abnormal anticipatory control prior to gait initiation in sub-acute stroke
4.  spnKiX motorized shoes edge closer to production
5. Motivation through Inclusion of Failure in Stroke Rehabilitation 

Or this;

Training to walk amid uncertainty with Re-Step: measurements and changes with perturbation training for hemiparesis and cerebral palsy

Mortality rates increase due to extreme heat and cold

So maybe I shouldn't go winter camping in -40F weather anymore. No worries about running in hot weather, I can't run yet.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=144086&CultureCode=en
When temperatures are extremely high or low, there is a significant increase in the number of deaths caused by heart failure or stroke. This has been confirmed by epidemiological studies conducted by researchers at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, who have now published their results in the medical journal Heart.
Epidemiological studies have repeatedly shown that death rates rise in association with extremely hot weather. The heat wave in Western Europe in the summer of 2003, for example, resulted in about 22,000 extra deaths. A team of researchers led by Dr. Alex-andra Schneider at the Institute of Epidemiology II at the Helmholtz Zentrum München examined the impact of extreme temperatures on the number of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in three Bavarian cities and included both high and low temperatures in the study.
“Our findings confirm the results of our previous studies, which indicated that the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions respond particularly sensitively to heat and cold,” says Alexandra Schneider. “If you are aware of the effects of air temperature on health, you can identify population subgroups who are particularly at risk and take preventive action.”
The elderly are particularly at risk

Dr. Susanne Breitner, Dr. Alexandra Schneider and Prof. Annette Peters evaluated almost 188,000 deaths due to cardiovascular disease between 1990 and 2006 in the cities of Munich, Nuremberg, and Augsburg. They were able to demonstrate that when temperatures rose from 20°C to 25°C or fell from -1°C to -8°C, the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease increased significantly by 9.5% and 7.9%, respectively. While the effects of the heat lasted for one or two days, the effects of cold weather lasted for up to two weeks. Elderly people were most affected. The impact on death rates due to heart failure, arrhythmia and stroke was particularly striking.
The mechanisms that cause these deaths, however, are not yet fully understood. Up to now it has been known that high temperatures, amongst other things, can affect the blood-clotting mechanism (haemostasis) and make the blood more viscous, thereby increasing the risk of thrombosis. Furthermore, as decreasing temperatures have an impact on blood pressure, it can be assumed that there is a link between cold temperatures and the increase in cardiovascular events and stroke.
Preventative programs

“Our findings give an indication of the diseases that are responsible for the observed link between air temperature and death rates, and thus provide a partial explanation as to why some people react more strongly to heat or cold than others and are, therefore, exposed to a greater health risk on hot or cold days,” says Alexandra Schneider. “These results are important in order to develop or adapt preventive programs and codes of practice.”
The scientists plan to conduct further research into the mechanisms that may be responsible for the health effects observed during cold and, in particular, hot temperatures. They are also interested in possible interactions with air pollutants, which are required in order to predict the effects of climate change on the health of the population, especially in cities and in major conurbations.
http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/news/press-releases/2014/press-release/article/24497/index.html
Full bibliographic informationBreitner S. et al. (2014). Short-term effects of air temperature on cause-specific cardiovascular mortality in Bavaria, Germany; Heart, 0:1–9. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2014-305578

Smart tattoo sensors

Right now this seems limited but with any decent innovative thinking at all we could use this for stroke. But do you really think the ASA or NSA will take advantage of this to help stroke survivors?

1. Monitor INR levels because of warfarin use.
2. biofeedback on muscle movement.
3. Monitor brain functions after first stroke, send notices of problems to your smartphone and have it call 911.

“Smart Tattoo” Glucose Biosensors and Effect of Coencapsulated Anti-Inflammatory Agents

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Motorola patents e-tattoo that can read your thoughts by listening to unvocalized words in your throat
Would this be useful for aphasia?
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‘Smart tattoo’ may replace finger prick for diabetics

INR maybe? 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sensors with a smile: The smart 'tattoo' that can measure how tired you are

And your doctor could use this to monitor your fatigue and figure out exactly what causes it. Or is your doctor not willing to solve any of your stroke problems?

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Smart skin electronic tattoos the next leap in health tech

This membrane-like patch can be used to monitor body temperature, heartbeat, brain waves, aid muscle movement, and even help heal wounds

 

 

 

 

Music Glove Presentation - Hand stroke rehab

The starting point requirements seems to be some volitional individual finger movement. That leaves out me.
I think the PossessedHand would be better.
Or maybe the Mozart glove?
Which one does your doctor think is better? Does your doctor know about any of these?
And by doing this they are  also getting music therapy.

Why does music therapy work? The Science Behind the Music.

MusicGlove Presentation

‘Good Vibrations’ Might Ease Constipation

I remember getting quite constipated as a result of no exercise while in the hospital. Although I'm not sure I want to swallow a drone. Good luck with this one.
A remote-controlled vibrating capsule can relieve chronic constipation, researchers found

The Bare Truth About Hospitals, And Why It's Time For A Revolution

A Forbes opinion piece about Shaking up hospital hierarchies to deliver better care.
Our stroke hospitals need to be completely revamped, start by calling your hospital president and ask a simple question, 'If you had a stroke, how confident are you that you will recover 100% by being treated at your hospital?' 'It was a pretty bad stroke, you weren't treated with tPA'
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffboss/2014/07/29/the-bare-truth-about-hospitals-and-why-its-time-for-a-revolution/

Could lab-grown platelets replace donor blood?

This is an important question for your doctor to answer. I'm going to demand young blood transfusions in order to increase my cognition after my next stroke and this may make it easier.

Young Blood Revitalizes the Aging Brain

Lab grown here: 

Platelet bioreactor-on-a-chip 

1. ↵* Corresponding author; email: drjthon@gmail.com

Key points

• We have developed a biomimetic microfluidic platelet bioreactor that recapitulates bone marrow and blood vessel microenvironments.
• Application of shear stress in this bioreactor triggers physiological proplatelet production, and platelet release.

Abstract

Platelet transfusions total >2.17 million apheresis-equivalent units/year in the United States and are derived entirely from human donors despite clinically significant immunogenicity, associated risk of sepsis, and inventory shortages due to high demand and 5-day shelf life. To take advantage of known physiological drivers of thrombopoiesis we have developed a microfluidic human platelet bioreactor that recapitulates bone marrow stiffness, extracellular matrix composition, micro-channel size, hemodynamic vascular shear stress, and endothelial cell contacts, and supports high-resolution live-cell microscopy and quantification of platelet production. Physiological shear stresses triggered proplatelet initiation, reproduced ex vivo bone marrow proplatelet production, and generated functional platelets. Modeling human bone marrow composition and hemodynamics in vitro obviates risks associated with platelet procurement and storage to help meet growing transfusion needs.

'All strokes are different, all stroke recoveries are different'

If anyone in your stroke team says this to you, you are in the midst of supreme f*cking incompetence.
The reasons are:
1. This means that this facility has no objective diagnosis of any strokes.
2. There is no historical database of previous stroke damage and mapping of protocols that corrected that damage.
3. No one is looking at stroke research.
4. There are no stroke protocols at all since everyone is unique.
5. Run, run, run away as fast as you can.

The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature

Is your doctor going to have a stroke protocol to increase your cognition by making sure you get a daily walk or wheelchair ride thru a natural area? Or is that too much to ask to get done in the next year?
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/19/12/1207

1. Marc G. Berman1,2,
2. John Jonides1 and
3. Stephen Kaplan1,3

+ Author Affiliations

1. ¹Department of Psychology
2. ²Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering
3. ³Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan

1. Marc G. Berman, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109–1043, e-mail: bermanm@umich.edu.

Abstract

We compare the restorative effects on cognitive functioning of interactions with natural versus urban environments. Attention restoration theory (ART) provides an analysis of the kinds of environments that lead to improvements in directed-attention abilities. Nature, which is filled with intriguing stimuli, modestly grabs attention in a bottom-up fashion, allowing top-down directed-attention abilities a chance to replenish. Unlike natural environments, urban environments are filled with stimulation that captures attention dramatically and additionally requires directed attention (e.g., to avoid being hit by a car), making them less restorative. We present two experiments that show that walking in nature or viewing pictures of nature can improve directed-attention abilities as measured with a backwards digit-span task and the Attention Network Task, thus validating attention restoration theory. 

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The results showed that people’s performance on the test improved by almost 20% after wandering amongst the trees. By comparison those subjected to a busy street did not reliably improve on the test.

In the second study participants weren’t even allowed to leave the lab but instead some stared at pictures of natural scenes while others looked at urban environments. The improvements weren’t quite as impressive as the first study, but, once again, the trees and fields beat the roads and lampposts.

A New Resource About Parkinson’s

At least Parkinsons has something.
Partners in Parkinson’s.
With 7 times the number of stroke survivors compared to Parkinsons, we have absolutely jackshit nothing for us. And the boards of directors of the ASA and NSA must  be okay with such lack of innovation. In my not-so-humble opinion that is complete incompetence. Ask any intelligent survivor what would be useful and you would get an earful. Have you talked to any survivors at all? It is so damned simple, I give you everything you need to create something great right here:
Great stroke association

What Makes a 'Type O' an Individual? Blood type

From my blood donation I found out I was an O negative, universal donor.

O-negative blood group is relatively rare compared to other blood groups. A person with O-negative blood group is a universal donor as O-negative blood can be transfused to any blood group. O-negative blood group has also been associated with certain personality traits.

My doctors obviously were extremely deficient in not giving me the right supplements and using my personality traits to make sure I recovered mentally and physically from the stroke.

BLOOD TYPE O - Your Personalized Nutrition Guide

The Blood Type O Individualized Lifestyle - The Type O Profile - Type O Personality?  

The Blood Type O Individualized Lifestyle

Why are some people plagued by poor health while others seem to live healthy, vital lives even late in life? Does blood type influence personality? A single drop of blood contains a biochemical make up as unique as your fingerprint. Your blood type is a key to unlocking the secrets to your biochemical individuality. Foods and supplements contain lectins that interact with your cells depending on your blood type. This explains why some nutrients which are beneficial to one blood type, may be harmful to the cells of another. Dr. Peter D’Adamo, the author of the best selling books Eat Right for Your Type and Live Right for Your Type gives Type O’s some tips on leading a healthy lifestyle.

The Type O Profile

Type O was the first blood type, the type O ancestral prototype was a canny, aggressive predator. Aspects of the Type O profile remain essential in every society even to this day – leadership, extroversion, energy and focus are among their best traits. Type O’s can be powerful and productive, however, when stressed Type O’s response can be one of anger, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. When Type O wiring gets crossed, as a result of a poor diet, lack of exercise, unhealthy behaviors or elevated stress levels, Type O’s are more vulnerable to negative metabolic effects, including insulin resistance, sluggish thyroid activity, and weight gain. When you customize your life to Type O’s strengths you can reap the benefits of your ancestry. Your genetic inheritance offers you the opportunity to be strong, lean, productive, long-lived and optimistic. 

Type O Personality?

In Japan, blood type has long been associated with personality type. You might well be asked your blood type on a job interview! In an independent study of 45 MBA students, Type O’s most often described themselves in ways related to the following characteristics; responsible, decisive, organized, objective, rule-conscious, and practical. Both male and female Type O’s reported a higher percentage of the mesomorphic body type when compared to controls. Interestingly, Type O’s also scored significantly higher than the rest in “sensing” – using the 5 senses to gather information, and in the sensing-thinking combination, indicating that they are more detail and fact oriented, logical, precise and orderly. “I believe that the tendency to sense and get facts right stems from the inbred hunter-gatherer need to observe and accurately assess the environment in order to insure survival.” Says D’Adamo. 

Running Just 5 Minutes a Day Can Help You Live Longer

I'm sure your doctor and therapist will take this to heart and make sure that by the time you leave the hospital you'll be running 5 minutes a day. They will want you to reduce your stroke and heart attack risk and as such will have a protocol to get you running in those couple of weeks you spend in the hospital. Good luck with that.
https://www.yahoo.com/health/running-just-5-minutes-a-day-can-help-you-live-longer-93129146072.html

If you’re not getting happier as you get older Then you’re fuckin’ up

Lyrics from Ani DeFranco song "If Yr Not". I am definitely happier as I got older. At least since moving to Michigan.
I just found out about her from the Winnipeg Folk Fest.
Full lyrics here:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/anidifranco/ifyrnot.html

Fist bumps relay 90 percent less germs than handshakes: study

And I might even be able to do a fist bump with my affected hand as long as it is below the waist.
But wait; it's terrorist related. So be careful when you pull out your concealed carry weapon, I bet that terrorist that you just fist bumped with is more accurate than you as a one-armed wonder. This goes with the germy elevator buttons, maybe you could fist bump them.

The "Terrorist Fist Jab" and Me

Fist bumps relay 90 percent less germs than handshakes: study 

Federal marijuana bill would legalize some cannabis strains

This will more than likely slow down the actual legalization of marijuana because the idiots in Congress will just say, 'Use the medical marijuana we've already approved'. The only way to make this work is to allow any proven research of marijuana from anywhere in the world. Not just low THC strains.
I will figure out a way to get some after my next stroke, screw the legality, I want to recover my brain functions.
My 13 reasons to use it post-stroke.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/28/health/federal-marijuana-bill/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Playing a puzzle video game with changing requirements improves executive functions

How long before your stroke hospital implements this cheap and easy therapy? 50 years?. Do not self-prescribe, you know how dammed dangerous playing video games is without your doctors ok.
Cut the Rope is here. I'm not pointing you to the actual game because that would be  giving medical advice and I am obviously too stupid and stroke-addled to do that.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214002672

• Adam C. Oei,
• Michael D. Patterson^,

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DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.046

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Highlights

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We trained college students to play one of four video games.

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Games ranged from action, puzzle, strategy and arcade type games.

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Only the puzzle game led to transfer on all executive function tasks.

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Abstract

Recent research suggests a causal link between action video game playing and enhanced attention and visual-perceptual skills. In contrast, evidence linking action video games and enhanced executive function is equivocal. We investigated whether action and non-action video games enhance executive function. Fifty-five inexperienced video game players played one of four different games: an action video game (Modern Combat), a physics-based puzzle game (Cut the Rope), a real-time strategy game (Starfront Collision), and a fast paced arcade game (Fruit Ninja) for 20 h. Three pre and post training tests of executive function were administered: a random task switching, a flanker, and a response inhibition task (Go/No-go). Only the group that trained on the physics-based puzzle game significantly improved in all three tasks relative to the pre-test. No training-related improvements were seen in other groups. These results suggest that playing a complex puzzle game that demands strategizing, reframing, and planning improves several aspects of executive function.

Neurologist treatment is associated with improved clinical outcomes of Parkinsons

Next time you see your neurologist ask for the research that proves that seeing a neurologist improves clinical outcomes of stroke patients. Not just the death portion but the 100% recovery part also.

Neurologist care in Parkinson disease: a utilization, outcomes, and survival study

Willis AW¹, Schootman M, Evanoff BA, Perlmutter JS, Racette BA.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the utilization of neurologist providers in the treatment of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) in the United States and determine whether neurologist treatment is associated with improved clinical outcomes.

METHODS:

This was a retrospective observational cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries with PD in the year 2002. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine which patient characteristics predicted neurologist care between 2002 and 2005 and compare the age, race, sex, and comorbidity-adjusted annual risk of skilled nursing facility placement and hip fracture between neurologist- and primary care physician-treated patients with PD. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the adjusted 6-year risk of death using incident PD cases, stratified by physician specialty.

RESULTS:

More than 138,000 incident PD cases were identified. Only 58% of patients with PD received neurologist care between 2002 and 2005. Race and sex were significant demographic predictors of neurologist treatment: women (odds ratio [OR] 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.80) and nonwhites (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.79-0.87) were less likely to be treated by a neurologist. Neurologist-treated patients were less likely to be placed in a skilled nursing facility (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.77-0.82) and had a lower risk of hip fracture (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80-0.92) in logistic regression models that included demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic covariates. Neurologist-treated patients also had a lower adjusted likelihood of death (hazard ratio 0.78, 95% CI 0.77-0.79).

CONCLUSIONS:

Women and minorities with PD obtain specialist care less often than white men. Neurologist care of patients with PD may be associated with improved selected clinical outcomes and greater survival.

 

Robot Steers Needles Through the Brain to Remove Blood Clots (VIDEO)

I wouldn't trust a robot to do this. I'm a computer programmer and a damn good one and something that complicated and delicate I would never trust to anyone else to do. You have to ask what all the failsafe options are and what failure testing they performed.
http://www.medgadget.com/2013/08/robot-treats-brain-hemorrhages.html?
The comments in the article make no sense, why are they worried about intracerebral hemorrhaging with a clot based stroke?

Robotic surgery problems here: 
Robotic Surgery Complications Underreported, Johns Hopkins Study Suggests 

da Vinci Robotic Surgery Complications

 

Reflexology Hand And Foot Charts

For those who might want to try it.  From http://www.herbs-info.com/blog/reflexology-hand-and-foot-charts/?c=d
This would be so simple if all I had to do was massage my big toe and the tip of my thumb. You will notice there is absolutely no research listed for any of this. But ask your doctor anyway.
Reflexology Hand Chart Code: 1. Pituitary 2. Neck 3. Side of head and Brain (note – this is difficult to see on the chart but is the tip of the thumb) 4. Top of head and Brain 5. Sinus 6. Eye 7. Eustachian tube 8. Ear 9. Thyroid 10. Lung 11. Heart 12. Solar Plexus 13. Liver 14. Spleen 15. Stomach and Pancreas 16. Small Intestine 17. Colon 18. Bladder 19. Ureter tube 20. Kidney 21. Adrenal 22. Shoulder 23. Ovaries/testes 24. Sciatic Nerve.

Save the Neurons: Fighting the Effects of Parkinsons

From Lunatic Laboratories. From reading this you will notice that this drug is targeted to TNF - tumor necrosis factor, the exact same thing that

Edward Tobinick M.D  has been pushing with his etanercept injections.

And MJFF is set up to sponsor research just like a great stroke association would.

http://loonylabs.org/2014/07/26/neurons-anti-inflammatory/ 

Is TNF a problem post-stroke? Does your doctor know? If so would this be useful for survivors?

Repeal Marijuana Prohibition, Again - NYTimes opinion

Nothing on the reasons for using it for stroke, but more proof we have f*cking idiots in Congress.
My 13 reasons to use it post-stroke.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/27/opinion/sunday/high-time-marijuana-legalization.html?_r=0

What should our stroke hospitals have available for all stroke patients

1. Published statistics on death rates, 100% recovery rates. Absolutely necessary since if you don't know what is going wrong you can't correct it. If your hospital doesn't know this you have a failed hospital, never go there.
2. A protocol  on what is being done the first week to stop the neuronal cascade of death. If you get the statement, 'There is no clinical research for any neuroprotective treatment in the first week' as I did from Sparrow hospital in Lansing,MI, run to another hospital as soon as you are stabilized. This is proof that your hospital is not reading research and obviously is not concerned about all of your brain cells they are allowing to die.
3. Written protocols on therapy for penumbra recovery. Including efficacy.
4. Written protocols on dead brain recovery.  Including efficacy.
5. Stroke prevention diet.
6. Specific dementia prevention protocols.  Including efficacy.
7. Spasticity solutions, not the muscle relaxer drugs.
8. Solutions for fatigue.  Including efficacy.
9. Repeatable protocols to get neuroplasticity to work.
10. Cognitive enhancement protocols.  Including efficacy.


Your hospital likely doesn't have any of these, but the real question to be answered is; Are they researching solutions to these on their own?

ARE YOU WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

Like the stupidity of Get With the Guidelines or the Joint Commission guidelines?
If the latter they need to read Seth Godin books, 'Poke the Box' , 'The Icarus Deception' and 'Linchpin'. This means they are a failed stroke center if they don't have a team actively improving their stroke care and protocols.
Start calling your hospital president and DEMAND to know when this will be available in the stroke department. Bypass the stroke department head because if they were good they would already have all this available.

Functional Brain Correlates of Upper Limb Spasticity and Its Mitigation following Rehabilitation in Chronic Stroke Survivors

Take this to your doctor and therapists and see if they can use this to stop your spasticity. It's only 9 pages.

Functional Brain Correlates of Upper Limb Spasticity and Its Mitigation following Rehabilitation in Chronic Stroke Survivors

Svetlana Pundik,1,2 Adam D. Falchook,3 Jessica McCabe,1
Krisanne Litinas,1 and Janis J. Daly3
1 Neurology and Research Service, Cleveland VA Medical Center, 10701 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
2Department of Neurology, CaseWestern Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
3Department of Neurology and McKnight Brain Institute, Brain Rehabilitation Research Center of Excellence,
Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, University of Florida, 1601 SWArcher Road, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Svetlana Pundik; sxp19@cwru.edu
Received 31 March 2014; Revised 23 May 2014; Accepted 11 June 2014; Published 3 July 2014
Academic Editor: Steve Kautz
Copyright © 2014 Svetlana Pundik et al.This is an open access article distributed under theCreativeCommonsAttribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Background.

Arm spasticity is a challenge in the care of chronic stroke survivors with motor deficits. In order to advance spasticity
treatments, a better understanding of the mechanism of spasticity-related neuroplasticity is needed. Objective. To investigate brain function correlates of spasticity in chronic stroke and to identify specific regional functional brain changes related to rehabilitation induced mitigation of spasticity. Methods. 23 stroke survivors (>6 months) were treated with an arm motor learning and spasticity therapy (5 d/wk for 12 weeks). Outcome measures included Modified Ashworth scale, sensory tests, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for wrist and hand movement. 
Results.  First, at baseline, greater spasticity correlated with poorer motor function (P = 0.001) and greater sensory deficits (P = 0.003). Second, rehabilitation produced improvement in upper limb
spasticity and motor function (P < 0.0001). Third, at baseline, greater spasticity correlated with higher fMRI activation in the
ipsilesional thalamus (rho = 0.49, P = 0.03). Fourth, following rehabilitation, greater mitigation of spasticity correlated with
enhanced fMRI activation in the contralesional primary motor (r = −0.755, P = 0.003), premotor (r = −0.565, P = 0.04), primary sensory (r = −0.614, 
P= 0.03), and associative sensory (r = −0.597, P = 0.03) regions while controlling for changes in motor
function.