Preventing brain injury
A postbiotic given before traumatic brain injury reduced brain damage and improved cognitive performance in mice, a study suggests. Postbiotics are substances produced when gut bacteria digest food. The findings raise the possibility that they could be investigated as a preventive treatment for people at risk of head trauma. The research focused on indole-3-propionic acid, [...]
TBI prevention may depend as much on roads, emergency access and local risks as hospital care, a global study suggests. Researchers examining traumatic brain injury across 29 countries found motor vehicle crashes were the largest single cause globally, although patterns varied substantially between countries. In wealthier countries, for example, ground-level falls accounted for high rates [...]
Targeted blood pressure control may reduce repeat stroke risk after intracerebral haemorrhage, a meta-analysis of nearly 3,000 patients suggests. Intracerebral haemorrhage, or ICH, is a type of haemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding within the brain. Patients receiving intensive blood pressure-lowering treatment had a 38 per cent lower risk of recurrent stroke than those receiving less [...]
Professional American football exposure is linked to a higher Parkinson’s death risk and increased neurodegenerative mortality among former players, research suggests. Former running back Ahman Green recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Before his diagnosis, Green experienced involuntary foot twitching during sleep and subtle short-term memory problems. [...]
Stroke risk factors are rising faster among Black African and Caribbean people than their white counterparts, analysis of 30 years of data suggests. Researchers at King’s College London analysed data from more than 8,500 adults in the South London Stroke Register over three decades. It is one of the world’s longest-running population-based stroke registers. [...]
A temporary gene pattern may help explain neck artery tears that cause one in five strokes in people aged under 55. The findings could help identify people at risk of cervical artery dissection and inform ways to prevent strokes in younger adults. A cervical artery dissection is a tear in the wall of an artery [...]
A new daily pill cut repeat stroke risk by 40 per cent in people who had already suffered a brain bleed, a major trial has found. The findings came from a study of stroke survivors with high blood pressure, one of the biggest risk factors for another stroke or other cardiovascular problems. Patients in the [...]
By Steven Akerman, Brian Barr Solicitors The UK Government’s newly announced road safety strategy, which aims to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by 65 per cent by 2035, is a significant and welcome development. For those of us who work closely with the consequences of road traffic collisions every day, this announcement represents both [...]
Nearly all strokes and heart attacks follow one of four risk factors, new research shows. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and tobacco smoking, whether past or current. Together, they preceded 99 per cent of all cardiovascular events during a long-term study that analysed health data from more than 9 million [...]
Concussion history predicts long-term health risks in former NFL players better than years played or position, new research suggests. A study of more than 1,500 former players found that two commonly used ways to estimate head injury risk were not linked to poorer long-term physical or mental health. Researchers say directly assessing a player's concussion [...]
