Possible New Treatment for Stroke Patients
Researchers have identified a possible way to minimize brain-tissue damage in patients who have suffered a stroke and undergone surgery for the condition.
A study conducted at the University of Calgarys Hotchkiss Brain Center found that the drug NA-1 seems to be safe for use in humans. Until now, the substance has been tested solely on animals.
In the study, 92 patients were given the drug, while 93 patients got a placebo. The participants were given brain MRI scans three days after they began to take NA-1, as well as a 30-day followup assessment. The researchers said that they patients who were given the drug had fewer lesions (negative changes in brain tissue) than those who got the placebo.
The researchers stressed that NA-1 isnt effective in all cases of stroke. Researcher Michael Hill said that the study suggests that intravenous infusion of NA-1 reduces tissue damage in patients who suffer a small stroke after an operation to repair a brain aneurysm. Further studies were needed, he said.
The findings were published in the journal The Lancet.
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Originally posted here:
Stroke Patients May Have a New Treatment