Product Description
First published in 1986 under the editorial direction of Dr. Henry J.M. Barnett, this encyclopedic, yet readable text has served as a "one-stop shop" for generations of practitioners seeking authoritative coverage of the scientific and clinical aspects of stroke. The 4th Edition features a new editorial team led by former co-editor Dr. J.P. Mohr, offering updated and expanded coverage of epidemiology and prevention, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, specific medical diseases related to stroke, pathophysiology, and medical and surgical therapy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have book for anyone studying stroke!
As a biophysics graduate student researching techniques to image stroke I needed a good reference that covered all aspects of stroke.This text was exactly what I was looking for!It provides an excellent background in thephysiology and biochemistry of stroke and introduces current questionsbeing asked by the scientific community.Of particular interest to me werethe chapters on imaging techniques.These chapters bring the reader up todate on the many imaging modalities currently being used in the diagnosisand rehabilitation of stroke patients.Anyone hoping to gain a detailedand thorough understanding of the many aspects surrounding stroke will findit in the pages of this book. I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description
When it comes to playing golf, everyone-amateurs to pro-has one thing in common: the desire to lower their scores. This collection of the most read column on golfing, "Master Strokes," distributed by United Feature Syndicate, is a practical, succinct instructional companion. Designed to offer easy-to-follow tips, each mini-lesson is presented alongside a detailed, full-page illustration. With more than 400 illustrations to help readers visualize new techniques, Master Strokes is perfect for beginning and seasoned golfers alike. Created by Phil Franke, staff illustrator for Golf Tips magazine, and Nick Mastroni, senior editor of Senior Golfer magazine, this appeals to golfers at every level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Book condition - Good; Delivery - Good
The book was delivered on time. I received the book within a few days (the usual shipping time) from the date of order. The book was in good condition. There was a minor tear on the cover but that was known before I bought it. Otherwise the book is in excellent condition!

Swing Away with Master Strokes
Master Strokes is a quick read and a great book with illustrations to take away any doubt of what is being told. A must have for any golfer.

Master Stokes: 401 Proven Lessons
Good book. Golf tips are very well written, I've used some of them already and it seems to be helping. ... Read more

Product Description
Stroke is an enormous health problem. It is the third major cause of death, and the major cause of adult neurological disability. As many as a quarter of women in their 80s may suffer stroke. It represents a huge financial burden for the NHS, costing more than heart disease. Stroke care has historically been poor in many places, but a revolution in care is taking place as a result of specific treatments such as stroke units and thrombolysis, which have been shown to markedly improve outcome. This has led to many countries reorganizing the way they offer stroke care.

Stroke Medicine is a practical handbook for the practicing physician. Written by a multi-disciplinary team of three practicing consultants from a leading UK stroke service, it provides an up-to-date and easily accessible source of information on all aspects of stroke care from acute care through rehabilitation and secondary prevention. Designed to be used both on the ward and in the outpatient room, it provides a practical approach to managing the stroke patient and is an invaluable source of information for stroke physicians, neurologists, geriatricians, and other specialists involved in the care of stroke patients. It is also a useful handbook for consultants and doctors in training. ... Read more

Product Description
An Alternate Selection of These Book Clubs
Book-of-the-Month Club
Quality Paperback Books
One Spirit
Nurse's Book Society
The Good Cook

Life-saving advice for doctors and patients--both those at risk of a first stroke and those who have already had a mini-stroke, the #1 risk factor facing survivors

This book is written in the hope of preventing strokes, based on advice Dr. Spence has given to the more than 16,000 at-risk patients he has seen. It is divided into two sections -- "What Your Doctor Can Do" and "What You Can Do."

Quitting smoking, following a Mediterranean diet, taking appropriate drugs to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood clotting, and appropriate surgery for severely narrowed arteries in the neck can reduce stroke by as much as 75 percent in high-risk people.

* Especially among African Americans, but in anyone with blood pressure that is difficult to control, two simple blood tests (measuring renin and aldosterone) make all the difference to successful treatment.


* A Mediterranean diet will reduce stroke by nearly half in high-risk people. Dr. Spence provides a collection of gourmet "anti-stroke" recipes that he prepares for himself.
* Vitamin treatment with folic acid, B6, and B12 may prevent stroke by lowering levels of a new risk factor called homocysteine.
* Advanced imaging methods are improving management of arteries by providing feedback on the effectiveness of therapy.
* Transcranial Doppler embolus detection can identify, among patients with narrowing of the carotid arteries who do not yet have symptoms, the ones who are likely to benefit from surgery or stenting.

This approach is the powerful medicine for stroke prevention that patients and their physicians need and will learn from this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Godsend
This book took me from being frustrated and scared and not knowing how to get answers, to having knowledge and hope and journal articles.It's not dumbed down, but he defines every medical term when he uses it (you don't have to look it up in the glossary).If you're worried about cholesterol or high blood pressure or weird things that have been happening, it's a godsend.A lot of these books say, "Your doctor will decide if your symptoms warrant medical intervention...," but this one tells you what the doc is using to decide.

Helpful guide for preventing, delaying stroke
This is a valuable book for individuals and families with history of high blood pressure, heart disease and/or stroke. It provides medical information about common treatments, as well as in depth discussions about specific dietary and medical concerns, such as what sodium does in our bodies and why eating too much salt overstresses certain vital organs.

Included are recipes and recommended cook books, as well. Dr. Spence provides a rather comprehensive view of preventive measures and spells out what to do and what to avoid.

A Lifesaver
I learned more from this book than years of wonderful doctors.I'm sure it saved my life just explaining the different high blood pressure meds in a way I could understand.Thanks, Doc! ... Read more

Product Description
The Stroke of Midnight chronicles moments of my experience suffering a stroke, paying particular attention to the physical, emotional, and financial considerations typically associated with a medical emergency. Primarily using anecdotal approach, I recount the night when the stroke hit, and the subsequent events that followed. Throughout the text, I emphasize the likely importance of belief, using generally straightforward language in an effort to create a thorough yet accessible resource. Part memoir, part guide, the volume incorporates an understanding of diverse scientific principles, furnishing data from various sources. Overall, my contribution is designed to commemorate phases of my journey as well as to enlighten, inspire, and provoke thought for the reader who may confront similar circumstances. ... Read more

Product Description
This personal story of the journey from wheelchair to marathon provides valuable, first hand information on stroke recovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Extremely well done
This was such a great book. I've loaned it out at least three times now. A woman with Parkinson's said even though it was about stroke recovery, it was still very relevant to her condition and gave her hope that there is life after being diagnosed with an affliction such as a stroke or Parkinsons...

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (61)

: NO More Heart Disease: How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent--Even Reverse--Heart Disease and Strokes (Paperback)
I read this book after trying Nitric Oxide, however, I read an article on the Internet about Dr. Ignarro research for which he won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work in Nitric Oxide. I am a Veteran who had lung surgery related to Agent Orange exposure. Heart disease is a part of the disease as is coronary artery disease. I started taking the two supplements L-Argine and L-Carnitine in September of 2008, as I had blockage in my lower extremities and was in danger of losing my big toe to diabetes. About six months after taking the supplements I was tested there was no blockage. I recently had a physical and my blood pressure went down 30 points and for a 62 year old man my current blood pressure is 118/78. There was a new test that was administered from a blood sample on my heart. For my age the reading should be in excess of 600 for a man my age, the reading was less than 10. There is no heart problems today as there was just two years ago. I found the book informative and I thank Dr. thank Dr. Ignarrio for writing about his research. I credit him with saving my feet by allowing more blood flow through my femoral arteries, and my life.

Great Book.......Slow shipping!!!!!!!!!
Very nice product....


Very slow shipping.

Just took a very long time to ship it to me.....

alternative medicine
I researched an alternative to the use of a statin for cholesterol lowering after suffering an eye stroke. This book, along with two others, was recommended to me for the use of NO (nitric oxide) as a "cocktail." I read it, highlighted and tabbed and went for it! It has been two weeks but feel stronger (p.s. I eliminated all Rx except for a coated aspirin, with MD's o.k.), more motivated and look forward to other gains. I will be 80 in January and felt quality of life more important than a drug-induced, possible aching bones, approach. Be assured, the o.k. of your physician is very important but I believe mine has enough faith in me to say o.k., just watch your blood pressure as this could lower it.

Chinese Herbs and Traditional Chinese Medicine is a better choice
I have a family history of heart disease.. father and grandfather died at 42 and 40 and I have high cholesterol.My brother had 3 stents inserted last year.Needless to say we are very interested when something potentially helpful comes across our paths. While the book has some good information and it is veiled with vague warnings of success/ or not I have found that natural raw herbs from a Chinese Herbalist and acupuncture physician here in central Florida. Feifei Liu of Winter Park Fl has a HUGE fresh herbal pharmacy. My energy is up, sleeping is better and my cholesterol is down........all naturally.Before you stuff another pill down your throat looking for a miracle cure...give it a try. FLTCM dot com

A Healthy Heart with Nitric Oxide
The author provides a complete and thorough guide on the benefits of Nitric Oxide. At the end of each chapter, the author reviews what was discussed in the chapter to ensure you understand what you have read.Dr. Ignarro discovery of Nitric Oxide is a definitely a breakthrough worth reading.

Additionally, sprinkled throughout the book are patients and clients feedback on how Nitric Oxide has impacted their lives.

The Nitric Oxide program can include a powder formula which is mentioned on p. 123 or supplements which are mentioned throughout the book.Chapter 7 offers a food list as an alternative/complementto obtaining Nitric Oxide in the body.

_______________________________
Other notes worth mentioning:

p 34 list an LDL Cholesterol Level Chart along with comment such as optimal to very high

p 104-110 the importance of vitamin C & E

p 137 mentions the difference between insoluble and soluble fiber

p 146 discusses the Truth about Shellfish and Cholesterol

p 159-160 the benefits of grape juice and pomegranate juice ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent compilation
This text is easy to read, clinically applicable, and has several tables/charts to help the reader integrate several current studies in the field of swallowing disorders.An excellent read that guides practicing speech pathologist's in treatment of dysphagia in the stroke population. ... Read more

Product Description
Save your heart from disease, attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and the dangers of angioplasty, bypass, and other invasive surgeries--12 top physicians explain their proven, safe nontoxic, and successful heart-saving treatments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

informative
I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY IMFORMATIVE. ITS WRIITEN IN LAYMANS TERMS SO ITS NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND. THE BOOK CAME INEXCELLENT CODITION FOR BEING USED.

This is THE book to buy on heart disease
If you have high blood pressure or just want to stay alive, buy this book.This is by far the most informative book on the market about heart health.

I bought this book after my dad had a stroke and it helped me to understand why strokes happen and how to prevent them.Everything about heart health is covered.The book includes scientific studies about which supplements to take and which to avoid.

Included is info on oral chelation.Chelation will help to strip the plaque from your arteries.This can be done with a special diet and supplements.

Heart disease is the number one killer in America.You can drop your blood pressure with Co Q 10 and grape seed extract (Tru OPC's).This is all in the book.

Do you take drugs for your high blood pressure?You are increasing your risk for cancer if they are calcium channel blockers!Read the book for the research study info.

A Book Ahead of it's Time
If you or a loved one suffers from heart disease, you absolutely must read this book! It gives you the facts your doctor won't tell you (because it may keep them from making $ from performing danergous & unnecessarysurgery on you). It also tells you how to use natural & far safermethods for taking control of your health.

If you or a loved one hasheart disease, NOT reading this book may be a fatal mistake!

Must reading if you have heart disease...
If you have heart disease, or are at high risk for getting it, then this book is must reading for you. I found it quite by accident in a book store in New England, but it has changed my whole outlook on heart disease and myhope of returning to a normal life following a quadruple bypass operationin January of this year. In chapter after chapter you learn of ways tocontrol, or even reverse, the progression of the disease. The chapter ofVitamins tells of the vital role of antioxidants, a role that is only nowbeing confirmed and used by the established medical community. The chapteronIV EDTA Chelation therapy will astound you with it's implications. Ihave read it from cover to cover and find it totally fascinating. I highlyrecommend it to anyone who has an interest in this subject. ... Read more

Product Description
The Carers Handbook Series has been written for the families and friends of older people. It guides carers through the emotional and practical maze of caring, and helps carers make informed decisions. All the books in the series: * are packed full of advice and information * contain checklists and case studies * guide carers through the social services maze * examine all the options * point you towards specialist help * are fully up-to-date Although 100,000 people in Britain will have a stroke this year, many people are still confused aboutwhat stroke actually means. Supportive and positive, this book is designed to help carers understand stroke and its immediate aftermath and contains extensive information on hospital discharge, providing care, rehabilitation and adjustment to life at home. ... Read more

Product Description
Practical Neuroimaging in Stroke, by Alejandro Rabinstein, MD, and Steven J. Resnick, is a neurology reference designed for anyone involved in treating stroke patients. It offers unique, thorough guidance-driven by nearly 500 completely original high-quality images from actual stroke cases-to help you learn and understand the clinical value of diagnostic neuroimaging. Examples of different diagnostic modalities-accompanied by succinct teaching messages-highlight a preference for those most commonly used in clinical practice and most typically interpreted by clinicians caring for patients at bedside. A consistent section format from chapter to chapter enables you to easily access the material. Brilliantly illustrated and clinically relevant, Practical Neuroimaging in Stroke is the closest thing to treating real-life patients!

• Features the work of today's leaders from the field of neurology to ensure that the material is current, accurate, and clinically relevant.
  
• Examines real-life stroke cases-driven by nearly 500 completely original images-that enable you to apply your knowledge to real-life situations and experience the next best thing to actually being in the field.
  
• Presents examples of different diagnostic modalities-accompanied by succinct teaching messages-that highlight a preference for those most commonly used in clinical practice and most typically interpreted by clinicians caring for patients at bedside.
  
• Discusses indications and potential pitfalls of the various imaging modalities, when pertinent, to make you aware of possible considerations.
  
• Uses a unique didactic approach that serves the knowledge needs of a wide range of experience levels.
  
• Follows a consistent section format from chapter to chapter that covers general concepts, case vignettes, case images, teaching messages, and selected readings, to help you quickly and easily locate the guidance you need.

Product Description
You have just encountered a possible stroke patient. You ask yourself, what should I do first? How do I know it is a stroke?Is it too late to reverse the damage? How do I do the right things in the right order? This book will help you answer these critical questions. It provides practical advice on the care of stroke patients in a range of acute settings. As new and effective treatments become available, and designated stroke centers are created, this guidebook will help inform the healthcare professionals responsible for delivering care. The content is arranged in chronological order, covering the things to consider in assessing and treating the patient in the emergency department, the stroke unit, and then on transfer to a rehabilitation facility. All types of stroke are covered. A comprehensive set of appendices contain useful reference information including dosing algorithms, conversion factors and stroke scales. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Most Comprehensive Stroke Care Manual
This is the most comprehensive stroke care manual I have seen.It is straight forward and practical.Great resource for physicians, PAs, and NPs in stroke care. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a story of hope, recovery and the power of faith, family, friendship and love. Jan Healy watched in terror on August 5,2009, as her 49-year-old athletic extremely healthy husband suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke deep inside the basal ganglia right hemishpere of his brain. Brian was fighting for his life! After those first harrowing days, Brian struggled--with his wife Jan at his side--to return to the life he had before his stroke. Told from the viewpoint of both caregiver and survivor, it is really a love story about commitment to recovery and ultimately commitment to each other. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An inspirational book
Jan and Brian Healy, a recently wed couple, had every reason to be optimistic about their future together.They were both healthy and athletic and enjoyed strenuous outdoor activities.They had a close, committed relationship.This idyllic life was suddenly shattered when Brian suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke.This book walks the reader, step by step, through this devastating experience from the time of the stroke, when Brian's survival was in doubt, through months of demanding therapy, to eventual recovery.The narrative alternates between Jan's and Brian's points of view.Jan focused on her experience of suddenly being thrust into the role of caregiver, while Brian records his gradual awareness of his new reality and his determination to get his previous life back.Jan and Brian also document and honor the contributions of the doctors, nurses, therapists, family, and church community that were critical to Brian's recovery.

I would recommend this book to stroke victims, caregivers, and anyone else that enjoys reading an inspirational story.

A book to encourage you
This is a heartwarming true story of love and commitment between husband and wife in the midst of a personal crisis. God's love and faithfulness shines brightly through them as they share their journey. This book encourages you in your faith and demonstrates the power of love and prayer. If you are struggling to recover your health, this book will give you hope! ... Read more

Product Description
The conventional wisdom holds that the president of the United States is weak, hobbled by the separation of powers and the short reach of his formal legal authority. In this first-ever in-depth study of executive orders, Kenneth Mayer deals a strong blow to this view. Taking civil rights and foreign policy as examples, he shows how presidents have used a key tool of executive power to wield their inherent legal authority and pursue policy without congressional interference.

Throughout the nation's life, executive orders have allowed presidents to make momentous, unilateral policy choices: creating and abolishing executive branch agencies, reorganizing administrative and regulatory processes, handling emergencies, and determining how legislation is implemented. From the Louisiana Purchase to the Emancipation Proclamation, from Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of the Executive Office of the President to Bill Clinton's authorization of loan guarantees for Mexico, from Harry Truman's integration of the armed forces to Ronald Reagan's seizures of regulatory control, American presidents have used executive orders (or their equivalents) to legislate in ways that extend far beyond administrative activity.

By analyzing the pattern of presidents' use of executive orders and the relationship of those orders to the presidency as an institution, Mayer describes an office much more powerful and active than the one depicted in the bulk of the political science literature. This distinguished work of scholarship shows that the U.S. presidency has a great deal more than the oft-cited "power to persuade." ... Read more

Product Description
In April 1997 John Quann, 59 years old and in excellent health, suffers a catastrophic stroke. Following an emergency craniotomy, he remains paralyzed on his right side, unable to understand or communicate.

By His Side - Life and Love after Stroke is a courageous story of determination, hope, patience and love as he and his wife Eileen work together to recover. After coping with the initial terror of the stroke, they are faced with the challenge of living with and recovering from aphasia, a communication disorder that affects a person's ability to understand, speak, read or write.

Written with honesty and humor by the spouse, this book explores the difficult decisions that must be made and the wide range of emotions experienced by the spouse-caregiver. While offering hope, encouragement and practical advice, ultimately this is a love story about a husband and wife who fall in love after the stroke. As both parties grow and change together, they discover that who they have become is far more important than what happened to them.

Unlike other books on the subject that focus on the physical disabilities of a stroke, it describes how they dealt with aphasia, the personal aspects of which are rarely documented since its victims are often unable to tell the story, yet aphasia is a fascinating and bizarre aberration of the mind that affects more than one million Americans, with 85,000 new cases occurring every year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fabulous resource
This book was an amazing recall of the personal experience of a spouse of a person with aphasia. I read the book for a book review for a college class. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in stroke rehabilitation, has a loved one who has suffered a stroke, or wants an inspiring read!

A Comfort for Caregivers
Ihave given copies of this incredible book to several friends whose husbands have had strokes. Each one has found comfort in knowing that she is not alone. As well, each has learned techniques/strategies to help her husband regain lost skills, skills that had formerly been taken for granted.
And,as a public health professional, I have learned that we are failing to meet the needs of caregivers. This book was a wake-up call for me. Eileen had to figure out, on her own, what her husband needed and what she needed. The health care system should have been there for both of them. We have our work cut out for us. Thank you, Eileen.

Very good read
Having a family member who has suffered a severe stroke, I really needed a book like this. I have read quite a few different books on stroke, and this is the best yet from a personal rather than medical viewpoint. I suppose it is even more useful, if you like to author are the spouse of a stroke sufferer, but even as a close relative, its lessons and honest story are useful and very moving.

Wonderful!
Eileen has told a story that could have been tragic but, instead, was moving, uplifting, informative, sweet, and funny.I have learned so much from reading this book -- about aphasia, determination, love, and persistence.This should be required reading for anyone who has a loved one who has experienced stroke.It is exceedingly well-written and accessible.Thank you, Eileen for sharing your lives with us!

A story about what is important in life.
As a reader, I am probably very typical. I enjoy a well told story. (Case in point - former President Reagan's review of a Tom Clancy novel praises Clancy as a storyteller.) Perhaps my excuse relates to my own Irish heritage, and the history of the 'Shanachie' or story teller in the Irish culture.

Whatever my reason for expecting a book to always deliver a well told story - Eileen Quann's book does just that.Perhaps Ms. Quann's ability to relate her story so well comes from having lived with a man, her husband John, who certainly sounds as if he might have been an Irish Shanachie in an earlier era.

This book brings the reader into the story of the author's life. The circumstances that drove Ms. Quann to write the book will most likely be foreign to the majority of readers (I know I don't have any family members who have experienced stroke). But the people in this story will seem familiar to many readers, who may have a brother, sister, mother, or husband who have said or done things that sound very similar to what Ms. Quann's family say and do.

I certainly related to where Ms. Quann was in her professional life at the outset of the story. Perhaps this made me think a bit more about what happened as the story unfolded. Would I have reacted in a similar manner? What is really important in my own life? I think many readers who pick up this book will also wind up asking this question. What I truly enjoyed about this book, was the ability of the author to relate this question, in the format of a well told story.

This is not a 'preachy' type of book. It is a story about a family. Like most families, that means they experience love, laughter, tears and fights amidst the more routine daily events. This family also experienced a loved one suffering a stroke. Although we may not have experienced that, we can relate to how this family responds to this experience, and enjoy the story this author weaves as she relates their story. ... Read more

Product Description
There Are 750,000 Strokes In The United States Each Year. Whether You're A Newly Diagnosed Patient Or A Loved One Of Someone Who Has Suffered From A Stroke, This Book Offers Help. The Only Text To Provide Both The Doctor's And Patient's Views, 100 Questions & Answers About Stroke: A Lahey Clinic Guide Provides Authoritative, Practical Answers To The Most Common Questions Asked By Patients And Their Loved Ones. Written By An Expert In The Field, This Clearly-Written Book Is A Complete Guide To Causes, Treatments, And Much More. Including Actual Patient Commentary, 100 Questions & Answers About Stroke Is An Invaluable Resource. ... Read more

Product Description

As the leading cause of adult disability, stroke poses substantial economic and psychological burdens to populations around the world. Against this dismal backdrop, several novel "neurorestorative" approaches are being investigated as adjunctive treatments to physiotherapy. Stroke Recovery with Cellular Therapies discusses the promising investigations around the world on cell-based therapies to enhance recovery from stroke. Throughout this groundbreaking text, chapters detail the potential benefits of various types of cells and approaches for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and all studies rely upon traditional histological and functional outcomes. Among the topics detailed in this volume are transplanting immortalized neural stem cells, transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells, adipose-derived stem cells, endogenous neural stem cells in tissue remodeling, and an investigation into the ethics of stem cell research. This text provides an overview of the field, stimulates ideas for further research, and will help serve as a foundation for cell-based therapies to move forward as a viable approach for stroke recovery in the future.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great to read about the current status of stroke stem cell therapy
I was glad to read this book summarizing the current research and results of using stem cells for stroke therapy.My son had a brainstem stroke when he was 7, so this subject is on my mind a lot.

Much of the book is hard going for the non-expert (like me), but there are good descriptive paragraphs sprinkled throughout that helps the non-expert get an understanding of the big picture. I appreciated that the kindle version was affordable compared to the print version.

This is a book written by various researchers involved in the development and process of creating and using stem cells for potential stroke therapies.Most of the research has been conducted on thousands of rats who are given similar ischemic strokes.

Sources of stem cells that have been shown to be capable of producing neuronic stem cells are discussed:

1. human embryos
2. bone marrow
3. adipose (fat) tissue (looks more promising than bone marrow in the numbers of stem cells that can potentially produce neuronal type cells.
4. a certain kind of testicular cancer cell can be very readily induced to create neurons
5. human cord blood
8. endogenous (existing naturally in the brain)

Thework with blood transfusions of human cord blood cells shows the most promise within a day or two after the stroke. It is found that they don't produce neurons in the infarct to much degree, but they produce chemical changes in the infarcted areas that provide neuro protection and control inflammation--both which have been shown to help stroke recovery.But once scar tissue has formed around the infarct, they have show very little value when delivered via blood transfusion (at least to date and in rats).

Limited tests have been done by surgically implanting stem cells prepared to develop into neurons in old folks who have had ischemic stroke or Parkinsons.The results are mixed, but some improvement in motor function has been demonstrated.Subsequent imaging has shown that brain structures near the implantation do seem to grow a bit in size even after all suspected inflammation should have ended.

Endogenous stem cells have been shown to occur universally in all types of brain tissue, but seem only to produce new functional neurons in very specific areas like the hippocampus. It seesm that work has been done to migrate these cells to other parts of the brain, but any new neuron-type markers that are formed don't seem to live long.It is found that the micro-chemical environment of the hippocampus is what is responsible for the successful natural production of new neuron cells throughout our lives.This environment does not seem to exist elsewhere in the brain, and that seems to be why we don't see natural neuron production in other parts of our brain throughout our lives.

Lots of work is ongoing to find a method to non-invasively detect new neurons in these experiments.Currently, the rat must be sacrificed and sections of the brain cut out to access whether the new neurons survived or have become part of the functional network of the brain. This work is essential to access progress in humans.

There was a chapter on ethics and politics which I did not read. Obviously, I believe that all forms of stem cell research should be vigorously pursued.

The upshot I came away with is that viable stem cell therapies for stroke still seem a very long way off.Our son's neurologist says that a stem cell therapy for stroke seems as far off as colonizing Mars. I guess after reading this book, I would agree. ... Read more