New breakthrough in stroke treatment

A study carried out into a new treatment of stroke has shown that it significantly reduces disability and deaths from the condition.

The clot retrieval procedure known as endo-vascular treatment was examined by researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

The study involved patients who had suffered an acute ischemic stroke, which is caused by a clot in the brain, and accounts for 80% of all strokes, and is published in the New England Journal of Medicine today.

It has been described as the most significant development in stroke treatment in the past two decades.

Positive outcomes for patients receiving the new “clot removal” treatment increased from 30% to 55%.

In many cases, instead of suffering major neurological disability, patients went home to resume their lives.

The overall mortality rate was reduced by 50%, from two in ten patients for standard treatment of care, to one in ten patients out of those who received the new treatment.

Professor David Williams, Associate Professor, one of the co-leads on the international study said:  "The results of this study represent the most significant development in stroke treatment in the past 20 years and will impact stroke care in Ireland and around the world.

“More than 10,000 people in Ireland are admitted to hospital with stroke annually and many of those who survive are left with significant disabilities.

“This treatment has the potential to improve survival rates and quality of life of more than 15 million people worldwide who suffer a stroke each year.

"The involvement of RCSI and Beaumont Hospital in this ground-breaking trial demonstrates the world-class expertise of clinical researchers here in Ireland," Professor Williams said.

View study here:  Randomized Assessment of Rapid Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke

Honey and Lemon 'as good as cough mix'

THERE is no substantial evidence that expensive over-the-counter medicines are that effective in treating short-term coughs in children and adults, according to Irish researchers.


Professor Susan Smith of the Royal College of Surgeons revealed researchers found the old-fashioned remedy of honey and lemon was just as effective in giving relief. The team looked at 29 trials involving 4,835 adults and children with acute cough.

"There is a high prevalence of coughs and colds at this time of year and patients often buy over-the-counter medications to alleviate their symptoms. However, our study has found little evidence to support expenditure on these and some of these medicines can occasionally result in adverse side-effects.

"Simple remedies, such as honey and lemon, can provide effective relief for coughs at a lower cost than over-the-counter medicines."

Parents should not give honey to children under one.

"We recommend that patients talk to their pharmacist or GP for advice on low-cost, safe treatments for coughs that can be prepared at home."

Darragh O' Loughlin of the Irish Pharmacy Union said: "People should talk to their pharmacist and ask if there is something they can take which will be effective for them.

"There are strong mixtures that might not be visible on the shelf. They may be able to provide something more potent."

View more here

Regenerative Medicine: Bone repair

A promising new bone repair technology, developed by Irish scientists, could be ready for testing in humans in the coming months.

The organic material, developed by researchers at the materials science centre AMBER, has already been used to save an ill race horse, which would otherwise have been put down.
The technique uses collagen and hydroxyapatite, both of which are natural ingredients of bone, to form a 3D porous "scaffold". 

It acts as a substitute for a bone graft to which cells and blood vessels "cling" as the tissue rebuilds itself.

Regulatory approval is now being sought for its use in humans by SurgaColl Technologies, a spin out company from the Royal College of Surgeons, where the research team which developed it are based.
It is anticipated that approval should be received within months, with its first use in humans likely by the end of this year. 

The technology was used to successfully treat a thoroughbred racehorse, which developed a tumour on its jaw.  The growth damaged the filly's jawbone and left it unable to chew properly. As a result, its owner and vet were expecting it would have to be put down. 

However, vets in UCD working with the AMBER researchers removed the tumour from the horse, called Annagh Haven, and implanted the new material.  Within months the horse's jawbone had fully recovered, and it was back securing wins and places in races again. 

The research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine.  

Enhanced bone healing using collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffold implantation in the treatment of a large multiloculated mandibular aneurysmal bone cyst in a Thoroughbred filly 

View here on RTE/news