Health Bulletin

Every minute matters with clot-busting stroke drug

Every 15-minute delay in receiving a clot-busting drug means stroke survivors will have about one month less of a disability-free life, while every minute sooner that they receive the drug translates into more than one extra day of healthy life.
That is the finding of a study published in the journal Stroke. Guidelines say the clot-busting drug named tPA should be given within four and a half hours after stroke symptoms begin, but this study shows that the earlier patients receive the drug within that window, the better.

Love hormone may help those with anorexia

A hormone called Oxytocin that is connected to positive feelings could help ease obsessions with food and obesity in people with anorexia, according to a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Patients with anorexia have an intense fear of weight gain, even when they are underweight. They may diet or exercise too much or use other ways to lose weight.
Oxytocin is sometimes called the "love hormone." It is released during bonding activities like childbirth and sex, and researchers have linked artificial forms of it to lowering anxiety in people with autism.