Women with atrial fibrillation have a moderately increased risk of stroke compared with men, according to research published in the May 31 issue of BMJ. The results of this retrospective cohort study suggest that female sex may need to be taken into consideration when making decisions about anticoagulation treatment, the study authors said. Analysis of data from 100,802 Swedish patients with atrial fibrillation showed that 6.2% of women and 4.2% of men per year had ischemic strokes. Even after multivariable adjustment for 35 cofactors of stroke and stratification according to the CHADS2 scheme, women showed an increased risk of stroke. However, the study authors noted that women do not need anticoagulant treatment if they are younger than 65 and without other risk factors for stroke.
IV magnesium sulfate after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage provides no benefit compared with placebo, according to a study that was published in the online May 25 Lancet. This phase III, multicenter trial enrolled 1,204 patients ages 18 or older who had an aneurysmal pattern of subarachnoid hemorrhage on brain imaging and were admitted to the hospital within four days of hemorrhage. Researchers assigned 606 patients to the magnesium group and 597 to the placebo group, and the results showed that 158 patients had a poor outcome in the magnesium group compared with 151 in the placebo group. A further meta-analysis of seven randomized trials also showed that magnesium does not improve outcomes compared with placebo. “IV magnesium sulfate does not improve clinical outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage; therefore, routine administration cannot be recommended,” the researchers stated.
Researchers have developed an implantable fuel cell that generates power through glucose oxidation and may be used to power future neural prosthetics, according to a study in the June 12 PLoS ONE. According to the investigators, the fuel cell was manufactured using semiconductor fabrication techniques that allow it to exist with integrated circuits on a single silicon wafer. Robust, solid-state catalysts mediate the fuel reactions, and an activated platinum anode facilitates glucose oxidation. The fuel cell is configured in a half-open geometry that shields the anode and exposes the cathode. The researchers theorize that natural recirculation of CSF around the brain will permit sufficient glucose energy harvesting without adverse effects. “Low-power brain–machine interfaces can thus potentially benefit from having their implanted units powered or recharged by glucose fuel cells,” said the researchers.
—Lauren LeBano