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THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A noninvasive magnetic brain stimulation device worn less than an hour a day can increase activity near stroke-injured areas of the brain, a small, preliminary study suggests. Those improvements in brain activity might then lead to increased motor function in people who have had a stroke, the researchers said. "We were excited to see a strong hint of improved motor function even in this small study. There is hope for stroke survivors with chronic motor impairment," said study senior author Dr. David Chiu, director of Houston Methodist Hospital's Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center. The study included 30 ischemic stroke survivors. An ischemic stroke is one in which a blood vessel becomes blocked, preventing blood flow to the brain. If blood flow...

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of Americans with high blood pressure are at risk of heart attack and stroke, but just a few changes might cut that risk. "In February, American Heart Month, we encourage all Americans to take control of their heart health by better understanding and monitoring their blood pressure levels and making healthy lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce their risk of serious health consequences associated with high blood pressure," said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association (AMA). "High blood pressure is the nation's leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke, yet an overwhelming number of U.S. adults are living with uncontrolled high blood pressure," Harris said in an association news release. In...

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Teenage actor Gaten Matarazzo III was born with a rare genetic disorder that affects bone development. And ever since his Netflix series "Stranger Things" became a hit, public interest in the condition has shot up, a new study finds. The disorder, called cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), affects only about one in a million people, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Caused by a mutated gene, CCD leads to abnormal bone development -- most apparent in the collarbones and teeth. The collarbones are either only partially developed or absent, causing the shoulders to slope toward each other in the front of the body. The teeth do not come in fully, and the ones that do may be misaligned or misshapen. Some other CCD effects include...

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- On Feb. 20, 1962, John Glenn made history when he became the first American to orbit the Earth. About half an hour after launch, somewhere over Zanzibar, he made a bit of lesser-known history by becoming the first person to use workout equipment in space. "It was called the MA-6 In-flight Exercise Device," said fellow space veteran James A. Pawelczyk, associate professor of physiology and kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. "And it was basically a strap connected to a bungee cord and a handle." Glenn put his feet through the strap and worked out, while his pulse and blood pressure were measured. That might seem like a minor footnote to a grand adventure. But it shows that from the days of...