Bulletin No. 2, 2012

News in Brief 43 New Method to Raise Cerebral Blood Flow in Stroke Patients A research team led by Prof. Wong Ka-sing Lawrence (right), head of the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, and Prof. Leung Wai-hong Thomas (left), associate professor of the same division, proved that external counterpulsation (ECP) can improve blood flow to the brain and collateral circulation, thereby speeding up the recovery of stroke patients. The results of this study were published in the September 2012 issue of the American journal STROKE . ECP uses six air cuffs wrapped around the patient’s hip, thighs and calves. While the heart is relaxed, the cuffs inflate to compress blood vessels in the lower limbs and aorta, and increase blood flow to the heart. When the heart pumps again, the cuffs deflate, releasing pressure which brings blood flow to the coronary arteries and vital organs, and improve s c a r d i a c f u n c t i o n . B y channeling the blood flow from the lower limbs to the brain, cerebral blood flow is increased. Pathogenic Pathways of Spinocerebellar Ataxias Revealed Prof. Chan Ho-yin Edwin in the School of Life Sciences and his research team have discovered that the failure of RNA (ribonucleic acid, a form of nucleic acid that transmits genetic information contained in DNA and synthesizes proteins) to transmit genetic code properly is a cause of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), an incurable disease. The findings mean that scientists and clinicians are now in a better position to develop a cure for SCAs at the molecular level. The breakthrough findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . Prof. Chan Ho-yin Edwin (left) and his PhD student Mr. Frankie H. Tsoi