X-Message-Number: 23161
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2003 01:29:28 -0600
From: Gary Tripp <>
Subject: major breakthrough

Scientists at Toronto Western Hospital and the University of Toronto have 
found a major mechanism that causes brain cells to die from stroke. They 
discovered that when brain cells are deprived of oxygen and vital 
nutrients, as happens to parts of the brain affected by a stroke, a special 
channel on the surface of those brain cells is activated, triggering a 
lethal chain reaction. The channel, called TRPM7, when activated causes 
brain cells to produce large quantities of free radicals   toxic molecules 
that break down the cell's DNA, proteins, and other components. Free 
radicals also cause TRPM7 to become even more active, causing massive 
overproduction of free radicals, resulting in death of the brain cell.

In a study published in the December 26 issue of Cell, an international 
science journal, the scientists also report that they have found a way to 
interfere with this lethal chain reaction. While brain cells can only 
survive for a few minutes without oxygen, interfering with the activity of 
TRPM7 allows brain cells to survive for more than three hours without 
oxygen and vital nutrients. 

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