Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Susceptibility-weighted imaging is more reliable than T2*-weighted gradient-recalled echo MRI for detecting microbleeds.
We investigated the sensitivity and reliability of MRI susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) compared with routine MRI T2*-weighted gradient-recalled echo (GRE) for cerebral microbleed (CMB) detection. ⋯ SWI confers greater reliability as well as greater sensitivity for CMB detection compared with GRE, and should be the preferred sequence for quantifying CMB counts.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Relationship between onset-to-door time and door-to-thrombolysis time: a pooled analysis of 10 dedicated stroke centers.
Inverse relationship between onset-to-door time (ODT) and door-to-needle time (DNT) in stroke thrombolysis was reported from various registries. We analyzed this relationship and other determinants of DNT in dedicated stroke centers. ⋯ DNT was decreasing steeply over the last years in dedicated stroke centers; however, significant oscillations of in-hospital treatment delays occurred at both ends of the time window. This suggests that further improvements can be achieved, particularly in the elderly.
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Smoking as a risk factor for stroke in women compared with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 81 cohorts, including 3,980,359 individuals and 42,401 strokes.
It is currently unknown whether the excess risk of stroke by smoking is the same for women and men. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the effect of smoking on stroke in women compared with men. ⋯ Compared with nonsmokers, the excess risk of stroke is at least as great among women who smoke compared with men who smoke.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Ultra-early intravenous stroke thrombolysis: do all patients benefit similarly?
We previously reported increased benefit and reduced mortality after ultra-early stroke thrombolysis in a single center. We now explored in a large multicenter cohort whether extra benefit of treatment within 90 minutes from symptom onset is uniform across predefined stroke severity subgroups, as compared with later thrombolysis. ⋯ I.v. thrombolysis within 90 minutes is, compared with later thrombolysis, strongly and independently associated with excellent outcome in patients with moderate and mild stroke severity.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor levels are associated with risk of stroke and vascular brain injury: Framingham Study.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a major neurotrophin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have a documented role in neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and neuronal survival. In animal experiments, they impact infarct size and functional motor recovery after an ischemic brain lesion. We sought to examine the association of serum BDNF and VEGF with the risk of clinical stroke or subclinical vascular brain injury in a community-based sample. ⋯ Lower serum BDNF and higher VEGF concentrations were associated with increased risk of incident stroke/TIA. Higher levels of BDNF were also associated with less white matter hyperintensity and better visual memory. Our findings suggest that circulating BDNF and VEGF levels modify risk of clinical and subclinical vascular brain injury.