Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Chronic pain syndromes after ischemic stroke: PRoFESS trial.
Chronic pain syndromes are reported to be common after stroke, but most previous epidemiological studies have generally included small cohorts of patients with relatively short-term follow-up. In a large cohort with ischemic stroke (Prevention Regimen for Effectively avoiding Second Stroke [PRoFESS] trial), we determined the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical consequence of new poststroke pain syndromes. ⋯ Chronic pain syndromes are common after ischemic stroke and are associated with increased functional dependence and cognitive decline.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of coupling inhibitory and facilitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to enhance motor recovery in hemiplegic stroke patients.
Although there has been extensive research on the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to improve patients' motor performance after experiencing chronic stroke, explicit findings on the coupling of different rTMS protocols are meager. We designed this sham-controlled randomized study to investigate the potential for a consecutive suppressive-facilitatory TMS protocol to improve motor outcomes after chronic stroke. ⋯ Our clinical trials established an extended timeframe during which conditioning could be safely continued and produced more favorable outcomes in facilitating motor performance and ameliorating interhemispheric imbalance than those obtained from single-course rTMS modulation alone.
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To develop and validate a risk score (acute ischemic stroke-associated pneumonia score [AIS-APS]) for predicting in-hospital stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) after AIS. ⋯ The AIS-APS is a valid risk score for predicting in-hospital SAP after AIS.
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Long-term angiographic follow-up studies on pediatric aneurysm patients are scarce. ⋯ Patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms in childhood have a high risk for new aneurysms and new subarachnoid hemorrhage, especially if they start to smoke as adults. Life-long angiographic follow-up is mandatory.
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Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthases, predicts mortality in cardiovascular disease and has been linked to cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In this prospective study, we assessed whether circulating ADMA, arginine:ADMA ratio, and nitrite/nitrate levels were associated with survival and cerebral vasospasm in SAH patients. ⋯ This study suggests that plasma arginine:ADMA ratios predict mortality after SAH. Both clinical and physiological measures of changes in cerebral hemodynamics are coupled to the nitric oxide system.