Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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The European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS) III extended the thrombolysis time window for patients with stroke from 3 to 4.5 hours after symptom onset. We investigated the effect of the extended thrombolysis time window on the proportion of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator-treated stroke patients and on the time of treatment initiation after hospital arrival. ⋯ Results of ECASS III were rapidly implemented in routine stroke care. Concerns of a delay in recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator treatment initiation after the extension of the thrombolysis time window were not confirmed.
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Remote ischemic preconditioning is a phenomenon by which a short period of sublethal ischemia to an organ protects against subsequent ischemia in another organ. We have recently demonstrated that remote ischemic conditioning by transient hind limb ischemia delivered during ischemia and before reperfusion can provide potent cardioprotection, a phenomenon we termed per-conditioning. This study evaluated whether remote ischemic per-conditioning may provide neuroprotection in a clinically relevant rat model of acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ Remote per-conditioning by transient limb ischemia is a facile, clinically relevant stimulus that provides potent neuroprotection in a model of regional brain ischemia-reperfusion injury. Further studies are required to better understand the mechanisms and biology of this response before translation to randomized controlled trials of remote per-conditioning for acute ischemic stroke.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Low body temperature does not compromise the treatment effect of alteplase.
Hypothermia is neuroprotective in ischemic stroke models. The influence of baseline body temperature on outcomes after thrombolytic therapy is unclear. We examined outcomes after alteplase treatment across baseline body temperature for patients with ischemic stroke in data held within the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA; 1998 to 2007). ⋯ There is no evidence of influence of body temperature on alteplase treatment response. These results are reassuring that low temperatures across a physiological range do not compromise therapeutic effect of alteplase.
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The safety and efficacy of thrombolysis in cervical artery dissection (CAD) are controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to pool all individual patient data and provide a valid estimate of safety and outcome of thrombolysis in CAD. ⋯ Safety and outcome of thrombolysis in patients with CAD-related stroke appear similar to those for stroke from all causes. Based on our findings, thrombolysis should not be withheld in patients with CAD.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Baseline and longitudinal increases in diastolic blood pressure are associated with greater white matter hyperintensity volume: the northern Manhattan study.
Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a risk factor for stroke and dementia, but the effect of BP, and change in BP over time, on white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) is not fully understood. Few studies have included Hispanics, who are at greater risk of stroke and dementia than non-Hispanic whites. We examined BP in relation to WMHV in a stroke-free cohort. ⋯ Baseline DBP and longitudinal increases in DBP were independently associated with a greater WMHV, and the association between DBP and WMHV was greatest among blacks.