Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Hypothermia has been shown to be neuroprotective in a variety of clinical settings. Unfortunately, poor delivery techniques and insufficient data in appropriate preclinical models have hampered its development in human stroke. To address these limitations, we have devised a 10F intravascular catheter capable of rapid systemic cooling of nonhuman primates. ⋯ These data suggest that a brief episode of mild core hypothermia instituted at a clinically relevant time point can be achieved in primate stroke and that our intravascular cooling technique provides safe, rapid, and reproducible hypothermia.
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Studies have demonstrated the importance of early stroke treatment. If a neuroprotective agent (NA) clinical trial is successful, the greatest benefit might be attained with early prehospital administration. This study determined the potential reduction in time to treatment of stroke patients when NAs were administered in the prehospital setting. ⋯ Prehospital NA administration can potentially significantly reduce the time to first intervention in stroke patients.
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Comparative Study
Thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and tirofiban in stroke: preliminary observations.
We sought to investigate the feasibility of the combined use of low-dose recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) and tirofiban, a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) receptor antagonist, for systemic thrombolysis in acute stroke. ⋯ Systemic combined thrombolysis with rtPA+T seems to be a feasible treatment in acute stroke.
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Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for the formation and rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Few studies have examined predictors of resumption of cigarette smoking after a first episode of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). ⋯ More than one third of prior smokers continue to use nicotine after SAH. Young age at smoking onset and a history of depression or alcohol use are risk factors for continued cigarette use. Targeted smoking cessation programs are needed to reduce the high rate of smoking resumption after SAH.