Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of dl-3-butylphthalide for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods We collected randomized controlled trials, which compared dl-3-butylphthalide agents with placebo or open control in patients with acute ischaemic stroke, by searching the electronic bibliographic databases, scanning references listed in articles and handsearching journals. Meta-analysis was conducted based on the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration. Results Twenty-one trials involving 2 123 patients were included, of which 2 were placebo-controlled and 19 were open-label controlled. Meta-analysis of 10 trials (n=958), in which neurological deficits were assessed by CSS, suggested that there were significant differences favoring butylphthalide in the mean change of neurological deficits’ score during the treatment period [MD=2.30, 95%CI (1.57, 3.03)]. Meta-analysis of 6 trials (n=590), in which neurological deficits were assessed by NIHSS, also favored butylphthalide [MD=2.06, 95%CI (0.65, 3.46)]. Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 13 trials. Gastrointestinal discomfort (1.7%~8%) and abnormal liver function including abnormal ALT (1.4%~17.5%) and abnormal AST (1.9%~8.82%) were the two most common AEs. However, no severe adverse events (SAEs) were reported. Numbers of dead and dependent patients at the end of followup (at least three months) were not reported in the 21 included trials. Quality of life was not assessed in any of the trials. Conclusion Dl-3-butylphthalide can improve the neurological function after acute ischemic stroke and appears to be safe. However, further study is needed to confirm its effects for lowering rates of death and dependency.
ObjectiveTo explore the risk factors of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in the patients with acute ischemic stroke, in order to provide effective guidance for clinical prevention and treatment.MethodsFrom November 2016 to November 2019, 330 patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology of West China Hospital of Sichuan University and the Department of Neurology of the Sixth People’s Hospital of Chengdu were selected as the research object. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed retrospectively. According to whether SAP occurred, they were divided into infected group and non-infected group. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of SAP.ResultsA total of 71 cases of SAP occurred in patients with acute ischemic stroke, accounting for 21.52%. Logistic regression analysis showed that age≥70 years old [odds ratio (OR)=3.677, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.452, 9.311), P=0.006], chronic lung disease [OR=4.985, 95%CI (1.558, 15.952), P=0.007], disturbance of consciousness [OR=7.147, 95%CI (1.617, 31.587), P=0.009], bulbar palsy [OR=5.909, 95%CI (2.668, 13.089), P<0.001], the use of nasal feeding tube [OR=7.427, 95%CI (1.681, 32.812), P=0.008] were independent risk factors for SAP in patients with acute ischemic stroke.ConclusionsAge≥70 years old, chronic lung disease, disturbance of consciousness, bulbar paralysis and use of nasal feeding tube are independent risk factors for SAP. It is necessary to strengthen the management of these risk factors in order to identify high-risk patients with SAP early, and develop intervention strategies for risk factors, so as to improve the prognosis.
Objective To investigate the relationship between systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) and early neurological deterioration (END) and 3-month prognosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Patients with acute ischemic stroke treated at West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Deyang People’s Hospital between April 2020 and October 2020 were collected. Clinical data were collected using a unified case form and outcomes were followed up for 3 months. According to the poor prognosis, the patients were divided into END group and non-END group. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship of SIRI, END and 3-month prognosis. We drew receiver operating characteristic curve to evaluate the value of related factors in predicting the occurrence of END and poor prognosis after 3 months. Results A total of 242 patients were included, of which 47 (19.42%) were in the END group. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in National Institutes of Health stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission, hypertension, creatinine, urea nitrogen, neutrophils count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count/lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), lymphocyte count/monocyte count ratio, platelet count/lymphocyte count ratio, complications (besides cerebral edema) and SIRI (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that NIHSS score on admission, hypertension, SIRI and NLR were independent risk factors for END (P<0.05). SIRI had better predictive value for the occurrence of END than NLR (P<0.05). Compared with the non-END group, the patients in the END group had worse prognosis at 3-month [44.7%(21/47) vs. 17.4% (34/195), P<0.05]. NIHSS score on admission had predictive value for clinical prognosis of acute ischemic stroke patients at 3-month. Conclusion SIRI is an independent risk factor for END in patients with acute ischemic stroke, and there is no independent correlation with the 3-month prognosis.
Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of human urinary kallidinogenase injection (HUK) in treating patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Through adopting Cochrane systematic review methods, the relevant materials were retrieved by electronically and manually searching databases and claimed from pharmaceutical factories, so as to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about HUK for the patients with acute ischemic stroke, which were searched by the end of October 2010. The quality of each trial was assessed by two reviewers independently, and meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.0.2 software. Results Twenty-four trials involving 2 433 patients were included, of which 2 were multi-center placebo controlled trials, and the other 22 were all non-placebo trials. Only 2 trials (459 cases) reported the death or dependence at the end of 3-month follow-up. In those trials, HUK reduced death or dependency comparing to the control group (RR=0.69, 95%CI 0.55 to 0.86). Twenty trials (2 117 patients) reported the proportion of patients with marked neurological improvement after finishing the 7 to 21 days treatment. Meta-analysis showed the HUK group had more neurological improvement than the control group, with significant differences (RR=1.56, 95%CI 1.44 to 1.70). Fifteen trials reported adverse events, of which the transient hypotension was commonly seen (1.5%-5.1%). Non-fatal intracerebral hemorrhage was detected in 7 patients in 3 trials, but the difference between the HUK group (6 patients, 1.2%) and the control group (1 patient, 0.4%) was not significant (RR=1.82, 95%CI 0.34 to 9.61). Deaths occurred in both HUK group (2 patients, 0.4%) and the control group (1 patient, 1.1%) in 2 trials, without significant differences (RR=0.6, 95%CI 0.09 to 3.92). No trial assessed quality of life. Conclusion Available evidence suggests that HUK injection reduces neurological impairment after acute ischemic stroke and improves long-term outcomes, though a few patients suffer from transient hypotension. Further high-quality, large-scale RCTs are needed to confirm these results.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of lumbrokinase capsule for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, CBM and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on lumbrokinase capsule for patients with AIS from inception to 1st December, 2019. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed risk of bias of included studies, then, meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 12.0 software.ResultsA total of 33 RCTs involving 4 751 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis indicated that compared with control group, lumbrokinase capsule could improve the treatment efficiency (RR=3.51, 95%CI 2.29 to 5.39, P<0.001), enhance neurological function (SMD=?0.55, 95%CI ?0.72 to ?0.38, P<0.001) and reduce fibrinogen after treatment (SMD=?0.93, 95%CI ?1.41 to ?0.44, P<0.001). Reported adverse reactions included dizziness, nausea and gastric discomfort, and no mortality was reported.ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows that lumbrokinase capsule can improve the neurological deficit in patients with AIS. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.
Objective To evaluate the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for acute ischemic stroke. Methods Six databases including The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 4, 2005), MEDLINE (1966 to December 2005), EMbase (1984 to December 2005), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, 1994 to December 2005), China Biomedicine Database disc (CBMdisc, 1980 to December 2005), VIP (a full text issues database of China, 1989 to December 2005) were searched systematically. Handsearch for further references was conducted. Language was limited to Chinese and English. We identified 74 RCTs that used acupuncture as an intervention and assessed the quality of these reports against the Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) statement and Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA).Results In regard to the items in the CONSORT statement, 54 (73%) RCTs described baseline demographic and clinical characteristics in each group. Twenty-six (35%) mentioned the method of generating the random sequence, with 4 (5%) using a computer allocation. Only 6 (8%) RCTs had adequate allocation concealment, with 5 RCTs using sealed opaque envelopes and 1 RCT using centralized computer allocation. Only 8 (11%) RCTs used blinding, including 5 described as double-blind. Four (5%) RCTs reported the sample size calculation and 5 (7%) RCTs reported that an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. In regard to the items in STRICTA , only 4 (5%) RCTs reported the numbers of needles inserted. In 35 (47%) RCTs the needle type was reported, but only 26 (35%) mentioned the depths of insertion. Only 1 (1%) RCT mentioned the length of clinical experience and 6 (8%) RCTs reported the background of the acupuncture practitioners, but none stated the duration of their training.Conclusion The reporting quality of RCTs of acupuncture for acute ischemic stroke was low. The CONSORT statement and STRICTA should be used to standardize the reporting of RCTs of acupuncture.
Acute ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke. Hemorrhagic transformation is one of its serious complications, which may lead to severe neurological deterioration and poor prognosis. The occurrence of hemorrhagic transformation is mainly related to the inflammatory mechanism after infarction, blood-brain barrier injury, ischemia-reperfusion injury and abnormal coagulation function. Identification of early predictors of hemorrhagic transformation can help reduce its incidence and severity. However, the mechanism of hemorrhagic transformation is complex, and there is currently no unified standard for its prediction. This article aims to review the related mechanisms and early predictors of hemorrhagic transformation after stroke, in order to provide a reference for early identification and prevention.
Stroke is a disease that seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Its main characteristics are that the incidence rate is increasing year by year, the risk of death is high, and the prognosis of the disease is poor. For patients with acute cerebral artery occlusive ischemic stroke, intravenous thrombolysis alone has a low recanalization rate and poor long-term prognosis. With the development of interventional treatment technology for cerebrovascular disease, intravascular interventional treatment methods such as arterial thrombolysis, stent placement, and mechanical thrombectomy are more and more applied in the ultra-early stage of acute ischemic stroke. This article reviews the progress of mechanical thrombectomy in the treatment of cerebral artery occlusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the association between red cell distribution width (RDW) and prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) undergoing intravenous thrombolytic therapy.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, and CQVIP database to identify eligible studies evaluating the relation between RDW and prognosis in AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis from the establishment of databases to May 2021. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the literature quality, and RevMan 5.3 software was used to process the data. The relationship between RDW and prognosis in AIS patients treated with intravenous thrombolytic therapy was analyzed using odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsFive studies with a total of 1 269 participants were included into this meta-analysis. All the studies were retrospective case-control studies. Because of statistical heterogeneity (I2=59%, P=0.04), random-effects model was chosen. Meta-analysis result showed that among AIS patients who received intravenous thrombolysis, those with elevated RDW before thrombolysis were more likely to have poor prognosis than those without elevated RDW [OR=1.50, 95%CI (1.14, 1.98), P=0.004].ConclusionElevated RDW is associated with adverse outcome of AIS patients treated with thrombolysis, and may be a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients treated with thrombolytic therapy.
Early endovascular interventional therapy can effectively improve the prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Dual-source CT dual-energy scanning, as a new CT imaging technology developed rapidly in recent years, with its unique technical characteristics and advantages, shows potential and application prospects in early endovascular interventional therapy of acute ischemic stroke. This article discusses the value of dual-source CT dual-energy scanning in the early screening and evaluation, the identification of postoperative iodine contrast agent extravasation and secondary cerebral hemorrhage, and the prediction of prognosis of patients with early endovascular interventional treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The purpose is to provide a theoretical basis for better application of dual-source CT dual-energy scanning in early endovascular interventional treatment of acute ischemic stroke.