Objective To analyze the methodological quality of clinical trails on butylphthalide for cerebral ischemic stroke. Methods We collected all of the published clinical studies on butylphthalide for cerebral ischemic stroke in the world, and evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies according to clinical epidemiologic standard. The search time was from the establishment of each database to December, 2009. Results A total of 62 studies involving 5 762 patients were included. In all included studies, there were 56 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A total of 8 studies described the method of random assignments. There were 4 multi-center randomized double-blind placebo-control trials. A total of 55 reported diagnosis criteria, 40 reported included criteria, 28 reported excluded criteria; 36 reported the curative efficacy at the end of the treatment, 51 assessed the neurological deficit score of patients before and after the treatment, 27 evaluated the ADL scores; 32 studies reported the side effects; 6 trials did not conduct intention-to-treat analysis even though some people withdrew the treatment because of the side effects or poor tolerance, etc. Conclusion Except for several high quality RCTs, current quality of some clinical trials on butylphthalide for ischemic stroke should be improved. We recommend that researchers should use internationally accepted consolidate standards of reporting trials (CONSORT) in future studies.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the correlation between atrial fibrillation and prognosis of patients with ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolysis. MethodsLiterature search was carried out in PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2014), CBM and WanFang Data up to April 2014 for the domestic and foreign cohort studies on atrial fibrillation and prognosis of patients with ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolysis. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2. ResultsA total of 7 cohort studies were finally included involving 69 017 cases. The results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with patients without atrial fibrillation, atrial fibrillation reduced 3-month favourable nerve function of patients with atrial fibrillation (OR=0.85, 95%CI 0.73 to 0.98, P=0.03) but did not influence the risk of death after intravenous thrombolysis (OR=1.47, 95%CI 0.75 to 2.86, P=0.26); and increased the risks of intracranial haemorrhagic transformation (OR=1.36, 95%CI 1.26 to 1.47, P < 0.001) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage after intravenous thrombolysis (OR=1.43, 95%CI 1.02 to 1.99, P=0.04). ConclusionFor patients with ischemic stroke, atrial fibrillation does not influence the risk of death, but it increases the risks of intracranial hemorrhage, and worsens 3-month favourable nerve function of after intravenous thrombolysis. For those patients, more assessment before intravenous thrombolysis and more monitoring after intravenous thrombolysis are necessary. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, the abovementioned conclusion still needs to be verified by conducting more high quality studies.
This article explores the application and research progress of shared decision-making (SDM) tools in ultra-early vascular recanalization therapy for ischemic stroke, focusing on analyzing the functional characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of various tools. Based on functional goals, SDM tools can be divided into four categories: brief decision aids, risk communication tools, patient information tools, and prognosis assessment tools. These tools can assist patients and doctors in making informed treatment decisions quickly in time-sensitive situations, providing a reference for optimizing stroke revascularization treatment. Additionally, SDM tools can facilitate communication between doctors and patients, enabling patients to better understand the risks and benefits of treatment options, leading to choices more aligned with personal preferences and values. Through an in-depth study of these SDM tools, it is expected to improve the diagnostic and treatment efficiency for stroke patients, reduce decision conflicts, promote collaboration between doctors and patients, and provide new ideas and methods for stroke treatment and management.
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 systematically assess the clinical efficacy and safety of cilostazol for preventing ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods Such databases as PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, CBM, and VIP were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of cilostazol to prevent ischemic stroke recurrence (up to November, 2010). Two researchers selected studies and extracted data independently using a designed extraction form. The quality of included trials was evaluated and RevMan 5.0 software was used for meta-analyses. Results Four RCTs involving 3 916 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that there were significant differences between cilostazol and aspirin in terms of hemorrhagic stroke occurrence (RR=0.39, 95%CI 0.24 to 0.61, Plt;0.000 1), headache occurrence (RR=1.99, 95%CI 1.16 to 3.43, P=0.01) and dizziness occurrence (RR=1.43, 95%CI 1.13 to 1.79, P=0.002). Whereas, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of ischemic stroke recurrence (RR=0.80, 95%CI 0.61 to 1.04, P=0.10) and transient ischemic attack occurrence (RR=0.93, 95%CI 0.45 to 1.92, P=0.85). Conclusion The current evidence indicates that cilostazol is as effective as aspirin in preventing ischemic stroke recurrence, but with less incidence of hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic stroke can lead to disruption in the oral ecology and an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, resulting in periodontal disease. Meanwhile, the aspiration and pulmonary infection resulted from dysphagia can increase the unfavorable prognosis. Some studies have found that there exist oral bacteria in the thrombus in myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke patients, showing that oral flora might be associated with thrombus and stroke-associated pneumonia. There are few high quality clinical studies or evidence-based guidelines. Priority should be given to high quality research that provides oral care standards, and incorporating oral care into future stroke pathways to improve the prognosis.
ObjectiveTo analyze the patterns of recurrent strokes among patients with initial ischemic stroke and investigate the possible predictors of recurrent ischemic stroke. MethodPatients with recurrent strokes after initial ischemic strokes hospitalized in our hospital between January 2008 and December 2012 were included in the study, and the data of general demographic information, life history, past medical history and laboratory test results were all retrospectively analyzed. The patterns of recurrent strokes in patients with initial ischemic stroke were analyzed, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the independent risk factors for recurrent ischemic stroke. ResultsA total of 237 patients were included in this study, including 198 patients with recurrent ischemic stroke and 39 patients with recurrent hemorrhagic stroke. Among patients with recurrent ischemic stroke, there were 137 patients with anterior circulation stroke, 52 with posterior circulation stroke and 9 with multiple infarction. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that older age at initial stroke onset[OR=1.968, 95%CI (1.533, 2.152), P=0.009], frequent mood swings[OR=1.345, 95%CI (1.121, 1.783), P=0.011], hyperlipidemia[OR=1.436, 95%CI (1.216, 1.732), P=0.018] and atrial fibrillation[OR=3.417, 95%CI (2.927, 4.897), P=0.005] were independent risk factors for recurrent ischemic stroke. ConclusionsIschemic stroke is the most common pattern of recurrent strokes; and aging, frequent mood swings, hyperlipidemia and atrial fibrillation are possible predictors of recurrent ischemic stroke after the initial ischemic stroke.
Objective To know more about the correlation between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and ischemic stroke among young and middle-aged people through analysis on various risk factors of ischemic stroke. Methods Eighty-three patients with cerebral infarction from 15 to 55 years old diagnosed for the first time in the Department of Neurology of Xianyang Hospital between January 2016 and January 2017 were selected as the study subjects. They were divided into two groups, PFO group (n=42) and non-PFO group (n=41). Seventy-eight heathy people from the Physical Examination Department of the same hospital were selected as controls. All patients and heathy subjects underwent transcranial Doppler (TCD) foaming experiments, and the occurrence and shunt volume of PFO were observed. General information and cerebrovascular disease risk factors of the patients were investigated. Results The age of subjects in PFO and non-PFO groups was not significantly different (P>0.05). Among the risk factors, there was no significant difference between the PFO and non-PFO groups in drinking history (P>0.05). The incidences of other ischemic stroke risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, hyperlipidemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, and carotid arteriosclerosis) in the PFO group were significantly lower than those in the non-PFO group (P<0.05). The rank sum test results showed that large and medium shunt rates of the cerebral infarction group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions PFO may be one of the cause of ischemic stroke in young and middle-aged people. Pathogenesis of ischemic stroke is likely to have a relationship with the severity of the shunt from right to left.