In Reply We agree with the comments by Drs Zedde and Pascarella and Drs Alexander and Yu that patient selection in our study may have altered the effect on the outcomes of stenting and medical therapy for patients with intracranial stenosis.
Risultati per: Stroke
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Combined robot motor assistance with neural circuit-based virtual reality (NeuCir-VR) lower extremity rehabilitation training in patients after stroke: a study protocol for a single-centre randomised controlled trial
Introduction
Improving lower extremity motor function is the focus and difficulty of post-stroke rehabilitation treatment. More recently, robot-assisted and virtual reality (VR) training are commonly used in post-stroke rehabilitation and are considered feasible treatment methods. Here, we developed a rehabilitation system combining robot motor assistance with neural circuit-based VR (NeuCir-VR) rehabilitation programme involving procedural lower extremity rehabilitation with reward mechanisms, from muscle strength training, posture control and balance training to simple and complex ground walking training. The study aims to explore the effectiveness and neurological mechanisms of combining robot motor assistance and NeuCir-VR lower extremity rehabilitation training in patients after stroke.
Methods and analysis
This is a single-centre, observer-blinded, randomised controlled trial. 40 patients with lower extremity hemiparesis after stroke will be recruited and randomly divided into a control group (combined robot assistance and VR training) and an intervention group (combined robot assistance and NeuCir-VR training) by the ratio of 1:1. Each group will receive five 30 min sessions per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be Fugl-Meyer assessment of the lower extremity. Secondary outcomes will include Berg Balance Scale, Modified Ashworth Scale and functional connectivity measured by resting-state functional MRI. Outcomes will be measured at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1) and follow-ups (T2–T4).
Ethics, registration and dissemination
The trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Chinese Traditional Medicine (Grant No. 2019–014). The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or at a conference.
Trial registration number
ChiCTR2100052133.
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Seizure Prophylaxis Among Adults After Acute Ischemic Stroke
Stroke, Ahead of Print. BACKGROUND:Older adults occasionally receive seizure prophylaxis in an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) setting, despite safety concerns. There are no trial data available about the net impact of early seizure prophylaxis on post-AIS survival.METHODS:Using a stroke registry (American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines) individually linked to electronic health records, we examined the effect of initiating seizure prophylaxis (ie, epilepsy-specific antiseizure drugs) within 7 days of an AIS admission versus not initiating in patients ≥65 years admitted for a new, nonsevere AIS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Severity score ≤20) between 2014 and 2021 with no recorded use of epilepsy-specific antiseizure drugs in the previous 3 months. We addressed confounding by using inverse-probability weights. We performed standardization accounting for pertinent clinical and health care factors (eg, National Institutes of Health Stroke Severity scale, prescription counts, seizure-like events).RESULTS:The study sample included 151 patients who received antiseizure drugs and 3020 who did not. The crude 30-day mortality risks were 219 deaths per 1000 patients among epilepsy-specific antiseizure drugs initiators and 120 deaths per 1000 among noninitiators. After standardization, the estimated mortality was 251 (95% CI, 190–307) deaths per 1000 among initiators and 120 (95% CI, 86–144) deaths per 1000 among noninitiators, corresponding to a risk difference of 131 (95% CI, 65–200) excess deaths per 1000 patients. In the prespecified subgroup analyses, the risk difference was 52 (95% CI, 11–72) among patients with minor AIS and 138 (95% CI, 52–222) among moderate-to-severe AIS patients. Similarly, the risk differences were 86 (95% CI, 18–118) and 157 (95% CI, 57–219) among patients aged 65 to 74 years and ≥75 years, respectively.CONCLUSIONS:There was a higher risk of 30-day mortality associated with initiating versus not initiating seizure prophylaxis within 7 days post-AIS. This study does not support the role of seizure prophylaxis in reducing 30-day poststroke mortality.
Associations of Osteoarthritis With Thrombectomy Utilization and Outcomes for Large Vessel Acute Ischemic Stroke
Stroke, Ahead of Print. BACKGROUND:Osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders are the leading causes of disability in the United States. While osteoarthritis is not a direct risk factor for stroke, osteoarthritis may impact patient selection for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) due to prestroke disability. This study investigates associations of osteoarthritis with EVT utilization and outcomes.METHODS:This was a large-scale cross-sectional study of the 2016 to 2019 National Inpatient Sample database. Adult patients with anterior large vessel ischemic strokes were identified. Patient demographics, stroke risk factors, stroke etiology, presence of osteoarthritis, medical comorbidities, EVT, intravenous thrombolysis treatments, and discharge destinations were recorded. Primary outcome was the rate of EVT treatment. Secondary outcomes include rates of discharge to home and in-hospital mortality. Propensity score matching and multivariable logistic regression models were used to account for possible confounders.RESULTS:Two hundred fifty-two thousand five hundred five patients were identified, of whom 8.5% (21 500 patients) had osteoarthritis. After propensity score matching for 32 clinical variables, osteoarthritis patients were found to be 17.3% less likely to receive EVT than non-osteoarthritis patients (14.4% versus 17.3%, respectively;P
Caring for Patients With Diabetes in Stroke Neurology
Stroke, Ahead of Print. Diabetes is a heterogeneous disease that affects 9% of the world’s population (11% in the United States). The consequences of diabetes for the brain are severe; it nearly doubles a person’s risk of stroke and is a major contributor to risk for cerebral small vessel disease and dementia. These effects on the brain are in addition to peripheral neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, and coronary heart disease. In this article, we explain the treatments that can prevent or mitigate its harmful effects and propose a role for neurologists and other neurology clinicians in managing patients during routine care.
Cognitive Recovery After Stroke: Memory
Stroke, Volume 54, Issue 1, Page 44-54, January 1, 2023. Memory impairment occurs in over a third of patients after symptomatic stroke. Memory deficits rarely occur in isolation but are an important component of the poststroke cognitive syndrome because of the strong relationship with the risk of poststroke dementia. In this review, we summarize available data on impairment of episodic memory, with a particular emphasis on the natural history of memory impairment after stroke and the factors influencing trajectory informed by an updated systematic review. We next discuss the pathophysiology of memory impairment and mechanisms of both decline and recovery of function. We then turn to the practical issue of measurement of memory deficits after stroke, emerging biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches. Our review identifies critical gaps, particularly in studies of the natural history that properly map the long-term trajectory of memory and the associations with factors that modulate prognosis. Few studies have used advanced neuroimaging and this, in conjunction with other biomarker approaches, has the potential to provide a much richer understanding of the mechanisms at play and promising therapeutic avenues.
Limb Apraxias: The Influence of Higher Order Perceptual and Semantic Deficits in Motor Recovery After Stroke
Stroke, Volume 54, Issue 1, Page 30-43, January 1, 2023. Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Limb apraxia is a group of higher order motor disorders associated with greater disability and dependence after stroke. Original neuropsychology studies distinguished separate brain pathways involved in perception and action, known as the dual stream hypothesis. This framework has allowed a better understanding of the deficits identified in Limb Apraxia. In this review, we propose a hierarchical organization of this disorder, in which a distinction can be made between several visuomotor pathways that lead to purposeful actions. Based on this, executive apraxias (such as limb kinetic apraxia) cause deficits in executing fine motor hand skills, and intermediate apraxias (such as optic ataxia and tactile apraxia) cause deficits in reaching to grasp and manipulating objects in space. These disorders usually affect the contralesional limb. A further set of disorders collectively known as limb apraxias include deficits in gesture imitation, pantomime, gesture recognition, and object use. These deficits are due to deficits in integrating perceptual and semantic information to generate complex movements. Limb apraxias are usually caused by left-hemisphere lesions in right-handed stroke patients, affecting both limbs. The anterior- to posterior-axis of brain areas are disrupted depending on the increasing involvement of perceptual and semantic processes with each condition. Lower-level executive apraxias are linked to lesions in the frontal lobe and the basal ganglia, while intermediate apraxias are linked to lesions in dorso-dorsal subdivisions of the dorsal fronto-parietal networks. Limb apraxias can be caused by lesions in both dorsal and ventral subdivisions including the ventro-dorsal stream and a third visuomotor pathway, involved in body schema and social cognition. Rehabilitation of these disorders with behavioral therapies has aimed to either restore perceptuo-semantic deficits or compensate to overcome these deficits. Further studies are required to better stratify patients, using modern neurophysiology and neuroimaging techniques, to provide targeted and personalized therapies for these disorders in the future.
January 2023 Stroke Highlights
Stroke, Volume 54, Issue 1, Page 4-4, January 1, 2023.
Stroke Literature Synopsis (Clinical)
Stroke, Volume 54, Issue 1, Page e20-e21, January 1, 2023.
Cognitive Deficits After Stroke
Stroke, Volume 54, Issue 1, Page 5-9, January 1, 2023. Cognition is a central feature of human existence and brain function. Cognitive deficits are common after stroke and may strongly impact functional outcome. Recent years have seen substantial advances in our understanding of cognitive functions in the healthy state, and this new body of knowledge promises to open new avenues for understanding and treating poststroke impairments, including cognitive deficits. The 5 reviews in this Focused Update from an international cast of experts provide excellent updates on cognitive syndromes that commonly contribute to poststroke disability: neglect, aphasia, apraxia, loss of executive function, and memory disorders. Cognitive impairment remains a major source of morbidity after stroke; these reviews approach this problem by considering clinical presentations, pathophysiology, measurement tools, and treatment approaches. In doing so, they highlight a number of key questions and critical gaps. A number of issues emerge as common across cognitive domains poststroke and are summarized herein. There is a need for improved methods to measure cognitive impairments, as well as for improved insights into pathophysiology of symptom onset and mechanisms of recovery after stroke, including validated biomarkers. These 5 state of the art summaries are sure to prove useful toward these goals.
Atrial Cardiopathy and Cardioembolic Stroke
Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.
Left Atrial Mechanical Dysfunction and the Risk for Ischemic Stroke in People Without Prevalent Atrial Fibrillation or Stroke
Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.
Left Atrial Mechanical Dysfunction and the Risk for Ischemic Stroke in People Without Prevalent Atrial Fibrillation or Stroke
Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.
Atrial Cardiopathy and Cardioembolic Stroke
Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.
Remote Ischemic Conditioning vs Usual Care and Neurologic Function in Acute Moderate Ischemic Stroke—Reply
In Reply We appreciate the interest shown by Dr Pico and colleagues about our trial that investigated the effect of RIC on neurologic function in patients with acute moderate ischemic stroke. A dose-response relationship between the number of days of RIC (or the number of RICs delivered) and excellent outcomes is important information to determine the best protocol for in-hospital RIC. These data will be investigated in our secondary analysis of the RICAMIS study.
Remote Ischemic Conditioning vs Usual Care and Neurologic Function in Acute Moderate Ischemic Stroke
To the Editor The Remote Ischemic Conditioning for Acute Moderate Ischemic Stroke (RICAMIS) randomized clinical trial shed new light on remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) as a potential treatment in acute ischemic stroke, although there was a 5.4% absolute risk improvement in excellent outcome with a power of 66%. To reproduce these findings with the same protocol using a power of 80%, a sample size of 2458 patients would be required. Previous trials in acute brain infarction and myocardial infarction have delivered 1 cycle of RIC in the first 6 hours of ischemia with the underlying hypothesis of enhanced penumbra salvage. However, the RICAMIS study investigators started this treatment within the first 48 hours, with a mean onset-to-treatment delay of 24.8 hours, and performed RIC twice a day over a mean of 11 days in patients with acute moderate ischemic stroke.