Relationship between poststroke cognition, baseline factors, and functional outcome: data from "efficacy of nitric oxide in stroke" trial.

Background: Poststroke cognitive impairment is common and identification of prognostic factors associated with it and its relationship with other functional outcomes may help in developing preventative strategies.

Methods: Previously independent patients with acute stroke, enrolled into the ongoing "Efficacy of Nitric Oxide in Stroke" trial, were assessed by telephone on day 90 for cognitive impairment using modified versions of "Mini Mental State Examination" (MMSE-M) and "Telephone Instrument for Cognitive Status" (TICS-M) scales and category fluency. The relationship of cognitive impairment with baseline prognostic factors and other functional outcomes at day 90 were studied.

Tranexamic acid for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: a randomized controlled pilot trial (ISRCTN50867461).

Background: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) can be devastating, particularly if hematoma expansion (HE) occurs. Tranexamic acid (TA), an antifibrinolytic drug, significantly reduced mortality in bleeding patients after trauma in the large CRASH-2 trial. The CRASH-2 ICH substudy found that TA nonsignificantly reduced mortality and dependency in traumatic ICH.

Feasibility of an ambulance-based stroke trial, and safety of glyceryl trinitrate in ultra-acute stroke: the rapid intervention with glyceryl trinitrate in Hypertensive Stroke Trial (RIGHT, ISRCTN66434824).

Background And Purpose: The practicalities of doing ambulance-based trials where paramedics perform all aspects of a clinical trial involving patients with ultra-acute stroke have not been assessed.

Methods: We performed a randomized controlled trial with screening, consent, randomization, and treatment performed by paramedics prior to hospitalization. Patients with probable ultra-acute stroke (<4 hours) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) >140 mm Hg were randomized to transdermal glyceryl trinitrate (GTN; 5 mg/24 hours) or none (blinding under gauze dressing) for 7 days with the first dose given by paramedics.

Progesterone treatment for experimental stroke: an individual animal meta-analysis.

Preclinical studies suggest progesterone is neuroprotective after cerebral ischemia. The gold standard for assessing intervention effects across studies within and between subgroups is to use meta-analysis based on individual animal data (IAD). Preclinical studies of progesterone in experimental stroke were identified from searches of electronic databases and reference lists.

The cog-4 subset of the national institutes of health stroke scale as a measure of cognition: relationship with baseline factors and functional outcome after stroke using data from the virtual international stroke trials archive.

Background. Assessing poststroke cognitive impairment is complex. A subscale of the NIHSS, the Cog-4, has been proposed as a quick test of "cognitive impairment.

Effect of the neutral CLOTS 1 trial on the use of graduated compression stockings in the Efficacy of Nitric Oxide Stroke (ENOS) trial.

Background And Purpose: Current evidence suggests that the time lag from the publication of randomised clinical trial results to changes in prescribing behaviour for drugs is gradually reducing. However, the effect of results of clinical trials of devices and non-pharmacological interventions on clinical practice is less clear.

Methods: Prospective data from the ongoing international 'Efficacy of Nitric Oxide Stroke' (ENOS) trial were analysed to assess the use of graduated compression stockings (GCS) for deep vein thrombus (DVT) prophylaxis in acute stroke patients before and after publication of the large 'Clots in Legs Or sTockings after Stroke' (CLOTS-1) trial.