Stable thyroid function despite regular use of povidone-iodine throat spray for SARS-CoV-2 prophylaxis.

Background: It is unclear whether unintentional ingestion of povidone-iodine following its application to the oropharyngeal space could affect thyroid function.

Objective: To examine thyroid function among individuals who regularly apply povidone-iodine throat spray for SARS-CoV-2 prophylaxis.

Methods: We designed a case-control study to compare thyroid function among participants who received povidone-iodine throat spray three times a day for 42 days ('cases') and those who received vitamin C ('controls').

Blood biomarkers to detect new-onset atrial fibrillation and cardioembolism in ischemic stroke patients.

Background: Accumulating data suggest blood biomarkers could inform stroke etiology.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of multiple blood biomarkers in elucidating stroke etiology with a focus on new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardioembolism.

Methods: Between January and December 2017, information on clinical and laboratory parameters and stroke characteristics was prospectively collected from ischemic stroke patients recruited from the National University Hospital, Singapore.

Early and Sustained Increases in Leukotriene B Levels Are Associated with Poor Clinical Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Leukotriene B (LTB) has been implicated in ischemic stroke pathology. We examined the prognostic significance of LTB levels in patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction and their mechanisms in rat stroke models. In ischemic stroke patients with middle cerebral artery infarction, plasma LTB levels were found to increase rapidly, roughly doubling within 24 h when compared to initial post-stroke levels.

Stroke biomarkers in clinical practice: A critical appraisal.

Biomarkers provide critical mechanistic insights to key biologic processes that occur during cerebral ischemia which, when carefully applied, can improve clinical decision-making in acute stroke management. The translation of a blood-based biomarker in ischemic stroke to clinical practice is challenging, in part, due to the complexity of ischemic stroke pathogenesis and the presence of a blood-brain barrier that restricts the release of brain-specific markers into the circulation. The pathologic and clinical aspects of ischemic stroke are described in this review, where a non-exhaustive list of biomarkers that interrogate different aspects of ischemic stroke such as oxidative damage, inflammation, thrombus formation, cardiac function and brain injury are described.