Statin treatment in stroke patient with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels below 70 mg/dL.

Background And Purpose: The effectiveness of hyperlipidemia treatment in strokes secondary prevention has been established. However, whether pretreatment with statins could confer protective effects when a patient's baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level is <70 mg/dL remains uncertain. Additionally, the ability of statin treatment to reduce poststroke complications, mortality, and recurrence in this patient group is unclear.

Effects of cancer on stroke recurrence and mortality: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Whether patients with stroke and cancer have specific characteristics remains controversial. In addition, research regarding the effects of individual cancer types on stroke outcomes remains scarce. This study investigated the mortality and stroke recurrence rates in patients with stroke and concomitant cancer and evaluated outcome predictors.

2021 Taiwan Stroke Society Guidelines of blood pressure control for ischemic stroke prevention.

Background: Since the publication of the 2015 Taiwan Stroke Society Blood Pressure for Treatment and Prevention of Stroke Guideline (2015 TSS BP Guideline), several new clinical studies have addressed whether a stricter blood pressure (BP) target would be effective for stroke prevention.

Methods: TSS guideline consensus group provides recommendations on BP targets for stroke prevention based on updated evidences.

Results: The present guideline covers five topics: (1) diagnosis of hypertension; (2) BP control and primary prevention of ischemic stroke; (3) BP control and secondary prevention of ischemic stroke; (4) BP control and secondary prevention of large artery atherosclerosis ischemic stroke; and (5) BP control and secondary prevention of small vessel occlusion ischemic stroke.

Urgent Demand of Network Access for Acute Ischemic Stroke Management in Taiwan.

Time is the major determinant in successful reperfusion therapy of acute ischemic stroke. The evolving diagnostic tools and treatment of acute stroke has made a great progress in the past 2 decades and is remolding current management practices. It demands a timely neurologic evaluation and a neuroimaging study to determine if stroke patients are appropriate candidates for reperfusion demands.

Etiology and risk factors of intracranial hemorrhage and ischemic stroke in young adults.

Background: Young stroke incidence has increased worldwide with lifestyle changes. Etiology and risk factors for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in young Asians remain underexplored.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive acute stroke patients aged 16-45 years admitted to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 2009 and 2019 to analyze etiologic subtypes, risk factors, and serial modified Rankin Scale scores for 1 year and compare the age groups of 16-30 and 31-45 years.

Quantitative CT angiography predicts large artery occlusion types and successful thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Clinical and radiological outcomes of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) are related to etiologies of large vessel occlusion (LVO) in acute stroke. However, preprocedural computed tomography angiography (CTA) or CT perfusion imaging can hardly distinguish embolic occlusion from atherosclerotic occlusion. We hypothesized that quantitative multiphase CTA (mCTA) of LVO may predict occlusion types and thrombectomy outcome.

Premature Atrial Contractions and Their Association with Stroke Features and Outcome.

Background: Frequent premature atrial contractions (PACs) are associated with atrial fibrillation, stroke, and mortality. However, the cut-off value for PAC counts that could identify patients with different stroke features is unclear, and the association of PACs to outcome is not determined.

Methods: The study retrospectively included patients with acute ischemic stroke who had underwent both a 24 h Holter recording and a brain MRI in Taipei Veterans General Hospital from January 2015 to May 2016.

Better endovascular mechanical thrombectomy outcome in atrial fibrillation patients with acute ischemic stroke: A single-center experience.

Background: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has become the standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the major causes. However, the impact of AF on the treatment has not yet been clearly discussed.

RGS5 rs4657251 polymorphism is associated with small vessel occlusion stroke in Taiwan Han Chinese.

Background: The regulator of G-protein signaling protein 5 (RGS5) has been demonstrated to play a role in regulating blood pressure and cardiovascular function. Studies have shown that RGS5 polymorphisms exhibit susceptibility to hypertension. However, no study has yet been performed among stroke patients.

Association of apolipoprotein A1 and A5 polymorphisms with stroke subtypes in Han Chinese people in Taiwan.

Background And Purposes: Stroke is a leading cause of death and serious disability worldwide. Now, evidences indicate that dyslipidemia may play an important role in stroke. APOA1 and APOA5 involve in lipid metabolism.

Apolipoprotein A1 rs5070 A/G polymorphism with stroke subtypes in Taiwan.

Background: Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) is a structural protein of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; ApoA1 is involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism. This study evaluated the association of ApoA1 polymorphism (rs5070) with different stroke subtypes in Taiwanese individuals.

Methods: A total of 2139 cases, including 614 controls and 708 large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), 377 small-vessel occlusion, and 440 hypertensive intracranial hemorrhage cases, were enrolled in this study.

The assessment of anticoagulant activity to predict bleeding outcome in atrial fibrillation patients receiving dabigatran etexilate.

Special circumstances may require the measurement of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran etexilate. No data currently link any given coagulation test to bleeding outcomes in patients receiving dabigatran etexilate for atrial fibrillation. Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients receiving dabigatran etexilate of 110 mg (DE110) or 150 mg (DE150) were consecutively enrolled.

Identification and management of noncompliance in atrial fibrillation patients receiving dabigatran: the role of a drug monitor.

Background: Noncompliant patients might be at risk of thromboembolism because of the short half-life and rapid offset of dabigatran etexilate. The assessment and management of dabigatran noncompliance should be optimized.

Methods And Results: A total of 150 nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients receiving dabigatran were prospectively enrolled and followed for drug compliance and persistence.

Complexity of human postural control in subjects with unilateral peripheral vestibular hypofunction.

Complexity is a new measure for identifying the adaptability of a complex system to meet possible challenges. For a center of pressure (COP) time series, the complexity measure represents the stability of postural control. In this study, multiscale entropy (MSE) was used to evaluate the complexity of COP time series in six test conditions of sensory organization test (SOT).

Impact of carotid stenting in dizzy patients with carotid stenosis.

Background: Little is known about the impact of severe carotid stenosis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to assess the effects of carotid stenting (CAS) on HRQoL in dizzy patients with carotid stenosis.

Methods: Patients with symptomatic (≥60%) or asymptomatic (≥80%) severe carotid stenosis and who complained of dizziness and received CAS were recruited.

Nonlinear analysis of sensory organization test for subjects with unilateral vestibular dysfunction.

Vestibular disorder is the cause of approximately 50% of dizziness in older people. The vestibular system is a critical postural control mechanism, and posturography analysis is helpful for diagnosing vestibular disorder. In clinical practice, the sensory organization test (SOT) is used to quantify postural control in an upright stance under different test conditions.

Exposure to benzidine caused apoptosis and malformation of telencephalon region in zebrafish.

Exposure to benzidine has been known to induce human cancers, particularly bladder carcinomas. In this study, the zebrafish model was used to investigate the developmental toxicity of benzidine. Embryos at 6 h postfertilization (hpf) that were exposed to benzidine exhibited embryonic death in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Comorbid intracranial vertebral artery asymmetry as a risk factor for severe vestibular neuronitis.

Background: Our previous study had demonstrated that verterbral artery hypoplasia (VAH) contribute to ipsilateral vestibular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to test if VAH contributes to prognosis of vestibular neuronitis (VN) through presumed regional malperfusion.

Methods: We performed a prospective magnetic resonance angiographic registry in patients with acute vestibular neuritis in which were then assigned to VAH (n=29) and control group (n=40).