View clinical trials related to Cerebrovascular Disorders.
Filter by:A transient ischemic attack (TIA) should be considered an emergency prevention opportunity in order to avoid recurrence as cerebral infarction (CI) serious (fatal or disabling). Indeed, about 20% of patients who have IC had in previous days or weeks, a TIA, which can be defined as a brief episode of cerebral dysfunction (or eye) do not result in permanent brain damage and thus no sequelae. Moreover, about 20% of ischemic events observed in practice are AIT. Despite the progress achieved in the treatment in the acute phase of an IC, prevention remains the most effective way to fight against this disease. This prevention can be put in place before the occurrence of a first IC, or after a first IC, especially when minor as a TIA. However, the diagnosis of TIA remains particularly difficult and it is necessary now to identify new tools for the diagnosis of transient ischemic attack. Our study focused on the identification of one or more molecules (called biological markers or biomarkers) present in the bloodstream of patients, which will serve to facilitate the differential diagnosis of patients with TIA.
This study will evaluate a complex intervention based on a patient management tool (PMT), combined with educational outreach to primary care doctors, nurses and other health workers, in the Brazilian city of Florianopolis. The intervention is aimed at improving the quality of primary health care and health outcomes, in adults with diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed by randomly allocating 48 primary care clinics to receive the intervention or not, and comparing patient and clinic level endpoints that reflect the health and quality of care provided over the following year. About 11000 patients known to have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and 32000 with CVD (defined as having a diagnosis of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart failure or cerebrovascular disease) in participating clinics will be included in the study. About 7800 of them have diagnoses of both CVD and stroke. The primary endpoints will be 1. Number of participants in whom at least one of the following tests was recorded: body mass index, plasma glucose, serum cholesterol, electrocardiogram, and 2. in participants with a diagnosis of hypertension recorded previously, average systolic blood pressure recorded. Secondary endpoints will include the individual components of the composite scores, health measures (hospital admissions and deaths), and indicators of appropriate diagnosis of comorbid conditions such as depression. Eligible patients will be identified and outcomes measured using electronic medical records.
Locomotor disability remains a major obstacle to community function in stroke survivors. This disability is best characterized by the reduced gait speed and enhanced risk of falls that is observed in the majority of stroke survivors. Current robotic systems have focused on repetitive stepping in constrained, less-challenging environments than overground training and have failed to produce results that can justify their use. In contrast to this approach, this study will use a combinatorial approach on a moving platform (KineAssist-Mobility Activity Center) that simulates and enhances the challenges of overground training. We focus on five critical factors that contribute to reduced speed and fall risk during mobility activities: 1) lower limb weakness; 2) slow lower limb movements; 3) reduced balance; 4) reduced ability to respond to challenges during walking; and 5) reduced aerobic capacity. The end product of this study is to develop a comprehensive and standardized system for assessing and prescribing specific training modalities that can be used by clinicians to help stroke survivors who are limited by slow walking speed and high fall risk, and can improve participation in mobility activities.
Cervicocerebral artery dissection is a major cause for stroke in young adults. While knowledge of cervical artery dissection (CeAD) has increased thanks to a number of high quality studies, knowledge on intracranial artery dissection (IAD) is limited. Due to treatment and publication bias little is known about the natural history of IAD. Overall, IAD is assumed to have a more severe course than CeAD, with a more ominous outcome in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Furthermore, little information is available on the risk of recurrent IAD as well as on the risk of recurrent ischemic and haemorrhagic events in non-Asian patients. Radiological diagnosis of IAD can be challenging given the small size of intracranial arteries, and the subtle and non-specific radiological signs which tend to evolve over time. The optimal treatment of IAD is unknown. There are no randomised trials and only observational studies with relatively small sample sizes are available, thus providing a very low level of evidence. Finding the factors that are decisive for outcome and recurrence after intracranial artery dissection is key to an improved management of this potentially severe disease predominantly affecting young patients. By using standardised protocols for diagnosis, imaging and follow-up, the investigators intend to obtain large representative patient samples in order to fill the gap of evidence.
Endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke has shown strong benefit in several prospective randomized trials in the anterior circulation and endovascular therapy for basilar artery occlusion has shown promising results in several single-arm studies. This has led to a broad adoption of these techniques which are now considered standard of care in many institutions despite the lack of adequate evidence to prove their benefit. Indeed, the rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage in these studies have consistently been around 5% which raises the question as to whether patients could actually be harmed as opposed to helped by these procedures. This is a prospective, multi-center, randomized, controlled, open, blinded-endpoint trial, with the aim to evaluate the hypothesis that mechanical embolectomy with the Solitaire device is superior to medical management alone in achieving better outcomes in subjects presenting with an acute ischemic stroke caused by occlusion of the basilar artery within 6-24 hours from symptom onset.
Introduction: Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is associated with age-related disabilities including dementia, depression, physical and functional impairment. Chinese are more prone to developing SVD than Caucasians. Physical exercise may improve multiple negative consequences associated with SVD. Objective and hypothesis to be tested: To examine the effects of a 24-week structured aerobic dance training on cognition, mood, physical and daily functions in stroke and dementia free older adults with SVD, and whether such effects are mediated through improved cerebral vasomotor reactivity (CVR), a marker of cerebral autoregulation which is impaired in SVD. Design and subjects: Rater-blind RCT comparing the effects of 24-week of structured aerobic dance training upon cognition, mood, physical and daily functions on 110 community dwelling, stroke- and dementia-free persons aged ≥65 with MRI evidence of significant SVD, defined as the presence of multiple (≥2) lacunes and/or early confluent or confluent WML. Interventions: Participants are randomized in a 1:1 ratio into a 24-week of structured therapist-led group aerobic dance training with home practice or simple stretching plus health education control group. Main outcome measures: Cognition, mood, physical and daily functions and CVR measured using Transcranial Doppler at baseline, weeks 12, 24 and 36. Data analysis: Intent-to-treat with multiple imputations with treatment efficacy analyzed using mixed effects models. Mediation effects of CVR between aerobic dance training and treatment outcomes tested using mediation models. Expected results: In persons with significant SVD, aerobic dance training improves cognitive, mood, physical and daily functions and such effects are mediated by changes in CVR.
To explore the prevalence of genetic polymorphism on RNF213 rs112735431 gene in non-cardioembolic ischemic cerebrovascular disease in Thai patients.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the use the Nintendo Wii® (NW) and conventional therapeutic exercises in the rehabilitation of balance and gait of the post-stroke patients and the impact on quality of life.
BACKGROUND - Approximately 1,700 transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) occur annually in NI with TIA survivors often being left with considerable functional impairment. TIA and strokes share common risk factors with cardiovascular disease. Cardiac rehabilitation post-myocardial infarction has shown significant reductions in morbidity and mortality, with home-based programmes producing better adherence and similar outcomes to hospital-and community-based programmes. However, the value of rehabilitation programmes for stroke prevention following a TIA or minor stroke is unclear. AIMS - to determine if a novel rehabilitation programme, 'The Healthy Brain Rehabilitation Manual', for TIA/minor stroke patients can be developed, using MRC guidelines for developing complex health service interventions, from an approved home-based cardiac rehabilitation programme (the 'Heart Manual') and to undertake feasibility and pilot studies of the novel programme. METHODS-All patients attending a TIA clinic in Belfast within 4 weeks of their first TIA/mild stroke will be invited to participate. The novel home-based programme manual will be developed following systematic reviews of the literature and qualitative exploration with the target population, using focus groups. A feasibility study will initially be undertaken lasting 6 weeks and then developed into a pilot trial of 12 weeks duration. The feasibility will recruit to 3 different treatments: (1) standard care; (2) standard care plus the manual; (3) standard care, manual plus a pedometer. Whilst for the pilot study there will also be 3 arms but this will include: 1) control group; 2) manual and pedometer supported by telephone follow-up with a GP; 3) manual and pedometer supported by telephone follow-up with a stroke nurse. Interviews and focus groups will be employed to assess the interventions' acceptability. The intervention, 'The Healthy Brain Rehabilitation Manual' will be refined and modified at all stages of the research. CONCLUSIONS - The findings will inform the development of a novel secondary prevention programme, 'The Healthy Brain Rehabilitation Manual', for TIA/minor stroke patients and of a trial to test its effectiveness and longer-term potential to improve outcomes for TIA/stroke patients.
Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI gives quantitative and semi-quantitative information about the integrity of the vascular system and can be used to quantify blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. The BBB plays a pathophysiological role in diabetes, cognitive disorders such as mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Although dysfunctional, changes in BBB integrity for these conditions are thought to be subtle and close to intact values. Recent studies have shown it is possible measure small changes in the BBB integrity as an early sign of disease using DCE MRI. The objective of this study is to apply an optimized DCE imaging protocol and novel image post-processing to obtain new information about the BBB integrity in aging. These techniques show promise for both improving clinical diagnosis, and elucidated the physiology or various disease processes.