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Background: In the recent years, oxidative stress was attended as one of the causal factors of ischemic stroke. In terms of the role of genetic, geographic and ethnic factors in the prevalence of stroke, This study was designed to compare the oxidative stress indexes of stroke patients with normal healthy subjects in this geographic area. Methods and Materials: In this case-control study, 36 patients older than 50 years with ischemic stroke and 45 healthy subjects with same age and sex, were enrolled. Five milliliter blood were drawn from all subjects. Samples were centrifuged and plasma was separated. Total antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation and thiol levels were measured respettively by FRAP, TBA and HU methods. Then the result was analyzed using t-test. Results: Results showed total antioxidant capacity and thiol plasma levels were lower in stroke patients in compare to healthy subjects, but only the thiol group had significant difference(P=0/001). Although lipid peroxidation showed a slight but non-significant difference in stroke patients in compare to control group. Conclusion: These findings suggest oxidative stress in patients with acute ischemic stroke may be conseaqence of an imbalance in oxidant/antioxidant homeostasis. Therefore it may be useful to recommend antioxidant medications or diet for these patients.

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  Background: Stroke is one of the important causes of death. However the prognostic factors are not clearly defined. There are many evidences which show the role of inflammatory factors during the progression of stroke but the relation of CRP and stroke is still vague. This study was designed to determine the relation between CPR Level and WBS with severity of stroke (according to CNSS score) and volume of infarct in stroke patients.

  Methods and Materials : This is a cross sectional study performed during the winter and spring of 2007 on 49 patients with stroke hospitalized in Vali-e-Asr hospital of Arak.Clinical examination was done by using CNSS scoring. The CRP and WBC were measured in the first 72 hour of onset of the disease. The CT scanning together with infarct volume estimation was performed at the same time.

  Results : There was no correlation between the volume of infarct with CRP serum level (r=-0.14, p=0.39 ) and WBC (r=-0.17, p=0.92 . Also there was no correlation between CNSS score with CRP level (r=-0.04, p=0.81) and WBC (r=-0.124, p=0.40) too, but there was a significant correlation between CNSS score and stroke volum in brain CT scan (r=-0.43, p=0.006 ).

  Conclusion: According to data in this study there was no correlation between serum acute phase reactant, the volume and severity of infarction.

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Abstract

Background: Glutamate is the most widespread excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) and plays major role in the pathogenesis of ischemia brain injury.Glutamate transporters  have a major role in glutamate removal and maintain its concentration below excitotoxic levels. Although estrogen’s and progesterone’s neuroprotective effects were well-described, the exact molecular mechanism has yet to be determined. This study has investigated estrogen and progesterone effect on glutamate transporters expression in the ischemic penumbra/peri-infarct region in rat.

Materials and Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) for 1 h. Estrogen and progesterone combination was immediately injected after tMCAO subcutaneously. Sensorimotor functional tests for evaluating behavioral deficits and TTC staining for measurement of infarct volume were performed 24 h after MCAO. Real-time PCR technique was used for gene expression analysis of glutamate transporters EAAT2 and EAAT3.

Results: The combination of estrogen and progesterone could significantly reduce lesion volume. Also, hormone therapy could improve ischemic neurological disorders. After hormone therapy, gene expression of glutamate transporters EAAT2 and EAAT3 did not show significant changes.

Conclusion: Combined estrogen–progesterone treatment significantly reduces neurological deficits and infarct volume; these effects are independent of the glutamate transporters signaling pathways.

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Background: Imaging of the vascular system supplying the brain parenchyma is a diagnostic tool in the evaluation of stroke patients. This study aimed to compare the results of digital subtraction angiography with color Doppler ultrasound of the neck blood vessels in patients with ischemic stroke.
Methods: In this cross-sectional-analytical study, the medical records of patients with ischemic stroke admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital from July 1401 to July 1402 were reviewed to collect data. Demographic information, along with the results of color Doppler ultrasound and digital subtraction angiography of the patients, were extracted and evaluated.
Results: This study included 48 patients with ischemic stroke with a mean age of 12.8 ± 0.67 years. Hypertension was present in 68.8%, diabetes mellitus in 20.8%, and smoking in 25% of patients. Based on the results of digital subtraction angiography and color Doppler ultrasound, the most common vascular abnormality was plaque (79.2%). Vascular abnormality and occlusion were present in 91.7% of patients. Color Doppler ultrasound in examining the right and left internal carotid arteries had a sensitivity of 94.9% and 92.8%, specificity of 66.7% and 38.9%, positive predictive value of 92.1% and 70.3%, and negative predictive value of 75% and 77.8%.
Conclusion: Color Doppler vascular ultrasound with high sensitivity and specificity was able to detect the presence and severity of occlusion in the internal carotid arteries in patients with ischemic stroke and can be used as a non-invasive and cheaper method in the clinical course of patients.