Objective To investigate the serum level of NT-pro-BNP in patients with acute ischemic stroke and to determine whether NT-pro-BNP levels were associated with the death within 15 days of stroke onset. Methods Two hundard twenty-six consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke within 48 hours of onset were enrolled in this study. We measured plasma NT-pro-BNP within 72 h and recorded the NIHSS score on admission. Patients were divided into two groups: the deceased group, who died within 15 days, and the survival group. The factors associated with the death within 15 d of stroke onset were investigated by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Twenty-four (10.6%) patients died with 15 days of stroke onset. The incidence of atrial fibrillation, cardioembolism and large infarc?tion, the mean ± SD of NIHSS score, age, glucose level and creatinine were significantly higher in the deceased group than in the survival group (P<0.001). On the other hand, the mean ± SD of LVEF, albumin, LDL-C, and total-cholester?ol were significantly lower in the deceased group than in the survival group(P<0.05 ). The median of the plasma NT-pro-BNP level was significantly higher in the deceased group than in the survival group (2598.5 vs. 190.4 pg/mL, P<0.001). The optimal cut-off level, sensitivity, specificity and ROC area of NT-pro-BNP levels to distinguish the de?ceased group from the survival group were 955.2 pg/mL, 83.3%and 82.2%, 0.906, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that NIHSS score of ≥13 (OR=56.18, 95% CI=9.06 to 348.40, P =0.000) , plasma Lg NT-Pro-BNP level (OR=38.79, 95%CI=6.52 to 230.95, P=0.000) , and the size of infarction (OR=8.73, 95%CI=1.11~68.88, P=0.040) were independent factors associated with the death within acute phase of stroke. Conclusions The plas?ma NT-pro-BNP level can predict the death of stroke patients within 15 days of stroke onset.

Objective To study the impact of human urinary kallidinogenase (HUK) on collateral circulation and blood perfusion in patients with acute cerebral ischemia (ACI) using multi-modality CT methods. Methods In a randomized controlled clinical trial, 75 patients diagnosed with ACI were enrolled and divided into experiment group (treated with HUK)and control group (untreated with HUK). All participants underwent computer technology perfusion (CTP) and computed tomographic angiography (CTA) examination before and fourteenth day after treatment. The CT cerebral perfusion imaging (CTP), CT cerebrovascular imaging (CTA) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score were analyzed in two groups. The NIHSS score, cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), and time to peak (TTP) were compared between the two groups before and after 14 days therapy. Results ① After treatment, The two group showed increased CBF and CBV values and decreased MTT and TTP values. The CBF improvement was significantly better in the HUK-treated group than in the control group (t=2.470,P<0.05).②MTT and TTP were shorter in the HUK-treated group than in the control group (t=2.126, t=2.213, P<0.05).③ CTA maximum intensity projection (MIP) sequence revealed that the number of patients collateral vessels was significantly increased in the HUK-treated group than in the control group ( x2=4.265, P<0.05). ④The NIHSS score improvement was significantly better in the HUK-treated group after 14 days treatment than in the control group (t=4.330, P<0.05). Conclusion Human urinary kallidinogenase can improve blood perfusion and ameliorates neurological deficits. It is a safe and effective drug for treating ACI patients. The multi-modality CT methods are effective measure to assess blood perfusion and collateral circulation in patients with acute cerebral ischemia.