With the increase in stroke incidence, it has become an important disease threatening human life and health. Some stroke survivors have different degrees of mood and movement disorders in the later stages, such as post-stroke anxiety (PSA) and post-stroke depression (PSD), which seriously endanger the quality of life of patients and their families. The pathogenesis of PSA remains incompletely clear. Current research interest mainly focuses on the dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenergic (HPA) axis, neurotransmitter disorders, neuronal excitability changes, cytokine levels imbalance, stroke lesion site and psychophysiology. This article summarizes the research progress on the pathogenesis of PSA in recent years.
Anxiety/etiology* ; Depression/etiology* ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Stroke/complications*

Acupuncture Therapy ; Deglutition Disorders ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Stroke ; complications

The relevant documents of apoplectic urinary incontinence treated with acupuncture-moxibustion in recent 5 years have been collated and analyzed in aspect of current situation of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment, acupoint selection, manipulation and problems. The result indicates that the main therapy for this disease is acupuncture-moxibustion combined with electroacupuncture or other methods, and the acupuncture-moxibustion therapy is superior to the medicine. The clinical research has made considerable progress and the great importance has been attached to the research method. The main problems are low credibility of total quality, inconsistent curative course, incomplete case of illness, missing of quality control, disordered standards of clinical diagnosis and curative effect evaluation, varied observation index and phatic discussion of mechanism. It is suggested to carry on scientific research, enhance research lever, expand mind, innovate ideas, and establish uniformed standards of diagnosis and curative effect evaluation and observation index.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Stroke ; complications ; Urinary Incontinence ; etiology ; therapy

With the changes of life style, diabetes and its complications have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality. It is reasonable to anticipate a continued rise in the incidence of diabetes and its complications along with the aging of the population, increase in adult obesity rate, and other risk factors. Diabetic encephalopathy is one of the severe microvascular complications of diabetes, characterized by impaired cognitive functions, and electrophysiological, neurochemical, and structural abnormalities. It may involve direct neuronal damage caused by intracellular glucose. However, the pathogenesis of this disease is complex and its diagnosis is not very clear. Previous researches have suggested that chronic metabolic alterations, vascular changes, and neuronal apoptosis may play important roles in neuronal loss and damaged cognitive functions. Multiple factors are responsible for neuronal apoptosis, such as disturbed insulin growth factor (IGF) system, hyperglycemia, and the aging process. Recent data suggest that insulin/C-peptide deficiency may exert a primary and key effect in diabetic encephalopathy. Administration of C-peptide partially improves the condition of the IGF system in the brain and prevents neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus of diabetic patients. Those findings provide a basis for application of C-peptide as a potentially effective therapy for diabetes and diabetic encephalopathy.
Animals ; Brain Diseases ; etiology ; C-Peptide ; deficiency ; physiology ; Cognition Disorders ; etiology ; Diabetes Complications ; etiology ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; etiology

Brain Ischemia ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/diagnostic imaging* ; Hemorrhagic Stroke ; Humans ; Moyamoya Disease/diagnostic imaging* ; Stroke/etiology*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effect of plum-blossom needle tapping at three meridians of wrist combined with rehabilitation training and simple rehabilitation training on wrist joint contracture after stroke. METHODS: A total of 72 patients with wrist joint contracture after stroke were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 36 cases in each one. In the control group, simple rehabilitation training was applied, 5 times a week, 3 weeks as one course and totally 3 courses were required. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, plum-blossom needle tapping at three meridians of wrist was adopted in the observation group. The tapping regions were wrist traveling parts of three meridians of hand, ranging from up 3 to below 1 of wrist crease, 3 times a week, 3 weeks as one course and totally 3 courses were required. The active range of motion (AROM) of active wrist extension, Fugl-Meyer score (FMA) and Barthel index (BI) score were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: The AROM, FMA scores and BI scores after treatment in the two groups were superior to before treatment (<0.05), and the improvements of 3 indexes in the observation group were superior to the control group (<0.05). CONCLUSION The therapeutic effect of plum-blossom needle tapping at three meridians of wrist combined with rehabilitation training is superior to simple rehabilitation training on wrist joint contracture after stroke.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Contracture ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Meridians ; Stroke ; complications ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Treatment Outcome ; Wrist ; Wrist Joint

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in the clinical effect on post-stroke hand spasm among the combined treatment of penetrating acupuncture and kinesiotherapy, the simple application of penetrating acupuncture and the simple application of kinesiotherapy. METHODS: A total of 105 patients with post-stroke hand spasm were randomized into a penetrating acupuncture group, a kinesiotherapy group and a combined treatment group, 35 cases in each one, of which, 2 cases were dropped out in either the combined treatment group and the penetrating acupuncture group, and 1 case dropped out in the kinesiotherapy group. The routine rehabilitation training, e.g. occupational therapy and Bobath exercise and medication were adopted in all of the three groups. In the penetrating acupuncture group, the penetrating needling technique was exerted from Hegu (LI 4) to Houxi (SI 3) and from Waiguan (TE 5) to Sidu (TE 9) on the affected side. In the kinesiotherapy group, the persistent movement or passive movement was exerted on the wrist joint, the metacarpophalangeal joints and the interphalangeal joints. In the combined treatment group, the penetrating acupuncture (the same as the penetrating acupuncture group) was exerted combined with kinesiotherapy (the same as the kinesiotherapy group). In each group, the treatment was given once a day, 30 min in each time, 6 treatments a week in total, with the interval of 1 day between the courses. The treatment for 2 weeks was as one course and 2 courses were required totally. Before and after treatment, the scores of hand spasm index, hand-wrist motor function and the activity of daily living (ADL) were compared in each group. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of hand spasm index were reduced as compared with those before treatment in each group (<0.05) and the scores of hand-wrist motor function and ADL were increased significantly as compared with those before treatment in each group (<0.05). After treatment, the reducing degree of the score of hand spasm index in the combined treatment group was greater than the penetrating acupuncture group and the kinesiotherapy group (<0.01), and the increasing degree of the scores of hand-wrist motor function and ADL were higher than either the penetrating acupuncture group or the kinesiotherapy group (<0.01). The improvements in each index were not different statistically between the kinesiotherapy group and the penetrating acupuncture group (>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with the simple application of either penetrating acupuncture or kinesiotherapy, the combined treatment of them achieves the significant improvements in hand spasm degree, hand wrist motor function and ADL in patients with stroke.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Kinesis ; Spasm ; etiology ; therapy ; Stroke ; complications ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Treatment Outcome

Ischemic stroke caused by acute large vessel occlusion is associated with high rates of disability and mortality. Endovascular interventional therapy is evidently an effective treatment for occlusion of large cerebral vessels within the relevant time window, but there is no established methodological standard for recanalization interventional therapy. The Professional Committee of Interventional Neurology in Chinese Research Hospital Association organized cerebrovascular disease experts in China and developed the expert consensus described herein, to provide a reference for clinicians to formulate technical strategies for recanalization of acute cerebral vascular occlusion.
Humans ; Consensus ; Stroke/etiology* ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/therapy* ; Ischemic Stroke ; Endovascular Procedures ; Treatment Outcome ; Brain Ischemia/therapy*

Brain Ischemia ; etiology ; Child ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; complications ; Stroke ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP)-associated ischemic stroke in children.

METHODSThe case of a girl with MP-associated ischemic stroke was reported, including clinical manifestations and laboratory and imaging examinations, and related literature was reviewed.

RESULTSThe girl, who was suffering from a respiratory tract infection was found to have hemiplegia and aphasia which were expressed in ischemic stroke. IgM antibody to MP in serum (1∶320) and lavage fluid was positive. Pulmonary imaging showed unilateral consolidation and pleural exudate. Cerebral neuroimaging examination showed occlusion of the bilateral middle cerebral artery, mainly on the left side. The neurological symptoms and signs were recovered after comprehensive therapy with medication (azithromycin, hormone and heparin) and rehabilitation training.

CONCLUSIONSIschemic stroke is rare but severe manifestation of central nervous system damage in children suffering from MP infection. Cerebral imaging and etiological examinations contribute to the diagnosis. Early use of macrolide antibiotics, anticoagulant and hormone may improve the prognosis.

Brain Ischemia ; etiology ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; complications ; drug therapy ; Stroke ; etiology