Cerebrovascular disease: how serum phosphorus, vitamin D, and uric acid levels contribute to the ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Associations between serum phosphorus level and the incidence of ischemic stroke are not clear. This study aimed to measure serum phosphorus, vitamin D3, and uric acid levels in ischemic stroke patients compared to a population without ischemic stroke. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 133 patients admitted to a neurology ward with the diagnosis of ischemic stroke were compared with a control group comprising 133 age- and gender-matching individuals. The presence of ischemic stroke was confirmed by a neurologist based on clinical signs, symptoms, brain CT scan, and MRI. Blood samples were taken from all patients in the first 24 h of admission to measure serum phosphorus, vitamin D3, calcium, and uric acid levels. RESULTS: According to the results of this study, uric acid medians in patients with stroke and controls were 4.9 [3.8-6.4] and 3.9 [3.5-4.9] mg/dL, respectively (p < 0.001). Median phosphorus and vitamin D levels were significantly lower in stroke patients than the controls (3.6 [3.02-4.21] vs. 4.2 [3.8-4.6]) and (15.1 [8.2-27.9] vs. 22.7 [10.4-39.2]), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the ischemic stroke was positively associated with the vitamin D level and negatively correlated with the uric acid level. The phosphorus level was not significantly predictive of ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: Lower serum levels of vitamin D3 and higher levels of uric acid were associated with ischemic stroke. There are still unknowns about the role of these indicators on ischemic stroke and it requires further studies.

Increasing the Risk of Stroke by Opium Addiction.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world. Besides the identified risk factor, Ischemic stroke evidence show drug use develops or exacerbates the atherosclerotic process. The current study aimed at comparing cerebrovascular ultrasounds' changes in addicted and nonaddicted people who developed ischemic stroke. METHODS: In the current cross-sectional study, a total of 133 patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted to Vali-Asr hospital from June 2016 to April 2017 were enrolled. For obtaining the quantitative data, t test or Mann-Whitney test was employed to compare the addict or no-addict groups, as well as, categorical data testing was performed using chi-square test. Also, the multiple logistic regression was used for identifying the factors and the significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS: The current study was performed on 133 patients, among them 41 patients (30.8%) were opium addicted, and 92 patients (69.2%) were nonaddict. The mean [IQR] number of atherosclerotic plaques were significantly higher in opium addicted group in comparison with the nonaddicted group (3.0 [1.0-4.0] versus 1.5 [0.0-3.0], P = .008). The possibility of increasing the number of plaques in addicted patients was 1.42 times higher than the nonaddicted patients (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.42 (1.11-1.81), P = .005). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated a significant difference in the vessel stenosis pattern between the addict and nonaddict ischemic stroke groups. To investigate the possible effects of opium use and its associated parameters, ie, dosage, duration of use, and the way of opium use on ischemic stroke, further studies are required.

Comparison of blood lead concentrations in patients with acute ischemic stroke and healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Stroke is the main cause of mortality and long-term disability in the general population. With the increased application of metals in industries and human environment, lead has become a health hazard. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the blood concentration of lead and the incidence of acute stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed this study during 2016-17 at Vali-e-Asr Hospital in Birjand, Iran, among 80 ischemic stroke patients visiting the hospital and 80 healthy gender- and age-matched controls. Blood lead concentration (BLC) was measured using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: BLC medians in the case and control groups were 20.65 [5.37-34.87] µg/dL and 2.65 [1.75-13.85] µg/dL, respectively (p < 0.05). The case group had significantly lower mean levels of HDL and phosphors, whereas the mean levels of white blood cells and uric acid were higher in this group. After adjusting for lipid profile and fasting blood sugar, multiple logistic regression indicated that the serum levels of uric acid and BLC were significant for predicting ischemic stroke. It is estimated that the odds ratio of ischemic stroke increases by 1.04 per 1 µg/dl increase in BLC. CONCLUSION: This study showed that lead can be a risk factor for ischemic stroke. Since it does not have any beneficial effects on the health of individuals, screening serum concentrations of lead can be considered as a preventive strategy for those at risk of stroke.

Effects of L-arginine pre-treatment in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinson's diseases in Balb/c mice.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease resulting from the degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Increasing evidence demonstrated that mice treated intranasally with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) suffered impairments in motor functions associated with disruption of DA neurons in SNc conceivably analogous to those observed in PD. L-arginine has been proposed as a novel neuroprotective agent that plays protective roles in several models of neuronal cellular damage. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of L-arginine on the numerical density of dark neurons (DNs) in the SNc of Balb/c mice subjected to MPTP administration. METHODS: In the present study, we demonstrated that repeated treatment with L-arginine (300 mg/kg, i.p.) during 7 consecutive days attenuated the production of DNs in SNc of adult male Balb/c mice infused with a single intranasal administration of MPTP (1 mg/nostril). RESULTS: Pre-treatment with L-arginine significantly decreased the numerical density of DNs in SNc of mice 21 days after intranasal MPTP administration. CONCLUSION: This investigation provides new insights in experimental models of PD, indicating that L-arginine represents a potential neuroprotective agent for the prevention of DA neuron degeneration in SNc observed in PD patients.