Background :Impact of substance abuse on outcome of hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a frequent question. Available studies show disagreements over its impact, thus we performed this study to find a clear answer.   Methods : In a cross sectional study, 304 patients (include 152 consecutive opium dependents and equal number of independents) with acute MI admitted ...

BACKGROUND A previous systematic review reported that topical NSAIDs were effective in relieving pain in acute conditions like sprains and strains, with differences between individual drugs for efficacy. More trials, a better understanding of trial quality and bias, and a reclassification of certain drugs necessitate a new review. METHODS Studies were identified by searching electronic databa...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE NXY-059 is a free radical-trapping neuroprotectant developed for use in acute ischemic stroke. To facilitate prompt administration of treatment, potentially before neuroimaging, we investigated the safety of NXY-059 in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS We randomized 607 patients within 6 hours of acute ICH to receive 2270 mg intravenous NXY-059 over ...

INTRODUCTION People with diabetes are at increased risk for heart failure (HF), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and death following acute coronary syndromes (ACS). It is important to recognize the most powerful predictors of these events after an ACS as early as possible, in order to address them more aggressively. This is particularly important considering that various studies have ...

Aims To determine whether fibrin clot properties are associated with clinical outcomes following acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods and results Plasma samples were collected at hospital discharge from 4354 ACS patients randomized to clopidogrel or ticagrelor in the PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial. A validated turbidimetric assay was employed to study plasma clot lys...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) has been shown to reflect systemic and vascular inflammation and to predict future cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of CRP in predicting cardiovascular outcome in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes. PATIENTS AND METHODS This prospective, single-cent...

BACKGROUND Infections occur in 30% of stroke patients and are associated with unfavorable outcomes. Preventive antibiotic therapy lowers the infection rate after stroke, but the effect of preventive antibiotic treatment on functional outcome in patients with stroke is unknown. The PASS is a multicenter, prospective, phase three, randomized, open-label, blinded end-point (PROBE) trial of prevent...

BACKGROUND Tumor treatment is the mainstay of therapy for paraneoplastic neurologic disorders (PNDs), but it is only effective in some cases and other treatment options are limited. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the short-term use of a combination of prednisone and tacrolimus for acute neurologic worsening in PND in which intracellular antigens are targeted. DESIGN Retrospective single-center case seri...

BACKGROUND Lacunar infarction (LACI) is a subtype of acute ischemic stroke affecting around 25% of all ischemic stroke cases. Despite having an excellent recovery during acute phase, certain LACI patients have poor mid- to long-term prognosis due to the recurrence of vascular events or a decline in cognitive functions. Hence, blood-based biomarkers could be complementary prognostic and research...

Predictors of adverse outcome after replacement of the ascending aorta with resection of the intimal tear and open distal anastomosis were analyzed in 167 patients (109 male, median age 56). Median hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) time was 30 minutes (range 12 to 113). Eighty-six patients (pts) had surgery within 24 hours and 81 within 72 hours of symptom onset. Thirty-seven pts had only as...