BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a role in atherosclerosis-related diseases such as cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases. However, the effect of VEGF -2578C>A, -1154G>A, -634G>C, and 936C>T polymorphisms on the susceptibility to stroke and silent brain infarction has not been reported. METHODS Using polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA, VEGF poly...

Background and Purpose—Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a role in atherosclerosis-related diseases such as cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases. However, the effect of VEGF-2578CϾA,-1154GϾA,-634GϾC, and 936CϾT polymorphisms on the susceptibility to stroke and silent brain infarction has not been reported. Methods—Using polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA, VEGF polymorph...

BACKGROUND Irregular, sporadic episodes of ischemic brain injury are known to occur in sickle cell anemia (SCA), resulting in overt stroke and silent cerebral infarction. Ongoing ischemia in other organs is common in SCA but has never been documented in the brain. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that acute silent cerebral ischemic events (ASCIEs) are frequent and potentially transient. DES...

The association between stroke and dementia is frequent. The prevalence of poststroke dementia (PSD) ranges from 6 to 32%, depending on the population studied, the criteria used for the diagnosis of dementia, and the time interval between the stroke and the neuropsychological assessment. The risk of PSD is high immediately after stroke and remains higher than in controls in stroke patients nond...

INTRODUCTION Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been approved for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). A large number of patients are on NOACs when they present for AF ablation. We intended to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NOACs for AF ablation during the periprocedural period by performing a meta-analysis of trials compa...

We estimated the trial-to-trial variability and the test-retest reliability of several intracortical and corticomotor excitability parameters for the upper extremity in chronic stroke patients. Nine patients with hemiparesis of the upper extremity were enrolled 8-17 months after a unilateral stroke. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to obtain repeated measures over a two week interval ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Prevalence of cerebral microbleeds (CMB) in white and Asian populations range from 4% to 15%. However, there is no information from indigenous Latin American people. We aimed to assess prevalence and cerebrovascular correlates of CMB in stroke-free older adults living in rural Ecuador. METHODS Of 311 Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years identified during a door-to-door su...

Background and Purpose—Carotid atherosclerosis has been associated with increased risk of stroke and poorer cognitive performance in older adults. The relation of carotid atherosclerosis to cognitive impairment and MRI indices of ischemia and aging in midlife is less clear. Methods—We studied 1975 Framingham Offspring Study participants free of stroke and dementia with available carotid ultraso...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carriers of the 460Trp allele of the alpha-adducin gene (ADD1) show higher rates of sodium reabsorption compared with homozygous carriers of the Gly460 allele and were found to have an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. We studied the association between the Gly460Trp polymorphism and atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular dis...