Contemporary Statistics of Acute Ischemic Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack in 2021: Insights From the CRCS-K-NIH Registry.

This report presents the latest statistics on the stroke population in South Korea, sourced from the Clinical Research Collaborations for Stroke in Korea-National Institute for Health (CRCS-K-NIH), a comprehensive, nationwide, multicenter stroke registry. The Korean cohort, unlike western populations, shows a male-to-female ratio of 1.5, attributed to lower risk factors in Korean women. The average ages for men and women are 67 and 73 years, respectively. Hypertension is the most common risk factor (67%), consistent with global trends, but there is a higher prevalence of diabetes (35%) and smoking (21%). The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (19%) is lower than in western populations, suggesting effective prevention strategies in the general population. A high incidence of large artery atherosclerosis (38%) is observed, likely due to prevalent intracranial arterial disease in East Asians and advanced imaging techniques. There has been a decrease in intravenous thrombolysis rates, from 12% in 2017-2019 to 10% in 2021, with no improvements in door-to-needle and door-to-puncture times, worsened by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. While the use of aspirin plus clopidogrel for non-cardioembolic stroke and direct oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation is well-established, the application of direct oral anticoagulants for non-atrial fibrillation cardioembolic strokes in the acute phase requires further research. The incidence of early neurological deterioration (13%) and the cumulative incidence of recurrent stroke at 3 months (3%) align with global figures. Favorable outcomes at 3 months (63%) are comparable internationally, yet the lack of improvement in dependency at 3 months highlights the need for advancements in acute stroke care.

Improving the water solubility and antimicrobial activity of silymarin by nanoencapsulation.

The aims of this study were to improve the water solubility and antimicrobial activity of milk thistle silymarin by nanoencapsulation and to assess the functions of silymarin nanoparticle-containing film as an antimicrobial food-packaging agent. Silymarin nanoparticles were prepared using water-soluble chitosan (WCS) and poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA). As the WCS and silymarin concentrations increased, particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) significantly increased. Nanoencapsulation significantly improved the water solubility of silymarin 7.7-fold. Antimicrobial activity of silymarin was effectively improved when silymarin was entrapped within the nanocapsule compared to when it was not entrapped. Films incorporating silymarin nanoparticles had better antimicrobial activity than films incorporating free silymarin. The results suggest that silymarin nanoparticles have applications in antimicrobial food additives and food packing.

Chitosan/poly-γ-glutamic acid nanoparticles improve the solubility of lutein.

The aim of this study was to improve the solubility of lutein through the use of chitosan (CS)/poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) nanoencapsulation. In terms of redispersibility, water-soluble chitosan (WsCS)/γ-PGA nanoparticles (NPs) were better than insoluble chitosan (InCS)/γ-PGA NPs. The lutein-loaded WsCS/γ-PGA NP has a spherical form with a size around 200nm and a narrow size distribution (PDI<0.1). Solubility measures showed that nanoencapsulation of lutein into WsCS/γ-PGA NPs resulted in a significant 12-fold higher solubility compared to that of non-nanoencapsulated lutein (p<0.05). The redispersibility index of the lutein-loaded NPs was 1.01, indicating that they were completely reconstituted into aqueous solution as same as original aqueous solution. These results suggest that WsCS/γ-PGA nanoencapsulation can be used to enhance the solubility of lutein and other poorly water-soluble compounds.