Association of Circulating ICAM3 Concentrations with Severity and Short-term Outcomes of Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Increased circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 3 (ICAM3) is associated with a risk of acute ischemic stroke. This study aims to investigate the association of serum levels of ICAM3 with the severity and short-term outcomes of ischemic stroke. This study recruited 152 stroke patients with supratentorial cerebral infarcts and 133 healthy controls. Patients were followed up for 2 weeks since admission for observation of functional outcomes. Serum ICAM3 concentrations at baseline were determined by Elisa. Serum ICAM3 concentrations were higher in stroke patients than in healthy controls. Serum concentrations of ICAM3 were not associated with stroke severity at baseline, as reflected by NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and infarction volume. However, serum ICAM3 levels were positively associated with mRS scores at 2 weeks since admission. Furthermore, regression analyses found that increased serum ICAM3 levels were associated with worse short-term functional outcomes of stroke. These findings imply that circulating ICAM3 might be a potential short-term prognostic biomarker for acute ischemic stroke.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation promotes rehabilitation in obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To explore the efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in treating severe and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods Seventy-eight COPD patients were randomly divided into an NMES group of 38 and an exercise therapy group of 32.In addition to the routine drug therapy and basic rehabilitation training,the NMES group received 8 weeks of NMES of the lower limbs while the exercise group was provided with strength and endurance training of the lower limbs,also for 8 wceks.Before and after the 8 weeks of treatment,pulmonary function was tested along with isokinetic quadriceps strength,cardiopulnonary capacity,and lung capacity using Saint George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ).Results The two groups showed no significant difference in any of the measurements before the treatment.After the treatment,forced expiratory volume in 1 second of (FEV1),FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC),FEVI in percentage of the predicted value,medical research council dyspnea scale (MRC) score and the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) improved in both groups.However,the average body mass index and 6 minute walk distance differed significantly between the groups after the treatment.The quadriceps' peak torque increased after the treatment in both groups,but the average in the exercise group was significantly higher than that in the NMES group.VO2max and Wmax also increased significantly in both groups,and the average time to exhaustion increased significantly in the exercise group.Significant improvement was observed in the BODE assessment after the intervention for both groups.Conclusion Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is as effective as therapeutic exercise in promoting the rehabilitation of severe COPD patients.However,lower limbs exercise is still the first choice in managing such patients.