Stroke knowledge among emergency centre visitors: A cross-sectional multicenter survey

Translation and validation of the Chinese version of the stroke knowledge test for the hypertension patient

The measurement of hypertensive patients' stroke knowledge is an important stroke prevention indicator of health care service quality. The aim of this study was to develop a Chinese version of the Stroke Knowledge Test and examine its psychometric properties, reliability, and validity for hypertensive patients. A sample of 200 hypertensive patients completed the Chinese version of the Stroke Knowledge Test, and 30 of the participants were retested after 2 weeks. The final Chinese version of the Stroke Knowledge Test included 20 items with acceptable content validity (I-CVI = 0.88 ~ 1.00, S-CVI/Ave = 0.97). These items showed satisfactory internal reliability consistency (Kuder Richardson-20 = 0.62) and test-retest reliability was 0.77. The 40% of the difficulty index was in the acceptable range, and 25% was in the difficult range, as well as the 90% items overall values for discrimination were ranged from 0.2 to > 0.4. Known-group validity testing was performed based on the education level, and the result exhibited significant difference (F = 21.21, p < 0.001). The Chinese version of the Stroke Knowledge Test demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties, thus providing a new tool for the future care of hypertensive patients in Taiwan. It also could be as a reference for healthcare providers to educate hypertensive patients on stroke prevention.

Advances in Antibody-Based Therapeutics for Cerebral Ischemia

Cerebral ischemia is an acute disorder characterized by an abrupt reduction in blood flow that results in immediate deprivation of both glucose and oxygen. The main types of cerebral ischemia are ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. When a stroke occurs, several signaling pathways are activated, comprising necrosis, apoptosis, and autophagy as well as glial activation and white matter injury, which leads to neuronal cell death. Current treatments for strokes include challenging mechanical thrombectomy or tissue plasminogen activator, which increase the danger of cerebral bleeding, brain edema, and cerebral damage, limiting their usage in clinical settings. Monoclonal antibody therapy has proven to be effective and safe in the treatment of a variety of neurological disorders. In contrast, the evidence for stroke therapy is minimal. Recently, Clone MTS510 antibody targeting toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) protein, ASC06-IgG1 antibody targeting acid sensing ion channel-1a (ASIC1a) protein, Anti-GluN1 antibodies targeting N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor associated calcium influx, GSK249320 antibody targeting myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), anti-High Mobility Group Box-1 antibody targeting high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) are currently under clinical trials for cerebral ischemia treatment. In this article, we review the current antibody-based pharmaceuticals for neurological diseases, the use of antibody drugs in stroke, strategies to improve the efficacy of antibody therapeutics in cerebral ischemia, and the recent advancement of antibody drugs in clinical practice. Overall, we highlight the need of enhancing blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration for the improvement of antibody-based therapeutics in the brain, which could greatly enhance the antibody medications for cerebral ischemia in clinical practice.

Biotechnology-based therapeutics for management of cerebral stroke

Cerebral stroke, commonly caused due to hindrance in blood flow, is broadly classified into two categories-ischemic and haemorrhagic strokes. The onset of stroke triggers multiple mechanisms causing inflammation, generation of free radicals and protein damage leading to apoptosis of neuronal cells. The current therapies available for cerebral strokes involve use of complex surgical treatments and tissue plasminogen activator which increases the risk of internal bleeding, brain edema and cerebral damage, thereby restricting their use in clinical setting. The alarming need to develop safe, effective, target specific systems which, promote neuronal growth and reduce cerebral inflammation can be accomplished with use of biotechnological approaches. The article gives an insight to biotechnology-based advancements for tissue plasminogen activators, cell penetrating peptides, growth factors, ribonucleic acid systems and monoclonal antibodies for cerebral stroke. We also emphasis on challenges and future perspective of biotechnology-based therapeutics for better management of stroke.