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Objective. Recent studies have identified chronic kidney disease (CKD) as an important risk factor for vasculopathies. While the link between CKD and cardiovascular events is well established, the link with cerebrovascular lesions (CVL) has been less well described.Methods. We studied the prevalence and prognostic importance of CKD in 1014 incident Chinese patients admitted with verified computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) CVL (within the last 7 days). Laboratory data included the urinary microalbumin-to-creatinine ratio, routine urinalysis, fasting plasma glucose, serum creatinine, uric acid and other measures. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated (using the modification of diet in renal disease formula) and CKD stages were classified according to kidney disease outcome quality initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines. Patients were followed for 30 days and any neurological sequelae were recorded.Results. A total of 1014 patients were enrolled (455 females, aged 68.56 ±12.17 years). Among these, 708 had ischemic stroke, 197 hemorrhagic stroke and 109 had transient cerebral ischemic attack. Microalbuminuria was detected in 11.2% of patients, while 24.8% had proteinuria. Of all patients, 6.90% had Stage 1, 14.69% Stage 2, 21.60% Stage 3, 2.56% Stage 4 and 1.97% had Stage 5, giving a total prevalence of CKD at 47.7%. In logistic regression, proteinuria (odds ratio = 1.69), hyperglycemia (odds ratio = 1.67) and anemia (odds ratio = 1.37) were independent predictors for risk of sequelae at 30 days for both ischemic and non-ischemic CVL.Conclusion. We report a high prevalence of CKD among Chinese patients with incident CVL. Proteinuria, hyperglycemia and anemia were prognostic factors in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case-control study was conducted in southern China to investigate the relationship between life-long physical activity involvement and the risk of ischemic stroke. Information on life-long physical activity exposure and other lifestyle characteristics was obtained from 374 incident stroke patients and 464 hospital-based controls using a validated and reliable questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between life-long physical activity involvement and the ischemic stroke risk. The control subjects reported more involvement in physical activity over the life course than the stroke patients (P < .001). The risk of ischemic stroke was inversely associated with life-long physical activity exposure, with adjusted odds ratio 0.39 (95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.59) for participants who had always been involved relative to those who have never been much involved. The dose-response relationship was also significant (P < .001). Therefore, being active life long should be encouraged to prevent this major chronic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE -- The study aims to test whether biological interaction between hyperglycemia and albuminuria can explain the inconsistent findings from epidemiological studies and clinical trials about effects of hyperglycemia on stroke in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -- A total of 6,445 Hong Kong Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and free of stroke at enrollment were followed up for a median of 5.37 years. Spline Cox proportional hazard regression was used to obtain hazard ratio curves, which were used to identify cutoff points of A1C and spot urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio for increased ischemic stroke risk. The identified cutoff point of A1C was used to check biological interaction between A1C and albuminuria (micro- and macroalbuminuria). The biological interaction was estimated using relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), and synergy index. RESULTS -- During the follow-up period, 4.45% (n = 287) of patients developed ischemic stroke. A1C was associated with increased hazard ratios of ischemic stroke in a near-linear manner except for two points--6.2 and 8.0%--where the slope between these two points accelerated. For A1C values <6.2%, the presence of micro/macroalbuminuria did not confer additional risk, while significant biological interaction between A1C and micro/ macroalbuminuria for values ≥6.2% was observed (RERI 0.92, 95% CI 0.16-1.68, and AP 0.40, 0.01-0.78). CONCLUSIONS-- A1C ≥6.2% and micro/macroalbuminuria interact to markedly increase the ischemic stroke risk, which explains a large proportion of risk in patients with type 2 diabetes harboring both risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a population-based study in China that investigated the association of interleukin (IL)-1 gene cluster polymorphisms and risk of ischemic stroke. The presence of the IL-1Ra 1/1 and the IL-1Ra allele were higher in stroke patients than in healthy volunteers. No significant differences were observed in the distribution of the IL-1ß-511 genotype and allele distribution between the two groups.