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Purpose: To investigate whether the Asp358Ala of interleukin 6 receptor related to the risk and outcome of large artery atherosclerotic (LAA) stroke in Han Chinese. Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 768 patients with LAA stroke and 686 non-stroke controls. The genotypes of Asp358Ala polymorphism were determined using SNPscan technology. Associations between genotypes and the risk of LAA stroke were analyzed with logistic regression model. Results: CC genotype (P < 0.001) and AC genotype (P = 0.023) decreased the risk of LAA stroke compared with AA genotype. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that CC genotype was significantly associated with the risk of LAA stroke (P = 0.002). In the subgroup analyses, polymorphisms of Asp358Ala were significantly associated with the risk of LAA stroke in additive model, dominant model and recessive model (P = 0.009, P = 0.017, P = 0.012, respectively) for male, but not for female. Further regression analysis showed that compared with participants with AA genotype and obesity, participants with CC genotype and non-obesity were less likely to suffer LAA stroke (P = 0.003). For male participants, these associations were still existed (additive model, P = 0.022). After 3-month follow-up, patients with C allele had good functional prognosis compared with patients with A allele (P = 0.009). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the Asp358Ala polymorphism might be associated with susceptibility to the development and outcome of LAA stroke in Han Chines [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels increase the risk of poor functional disability in patients with ischemic stroke (IS). This study aimed to investigate the association between CRP gene polymorphisms and 3-month functional disability of large artery atherosclerotic (LAA) stroke in Han Chinese. Patients with first-ever LAA IS were prospectively enrolled in Nanjing Stroke Registry Program between August 2013 and October 2015. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs876537, rs2794520, rs3093059, rs7553007 and rs11265260) in CRP gene related to CRP levels in Asian by genome-wide association study were genotyped. The functional outcome at 3 months after the index stroke was assessed by the modified Rankin scale. Associations between genotypes and functional outcome of LAA IS were analyzed with logistic regression model. A total of 690 eligible patients (507 males) were evaluated. SNPs rs11265260 (multivariate-adjusted, p = 0.022), rs2794520 (multivariate-adjusted, p = 0.036) and rs3093059 (multivariate-adjusted, p = 0.027) were significantly associated with elevated CRP in acute IS. Two SNPs, rs3093059 (dominant model: adjusted OR 2.49; 95% CI 1.55-4.00; recessive model: adjusted OR 3.67; 95% CI 1.22-11.03) and rs11265260 (dominant model: adjusted OR 2.51; 95% CI 1.56-4.02; recessive model: adjusted OR 4.70; 95% CI 1.63-13.56) independently predicted 3-month poor outcome of first-ever LAA IS, after adjusting for covariates. In addition, haplotype analysis indicated that haplotype GCTGC (adjusted OR 1.76; 95% CI 1.05-2.95; p = 0.031) increased the poor outcome risk. SNPs rs3093059 and rs11265260 in CRP gene may influence the 3-month functional outcome of first-ever LAA IS in Han Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate whether curcumin regulates Notch signaling to cause neuroprotection and neurogenesis after focal ischemia reperfusion injury. Method: Focal ischemia reperfusion injury was modeled in rats by occluding the middle cerebral artery. These animals were given either curcumin (300 mg/kg) or corn oil (vehicle) by intraperitoneal injection starting 1 h after stroke and continuing for 7 d. In parallel, sham-operated control animals received vehicle. All animals were killed on day 12. The different treatment groups were compared in terms of neurobehavioral deficits, BrdU incorporation, and levels of doublecortin (DCX) and Notch intracellular domain (NICD) using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Results: Animals treated with curcumin showed significantly smaller neurobehavioral deficits than vehicle-treated animals after 3, 7, and 12 d of reperfusion (all p < 0.05). Tissue sections from curcumin-treated animals contained significantly greater numbers of BrdU-positive cells (p < 0.05) and BrdU/DCX-positive cells (p < 0.01), as well as significantly higher NICD levels (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Curcumin may protect from focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury as well as stimulate neurogenesis by activating the Notch signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is to use meta-analysis to explain the association between alpha-1 antichymotrypsin (ACT) gene A/T polymorphism and the risk of primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PICH). Relevant studies before 1 June 2015 were identified by searching PubMed, Cochrane database and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), and the references of retrieved articles. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. Five independent publications, with 774 PICH cases and 940 controls, were included. There was no statistical evidence of association between ACT polymorphism and PICH risk under all genetic models in overall estimates (allele model: OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.80-1.28; heterozygote model: OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.60-1.45; homozygote model: OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.59-1.80; dominant model: OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.65-1.46; recessive model: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.72-1.57). No association was found in subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, location of hematoma and blood pressure. Sensitivity analysis suggested that the combined results were stable and reliable. No significant publication bias was found by Begg's test and Egger's regression test. The results of our meta-analysis indicate that ACT polymorphism is unlikely to contribute to PICH susceptibility.

Objective: To investigate the association of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) serum level and the promoter 5A/6A polymorphism of the MMP-3 gene with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (ACI) in a Chinese Han population., Methods: Two hundred and fifteen patients with acute ACI from the Department of Neurology of Taizhou Hospital and 226 healthy controls were included in the study. Serum MMP-3 level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for the common 5A/6A functional promoter polymorphism of the MMP-3 gene., Results: The genotype distribution of the MMP-3 promoter 5A/6A polymorphism between the ACI patients group and the control group was significantly different (chi (2)= 9.389, P= 0.002). The frequencies of the 5A allele were 14.2% and 7.7% in the ACI patients group and the control group respectively (chi (2)= 9.430, P= 0.002). Serum level of MMP-3 in the ACI patients group was significantly higher than that in the control group (t= 24.867, P= 0.000). Among the ACI patients group, serum MMP-3 levels also had significant difference between the 5A/6A+ 5A/5A and the 6A/6A genotype (t= 2.057, P= 0.041)., Conclusion: The present findings suggest that serum level of MMP-3 obviously increased within 48 hours of ischemic stroke and the genetic polymorphism of 5A/6A in the MMP-3 promoter is associated with ACI and MMP-3 expression in the Chinese Han population.