Oxidative stress was investigated in 10 post-acute stroke patients (median age 76.40 ̱ 2.09 years) assigned to in-hospital neurorehabilitation within 7 days of onset of a first-ever ischemic stroke. Assessments were made before and after neurorehabilitation. Outcome measures were the National Institutes ofHealth Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Barthel Index (BI), the Katz Index (KI), the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and the modified PULSES profile. Differences between scores evaluated before and after neurorehabilitation were expressed as ̉ scores. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring plasma amount of total peroxides by-products, nitrite/nitrate metabolites (NOx), total plasma antioxidant capacity (TEAC), Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase (Cu/ZnSOD), andserum urate concentration. Neurorehabilitation was associated with an improvement (P<0.05) of all the outcome measures except the mRS score. ̉PULSES correlated negatively with ̉BI scores (r=-0.656; P=0.040). Higher plasma levels of total peroxidative by-products and NOx metabolites were found in stroke patients than in controls before neurorehabilitation (P<0.05). Details of the scheduled intensive neurorehabilitation protocol including conventional neuromotor rehabilitation and occupational therapy are reported in a previous paper. Non parametric Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used to compare differences of pre- and post- neurorehabilitation treatment in stroke patients vs. controls. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test was used to compare before and after neurorehabilitation treatment values, and to compare the scores of the different rating scales.
Irene Ciancarelli, Oxidative Stress in Post-Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: Relevance of
Early Intensive Neurorehabilitation
Last date updated on September, 2024