Active clinical trials for "Stroke"

Loss of arm use and strength are common problems after stroke that greatly affects independence in activities of daily living. Arm rehabilitation using robot-assisted repetitive task training has shown to improve motor recovery. However, this type of exercise cannot be done at home as these devices are large and expensive. This study will test whether a more portable, less costly, non-robotic repetitive training device called Bilateral Arm Training with Rhythmic Auditory Cuing (BATRAC) performed at home with a tele-rehabilitation format will lead to improvement in arm and hand use in patients with chronic stroke. The investigators plan to test the effectiveness of home based tele-rehabilitation with the BATRAC compared to a home and a clinic based approach.

The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a nurse-led self-efficacy enhancing stroke self-management program on recovery of community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Objective: Demonstrate the safety of early use of dabigatran following TIA/minor stroke. Background: Although aggressive antithrombotic therapy has been shown to reduce the number of new ischemic events following stroke/TIA, this has always been offset by an increase in the risk of hemorrhagic transformation. Dabigatran is much safer than previously tested antithrombotic agents, with respect to intracranial bleeding and therefore offers a unique treatment opportunity in these high-risk patients. TIA/minor stroke represent the largest group of cerebrovascular disease patients. A short-term intervention such as 30 days of dabigatran treatment has the potential for a very large impact from the population health perspective, given the number of patients who may be treated if a benefit can be demonstrated. Study design: This is an open label, single arm study. Patients with TIA/minor stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score </=3) who can be treated within 24 hours of symptom onset will be eligible. All patients will be treated with dabigatran for 30 days. The dose of dabigatran will be determined by age and renal function (patients >80 years old and/or with GFR 30-50 ml/min will received 110 mg bid, and all other patients will receive 150 mg BID).The primary endpoint is symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation. Patients (n=50) with TIA/minor stroke, defined as having a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale Score of </=3, will undergo an MRI, including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), as well as gradient recall echo (GRE) sequences, which will be used to assess for hemorrhagic transformation. Patients will have a repeat MRI examination at 7 and 30 days to assess for hemorrhagic transformation and new lesion development. The primary endpoint of of phase I is symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation, defined as a parenchymal hematoma on the day 7 MRI scan (GRE sequence), associated with clinical worsening (>/=4 point increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score). If dabigatran can be used safely in this population, a second phase aimed at demonstrating the rate of new ischemic lesion development following TIA can be reduced with aggressive antithrombotic therapy. A randomized open-label, blinded endpoint evaluation design will be employed. The investigators hypothesize that dabigatran therapy administered within 24 hours of symptom onset will reduce the rate of new ischemic lesions, relative to standard care, one week and 30 days after onset.

Given large absolute numbers of individuals with sickle cell disease in Nigeria, hydroxyurea therapy for all individuals with sickle cell disease may not be initially feasible; however, a targeted strategy of hydroxyurea use for primary prevention of strokes is an alternative to the standard therapy (observation) for high-risk individuals. The investigators propose a feasibility study, Sickle Cell Disease - Stroke Prevention in Nigeria (SPIN) Trial, to determine whether hydroxyurea can be used for primary prevention of strokes in Nigerian children with sickle cell anemia.

Stroke patients clearly benefit from intensive and coordinated inpatient care. While inpatient rehabilitation care is the preferred form for many patients post-stroke, due to access and financial barriers, many patients do not have this option. Community, outpatient rehabilitation programs will allow the patients with moderately disabling strokes the opportunity to maintain or augment gains achieved during inpatient stroke rehabilitation , while allowing some patients with mild disability to avoid inpatient rehabilitation completely. Objective: Phase 1 randomized control trial to test the efficiency and effectiveness of treating adults who have suffered a single stroke using the following essential treatment components; a) community setting, b) group activity program, c) flexible, task-specific, computer-based exercise regime This program is designed to allow an extension of the in-patient rehabilitation experience to a community-based setting, in a cost-effective manner using paraprofessional staff and rehabilitation specialists, to provide a challenging, functional program to promote recovery and independence from physical impairments affecting balance and walking. The specific objectives are to: assess the benefits and feasibility of the multi-functional group exercise intervention for balance and mobility in a community setting. Secondary objectives identify effective combinations of exercises & activities that translate to increased abilities and participation levels. Hypothesis: Intense training targeting standing balance, and walking will significantly improve stroke clients' functional mobility. Training in a group setting and incorporating interactive and engaging computer gaming further provides the benefits of motivation and peer support while providing treatment in a cost effective manner.

Each year in the US, approximately 795,000 people have a stroke, and the overwhelming majority of those who survive are unable to resume meaningful daily activities because of impaired movement in one arm/hand. This study will investigate the effects of a challenging 4-week physical rehabilitation therapy program that is targeted at specific movement impairments and systematically progressed to assure an ongoing "just right" level of rigor. The investigators anticipate that therapy targeted to address specific movement impairments will improve recovery of arm/hand movement in people who have had a stroke.

The investigators conducted a randomized, double-blind, trial enrolled 60 patients within 12 hours of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in China. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a 10-day infusion of dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) or cerebrolysin, or placebo. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel Index (BI) were used to evaluate the efficacy in the patients with AIS at 11-day and 21-day after therapy. Adverse events were also analyzed among the three groups.

The aim of this work is to study the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with naming therapy in acute and post-acute stroke comparing four bihemispheric positioning electrodes to a sham condition.

Rationale The only proven therapy for acute stroke is tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. This is the standard of care for patients presenting to our hospital within that time frame. Thrombolysis outside the 4.5 hour window is considered only on experimental or compassionate grounds. Tenecteplase (TNK) is a genetically modified variant of tPA that has many theoretical advantages in acute stroke. Studies show that systemic plasminogen activation is higher after tPA administration, relative to TNK and this is associated with an increased risk of bleeding events. Imaging cerebral blood flow (CBF) with MRI (perfusion weighted imaging-PWI) and CT perfusion (CTP) can be performed routinely with standard clinical scanners. Patients with evidence of large volumes of tissue with low CBF, that is also structurally intact, as demonstrated by either normal signal on Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) or normal cerebral blood volume (CBV) are considered to have penumbral patterns. Patients with penumbral patterns appear to be the ideal candidates for thrombolytic therapy, regardless of time from onset. Study Hypotheses The primary aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of TNK based thrombolysis in ischemic stroke patients presenting 4.5-24 hours after symptom onset. It is hypothesized that treatment with TNK in patients with penumbral patterns will be associated with reperfusion, early neurological improvement and penumbral tissue salvage. Study Design The study is planned as an open label feasibility and safety study of acute treatment with TNK in ischemic stroke patients with penumbral patterns evident on advanced MRI or CT perfusion sequences. Study Outcomes The primary outcome of this study is a safety endpoint, specifically the frequency of symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation evident on MRI or CT images on 24 h or day 5 scans. The ECASS II system for rating hemorrhagic transformation will be applied to all GRE/SWI images Significance Current treatment paradigms have not permitted success of tPA to be extended beyond narrow and limiting therapeutic window of 4.5 hours. Clearly, more effective patient selection criteria are required. Penumbral imaging is biologically plausible, practical and has been shown to be predictive of outcome. Application of these imaging techniques to the acute stroke population is the most promising strategy for extending the therapeutic window and for introducing superior thrombolytic agents.

Rationale Acute ischemic stroke due to atrial fibrillation (AF) carries a high risk for early recurrence. In acute stage, guidelines recommend aspirin, but do not recommend anticoagulation due to the increased risk of intracranial bleeding. Since, aspirin has a limited efficacy of preventing recurrent stroke in AF, expert consensus suggests early anticoagulation in non-severe stroke with AF. The current practice for acute ischemic stroke patients with AF is delayed warfarin administration with aspirin use for non-minor stroke or immediate warfarin administration (sometimes with heparin bridging) for minor stroke. However, conventional anticoagulation with warfarin in acute ischemic stroke with AF has the following limitations: 1) risk of intracranial bleeding particularly in acute stage, 2) delayed action and transient paradoxical thrombogenic tendency due to the inhibition of protein C, resulting in the risk of early recurrent embolic stroke, and 3) prolongation of hospitalization waiting for full anticoagulation. In contrast, as compared to warfarin, rivaroxaban is advantageous for reduced risk of intracranial bleeding and immediate anticoagulation efficacy. Goal The current trial will examine whether early initiation (within 5 days from stroke onset) of rivaroxaban as compared to conventional warfarin would reduce intracranial bleeding, recurrent embolic stroke, and hospital stay in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to AF.