Background Hypertension is one of the primary risk factors for stroke, and nearly 80% of stroke cases can potentially be prevented through increased awareness and early detection. However, previous studies indicate that patients with hypertension often demonstrate inadequate stroke prevention behaviors. Therefore, this study aims to assess knowledge related to early stroke detection among hypertensive patients. Methods This descriptive quantitative study utilized a cross‐sectional design, with 236 respondents recruited through consecutive sampling. Data were collected using the Stroke Recognition Questionnaire (SRQ) and analyzed through univariate statistical methods, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Results Among the 236 respondents, 53.4% demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge, 31.4% had low knowledge, and the remaining respondents showed a high level of knowledge. The average knowledge score was 64.61 (SD = 13.57; range = 26–97). Participants aged 20–44 years had the highest proportion of high knowledge levels (11.4%), whereas older adults aged over 60 years were more commonly classified in the low‐knowledge category (36.1%). Conclusion The greater proportion of low knowledge among older adults highlights a priority population for targeted education. Integrating structured stroke recognition education into routine hypertension care may strengthen preparedness for early symptom recognition and facilitate timely access to emergency stroke services.
Background Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare 4‐repeat tauopathy characterized by marked clinical heterogeneity and frequent diagnostic delay. Epidemiological and phenotypic data from Latin America remain limited. This study aimed to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of PSP in a Colombian referral center and to compare findings by sex and phenotype. Methods We retrospectively reviewed PSP cases evaluated at a Colombian neurological referral center from 2013 to 2023. Demographic, clinical, neuroimaging, diagnostic, and treatment‐related variables were extracted from medical records. PSP phenotypes were retrospectively classified and grouped using clinical information from medical records. Period prevalence was estimated using the adult population of Antioquia as the denominator. Results Among 152 patients, 53.9% were male. Crude period prevalence was 1.8 per 100,000 adults, peaking at 75–84 years. Women were older than men at evaluation, whereas age at symptom onset was similar between sexes. Mean diagnostic delay was approximately 3.5 years. Postural instability was the most frequent presenting symptom. PSP‐Richardson syndrome and PSP‐parkinsonism were the most common phenotypes. MRI was the most frequently requested imaging study, and midbrain atrophy was the most common abnormality. Levodopa/carbidopa was the most frequently prescribed medication, with documented initial response in only a subset of treated patients. Conclusions PSP in this Colombian cohort predominantly affected older adults and was characterized by substantial diagnostic delay, marked phenotypic heterogeneity, and predominantly symptomatic treatment. These findings expand the limited Latin American literature and underscore the need for earlier recognition of both typical and atypical PSP presentations.
Background Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an acute immune‐mediated polyradiculoneuropathy with an annual incidence of 0.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in Brazil. Clinical manifestations range from mild weakness to tetraplegia with respiratory failure. Objective To analyze the impact on the quality of life of adult patients diagnosed with GBS in the short and medium term. Methods This regional descriptive, cross‐sectional study included 46 hospitalized patients with confirmed GBS. Functional status was measured using the overall disability sum score (ODSS), and quality of life was evaluated with the WHOQOL‐BREF instrument. Results During the study period, 57 patients were diagnosed with GBS; 11 met exclusion criteria, and 5 died, yielding a mortality rate of 8.7%. All deceased patients were older than 55 years (mean 59,6 p = 00, 008) and presented with respiratory failure. Higher Hughes scores at admission (mean 3.8 vs. 2.75; p = 0.039) and longer duration of antecedent symptoms (24.33 vs. 14.80 days; p = 0.036)were significantly associated with mortality. Moderate/high‐risk mEGOS scores were present in 80% of deceased patients ( p = 0.008). Quality of life perceptions improved most between 6 and 12 months postdiagnosis, while functional recovery (ODSS) was observed after 12 months. Conclusion Higher admission neurological disability was associated with greater functional impairment in this cohort, while quality of life improved during follow‐up and functional recovery continued beyond 12 months. Higher Hughes scores and moderate‐to‐high mEGOS risk were associated with mortality in univariable analyses, but the small number of deaths and absence of multivariable adjustment preclude conclusions regarding independent prognostic effects. Extended follow‐up is important to capture the gradual trajectory of functional and psychosocial recovery in GBS.
Background:Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Current treatments, such as thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, restore perfusion but do not promote tissue repair, highlighting the need for regenerative therapies. Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) have been extensively explored in preclinical models; however, the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects remain incompletely defined. Methods:This study followed the PRISMA guidelines to address the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the neurorestorative effects of transplanted NSPCs in animal models of ischemic stroke. Preclinical studies published between 2013 and 2023 were identified through PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Eligible studies compared NSPC monotherapy with vehicle-treated controls, and data on transplantation protocols and functional, histological, and biochemical outcomes were extracted for narrative synthesis. Of the 8697 records identified, 25 met the inclusion criteria, with moderate methodological quality (median CAMARADES score: 6/10; range: 3-8). Results:NSPC transplantation significantly improved motor, sensory, and cognitive function while reducing infarct volume, neuronal apoptosis, neuroinflammation, and blood-brain barrier disruption, alongside increased neurotrophic and angiogenic factors (BDNF, GDNF, VEGF, and Ang-1) and modulation of inflammatory mediators. Functional recovery was more consistently associated with paracrine and immunomodulatory mechanisms than with direct neuronal replacement, which occurred less frequently and was often accompanied by astrocytic or oligodendroglial differentiation; astrocytic responses were conflicting, suggesting context-dependent effects. These preclinical mechanisms have not been consistently replicated in early-phase human trials, pointing to immunogenicity and delivery route as key translational barriers. Conclusion:The reparative benefits of NSPC therapy in ischemic stroke are largely attributable to paracrine and immunomodulatory mechanisms, with neuronal replacement playing a minor role. Future studies should focus on strategies to potentiate paracrine activity, improve graft survival, and adopt translationally relevant, comorbidity-inclusive models to advance clinical translation.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide, with substantial heterogeneity in recovery trajectories despite advances in acute neurocritical care. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programmes, which integrate evidence-based, multidisciplinary perioperative care bundles, have demonstrated consistent benefits across multiple surgical specialities and emerging promise in neurosurgical populations. However, the application of enhanced recovery principles to the recovery phase following TBI remains fragmented and insufficiently synthesised. This narrative review examines recovery-phase factors influencing morbidity and mortality after TBI within the conceptual framework of Enhanced Recovery After TBI (ERA-TBI). Focussing specifically on postacute recovery, we synthesise evidence across three interrelated domains: rehabilitation strategies, patient demographics and preexisting conditions. Perioperative surgical techniques and acute intensive care management are considered only insofar as they contextualise recovery-phase outcomes. The reviewed literature demonstrates that early, intensive and multidisciplinary rehabilitation, particularly early mobilisation and structured cognitive or neuropsychological interventions, is associated with improved neurological recovery, functional independence, quality of life and reduced hospital length of stay, without evidence of increased mortality. Emerging technologies, including virtual reality and telerehabilitation, show promising cognitive and functional benefits, although evidence remains limited by heterogeneity and small sample sizes. Patient-level factors strongly modify recovery potential: advanced age, frailty and socioeconomic disadvantage consistently predict poorer outcomes, while access to high-intensity inpatient rehabilitation is a key mediator of morbidity. Preexisting metabolic, cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric comorbidities further exacerbate secondary brain injury, prolong hospitalisation and increase postdischarge mortality risk. Overall, ERA-TBI pathways must move beyond uniform care bundles towards stratified, patient-centred recovery models that integrate biological reserve, social context and comorbidity burden. Standardising the recovery phase through an ERA-TBI framework offers a critical opportunity to reduce variability in outcomes, optimise functional recovery and address the growing global burden of TBI-related disability.
