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Our results indicate that an elevated MPV could be an easily measurable marker of severity of carotid stenosis in patients with atherothrombotic stroke.

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Therapy with statins, either previous or early initiation, after an ischemic stroke, could improve the survival and readmission rates by lowering both cholesterol and hsCRP levels.

Aim The role of serum uric acid in ischemic stroke is controversial. On the one hand, it has a role as neuroprotectant in acute phase, but on the other hand, it may promote atherosclerosis in carotid arteries. Our aim is to investigate the association of serum uric acid levels at admission of acute ischemic stroke patients with carotid disease. Methods Cross-sectional study of patients admitted due to acute ischemic stroke. Clinical and laboratory variables were recorded. The carotid disease was defined based on the findings of carotid echography intima to media thickness and stenosis. Patients were grouped according to these findings. Robust statistical methods were applied into analysis. Results A total of 245 patients were recruited through a stroke registry. Their values of serum uric acid were related to both carotid intima to media thickness and stenosis showing a positive relationship between serum uric acid levels and intima to media thickness by Pearson correlation ( p < 0.05). Similarly, after adjusting for all potential confounders, eGFR, glucose, age and serum uric acid levels, (OR 1.26 (95% CI 1.04 -1.52, p¼0.01), were identified as independent predictors for having a intima to media thickness ≥1 mm. Similarly, by grouping patients in tertiles of the serum uric acid distribution, we found a predominantly greater carotid disease in the tertile with the highest levels of serum uric acid ( p < 0.005). Conclusion Our study supports the hypotheses that serum uric acid levels have different roles in the case of ischemic stroke. Its effects on the vascular wall contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and carotid disease.

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) presenting as subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is infrequent. We present the case of a man with CVT of the right transverse sinus who presented with a SAH in the right parietal sinus. In this case, we describe a hyper-homocysteinemia in a heterozygous patient for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C667T mutation. Our report highlights the value of an early diagnosis of CVT, the importance of identifying possible causes that could be reversed with an appropriate treatment, and the controversy about the timing for starting anticoagulation therapy in such cases.

Our results support the hypothesis that hyperuricaemia plays a protective role in the prognosis of stroke, independently from renal function, and that even in patients with chronic kidney disease, it remains as a protective agent.