ObjectiveRehabilitation is essential in reducing stroke disability and should be performed as early as possible. Exercise is an established and effective rehabilitation method; however, its implementation has been limited as its very early use exacerbates cerebral injury and is restricted by patients' unstable conditions and disabilities. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a passive and accessible therapy in acute phases of stroke and appears to have similar neuroprotective effects as exercise. This study assessed the safety and feasibility of the novel rehabilitation strategy—early RIC followed by exercise (RICE) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).MethodsWe conducted a single-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial with AIS patients within 24 h of stroke onset or symptom exacerbation. All enrolled patients were randomly assigned, at a ratio of 1:1, to either the RICE group or the sham-RICE group (sham RIC with exercise). Each group received either RIC or sham RIC within 24 h after stroke onset or symptom exacerbation, once a day, for 14 days. Both groups started the exercise routine on day 4, twice daily, for 11 total days. The safety endpoints included clinical deterioration, recurrence of stroke, hemorrhagic transformation, complications, and adverse events resulting from RICE during hospitalization. The efficacy endpoints [Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, Barthel Index, and walking ability] were evaluated at admission and 90 days after stroke onset.ResultsForty AIS patients were recruited and completed the study. No significant differences in baseline characteristics were found between the two groups, which included risk factors, stroke severity at admission, pre-morbid disability, and other special treatments. No significant differences were found in the safety endpoints between two groups. Excellent recovery (mRS 0–2) at 3 months was obtained in 55% of the patients with RICE as compared 40% in sham group, but it did not reach a significant level.ConclusionsRICE was safe and feasible for AIS patients, and seems to be a promising early stroke rehabilitation. The results of this study suggest a need for a future randomized and controlled multicenter trial with a larger sample size to determine the efficacy of RICE.

ObjectiveDynamic changes in ischemic pathology after stroke suggested a “critical window” of enhanced neuroplasticity immediately after stroke onset. Although physical exercise has long been considered a promising strategy of stroke rehabilitation, very early physical exercise may exacerbate brain injury. Since remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) promotes neuroprotection and neuroplasticity, the present study combined RIC with sequential exercise to establish a new rehabilitation strategy for a better rehabilitative outcome.MethodsA total of 120 adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats were used and divided into five groups: (1) sham, (2) stroke, (3) stroke with exercise, (4) stroke with RIC, and (5) stroke with RIC followed by exercise. Brain damage was evaluated by infarct volume, neurological deficit, cell death, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Long‐term functional outcomes were determined by grid walk tests, rotarod tests, beam balance tests, forelimb placing tests, and the Morris water maze. Neuroplasticity was evaluated through measurements of both mRNA and protein levels of synaptogenesis (synaptophysin [SYN], post‐synaptic density protein‐95 [PSD‐95], and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF]) and angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], angiopoietin‐1 [Ang‐1], and angiopoietin‐2 [Ang‐2]). Inflammasome activation was measured by concentrations of interleukin‐18 (IL‐18) and IL‐1β detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, mRNA expressions of NLR pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis‐associated speck‐like protein containing a C‐terminal caspase recruitment domain (ASC), IL‐18 and IL‐1β, and protein quantities of NLRP3, ASC, cleaved‐caspase‐1, gasdermin D‐N (GSDMD‐N), and IL‐18 and IL‐1β. Stress granules (SGs), including GTPase‐activating protein‐binding protein 1 (G3BP1), T cell‐restricted intracellular antigen‐1 (TIA1), and DEAD‐box RNA helicase 3X (DDX3X) were evaluated at mRNA and protein levels. The interactions between DDX3X with NLRP3 or G3BP1 were determined by immunofluorescence and co‐immunoprecipitation.ResultsEarly RIC decreased infarct volumes, neurological deficits, cell death, and LDH activity at post‐stroke Day 3 (p < 0.05). All treatment groups showed significant improvement in functional outcomes, including sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. RIC and exercise, as compared to RIC or physical exercise alone, had improved functional outcomes after stroke (p < 0.05), as well as synaptogenesis and angiogenesis (p < 0.05). RIC significantly reduced mRNA and protein expressions of NLRP3 (p < 0.05). SGs formation peaked at 0 h after ischemia, then progressively decreased until 24 h postreperfusion, which was reversed by RIC (p < 0.05). The assembly of SGs consumed DDX3X and then inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation.ConclusionsRIC followed by exercise induced a better rehabilitation in ischemic rats, while early RIC alleviated ischemia‐reperfusion injury via stress‐granule‐mediated inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome.

Stroke kills or disables approximately 15 million people worldwide each year. It is the leading cause of brain injury, resulting in persistent neurological deficits and profound physical handicaps. In spite of over 100 clinical trials, stroke treatment modalities are limited in applicability and efficacy, and therefore, identification of new therapeutic modalities is required to combat this growing problem. Poststroke oxidative damage and lactic acidosis are widely-recognized forms of brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, treatments directed at these injury mechanisms have not been effective. In this review, we offer a novel approach combining these well-established damage mechanisms with new insights into brain glucose handling. Specifically, emerging evidence of brain gluconeogenesis provides a missing link for understanding oxidative injury and lactate toxicity after ischemia. Therefore, dysfunctional gluconeogenesis may substantially contribute to oxidative and lactate damage. We further review that hypothermia initiated early in ischemia and before reperfusion may ameliorate gluconeogenic dysfunction and subsequently provide an important mechanism of hypothermic protection. We will focus on the efficacy of pharmacologically assisted hypothermia and suggest a combination that minimizes side effects. Together, this study will advance our knowledge of basic mechanisms of ischemic damage and apply this knowledge to develop new therapeutic strategies that are desperately needed in the clinical treatment of stroke.

The impact of stroke, currently the second leading cause of death worldwide, continues to worsen, and even those that survive can have persistent neurological deficits. A potentially significant implication may be due to hyperglycemia, found in one-third of all acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. However, prior studies reported conflicting information about the impact of hyperglycemia on poststroke prognosis, likely due to different measurements of stress-induced hyperglycemia. The glucose-to-glycated hemoglobin ratio is an index of stress-induced hyperglycemia after AIS that better quantifies acute changes in blood glucose, as opposed to absolute variations in glucose levels. Moderate blood glucose reductions might counteract the negative effects of hyperglycemia and glycemic control medications can also play a role in neuroprotection. The liver is the main organ that functions to maintain energy and glucose metabolism and the effects of AIS can reach far peripheral organs, including the liver. In this review, we highlighted the mechanism responsible for acute poststroke hyperglycemia, a hepatic inflammatory pathway that results in hepatic gluconeogenesis and reduced hepatic insulin sensitivity. Hepatitis cascades lead to hepatic gluconeogenesis, and targeted therapy with antihyperglycemic drugs has the potential to improve stroke prognosis and recovery.