Auto-regulation and cerebral blood flow in TIA patients attending a Stroke/TIA Clinic: implications for stroke prevention in Qatar. Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Proceedings:
Authors: Khattab, A., Streletz, L., Ali, I., Kamran, S., Akhtar, N., Elsotouhy, A. and Jenkinson, D.
Conference: ARC'13-Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference 2013
Dates: 23-26 November 2013
Journal: ARC'13-Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference 2013 Proceedings
Volume: 2013
DOI: 10.5339/qfarf.2013.BIOP-094
Abstract:Background and objectives: Cerebral auto-regulation is an intrinsic protective mechanism guaranteeing hemodynamic integrity of cerebral circulation. It modulates cerebral blood flow (CBF) in order to meet regional perfusion demands despite variations in arterial blood pressure. Impaired cerebral auto-regulation is associated with poor functional and prognostic outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke. The aim of this study is to correlate CBF and cerebral auto-regulation with microalbuminuria in TIA patients, and to assess the prognostic outcomes of such impairment. Methods: Blood flow in the middle cerebral artery was measured on both sides of the brain, using a transcranial Doppler. Cerebral auto-regulation was estimated non-invasively by calculating the correlation coefficient between slow changes of arterial blood pressure, evaluated by finger plethysmograph, and slow changes of cerebral blood flow velocity measured with transcranial Doppler. Microalbuminuria was measured first by calculating the Albumin/Creatinine Ratio (ACR). Then 24hr urinary protein was collected to calculate total urine albumin excreted in 24hr. Urine samples with microalbuminuria (30-300mg/24hr) and with normal levels of albumin (<30mg/24hr) were also examined (using SDS-PAGE electrophoresis). Protein bands were identified by their rate of migration in comparison with standard molecular weight markers. The presence of albumin was confirmed further by immunoblotting.
Results: The SDS-gel, revealed the presence of three unknown protein bands (Figure 1). Band (A) is heavily stained, representing albumin. Specimens collected from patients 2, 5, 8 and 9 reveal a particularly dense band, and this is supported by the biochemical assay results, which estimated protein content at 35mg/L for sample 9, 40mg/L for sample 5, and 80mg/L for samples 2 and 8.
Band (B) was shown in three of the urine samples, namely from patients 2, 5, and 8. Its position on the gel is roughly equidistant between bands A and C.
Band (C), denoting a slower migration band. Tamm-Horsfall protein is suspected since not only is it the most abundant protein in urine after albumin, but also its position is in concordance with the relative molecular weight of Tamm-Horsfall protein (between 85 and 110kDa). The intensity of this band is generally not as great as band A. Conclusions: This study has just started; its outcome will enable us to answer the following questions: Whether testing for cerebral autoregulation in Stroke/TIA clinics will help in identifying a subgroup of TIA patients who are at grave risk of developing microvascular and macrovascular diseases, including stroke.
Do TIA patients with impaired cerebral autorgulation and microalbuminuria have more vascular events than TIA patients with normal cerebral autorgulation without microalbuminuria? Is there any statistically significant difference in the short-term (3-6 months) and long-term (3 years) prognosis (between the two groups of TIA patients? Whether there is any correlation between CBF/autoregulation and microalbuminuria in TIA patients with microalbuminuria.
Whether post TIA stroke is independently affected by impaired cerebral autoregulation (after taking into account other confounding factors (diabetes, hypertension, age, co-morbidity)
Source: Manual
Preferred by: Ahmed Khattab