Turmeric has been in use since ancient times as a condiment and due to its medicinal properties. Curcumin, the yellow colouring principle in turmeric, is polyphenolic and major active constituent. Besides anti-inflammatory, thrombolytic and anticarcinogenic activities, curcumin also possesses strong antioxidant property. In view of the novel combination of properties, neuroprotective efficacy of curcumin was studied in rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. Rats were subjected to 2 h of focal ischemia followed by 72 h of reperfusion. They were pre-treated with curcumin (100 mg/kg, po) for 5 days prior to MCAO and for another 3 days after MCAO. The parameters studied were behavioural, biochemical and histological. Treatment with curcumin could significantly improve neurobehavioral performance compared to untreated ischemic rats as judged by its effect on rota-rod performance and grid walking. A significant inhibition in lipid peroxidation and an increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in corpus striatum and cerebral cortex was observed following treatment with curcumin in MCAO rats as compared to MCAO group. Intracellular calcium levels were decreased following treatment with curcumin in MCAO rats. Histologically, a reduction in the infarct area from 33% to 24% was observed in MCAO rats treated with curcumin. The study demonstrates the protective efficacy of curcumin in rat MCAO model.

BACKGROUND: To ascertain the relationship between habitual physical activity and the risk of ischemic stroke among the Chinese population.

METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in Foshan, Guangdong Province, during 2007-2008. Information on physical activity exposure and lifestyle characteristics was obtained from 374 incident ischemic stroke patients and 464 hospital-based controls (mean age 66 years) using a validated and reliable questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between physical activity levels and the ischemic stroke risk.

RESULTS: The control subjects reported significantly longer duration of strenuous sports and moderate activity in recent daily life than the stroke patients. Increased engagements in such leisure time activities were associated with reduced risks of ischemic stroke after adjustment for confounding factors. A significant inverse dose-response relationship was also found for total physical activity exposure, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.25 (95% confidence interval = 0.14-0.45) for older adults engaged in 22 or more metabolic equivalent task hours per week relative to those engaged in less than 10 metabolic equivalent task hours per week.

CONCLUSIONS: The study provided evidence of an inverse association between habitual physical activity and the risk of ischemic stroke, which is important for the promotion and encouragement of leisure time exercise activities among elderly Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND:The relation between plasma vitamin C and risk of stroke remains unclear. Although clinical trials showed no significant benefit of vitamin C supplementation in reducing stroke risk, they were not able to examine the relation between plasma vitamin C concentrations and stroke risk in a general population.

OBJECTIVE:The objective was to examine the relation between baseline plasma vitamin C concentrations and risk of incident stroke in a British population.

DESIGN:A population-based prospective study was conducted in 20,649 men and women aged 40-79 y without prevalent stroke at baseline and participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk prospective population study. The participants completed a health questionnaire and attended a clinic during 1993-1997 and were followed up for incident strokes through March 2005.

RESULTS:Over 196,713 total person-years (average follow-up: 9.5 y), 448 incident strokes occurred. In a Cox proportional hazards model, persons in the top quartiles of baseline plasma vitamin C concentrations had a 42% lower risk (relative risk: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.78) than did those in the bottom quartile, independently of age, sex, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, physical activity, prevalent diabetes and myocardial infarction, social class, alcohol consumption, and any supplement use. Similar results were obtained after exclusion of persons with illnesses, users of ascorbic acid-containing supplements, and persons with a history of early strokes during the initial 2 y of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS:Plasma vitamin C concentrations may serve as a biological marker of lifestyle or other factors associated with reduced stroke risk and may be useful in identifying those at high risk of stroke.