Circulating Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 predict Three-months Outcome after Ischemic Stroke

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of IGF-1 LR3, published as a randomized controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to determine if plasma levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in acute stroke patients are indicative of 3 months functional outcome.

Why It Was Studied

Reports on neuroprotective effects of Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in ischemic brain tissue are inconsistent.

Plasma samples were drawn on admission and 8 days post-stroke.

Who Took Part

The study group was 3 patients.

PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Plasma levels were measured via chemiluminescence immunoassay in heparin blood samples of patients included in the EARLY trial (NCT00562588).

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

Because people in this IGF-1 LR3 study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Neurological deficits were assessed via modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 3 months post-stroke, resulting in favorable (mRS=0-2) or unfavorable (mRS=3-6) outcome.

What Was Measured

A multiple binary logistic regression including IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels and confounders was conducted.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Biomarkers, Brain Ischemia, Disease-Free Survival, Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I, Stroke and Survival Rate.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of IGF-1 LR3 in 3 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2017 (Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes : official journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association), a journal based in Germany.

More context: the IGF-1 LR3 compound page, all human trials.