title: Non-pharmaceutical therapies for stroke: mechanisms and clinical implications.
abstract: Stroke is deemed a worldwide leading cause of neurological disability and death, however, there is currently no promising pharmacotherapy for acute ischemic stroke aside from intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis. Yet because of the narrow therapeutic time window involved, thrombolytic application is very restricted in clinical settings. Accumulating data suggest that non-pharmaceutical therapies for stroke might provide new opportunities for stroke treatment. Here we review recent research progress in the mechanisms and clinical implications of non-pharmaceutical therapies, mainly including neuroprotective approaches such as hypothermia, ischemic/hypoxic conditioning, acupuncture, medical gases and transcranial laser therapy. In addition, we briefly summarize mechanical endovascular recanalization devices and recovery devices for the treatment of the chronic phase of stroke and discuss the relative merits of these devices.
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Zhifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Yuming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Taylor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hinchliffe
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Center for Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Guanghong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: ying.xia@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing 100053, China. Electronic address: jixm@ccmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xunming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D005740:Gases / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005740:Gases
keywords: Ischemia; Neuroprotection; Non-pharmaceutical therapies; Stroke