title: The impact of butylphthalide on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis of patients suffering from cerebral infarction in the basal ganglia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Butylphthalide sodium chloride injection for patients with acute cerebral infarction has a certain effect. Although there are several proposed mechanisms of drug action, no related research on improving the inflammatory cytokines that regulate the body's immune system through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis has been published.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the impact of butylphthalide and sodium chloride injection on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis after acute cerebral infarction in the basal ganglia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly divided into treatment and control groups; the treatment group received intravenous drips of butylphthalide, while the control group did not. The levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (COR), along with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of both groups were detected using the radioimmunoassay method. This was done at regular intervals after cerebral infarction in the basal ganglia was detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen days after treatment, the levels of serum ACTH and COR in both groups were higher than normal. The NIHSS score and levels of ACTH and COR of the treatment group were significantly lower than those of the control group (p<0.05). The data was computed and analyzed using SPSS17.0 software.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Butylphthalide treatment for patients suffering from acute basal ganglia infarction can reduce the adverse effects on the HPA axis, thus improving patient prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Huiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Zhanqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Huifang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Jinyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Chunbo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhuozhou City Hospital of Hebei Province, 072750, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: HPA axis; butylphthalide; cerebral infarction; ganglia region; hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis