For the clinical features, there existed significant differences between the two groups in gender, age, history of smoking, coronary atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, hyperlipidaemia, SAP, admission SBP, Trial of Org10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment type, OCSP type, admission NIHSS score, admission GCS score, 7-d NIHSSmax, CRP, PT, D-dimer, serum troponin I, blood glucose and plasma BNP (Table 1). Here, NPPB is linked to heart failure.