Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

Continuous patients diagnosed with AIS who received treatment from April 2012 to January 2016 in the Department of Neurology, Zhangjiagang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine in China (patients with unstable vital signs, severe disturbance of consciousness or serious dysfunction of other organs at admission were not included in this study because they were admitted to ICU).

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients with more than 72 h from onset to admission.

2. Patients without TBA measurement within 24 h of admission.

3. Patients with severe hepatobiliary or renal diseases before or at the time of admission.

4. Patients with blood diseases or cancer.

5. Patients present presence of any infection or immune system disease.

6. Patients who were not followed up at 3-month follow-up.