Value of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial fibrillary acidic protein for detecting depression in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

OBJECTIVE: Infection with helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is associated with depression, and depression can affect the outcome of H. pylori treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the value of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for predicting depression in H. pylori-positive patients. METHOD: A total of 82H. pylori-positive and 82H. pylori-negative patients were recruited for this study. All patients underwent neuropsychological and gastrointestinal assessments and blood sampling. BDNF and GFAP levels were measured in serum. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) model was used to determine a composite marker. RESULTS: H. pylori-positive patients showed significantly increased serum GFAP levels and significantly decreased serum BDNF levels compared to H. pylori-negative patients. Among H. pylori-positive patients, serum levels of gastrin 17 (G-17), pepsinogen (PG) I/PGII, BDNF, and GFAP, as well as Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) scores, were significantly correlated with Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24) overall scores and factor scores. Interactions between serum BDNF/GFAP and gastrointestinal serum indices or GSRS scores were significantly associated with HAMD-24 scores in H. pylori-positive patients. The LASSO model indicated that the combination of serum BDNF, GFAP, and G-17 and GSRS scores could identify H. pylori-positive patients with depression with an area under the curve of 0.879. CONCLUSION: Circulating changes in BDNF and GFAP were associated with the occurrence of depression in H. pylori-positive patients. A composite marker including neural and gastrointestinal function-related indices may be of value for identifying depression among H. pylori-positive patients.

Oxygen saturation before and after mechanical thrombectomy and functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background and purpose: Currently, there is a lack of effective neuroprotective strategies to break the ceiling effect of mechanical thrombectomy (MT), and one of the most promising is normobaric oxygen treatment. However, the impact of pre- and post-MT oxygen saturation on clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains unclear. We aimed to determine the influence of preoperative and postoperative oxygen saturation on 3-month poor outcome in patients with AIS. Methods: A total of 239 consecutive stroke patients with successful recanalization by MT between May 2017 and March 2021 were analyzed. Oxygen saturation was measured non-invasively by pulse oximetry at baseline and continually after MT. Regression analysis was used to assess the association of preoperative and postoperative oxygen saturation with a 3-month poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale score: 3-6). Results: Decreased preoperative oxygen saturation level was associated with an increased risk of poor outcome (odds ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.98; P = 0.0293). Postoperative oxygen saturation had the opposite effect on poor outcome (odds ratio, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.13-2.27; P = 0.0088). Conclusion: Preoperative and postoperative oxygen saturation have different impacts on 3-month poor outcome in patients with AIS with successful recanalization by MT.