Early Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is a Prognostic Marker in Acute Ischemic Stroke After Successful Revascularization.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between early neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ENLR) and prognosis of anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke (LVOS) after patients undergo endovascular treatment (EVT) with successful revascularization. METHODS: Patients who experienced acute anterior circulation LVOS and underwent EVT at Changzhou Second People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University between May 2017 and May 2020 were included in this retrospective study. We collected information about patients' baseline characteristics, medical history, laboratory test results, imaging data, and endovascular treatment outcomes, as well as data from follow-up at 3 months. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between ENLR and functional disease prognosis. A piecewise linear regression model was also applied to compute the threshold effect of ENLR on poor prognosis (defined as modified Rankin Scale score 3-6) at 3 months using a smoothing plot. RESULTS: Of 224 patients who received EVT during the study period, 160 patients were included in the analysis. After adjustments were made for potential confounders, multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between ENLR and poor prognosis at 3 months (odds radio 1.19; 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.32; P = 0.0016). An ENLR ≥9.75 was found to be significantly associated with poor prognosis at 3 months (odds ratio 1.54; 95% confidence interval 1.19-2.00; P = 0.0119). CONCLUSIONS: Increased ENLR after successful revascularization is independently associated with poor prognosis. These findings suggest that ENLR could be used to inform treatment strategies for patients who experience anterior circulation LVOS.

Sacrificial gold coating enhances transport of liquid metal in pressurized fountain pen lithography.

Liquid metals have attracted attention as functional components for moldable electronics, such as soft flexible connectors, wires or conductive ink. The relatively high surface tension (> 400 mN m-1) and the fact that liquid metals do not readily wet ceramic or oxide surfaces have led to devising unique techniques to spread the liquid and mold its shape. These techniques include surface modification, electrowetting and vacuum filling of channels. This work presents an injection technique based on pressurized fountain pen lithography with glass nanopipettes developed to directly pattern liquid metal on flat hard substrates. The liquid metals were eutectic alloys of Gallium, including Gallium-Indium (EGaIn), Gallium-Indium-Zinc and Gallium-Indium-Tin. The nanopipettes were coated internally with gold, acting as a sacrificial layer and facilitating the wetting of the pipette down to its pore, with an inner diameter of ~ 100-300 nm. By applying hydrodynamic pressure to the connected end of the pipette, the metal was extruded through the pore, forming long continuous (> 3 mm) and narrow (~ 1-15 µm) metal lines on silicon oxide and gold surfaces at room temperature and ambient conditions. With this robust platform, it is possible to pattern liquid metals on a variety of substrates and geometries down to the micron range.

Local-field-induced current noise in shape-limited self-doped polyaniline.

Electronic noise generators are an essential component of molecular neuromorphic devices. To realize molecular noise generators with a high degree of freedom for design and integration into molecular devices, the utilization of the local electric field for the modulation of electrical conduction via a shape-limited conductive polymer is one promising strategy. Herein, a molecular noise generator composed of thin self-doped polyaniline (SPAN) lines is reported. SPAN lines fabricated via fountain pen lithography on SiO2/Si substrates were found to generate current noise upon laser irradiation. This current noise exhibited white-noise-like power spectral density in the frequency range of 1-25 Hz and was independent of temperature. Multiple independent noise generation on the same substrate was also successfully demonstrated. The present results indicate that the noise generation mechanism involves the local modulation of hopping conduction via SPAN lines owing to the spatial proximity of the conduction path in the SPAN line to the surface photovoltage region of the SiO2/Si interface. This on-site random noise generation in shape-limited conductive polymers is expected to be beneficial for the realization of molecular neuromorphic devices.

Higher Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 Levels and the Risk of Stroke and Its Subtypes: Evidence From a Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies have indicated conflicting associations of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) with the risk of stroke. To this end, a meta-analysis of prospective studies was conducted to assess the association. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase databases to March 23, 2018. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined with the fixed-effects model or random-effects model according to the degree of heterogeneity. Moreover, stratified analyses and sensitivity analysis were carried out for further analysis. RESULTS: Seven prospective studies involving 1988 stroke events among 18048 participants were eligible for our meta-analysis. The combined RRs for total stroke were 1.29 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.52) for the highest versus lowest category of FGF23, with low heterogeneity among studies (Pheterogeneity = 0.38, I2 = 6.1%). Stratified analyses showed that the combined RRs for ischemic stroke (IS) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS) risk were 1.12 (95% CI: 0.92, 1.37) and 2.63 (95% CI: 1.61, 4.30), respectively. In the stratification by geographic areas, the association between higher FGF23 and stroke was similar with studies performed in the United States (RR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.49) and Europe (RR = 1.88, 95%CI: 0.77, 4.55); however, only the results in the United States were statistically significant. Sensitivity analysis indicated the combined results were robust. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis showed that higher FGF23 levels were associated with an increased risk of stroke. The positive association consistently existed in HS rather than in IS. Further studies are required to confirm these causal associations and to investigate the mechanisms.