Lack of causal association between epilepsy and dementia: A Mendelian randomization analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies have reported an association between epilepsy and dementia. However, the causal relationship between epilepsy and the risk of dementia is not clear. We aimed to inspect the causal effect of epilepsy on memory loss and dementia. METHODS: We analyzed summary data of epilepsy, memory loss, and dementia from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method. We used the estimated odds ratio of memory loss and dementia associated with each of the genetically defined traits to infer evidence for a causal relationship with the following exposures: all epilepsy, focal epilepsy (including focal epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis, lesion-negative focal epilepsy, and focal epilepsy with other lesions), and genetic generalized epilepsy (including childhood absence epilepsy, generalized tonic-clonic seizures alone, Juvenile absence epilepsy, and Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy). RESULTS: According to the result of MR using the inverse variance weighted method (IVW), we found that genetically predicted epilepsy did not causally increase the risk of memory loss and dementia (p > 0.05). Results of the MR-Egger and weighted median method were consistent with the IVW method. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence has been found to support the notion that epilepsy can result in memory loss and dementia. The associations observed in epidemiological studies could be attributed, in part, to confounding or nongenetic determinants.

Machine Learning-Based Ultrasomics for Predicting Subacromial Impingement Syndrome Stages.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the performance of machine learning (ML)-based ultrasomic analysis of subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) stage evaluation. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 324 patients with SIS were included. The SIS stage was evaluated with a Neer test. Regions of the musculi supraspinatus were manually segmented by an experienced radiologist. Then, 5936 ultrasomic features were extracted from the Ultrasomics Platform software. The Wilcoxon test was used to identify differentially expressed radiomic features. Then, these differentially expressed features were submitted to the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) for model construction. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic was used to evaluate the performance of the ultrasonic model for SIS stage evaluation. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 223 early-stage and 101 advanced-stage SIS patients were randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 227) and a validation cohort (n = 97). After feature-dimensionality reduction, a total of 28 radiomic features were submitted to LASSO analysis. Finally, 10 radiomic features were finally included for radiomics model construction. The AUC results showed that the ultrasomics model had moderate performance for SIS stage evaluation in both the training cohort (AUC = 0.839) and the validation cohort (AUC = 0.789). CONCLUSIONS: ML-derived ultrasomics can discriminate the SIS stage in patients with SIS. This noninvasive and low-cost approach may be helpful in the preliminary screening of shoulder pain.

Relationship Between Pituitary Adenoma Consistency and Extent of Resection Based on Tumor/Cerebellar Peduncle T2-Weighted Imaging Intensity (TCTI) Ratio of the Point on Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Corresponding to the Residual Point on Postoperative MRI.

BACKGROUND Controversies exist in imaging modalities for predicting adenoma consistency. In this study, we proposed a method of predicting consistency by magnetic resonance T2-sequence imaging based on adenoma to cerebellar peduncle signal (TCTI) ratio. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between January 2013 and May 2017, 191 consecutive patients with pituitary adenoma diagnosed at our institution were retrospectively studied. The consistency grade for each lesion was assigned. And the TCTI ratio based on preoperative and postoperative T2-weighted imaging was calculated. RESULTS The median TCTI ratio was 1.55, 1.28, and 1.25 for soft, fibrous, and hard adenomas, respectively. The differences were significant for all groups (p<0.001). A cutoff value of 1.38 for soft adenomas was found to be 80.2% sensitive and 88.7% specific. The median ratio of the outermost layer of residual tumor was 1.25 (SD±0.408, 95% CI 1.27-1.42). It was less than that ratio of the upper, lower quarter, and middle region of adenoma, respectively, and the inter-group differences were all statistically significant with p≤0.001. The extent of resection for the soft group was significantly greater than that of the hard group (85.3% vs. 70.6%, p=0.011). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that the consistency grade was the influencing factor of degree of resection. p=0.003. CONCLUSIONS The TCTI ratio showed a good correlation with pituitary adenoma consistency. We also determined the optimal ratio of the residual adenoma.

Serum Ngb (Neuroglobin) Is Associated With Brain Metabolism and Functional Outcome of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background and Purpose- Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage is a well-recognized physiopathologic mechanism after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The Ngb (neuroglobin) is a hemoprotein predominantly expressed in the brain with a high affinity for oxygen. Relationship between serum Ngb level and brain metabolism in aSAH patients has not been investigated previously. Methods- Thirty-six consecutive severe aSAH patients (Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤8 on admission) with multimodal neuromonitoring and 36 matched healthy subjects were included. Serum Ngb level was analyzed in combination with other time-matched cerebral microdialysis parameters, brain tissue oxygen tension, and 12-month neurological outcomes. Results- Serum Ngb level was correlated positively with cerebral microdialysis parameters and brain tissue oxygen tension ( P<0.001). Poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score >3) 12 months after aSAH was associated with higher Ngb level but independent of age, sex, and disease severity ( P<0.001). A similar association was found between high Ngb level and neuropsychological test results indicative of impairments in cognition, visual conceptualization, and frontal executive functions ( P<0.001). Conclusions- Ngb may be a potential biomarker for reflecting brain tissue oxygen tension, brain metabolism, and functional outcome in severe aSAH patients and merits further study in the context of aSAH.

Lower Serum Iron and Hemoglobin Levels are Associated with Acute Seizures in Patients with Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to investigate the value of serum iron and hemoglobin levels for predicting acute seizures following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS: Clinical and laboratorial data from patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms were collected in the retrospective study. Age, sex, symptom onset, history of diabetes and hypertension, history of coronary artery disease, temperature, Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, aneurysm location, hemoglobin, serum potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron were collected. Acute seizures were determined as seizures within 1 week following aSAH. Propensity score matching (PSM) analyses were performed to correct imbalances in patient characteristics between seizure and non-seizure groups. RESULTS: A total of 760 patients were included. Incidence of acute seizures following aSAH was 6.4%. In the univariate analysis, significant differences were detected in age, admission Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, hemoglobin, serum sodium, and serum iron between seizure and non-seizure groups. In multivariate logistic regression model, lower serum iron was considered as a risk factor for acute seizures (OR 0.182, 95% CI 0.084-0.393, p = 0.000), as well as lower hemoglobin (OR 0.977, 95% CI 0.962-0.993, p = 0.004) and higher serum sodium (OR 1.072, 95% CI 1.003-1.145, p = 0.039). After PSM, there were no significant differences in age, admission Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, and serum sodium between seizure and non-seizure groups. The matched seizure group had lower serum iron and hemoglobin levels compared with the matched non-seizure group (p < 0.05). The optimal cutoff value for serum iron and hemoglobin levels as a predictor of acute seizure after aSAH was determined as 9.9 mmol/L (sensitivity was 81.63% and the specificity was 65.40%) and 119 g/L (sensitivity was 63.27% and the specificity was 70.18%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Serum iron and hemoglobin levels were inversely associated with a high risk of acute seizures following aSAH.

The causal relationship between circulating biomarkersand the risk of bipolar disorder: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify susceptible biomarkers for the development of bipolar disorder (BD), we conducted a Mendelian Randomization (MR) design to screen circulating proteins for the potential risk of bipolar disorder systematically. METHODS: We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to estimate the causality of 4782 human circulating proteins on the risk of bipolar disorder. 376 circulating biomarkers were selected in MR estimation (4406 circulating proteins with less than 3 SNPs were excluded) with 5368 European descents. GWAS meta-analysis of the potential role of all-cause bipolar disorder arose from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (41,917 cases, 371,549 controls). RESULTS: After IVW and sensitivity analysis, 4 circulating proteins having causal effects on bipolar disorder were identified. ISG15, as a key player in the innate immune response, decreased the risk of bipolar disorder causally (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.89-0.94, P = 1.46e-09). Furthermore, MLN decreased the risk of bipolar disorder causally (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.91-0.97, P = 1.04e-04). In addition, SFTPC (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.86-0.96, P = 4.47e-04) and VCY (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.77-0.96, P = 8.55e-03) presented a suggestive association with bipolar disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that ISG15 and MLN showed evidence of causality in bipolar disorder and provided a promising target for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

[Surgical outcome and prognostic factors in focal cortical dysplasia with intractable epilepsy].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze surgical outcome and relevant surgical parameters including resection extent of epileptogenic zone,pathological subtype, brain MRS and MRI results in FCD with intractable epilepsy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed surgical outcomes of 35 patients with intractable epilepsy related to focal cortical dysplasia, accepted surgery in the first affiliated hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2008 to January 2010, with 12-36 months of postoperative follow-up. The relevance between complete resection, pathological subtype, MRS and MRI result and surgical outcome were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: 22 patients (66.7%) were Engel class I, 5 patients (14.3%) were class II, 6 patients (17.2%) were class III, 2 patients (5.8%) were class IV. Complete resection of epileptogenic zone (P < 0.05), FCD type I (P < 0.05) correlated significantly with favorable surgical outcome. Other factors such as MRI results, abnormal NAA/CHO + Cr ratio on the contralateral side of epileptogenic zone, as well as MRS-accurate lateralization did not influence outcome. CONCLUSION: Overall, the surgical outcome of FCD is favorable. Complete resection, FCD type I correlates significantly with favorable surgical outcome.

Increased infiltration of CD8 T cells in recurrent glioblastoma patients is a useful biomarker for assessing the response to combined bevacizumab and lomustine therapy.

PURPOSE: Treatment options for recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) remain scarce, which may be due to the limited understanding of its molecular characteristics. METHODS: Based on gene expression profiling, the infiltration scores of 26 immune cell types were calculated using gene set variation analysis. The differences between rGBM and other cancer subtypes were estimated to characterize the specific immune characteristics of rGBM, and the prognostic value of immune cells in rGBM was estimated using univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. Subgroup analyses and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to identify whether CD8 T-cell infiltration could be useful in selecting treatment options for rGBM patients. RESULTS: We found that rGBM patients were associated with enrichment of activated CD8 T cells, and high CD8 T-cell infiltration was associated with superior overall survival. Patients exhibiting high CD8 T-cell infiltration who received treatment with bevacizumab and lomustine combination therapy experienced a significant benefit in overall survival and progression-free survival, whereas patients with low CD8 T-cell infiltration did not experience such a benefit. CD8 T cells remained an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analyses (cohort 1: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.546, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.316-0.945, P = 0.031; cohort 3: HR = 0.615, 95% CI: 0.387-0.978, P = 0.040) after adjusting for clinicopathological and molecular factors. CONCLUSIONS: Activated CD8 T-cells is a promising biomarker for predicting overall survival in rGBM patients and could be used for assisting treatment selection.

Acetylation Profiles in the Metabolic Process of Glioma-Associated Seizures.

Objective: We test the hypothesis that lysine acetylation is involved in the metabolic process of glioma-associated seizures (GAS). Methods: We used label-free mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics to quantify dynamic changes of protein acetylation between gliomas with seizure (CA1 group) and gliomas without seizure (CA2 group). Furthermore, differences of acetyltransferase and deacetylase expression between CA1 and CA2 groups were performed by a quantitative proteomic study. We further classified acetylated proteins into groups according to cell component, molecular function, and biological process. In addition, metabolic pathways and protein interaction networks were analyzed. Regulated acetyltransferases and acetylated profiles were validated by PRM and Western blot. Results: We detected 169 downregulated lysine acetylation sites of 134 proteins and 39 upregulated lysine acetylation sites of 35 proteins in glioma with seizures based on acetylome. We detected 407 regulated proteins by proteomics, from which ACAT2 and ACAA2 were the differentially regulated enzymes in the acetylation of GAS. According to the KEGG analysis, the upregulated acetylated proteins within the PPIs were mapped to pathways involved in the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, biosynthesis of amino acids, and carbon metabolism. The downregulated acetylated proteins within the PPIs were mapped to pathways involved in fatty acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle, and necroptosis. Regulated ACAT2 expression and acetylated profiles were validated by PRM and Western blot. Conclusions: The data support the hypothesis that regulated protein acetylation is involved in the metabolic process of GAS, which may be induced by acetyl-CoA acetyltransferases.

Can admission lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 predict the symptomatic cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage?

BACKGROUND: Inflammation has been believed to be related to the development of cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). A potential biomarker for vascular inflammation that is well recognized is the lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2). However, whether Lp-PLA2 can predict the occurrence of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm (SCV) in aSAH patients is still unknown. Thus, this study aimed to assess the value of Lp-PLA2 for predicting SCV in patients with aSAH. METHODS: Between March 2017 and April 2018, we evaluated 128 consecutive aSAH patients who were admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. Their Lp-PLA2 level was obtained within 24 h of the initial bleeding. Factors might be related to SCV were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to patients without SCV, those with SCV (9.4%, 12/128) had significantly higher Lp-PLA2 level. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that worse modified Fisher grade (OR = 10.08, 95% CI = 2.04-49.86, P = 0.005) and higher Lp-PLA2 level (OR = 6.66, 95% CI = 1.33-3.30, P = 0.021) were significantly associated with SCV, even after adjustment for confounders. Based on the best threshold, Lp-PLA2 had a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 51.7% for predicting SCV, as shown by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. In the poor World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade patient sub-group, patients with Lp-PLA2 > 200 µg/L had significantly higher SCV rate than that of patients having Lp-PLA2 ≤ 200 µg/L. CONCLUSION: The admission Lp-PLA2 level might be a helpful predictor for SCV in aSAH.

The prevalence of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease and in patients with different disease durations and severities.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence rates of freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson's disease (PD) vary widely, ranging from 14.0 to 55.1%. Our aim is to calculate the overall prevalence of FOG in all PD patients with different disease durations and severities. METHODS: Using Medline/PubMed/Embase, we carried out a systematic literature search for studies reporting the PD and clinically relevant FOG. RESULTS: After primary screening, a total of 35 studies were identified and further analyzed for inclusion into the analysis, and 29 studies fulfilled the quality criteria and included in this meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of FOG in PD was 39.9% (95% CI 35.3-44.5%). The FOG identified by the freezing of gait questionnaire item 3 may be more prevalent (43.8%, 95% CI 38.5-49.1%) than the FOG identified by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale item 14 (36.0%, 95% CI 29.0-43.1%). Disease duration and severity are both the clinical features associated with the FOG. The highest FOG prevalence rate in PD patients was seen in patients with disease durations ≥ 10 years, at 70.8%, followed that of PD patients with disease durations ≥ 5 years (53.3%), and PD patients with disease durations < 5 years (22.4%). FOG presented in 28.4% of PD patients with Hoehn and Yahr staging (H&Y) score ≤ 2.5, and in 68.4% of PD patients with H&Y score ≥ 2.5. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis confirms that the prevalence of FOG in PD is considerable, and highlights the need for accurate identification of FOG in PD.

Annexin A7 induction of neuronal apoptosis via effect on glutamate release in a rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: Glutamate excitotoxicity and neuronal apoptosis are suggested to contribute to early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Annexin A7 (ANXA7) has been shown to regulate glutamate release. However, the role of ANXA7 in early brain injury after SAH has not been illustrated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of ANXA7 knockdown in reducing the severity of early brain injury after SAH, and determine the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Endovascular perforation was performed to induce SAH in male Sprague-Dawley rats. ANXA7-siRNA was administered via intraventricular injection 5 days before SAH induction. Neurological test, evaluation of SAH grade, assessment of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, measurement of brain water content, Western blot, double immunofluorescence staining, TUNEL staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed at 24 hours of SAH induction. RESULTS: ANXA7 protein expression increased significantly after SAH induction and was seen mainly in neurons. High expression of ANXA7 was associated with poor neurological status. ANXA7 knockdown dramatically ameliorated early brain injury through alleviating BBB disruption and brain edema. Further investigation of the mechanism showed that inhibiting ANXA7 expression can rescue neuronal apoptosis. In addition, ANXA7 knockdown also significantly reduced glutamate release, which was consistent with a significant increase of Bcl-2 expression and decreases of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 expression. CONCLUSIONS: ANXA7 can induce neuronal apoptosis by affecting glutamate release in rats with SAH. Downregulating the expression of ANXA7 can significantly attenuate early brain injury after SAH. Future therapy targeting ANXA7 may be a promising new choice.

Development and validation of a multi-color model using 3-dimensional printing technology for endoscopic endonasal surgical training.

BACKGROUND: The teaching of endoscopic endonasal surgery has always been difficult because of the complex structure of the nasal cavity, and the unique endoscopic view angle and endoscopic surgical tools. In this study, we have designed a 3D printed multi-color model for training of endoscopic endonasal surgery, and obtained preliminary application results. METHODS: The 3D printed model contained facial skin, bony skeleton, internal carotid artery, turbinate, optic chiasm, and a special sellar base with appropriate colors. After it was printed, six otolaryngologists and neurosurgeons assessed the model. Twenty graduate students and residents from otolaryngology or neurosurgery, without prior experience in endoscopic endonasal surgery were recruited and consented for the training. The training results were recorded. The subjective feeling of participants in terms of using 3D printed model in surgical training was investigated after training. RESULTS: All experts strongly agreed or agreed that the 3D printed model has realistic anatomical structure of nasal passage and appropriate colors for different parts, and is a good teaching tool. As the trainees practiced more, the rate and quality of endoscopic operation increased gradually. Compared to the first practice, all recorded training parameters were improved significantly (all P < 0.05). All participants strongly agreed or agreed that they benefited from the training and the 3D printed model can inspire interest and enthusiasm of endoscopic endonasal surgical training. CONCLUSION: This 3D printed model has realistic anatomical structure of nasal passage and appropriate colors for different parts, and could be a good teaching tool of endoscopic endonasal surgery.

Lower Hemoglobin Levels Are Associated with Acute Seizures in Patients with Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that low hemoglobin levels are associated with acute seizures after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS: Patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms were enrolled in the observational cohort study that prospectively collected age, sex, symptom onset, history of diabetes and hypertension, history of coronary artery disease, temperature, Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, aneurysm location, hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and modified Rankin Scale. Acute seizures were determined as seizures within 1 week after aSAH. RESULTS: We included 554 patients with requisite data for analysis in the prospective study. Incidence of acute seizures following aSAH was 3.61%. In the univariate analysis, significant differences were detected in admission Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, hemoglobin, and serum iron between epilepsy and nonepilepsy groups. Furthermore, acute seizures were associated with higher modified Rankin Scale score and poor outcome (P = 0.004). Serum hemoglobin levels were 114.30 ± 20.08 g/L in the epilepsy group, which were lower than those in the nonepilepsy group (128.64 ± 17.94 mmol/L, P = 0.001). Serum iron levels were 8.89 ± 5.03 g/L in the epilepsy group, which were also lower than those in the nonepilepsy group (13.71 ± 6.70 mmol/L, P = 0.002). The hemoglobin level was positively correlated with serum iron on admission (ρ = 0.321, P = 0.000). In the multivariate logistic regression model, lower hemoglobin was considered as an independent risk factor of acute seizures (odds ratio 4.286, 95% confidence interval 1.492-12.315, P = 0.007). The optimal cutoff value for hemoglobin level as a predictor for acute epilepsy after aSAH was determined as 119 g/L in the receiver operating characteristic curve (sensitivity was 75.00%, and specificity was 69.48%). CONCLUSIONS: These data support the hypothesis that hemoglobin was inversely associated with acute seizures following aSAH.

Higher leukocyte count predicts 3-month poor outcome of ruptured cerebral aneurysms.

It is not fully established whether leukocyte can predict the poor outcome for ruptured cerebral aneurysms (CA) or not. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 428 patients with ruptured CA between 2010 and 2015. Patients' demographic data, including gender, age, history of smoking, alcohol, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, Hunt-Hess and Fisher grade, occurrence of hydrocephalus, aneurysm location, time to surgery, delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND) and peak leukocyte of blood test from day 1 to 3 after aneurysmal rupture were recorded and analyzed. In the multivariable analysis model, gender, Fisher grade, time to surgery and hydrocephalus were not relevant to poor outcome. However, Hunt-Hess grade, DIND and preoperative leukocyte count (>13.84 × 109/L) were significantly associated with adverse outcome. The respective increased risks were 5.2- (OR5.24, 95% CI 1.67-16.50, p = 0.005), 6.2-(OR 6.24, 95% CI 3.55-10.99, p < 0.001) and 10.9-fold (OR 9.35, 95% CI 5.98-19.97, p < 0.001). The study revealed that Hunt-Hess grade, DIND and preoperative leukocyte count (>13.84 × 109/L) were independent risk factors for poor outcome of ruptured CA at 3 months. Higher leukocyte count is a convenient and useful marker to predict 3-month poor outcome for ruptured CA.

Risk factors of acute coagulation dysfunction after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Although coagulopathy have been proved to be a contributor to a poor outcome of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), the risk factors for triggering coagulation abnormalities have not been studied after aneurysm clipping. METHODS: We investigated risk factors of coagulopathy and analyzed the relationship between acute coagulopathy and outcome after aneurysm clipping. The clinical data of 137 patients with ruptured CA admitted to our institution was collected and retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographic data (age, sex), smoking, alcohol use, hypertension, diabetes, Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, operation time, intraoperative total infusion volume, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative transfusion, intraoperative hemostatic drug treatment, calcium reduction (preoperative free calcium concentration-postoperative free calcium concentration) were recorded. Coagulation was assessed within 24 h. Postoperative hemorrhage and infarction, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Coagulopathy was detected in a total of 51 cases (group I), while not in 86 cases (group II). Univariable analysis demonstrated that age, smoking, alcohol use, intraoperative total infusion volume, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative transfusion, and calcium reduction (≥ 1.2 mg/dl) were related to coagulopathy. Non-conditional logistic regression analysis showed that age [OR, 1.037 (95% CI, 1.001-1.074); p = 0.045] and calcium reduction (≥ 1.2 mg/dl) [OR, 5.509 (95% CI, 1.900-15.971); p = 0.002] were considered as the risk factors for coagulopathy. Hunt-Hess grade [OR, 2.641 (95% CI, 1.079-6.331); p = 0.033] and operation time [OR, 0.107 (95% CI, 1.012-0.928); p = 0.043] were considered as the risk factors for hypocoagulopathy. There were 6 cases (11.7%) with cerebral infarction in group I, while 6 cases (6.98%) in group II (χ 2 = 0.918, p = 0.338). There were 4 cases (7.84%) with rebleeding in group I, while 5 cases (5.81%) in group II (χ 2 = 0.215, p = 0.643). The mortality was 9.80% (5/51) in group I, while 1.16% (1/86) in group II (χ 2 = 5.708, p = 0.017). DVT was not detected in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, age (≥ 65 years) and calcium reduction (≥ 1.2 mg/dl) were considered as the risk factors for coagulopathy and have been proved to be associated with higher mortality after aneurysm clipping.

The classification of intracranial aneurysm neck: a single center research experience.

BACKGROUND: There is associating with incidence of unfavorable outcomes compared to microsurgical clippings. We are in order to investigate the outcomes of microsurgical clipping for intracranial aneurysms and determine the ideal clipping methods for different aneurysm subtypes. METHOD: Retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics and follow-up data (completely recorded) of 123 patients with 128 aneurysms were treated. 20 cases were treated as control group from October 2013 to December 2013. Since January 2014, aneurysms were classified base on the 20 cases of aneurysm imaging data. 103 patients were treated as experimental group, the classification of aneurysms previously proposed was used to estimate the way of surgery, and the guiding value of the genotype was verified according to the intraoperative findings. The proposed aneurysm classification is based on the virtual surface of the aneurysm and the parent artery, the aneurysm neck was classified as follows: subtype I, the curved surface of the neck is a single curved surface; subtype II, the neck is hyperboloid; subtype III, neck is a three-curved surface. Aneurysms were divided into further subtypes according to the ratio of the width of the aneurysm neck surface and the length of the artery circumference: subtype A, the ratio of the aneurysm neck surface to the parent artery was not more than 0.5; subtype B, more than 0.5. There are some clamping methods include simple, sliding, interlocking and hybrid. RESULTS: In the control group, patients did not undergo a suitable clipping scheme without classification of aneurysm neck (unclassed clipping). While causing the occurrence of occlusion adverse events, including neck residual, Tumor artery stenosis, electrophysiological changes, the lack of blood supply and so on. The experimental[page1image12073600]group was analyzed by using a predetermined clipping scheme (classed clipping), and the use of aneurysms clamps was approximately the same as expected. Compared the preoperative assessment with the actual situation, the consistency of the control group was 50% and the experimental group was 96%. Adverse events of classed clipping is 2%, another is 60%. There is a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05).Classed clipping of subject IA and IB are simple (mean 1.2 and 1.3 clips); classed clipping of subject IIA is simple and interlocking(mean 1.2 clips); classed clipping of subject IIB is sliding and hybrid(mean 2.05 clips); classed clipping of subject IIIA and IIIB are hybrid(mean 2.3 clips). CONCLUSION: There is a higher consistency in surgery through the above classification of preoperative assessment of clipping. There was no adverse event of intracranial aneurysm clipping in the clipping mode selected by the above classification, and satisfactory surgical clipping rate was achieved and no recurrence was found.

Author Correction: Higher leukocyte count predicts 3-month poor outcome of ruptured cerebral aneurysms.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Combined monitoring of evoked potentials during microsurgery for lesions adjacent to the brainstem and intracranial aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Neurophysiologic monitoring during surgery is to prevent permanent neurological injury resulting from surgical manipulation. To improve the accuracy and sensitivity of intraoperative neuromonitoring, combined monitoring of transcranial electrical stimulation motor evoked potentials (TES-MEPs), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) was attempted in microsurgery for lesions adjacent to the brainstem and intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: Monitoring of combined TES-MEPs with SSEPs was attempted in 68 consecutive patients with lesions adjacent to the brainstem as well as intracranial aneurysms. Among them, 31 patients (31 operations, 28 of posterior cranial fossa tumors, 3 of posterior circulation aneurysms) were also subjected to monitoring of BAEPs. The correlation of monitoring results and clinical outcome was studied prospectively. RESULTS: Combined monitoring of evoked potentials (EPs) was done in 64 (94.1%) of the 68 patients. MEPs monitoring was impossible for 4 patients (5.9%). No complication was observed during the combined monitoring in all the patients. In 45 (66.2%) of the 68 patients, EPs were stable, and they were neurologically intact. Motor dysfunction was detected by MEPs in 8 patients, SSEPs in 5, and BAEPs in 4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A close relationship exists between postoperative motor function and the results of TES-MEPs monitoring. TES-MEPs are superior to SSEPs and BAEPs in detecting motor dysfunction, but combined EPs serve as a safe, effective and invasive method for intraoperative monitoring of the function of the motor nervous system. Monitoring of combined EPs during microsurgery for lesions adjacent to the brainstem and intracranial aneurysms may detect potentially hazardous maneuvers and improve the safety of subsequent procedures.

The "curved lead pathway" method to enable a single lead to reach any two intracranial targets.

Deep brain stimulation is an effective way to treat movement disorders, and a powerful research tool for exploring brain functions. This report proposes a "curved lead pathway" method for lead implantation, such that a single lead can reach in sequence to any two intracranial targets. A new type of stereotaxic system for implanting a curved lead to the brain of human/primates was designed, the auxiliary device needed for this method to be used in rat/mouse was fabricated and verified in rat, and the Excel algorithm used for automatically calculating the necessary parameters was implemented. This "curved lead pathway" method of lead implantation may complement the current method, make lead implantation for multiple targets more convenient, and expand the experimental techniques of brain function research.