Vascular risk factors for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a treatable cause of dementia; however, its etiology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and impact of vascular risk factors in patients with iNPH compared to a control cohort to better understand the potential mechanisms and preventive measures. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (from inception to December 20, 2022) for studies reporting vascular risk factors for the development of iNPH. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using random-effects models. Results: After screening 1,462 articles, 11 case-control studies comprising 1,048 patients with iNPH and 79,668 cognitively unimpaired controls were included in the meta-analysis. Our data showed that hypertension (N = 991, OR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.64 to 3.23, I2= 64.0%), diabetes mellitus (DM) (N = 985, OR = 3.12, 95% CI 2.29 to 4.27, I2= 44.0%), coronary heart disease (CHD; N = 880, OR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.33 to 4.12, I2= 83.1%), and peripheral vascular disease (N = 172, OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.50 to 5.13, I2= 0.0%) increased the risk for iNPH, while overweight was a possible factor (N = 225, OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.34 to 3.04, I2= 0.0%) based on the sensitivity analysis. Smoking and alcohol consumption were not associated with iNPH. Conclusions: Our study suggested that hypertension, DM, CHD, peripheral vascular disease, and overweight were associated with iNPH. These factors might be involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms promoting iNPH. These findings require further investigation in future studies. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, CRD42022383004.

Efficacy of Early Intensive Blood Pressure Management After Thrombectomy: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (IDENTIFY).

BACKGROUND: The optimal strategy for blood pressure management after thrombectomy remains unknown. The primary objective of The Early Intensive Blood Pressure Management after Endovascular Thrombectomy (IDENTIFY) study is to explore the efficacy and safety of early intensive blood pressure management strategies after thrombectomy compared with that of standard management. METHODS: The IDENTIFY study is a prospective, randomized, open-label, assessor-blinded multicenter clinical trial. Patients with acute anterior circulation ischaemic stroke who underwent endovascular thrombectomy within 6 h of stroke onset, achieved successful recanalization, and had two consecutive blood pressure readings > 130 mm Hg during the first 6 h after thrombectomy will be enrolled and centrally randomized into intensive or standard management groups in a 1:1 ratio. Continuous blood pressure monitoring will be initiated at the end of thrombectomy, and patients with high blood pressure during the transfer to the wards will also be enrolled. For patients in the intensive management group, the target blood pressure will be < 130 mm Hg, and the use of antihypertensive drugs will be discontinued if systolic blood pressure goes below 110 mm Hg. The target blood pressure for the standard management group will be < 180 mm Hg, and if systolic blood pressure decreases below 140 mm Hg, the use of antihypertensive drugs will be stepwise decreased until the systolic blood pressure reaches 140 mm Hg again or the infusion is discontinued. Patients will have their blood pressure reduced to the target range within 1 h from randomization and maintained until 24 h after thrombectomy with intravenous hypertensive drugs. A sample size of 600 was predicted. The primary outcome will be the rate of dependency (modified Rankin Scale scores 3-6) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes will include intracerebral hemorrhage (either symptomatic or asymptomatic) within 24 h and 7 days, malignant brain oedema, all-cause death, death and severe disability at 90 days, and quality of life at 90 days, which will be measured using the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Level (EQ-5D-5L) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Safety outcomes will include stroke recurrence within 24 h, early neurological deterioration, hypotension within 24 h, death within 7 days after endovascular thrombectomy, and all-cause acute kidney injury. Trial registration chictr.org.cn (identifier: ChiCTR2200057770). Registered March 17, 2022, http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=162575&htm=4.

Early Prediction of Malignant Edema After Successful Recanalization in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities are common on non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) after endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke, which may reflect blood-brain barrier damage. The disruption of the blood-brain barrier may lead to malignant brain edema. The relationship between the extent of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities and malignant brain edema is unclear. METHODS: Patients with middle cerebral artery territory infarction and successful recanalization were consecutively enrolled. Postinterventional non-contrast-enhanced CT was performed to evaluate postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities within 24 h after endovascular thrombectomy. On the basis of the areas of the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, we devised the Hyperdensity on CT Score to evaluate the extent of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities. The primary outcome was malignant brain edema, defined as the development of clinical signs of herniation (including a decrease in consciousness and/or anisocoria), accompanied by imaging evidence of brain swelling. The component of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities was divided into contrast staining and hemorrhage on the basis of persistency. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty patients were included (50.6% male, mean age 67.9 years), of whom 247 (68.6%) developed postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities and 66 (18.3%) developed malignant brain edema. After adjustment for confounders, including the component of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities, the extent of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities assessed by the Hyperdensity on CT Score was significantly associated with malignant brain edema (odds ratio 1.46, 95% confidence interval 1.20-1.77, p < 0.001). A Hyperdensity on CT Score greater than 3 had a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.87 for predicting malignant brain edema. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities on postinterventional non-contrast-enhanced CT was associated with malignant brain edema. The Hyperdensity on CT Score could be used to predict malignant brain edema regardless of the component of postinterventional cerebral hyperdensities.

Natural history of silent lacunar infarction: 10-year follow-up of a community-based prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Widespread use of brain imaging in China has resulted in an increased prevalence of silent lacunar infarct (LACI) in addition to symptomatic LACI, but their clinical relevance is not fully understood. METHODS: We compared the 5-year risks of recurrent stroke and all-cause mortality for silent LACI vs symptomatic LACI in a prospective study of 489,597 Chinese adults with no history of stroke or ischemic heart disease at baseline. Data on recurrent stroke and all-cause mortality were obtained by linkage with local stroke and mortality registries and health insurance records for all hospital admissions. FINDINGS: Among 12,150 cases with an adjudicated diagnosis of first-ever LACI, 4,134 (34%) had silent LACI and 8,016 (66%) had symptomatic LACI. All cases had brain imaging, but only 33% of silent LACI and 40% of symptomatic LACI cases had brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The standardized event rates for silent LACI were 2-fold greater in urban than rural areas, but the ratios of silent LACI vs symptomatic LACI were similar in all areas. Cases with silent LACI vs symptomatic LACI had comparable 5-year risks of recurrent stroke (38% vs 43%) and all-cause mortality (11% vs 14%), respectively. For both silent and symptomatic LACI cases, most cases of recurrent stroke had non-LACI (70% vs 72%). While the relative risks of recurrent stroke did not differ by age, sex and area, the absolute risks of all-cause mortality varied by sex, age and area. INTERPRETATION: The prognosis of cases with silent LACI was comparable with symptomatic LACI, and the results highlight the need for further randomized trials assessing the efficacy and safety of established treatments for ischemic stroke in cases with silent LACI. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust (212946/Z/18/Z, 202922/Z/16/Z, 104085/Z/14/Z, 088158/Z/09/Z) and National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0900500, 2016YFC0900501, 2016YFC0900504, 2016YFC1303904) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (91843302); UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00017/1,MC_UU_12026/2 MC_U137686851), Cancer Research UK (C16077/A29186; C500/A16896) and British Heart Foundation (CH/1996001/9454). ZH was supported West China Hospital, Sichuan University (ZYGD18009 and 2016YFC1300505) for a visiting scholarship to the University of Oxford, UK, during 2018-19.

Mortality and recurrent vascular events after first incident stroke: a 9-year community-based study of 0·5 million Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Despite considerable improvements in diagnosis and treatment, little is known about the short-term and long-term prognosis after a first stroke in low-income and middle-income countries, including China. We aimed to assess the short-term and long-term risk of recurrent stroke and mortality after a first stroke for each of the major pathological stroke types. METHODS: This population-based cohort study included adults aged 35-74 years without disability who were recruited to the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). A baseline survey was conducted in ten geographical areas (five urban, five rural) in China, and participants had clinical measurements recorded. Participants were followed up by monitoring death registries and by electronic linkage to health registries and health insurance claims databases, with follow-up until Jan 1, 2017. Participants were excluded from analyses if they had a previous history of stroke, transient ischaemic attack, or ischaemic heart disease at baseline. All incidences of fatal and non-fatal stroke during the study period were recorded by type (ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, and unspecified type). Primary outcome measures were 28-day mortality, recurrent stroke, major vascular events (recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, or vascular death), vascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. FINDINGS: Of 512 715 individuals in the CKB, 489 586 participants without previous ischaemic heart disease and stroke at recruitment were included, of whom 45 732 (42 073 [92%] confirmed by brain imaging) had a stroke during the study period. The mean age was 59·3 years (SD 9·8) for participants who had a stroke (54% women) and 50·8 years (10·3) for participants with no stroke (60% women). 36 588 (80%) of the incident cases of stroke were ischaemic stroke, 7440 (16%) were intracerebral haemorrhage, 702 (2%) were subarachnoid haemorrhage, and 1002 (2%) were an unspecified stroke type. 28-day mortality was 3% (95% CI 3-4) for ischaemic stroke, 47% (46-48)for intracerebral haemorrhage, 19% (17-22; 52% for rural areas and 32% for urban areas) subarachnoid haemorrhage, and 24% (22-27) for unspecified stroke. Among participants who survived stroke at 28 days, 41% (41-42) had recurrent stroke at 5 years (ischaemic stroke 41% [41-42], intracerebral haemorrhage 44% [42-46], subarachnoid haemorrhage 22% [18-27], unspecified stroke type 40% [35-44]) and mortality at 5 years was 17% ([17-18] ischaemic stroke 16% [15-16], intracerebral haemorrhage 28% [26-29], subarachnoid haemorrhage 16% [12-20], unspecified stroke type 15% [12-19]). After a first ischaemic stroke, 91% of recurrent strokes were also ischaemic stroke; after an intracerebral haemorrhage, 56% of recurrent strokes were intracerebral haemorrhage, and 41% of recurrent strokes were ischaemic stroke. INTERPRETATION: After a first stroke, the risk of recurrence or death within 5 years was high among this population of Chinese adults. Urgent improvements to secondary prevention of stroke in China are needed to reduce these risks. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China. COPYRIGHT: © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Association Between Preoperative Midline Shift Growing Rate and Outcomes of Decompressive Craniectomy in Patients with Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Whether preoperative midline shift and its growing rate are associated with outcomes of decompressive craniectomy in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction is unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively included patients: 1) who underwent decompressive craniectomy for malignant middle cerebral artery infarction in West China Hospital from August 2010 to December 2, 2018) who had at least two brain computed tomography scans before decompressive craniectomy. Midline shift was measured on the first and last preoperative computed tomography scans. Midline shift growing rate was calculated by dividing Δmidline shift value using Δ time. The primary outcome was inadequate decompression of the mass effect. Secondary outcomes were 3 month death and unfavorable outcomes. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients (mean age 53.7 years, 57.4% (35/61) male) were included. Median time from onset to decompressive craniectomy was 51.8 h (interquartile range: 39.7-77.8). Rates of inadequate decompression, 3 month death, 3 month modified Rankin Scale 5-6 and 4-6 were 50.8% (31/61), 50.9% (29/57), 64.9% (37/57) and 84.2% (48/57), respectively. The inadequate decompression group had a higher midline shift growing rate than the adequate decompression group (median: 2.7 mm/8 h vs. 1.4 mm/8 h, P=0.041). No intergroup difference of 3 month outcomes was found in terms of preoperative midline shift growing rate. CONCLUSION: Higher preoperative midline shift growing rate was associated with inadequate decompression of decompressive craniectomy in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction.

Non-linear relationship between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome: A population-based study.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and explore the association between sleep duration and MetS. This study enrolled 8 272 adults aged 18 years and older from 6 urban and 8 rural areas during 2013 to 2014in Henan China. Participants were interviewed about demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and medical history, and physical measurements were performed. The relationships between sleep duration and MetS were evaluated and plotted by Restricted Cubic Spline Regression. The mean age was 51.5 years (SD 14.2) and 4 916 (59.4%) were female. The crude prevalence of MetS was 30.3% and the age-standardized rate was 23.6%. Men were more likely to have MetS than women (P = .01). MetS was positively associated with age, education, smoking, drinking, BMI and sleep duration, and seemed irrelevant to occupation and sedentary behavior. In terms of individual component of MetS, high blood pressure was the most prevalent component for both men and women, while the lowest prevalent was high triglycerides in men and for women was low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). There was a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and MetS and its components. Sleep duration <6 hours or >9 hours were associated with higher risk of MetS (OR from 1.10 to 2.15). The MetS was prevalent, and more than half of total adult population was suffering from high blood pressure. Sleep duration may be a determinant of metabolic health. Both short (<6 hours) and long sleep duration (>9 hours) was linked to an increased risk of MetS.

Sex-Specific Differences in Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes Among Patients with Vascular Abnormality-Related Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Results are conflicting as to whether sex has an impact on the outcome of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), especially when etiologies differ. In this study, we investigated whether sex differences exist in patients with vascular abnormality-related ICH. METHODS: Patients (age ≥18 years) diagnosed with ICH within 7 days of symptom onset were admitted consecutively between January 2012 and February 2014 from 50 hospitals across mainland China. Vascular abnormality related to ICH included aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, moyamoya disease, and cavernous malformation. The outcomes were death and death/disability at 3 months. Disability was defined as modified Rankin Scale score >2. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between sex and outcome. RESULTS: Women accounted for 41.9% (170) of the 406 patients, and they tended to be older than the men (women: 43.5 ± 19.3 years; men: 40.0 ± 17.7 years; P = 0.056). The proportions of ICH-related vascular abnormalities were as follows: aneurysm, 32% (130/406); arteriovenous malformation, 50.3% (204/406); moyamoya disease, 11.3% (46/406); and cavernous malformation, 6.4% (26/406). After we adjusted for age, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, Glasgow Coma Scale score, location of hemorrhage, and surgery, female sex remained an independent predictor of death/disability at 3 months (odd ratio 2.49, 95% confidence interval 1.31-4.75), but not for death alone (odd ratio 1.45, 95% confidence interval 0.58-3.61). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, female sex was an independent risk factor for poor outcomes in patients with vascular abnormality-related ICH. The factors contributing to this sex difference should be investigated in the future.

Sturge-Weber Syndrome Coexisting With Moyamoya Disease in the Fifth Decade: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a sporadically occurring neurocutaneous syndrome characterized by port-wine stain over the face, ocular abnormalities (glaucoma and choroidal hemangioma), and leptomeningeal angiomas. It is usually diagnosed in infancy, but it may occasionally present in adulthood with seizures or stroke-like episodes. Here, we report a 46-year-old male patient, having SWS coexisting with moyamoya disease, attending our hospital due to sudden loss of consciousness. We also searched PubMed (from its earliest date to August 2014) for case reports mentioning that SWS presents in adulthood. We identified 31 patients. The common clinical manifestation are seizures, stroke-like episodes, and migraine-like headaches.On the basis of our findings in this patient, we would recommend that patients with a port-wine nevus of the face should be given further investigation to rule out an intracranial vascular malformation, especially if seizures, stroke-like episodes, or migraine-like headaches are present.

Clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of patients with anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis: A systematic review of reported cases.

Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a recently recognized autoimmune disorder which is responsive to immunotherapy. However, the outcomes of different immunotherapies have not been defined and there have been few studies that carried out a comparison among them. To provide an overview of the clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of anti-NMDAR encephalitis, we systematically reviewed the literature in the PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan-fang databases. Eighty-three studies with a total of 432 patients were included. The median age was 22years. Two hundred ninety-three (68%) patients were female, 87 (21%) of 412 patients had a tumor, including 68 (78%) patients with ovarian teratoma. Pediatric patients had a higher ratio of seizures to psychiatric symptoms as the initial manifestation (p=0.0012), a lower proportion with a tumor (p<0.0001) and CSF pleocytosis (p=0.0163), and a better outcome (p=0.0064) than adults. Patients who died had a higher proportion of CSF pleocytosis than the patients who survived (p=0.0021). There were no significant differences among three first-line immunotherapy used alone (p=0.9172) or among combinations of every two of them (p=0.3059). With regard to the use of corticosteroid and IVIG, there were no significant differences between the outcomes of early combined treatment and sequential treatment (p=0.7277), or between using corticosteroid first and IVIG first (p=0.5422). Our findings suggest that the clinical characteristics and outcomes for pediatric patients were different from adult patients, and no significant differences were found among different immunotherapies.

Etiology, clinical characteristics and prognosis of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in children: A prospective cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Much is known about spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) in adults, but few studies have examined pediatric SICH, especially in China. The aim of the present study was to describe the etiology, clinical characteristics and prognosis of SICH in children from southwest China. METHOD: Consecutive patients aged 1-18 years with SICH at our medical center were prospectively enrolled from January 2012 to June 2014. SICH was defined by WHO criteria and confirmed by CT or MRI findings. Demographic and clinical information was collected at baseline, and follow-up assessments were conducted at 3 and 6 months after SICH, when patients were scored on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and events of deaths and recurrent hemorrhagic stroke were recorded. RESULTS: Among the 70 children (43 males; median age, 12.0 years) in the final analysis, 44 patients (62.9%) had SICH due to arteriovenous malformation, and less frequent etiologies were cavernous malformation (n=4), aneurysm (n=2), tumors (n=2), moyamoya (n=2), hemophilia (n=1), hypertension (n=1), while 14 (20.0%) had SICH of unknown etiology. The mortality rate at 3 months and 6 months was equal, which was both 3%. The rate of disability was 12.1% at 3 months and 9.1% at 6 months. CONCLUSION: The most frequent etiology of pediatric SICH in this Chinese cohort was arteriovenous malformation. SICH of unknown etiology occurred much more often in our cohort than in previously published Caucasian patients in the US and Europe.

A Cohort Study of Decompressive Craniectomy for Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction: A Real-World Experience in Clinical Practice.

Decompressive hemicraniectomy with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction is effective but remains underutilized. The aim of this study was to observe the utilization of this intervention in mainland China.We included patients with malignant MCA infarction who admitted in West China Hospital between December 2007 to March 2011. The outcomes were death and favorable outcome (mRS < 4) at 1 month and 1 year. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the independent predictors for outcomes.Ten percent (219/2174) of patients with acute ischemic stroke had malignant MCA infarction and 31.1% (68/219) patients meet the criteria that ≤60 years of age and the timing to hospital <48 hours after stroke onset. Of them, 18 patients (26.5%) underwent to decompressive hemicraniectomy. In total, 31 patients (14.2%) underwent the decompressive surgery. The average age was 53 ±â€Š12 years; median NIHSS score was 21. The case fatality rate of patients in surgery group was significantly lower than those of in nonsurgery group at 1 month and 1 year follow-ups (32.3% and 38.7% vs. 51.1% and 61.2%, respectively, P < 0.05). Patients in surgery group had a higher proportion of good outcome at 1 year follow-up (32.2% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.006). After adjusting for confounders including age, sex, NIHSS score, and GCS score on admission, decompressive hemicraniectomy was an independent predictor of good outcome for 1 year (OR = 3.44, 95% CI, 1.27-9.31).This study shows better outcomes in the surgical group, which are consistent with findings in previous prospective randomized trials. However, this beneficial intervention remains underutilized in clinical settings.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for improving function after stroke

BACKGROUND: It had been assumed that suppressing the undamaged contralesional motor cortex by repetitive low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or increasing the excitability of the damaged hemisphere cortex by high-frequency rTMS will promote function recovery after stroke. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of rTMS for improving function in people with stroke. METHODS: AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence does not support the routine use of rTMS for the treatment of stroke. Further trials with larger sample sizes are needed to determine a suitable rTMS protocol and the long-term functional outcome. .

Proportion, risk factors and outcome of lacunar infarction: a hospital-based study in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: There is scant information on the proportion, risk factors and outcome of lacunar infarction in China. METHODS: Prospective registry data entered within 1 month after a first-ever stroke between March 2002 and March 2007 were used from 4 Chinese hospitals. Data regarding stroke risk factors and baseline characteristics were examined in a long-term follow-up. Case fatality, death and dependency, and stroke recurrence were assessed at 30, 90, 180 days and 1 year. Predictive factors for death at 1 year in patients with lacunar infarction were tested by logistic regression analysis. We constructed Kaplan-Meier survival curves and compared groups with lacunar infarction and nonlacunar infarction by means of log rank tests for significant difference. RESULTS: A total of 3,905 patients with first-ever cerebral infarction were included, of whom 1,650 (42.3%) had a lacunar infarction and 2,255 (57.7%) a nonlacunar infarction. Case fatality was lower in patients with lacunar infarction at all 4 time points (5.3, 6.4, 7.8 and 17.4%, respectively), as compared to patients with nonlacunar infarction (9.5, 14.3, 16.5 and 20.1%, respectively). Age, diabetes, smoking and NIHSS score at admission were the independent predictors for 1-year case fatality in patients with lacunar infarction. Death and dependency rates were also lower in patients with lacunar infarction than in those with nonlacunar infarction. Recurrent stroke was an important cause of death for lacunar infarction patients. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of lacunar infarction in China is much higher than that in Western countries. The long-term prognosis of lacunar infarction is not benign.