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Objective:To study peripheral nerve morphology in patients with transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) using high-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS), and to evaluate the value of HFUS in diagnosis of TTR-FAP.Methods:Thirty-eight patients with TTR-FAP diagnosed by gene detection and 23 normal controls from June 2015 to June 2021 in Peking University First Hospital were enrolled in this study. Consecutive ultrasonography scanning was performed in 6 pairs of nerves of bilateral limbs with 30 sites. The cross sectional area (CSA), CSA variability and inter-nerve CSA variability data of the two groups were retrospectively calculated and compared.Results:Compared with the normal controls, TTR-FAP patients showed larger CSA values at most nerve sites of both upper and lower limbs, and there were statistically significant differences at M1(median nerve) [8.55 (6.90, 9.40) mm 2vs 10.05 (9.10, 14.10) mm 2, Z=5.58, P<0.001], M3 (median nerve) [(6.98±1.66) mm 2vs (9.29±2.30) mm 2, t=6.28, P<0.001], M5 (median nerve) [(8.91±1.81) mm 2vs (14.33±4.20) mm 2, t=9.84, P<0.001], U5 (ulnar nerve) [(6.20±1.93) mm 2vs (9.34±2.85) mm 2, t=7.31, P<0.001], Sci1 (sciatic nerve) [(53.50±17.24) mm 2vs (79.74±20.75) mm 2, t=7.57, P<0.001], Sci2 (sciatic nerve) [(53.66±14.21) mm 2vs (73.98±19.21) mm 2, t=6.82, P<0.001] and Tib (tibial nerve) [(31.05±8.43) mm 2vs (46.29±13.14) mm 2, t=7.84, P<0.001] sites. There was no statistically significant difference in CSA at each site among the different subtypes and disease severity of TTR-FAP patients ( P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in CSA-variability of the median and ulnar nerves between the patients with TTR-FAP and the normal controls ( P>0.05). The side-to-side difference ratio of intra-nerve CSA variability of the ulnar nerve in the patients with TTR-FAP was smaller than that of the normal controls (1.15±0.10 vs 1.46±0.43, t=3.43, P=0.002), whereas no statistically significant difference of that in the median nerve was found between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The most pronounced peripheral nerve thickening in the proximal limb segments with no signs of asymmetric distribution or lateralization is confirmed by HFUS in TTR-FAP patients and should be regarded as a marker of TTR-FAP. HFUS has clinical value in diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in TTR-FAP patients.
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Objective:To confirm the efficacy and safety of cinepazide maleate injection in acute ischemic stroke patients with obvious motor function deficit.Methods:This study is a subgroup analysis of multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase Ⅳ clinical trial. A total 812 patients of acute ischemic stroke with obvious limb motor deficit [motor function of limbs score in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥4] were enrolled in this subgroup analysis. Patients received either cinepazide maleate injection or placebo. The treatment period was 14 days and follow-up was 90 days. The efficacy endpoints included the proportions of patients with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤2, mRS score ≤1 and Barthel Index <95 on day 90. Safety was evaluated by recording all adverse events, monitoring vital signs, laboratory parameters and electrocardiogram.Results:A total of 732 patients were involved in the final efficacy analysis (361 in cinepazide maleate group and 371 in control group). The baseline limb motor function score of NIHSS was 5.23±1.43 in the cinepazide maleate group whereas 5.20±1.36 in the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed that following treatment for 90 days, the proportion of patients with a mRS score ≤2 was significantly higher in the cinepazide maleate group than in the control group [56.0% (202/361) vs 44.2% (164/371), OR=0.60, 95% CI 0.44-0.82, P=0.002]. The proportion of patients with a mRS score ≤1 was higher in the cinepazide maleate group than in the control group [43.3% (139/361) vs 35.2% (118/371), OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.97, P=0.031]. The proportion of patients with a Barthel Index <95 on day 90 was significantly lower in the cinepazide maleate group than in the control group [45.2% (145/361) vs 55.2% (185/371), OR=0.64, 95% CI 0.46-0.88, P=0.007]. During the treatment and follow-up period, the incidence of the most common adverse events in the cinepazide maleate group was 50.4% (199/395). Constipation and abnormal liver function were more common, but there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion:Cinepazide maleate injection is superior to placebo in improving neurological function and activities of daily living, reducing disability, and promoting functional recovery and safe in patients with acute ischemic stroke with obvious limb motor deficit.
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Hypereosinophilia (HE) is a kind of hematology disorder affecting multiple organs. Multiple studies demonstrated that HE was correlated with ischemic stroke, and it could be a rare and reversible cause for ischemic stroke. Therefore, more and more concerns have been concentrated by neurologists in recent years. Based on the research data, the definition, typical characteristics, possible mechanism, diagnosis and treatment principles of HE related ischemic stroke were summarized systematically, in order to provide possible personalized treatment strategies for this disease.
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Objective:To investigate the blood pressure change in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and hypertension treated with cinepazide maleate injection.Methods:This was a subgroup analysis of post-marketing clinical confirmation study of cinepazide maleate injection for acute ischemic stroke: a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, placebo-parallel controlled trial, which conducted in China from August 2016 to February 2019. Eligible patients fulfilled the inclusive criteria of acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of 7-25. The primary endpoints were mean blood pressure of AIS patients treated with cinepazide maleate or control, which were assessed during the treatment period (14 days), and the proportion of the patients with normal blood pressure was analyzed after the treatment period. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis was performed to investigate a possible effect of the history of hypertension on outcomes.Results:This analysis included 809 patients with hypertension. There was no significant difference in patients blood pressure and the proportion of patients with normal blood pressure (60.5% vs. 59.0%, P>0.05) between cinepazide maleate group and control group. Conclusion:Administration of cinepazide maleate injection does not affect the management of clinical blood pressure in patients with AIS.
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Objective:To summarize the clinical features and pathological changes of peripheral tissues from patients with neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) diagnosed by genetic tests.Methods:Repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm the GGC repeated expansion in the 5′ untranslated region of the NOTCH2NLC gene in patients with suspected NIID who had visited the Department of Neurology of Peking University First Hospital from January 2018 to February 2020. The clinical data and pathological changes of peripheral tissues from patients with genetically diagnosed NIID were collected retrospectively and analysed. Immunostaining with anti-p62 and anti-ubiquitin antibody was performed on peripheral biopsy specimens.Results:Totally nine patients with NIID who had GGC repeated expansion in the NOTCH2NLC gene were found. Five patients were familial (from three faimilies), and four patients were sporadic. The age of onset was 36-61(51.33±7.12) years. The most common symptoms in this NIID group were episodic emotion and personality change (8/9), paroxysmal disturbance of consciousness (6/9) and intermitant head discomfort (6/9). Other symptoms included cognitive dysfunction, limb weakness, limb sensory disturbance, bladder dysfunction, ataxia, seizures and psychiatric symptoms. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed high signals along the corticomedullary junction on diffusion-weighted image in eight out of nine patients. Skin biopsied samples from nine patients demonstrated the presence of eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions (IIs), appearing in the nucleus of fibroblasts, fat cells and ductal epithelial cells of sweat glands on hematoxylin-eosin staining. IIs were positive on anti-p62 and anti-ubiquitin immunostaining. Electron microscopy indicated the IIs were composed of a pile of filament materials without membrane. Muscle biopsies from two patients showed no obvious neurogenic or myogenic pathologic changes, except in one patient several rimmed vacuoles fibers were found. In one patient sural nerve biopsy showed severe demyelinating pathological changes. No IIs were found in the muscles and peripheral nerve tissue either by histological examination or by immunohistochemical staining with anti-p62 or anti-ubiquitin, while IIs were found by immunofluorescence staining with both anti-p62 and anti-ubiquitin in three patient′s tissue. Conclusions:The phenotype of this NIID patient group is adult-onset NIID, with episodic encephalopathy as the main clinical manifestation. Skin biopsy has high pathological diagnostic value for NIID. The immunofluorescence staining with anti-p62 and anti-ubiquitin is easier to detect the presence of IIs than histological staining and immumohistochemical staining.
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Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of cinepazide maleate injection in the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase Ⅳ clinical trial, led by Peking Union Medical College Hospital, was conducted in 65 Hospitals in China. The efficacy of cinepazide maleate injection in patients with acute anterior circulation cerebral infarction with onset time of ≤48 hours, 7≤National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score ≤25 was assessed from August 2016 to February 2019, using the proportion of modified Rankin scale (mRS) score≤1 and Barthel index (BI) score≤95 on day 14 as efficacy endpoint. The patients were divided into treatment group who were treated with cinepazide maleate injection and control group who were treated with placebo.Results:A total 937 patients were involved in the final efficacy analysis (466 in treatment group and 471 in control group). The proportion of subjects with mRS score≤1 on day 14 after treatment were higher in the treatment group than that in the control group (102/466(21.89%) vs76/471(16.14%)). Logistic regression analysis showed that patients treated with cinepazide maleate were significantly more likely to have a favorable outcome (mRS score≤1) than patients treated with placebo on day 14 ( OR=0.677, 95% CI 0.484-0.948 , P=0.023), and patients treated with cinepazide maleate were more likely to reach independence in activities of daily living (Barthel Index ≥95) than those treated with placebo on day 14 (125/466(26.82%) vs 91/471(19.32%); OR=0.632, 95% CI0.459-0.869, P=0.005). The rate of adverse events was similar between the treatment and control groups. Conclusion:The 14-day treatment with cinepazide maleate injection could reduce the degree of disability whereas did not increase the risk of adverse events.
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Objective@#To explore the relationship between the cognitive impairment and cerebral lesions using 7.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in CADASIL patients. @*Methods@#Thirty five CADASIL patients confirmed by serum NOTCH3 gene detection in Peking University First Hospital from June 2015 to November 2018 were enrolled, including 19 males and 16 females, of which the age of onset was (39.28±8.31) years, the age of admission was (44.61±8.42) years, and the course of disease was (5.29±3.65) years. 7.0 Tesla MRI was performed in all the patients. The numbers of lacunar infarcts and microbleeds were counted and the white matter changes were evaluated with age-related white matter rating scale (ARWMrs). Neuropsychological tests were used to evaluate the global cognition, memory, attention, executive function, visuo-spatial function and language function separately. The z score was calculated to evaluate the impairment extent in different scales. The correlation analysis was performed between image changes and neuropsychological tests. Thirty nine normal controls including 20 males and 19 females with age of (42.54±8.92) years were also enrolled, and the same neuropsychological tests were performed in these subjects. @*Results@#The numbers of microbleeds and lacunar infarcts were 13.71±10.29 and 5.89 (8.74). The ARWMrs score was 11.26±5.31. There were 21 patients (60%) presented with cognitive impairment. In comparison with the controls, the patients presented with global cognitive impairment (MMSE score 26.87±3.95 vs 29.08±0.95), including executive (finishing time of Stroops-c: 80.00 (103.75) s vs 67.79 (16.00) s, correct number of Stroops-c: 48.00 (44.26) vs 50.00 (2.00), time of trail making A test: 55.5 (81.5) s vs 39.0 (5.0) s, time of trail making B test: 171.0 (159.5) s vs 103.0 (54.0) s, false number of trail making B test: 0(2) vs 0(0)), memory (number of register memory: 16.13±5.41 vs 21.1±15.21, number of long term recall: 4.78±2.83 vs 7.41±2.24, number of cue recall memory: 4(6) vs 8(4), number of recognition memory: 10.00 (2.25) vs 11.00 (2.00)), attention (number of digital span: 4.42±1.46 vs 7.89±1.65, correct number of symbol digitalis modality test: 38.47±17.29 vs 51.41±13.00), visuo-spatial (Rey-osterrich: 34 (5) vs 36 (2)) and language function (number of semantic fluency: 14.70±5.54 vs 17.46±5.63) (P<0.05). The z score demonstrated impaired executive function, followed by visuo-spatial dysfunction. The number of lacunar infarcts and microbleeds significantly correlated with short term recall memory (r=-0.404, -0.393), long term recall memory (r=-0.375, -0.395), cue memory (r=-0.395, -0.437), Stroops-c time (r=0.412, 0.503), trails making A test time (r=0.400, 0.434)(P<0.05). The number of lacunar infarcts significantly correlated with symbol digitalis modality test (r=-0.475) (P<0.05). The number of microbleeds significantly correlated with digital span test (r=-0.390), Boston naming test (r=-0.382) and semantic fluency (r=-0.449) (P<0.05). ARWMrs score significantly correlated with MMSE score (r=-0.357), rigister memory (r=-0.342), trails making A finishing time (r=0.425), trails making B finishing time (r=0.463) and correct numbers of trails making B (r=0.392) (P<0.05). @*Conclusions@#CADASIL presented with global cognitive impairment, especially executive function and visuo-spatial function. The white matter changes, lacunar infarcts and microbleeds affected different cognitive function.
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Objective To investigate the effect of cardiac function and renal function on early neurological function recovery of acute stroke patients.Methods Hospitalized acute stroke patients from January 2010 to May 2018 were recruited in the Department of Neurology,Peking University First Hospital,who were divided into two groups according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at discharge,good recovery (mRS score ≤2) and poor recovery (mRS score ＞2).The clinical characteristics,laboratory and echocardiography data were collected respectively.All cases were classified according to Trial of Org 10 172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria.Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated by chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration equation in renal function assessment,and cardiac function was calculated by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVFF) and E-wave/A-wave ratio (E/A).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis and stratified analysis were performed to explore the effects of cardiac and renal function and interactions on stroke patients.Results A total of 517 patients with acute stroke were enrolled in this study,23.4％ (121/517) of which presented with chronic kidney disease.Poor recovery was aggravated with the progression of eGFR stage in patients with acute stroke (x2=14.627,P=0.001).Compared with the good recovery group,LVEF and E/A were significantly lower in the poor recovery group,while left atrium diameter ((3.87±0.52) cm vs (3.77±0.49) cm,t=-2.139,P=0.033),interventricular septum thickness ((1.10±0.19) cm vs (1.04±0.16) cm,t=-4.056,P=0.000),left ventricular posterior wall thickness ((1.00±0.13) cm vs (0.98±0.13) cm,t=-2.190,P=0.029) and left ventricular mass index ((102.03±25.73) g/m2 vs (94.94±23.63) g/m2,t=-3.145,P=0.002) were significantly higher in the poor recovery group.Stratified analysis showed that the rate of poor recovery increased with the decrease of eGFR at different levels of LVEF and E/A.Compared with patients of normal renal function and mild impairment of renal function or with patients of high third tertile of LVEF,chronic kidney disease significantly increased the rate of poor recovery in patients with low third tertile of LVEF,while the rate of poor recovery was not significantly different in patients with chronic kidney disease among third tertile of E/A.The levels of eGFR and LVEF in different stroke subtypes were significantly different (F=7.433,P=0.000;F=2.617,P=0.034).The eGFR and LVEF levels of the cardioembolism (CE) group were the lowest compared with other subtypes of stroke.The eGFR levels in the CE group were significantly lower than that in other subtypes except the large artery atherosclerosis group,and the LVEF level was significantly lower in the CE group compared to the small artery occlusion group.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that eGFR (OR=0.866,95％CI 0.760-0.987,P=0.031),LVEF (OR=0.798,95％CI 0.688-0.925,P=0.003),E/A (OR=0.136,95％CI 0.034-0.548,P=0.005) and eGFR by LVEF (OR=1.002,95％CI 1.000-1.004,P=0.022) were significantly associated with early functional outcome in patients with acute stroke after adjusting for relevant clinical confounders (all P＜0.05).Conclusions Renal function,cardiac systolic and diastolic function were associated with the early functional recovery in patients with acute stroke.Moreover,cardiac systolic dysfunction and renal dysfunction interacted significantly with the early neurological function recovery in patients with acute stroke.
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Objective To study the association between body mass index (BMI) and outcome in lacunar infarction (LA) patients.Methods A total of 3410 LA patients were divided into BMI＜18.5 kg/m2 group(n=182),BMI=18.5-23.9 kg/m2 group (n=1639),BMI=24.0-27.9 kg/m2 group (n=1212) and BMI≥28.0 kg/m2 group (n=377) according to the TOAST typing in China Quality Evaluation of Stroke Care and Treatment Database.The end events included allcause mortality,death or severe disability,infection complications,and recurrent ischemic stroke at 12 months after onset of LA.Results The total all-cause mortality was significantly higher in BMI＜18.5 kg/m2 group than in BMI=18.5-23.9 kg/m2 group (19.1％ vs 6.7％,P＜0.01).No significant difference was found in total all-cause mortality between BMI =24.0-27.9 kg/m2 group and BMI≥28.0 kg/m2 group (6.0％ and 3.8％ vs 6.7％,P＞0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of all-cause mortality,death or severe disability,infection complications,and recurrent ischemic stroke was higher in BMI＜18.5 kg/m2 group than in BMI=18.5 -23.9 kg/m2 group (HR=1.91,95％CI:1.22-2.98,OR=1.50,95％CI:1.05-2.14,OR=1.92,95 ％ CI:1.21-3.06,P＜0.05,P＜0.01).No significant difference was found in risk of recurrent ischemic stroke and end events between BMI＜18.5 kg/m2 group and BMI=18.5-23.9kg/m2 group.Conclusion The risk of poor outcome is higher while that of recurrent ischemic stroke remains unchanged in LA patients with their BMI＜18.5 kg/m2.
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Objective To explore the diagnostic feasibility of Alzheimer disease (AD) associated CSF biomarker (CSF Aβ42, T-tau, and P-tau181) through establishing the cutoff value and the sensitivity and specificity of each biomarker. Methods Seventeen AD dementia patients were enrolled from Peking university first hospital during 2015 July and 2017 Feb including 5 patients that received PET scan using Pittsburgh compound-B. Forty-nine cognitive normal subjects were also enrolled as controls according to the protocol. The levels of Aβ42, T-tau, P-tau181 and the ratio of Aβ42/T-tau、Aβ42/ P-tau181 from all participants were assessed using the innotest-ELISA methods and cutoff value,sensitivity as well as specificity of each biomarker were determined according to the ROC curve. Results There were significant differences in all biomarkers between the cognitive normal controls group and AD dementia group. The cutoff value of Aβ42, T-tau, P-tau181, Aβ42/T-tau and Aβ42/ P-tau181 were 511 ng/mL, 322 ng/mL, 63 ng/mL, 14.72 and 1.74. The sensitivity were 64.7% in Aβ42, 88.2% in T-tau, 58.8% in P-tau181, 82.35% in Aβ42/T-tau and 76.47% in Aβ42/ P-tau181, respectively. The specificity were 97.05% in Aβ42, 75.5% in T-tau, 93.87% in P-tau181, 95.51 % in Aβ42/T-tau and 93.87% in Aβ42/P-tau181, respectively. Conclusion Alzheimer disease associated biomarkers (CSF Aβ42,T-tau, and P-tau181) can distinguish the cognitive normal subjects from AD dementia patients. The methods are reliable and the sensitivity as well as specificity of each biomarker are good which are close to the values reported in the literatures. Thus, this methodology is worth being promoted in the clinic.
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The patient is a young woman,manifested as orthostatic hypotension and gastrointestinal motility disorders in acute onset.The physical examination and laboratory test suggested disorders of wide range of autonomic neuropathy.The levels of serum antinuclear antibody and SSA antibody were elevated.The biopsy of lip gland suggested Sjogren's syndrome.Nerve biopsy showed loss of a large number of unmyelinated nerve fibers.After the treatment of intravenous gamma globulin and glucocorticoid and symptomatic treatment,the symptoms of orthostatic hypotension were significantly relieved,but the gastrointestinal motility was not significantly improved.
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Objective To investigate the clinical features, electrophysiological characteristics and treatment of stiff-person syndrome (SPS). Methods Medical records were retrospectively collected from 8 SPS patients to analysis their clinical features, laboratory studies, electromyography characteristics and treatment effect. Results All 8 patients presented with classic SPS, experienced progressive muscle stiffness, rigidity and spasm with paroxysmal exacerbation, which most frequently involved the thoracolumbar paraspinal muscles and bilateral lower limbs and other parts of body including thoracic and abdominal wall, upper limbs, neck, head and face. Five patients underwent electromyography and the results showed continuous motor unit activity (CMUA) in the involved muscles at rest. CMUA reduced markedly in 2 cases after intravenous diazepam. Anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody testing was positive in one of 5 tested cases. All 8 patients experienced partially symptomatic relief for their muscle rigidity and spasm after benzodiazepines. Combined immunotherapy further attenuated the symptoms in two cases receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and one case receiving glucorticosteroids, respectively. Symptoms were completely relieved following thymectomy in 2 cases with thymoma. Conclusion SPS is characterized by progressive muscle stiffness, rigidity and spasm with paroxysmal exacerbation affecting the axial trunk and bilateral lower limbs most frequently. Electromyography indicates CMUA in these involved muscles at rest. Treatment with benzodiazepines combined with immunotherapy can improve the neurological manifestations. Thymectomy can completely relieve symptoms of SPS in patiens with thymoma.
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Objective The aim of this study was to establish a reasonable protocol for a rat model of ferric chloride-induced carotid arterial thrombosis by ultrasonic continuous evaluation.Methods Twenty SD rats were randomly divided into four groups and then treated with 20％,30％,40％ or 50％ concentrations of FeCl3,respectively.The vascular conditions were evaluated by 14L ultrasonic probe,at 10 mins,15 mins,and 20 mins.We then selected the best group through the examination of the rate of spontaneous reperfusion of blood vessels and the rate of reperfusion after intravenous injection of urokinase.At the end of the experiment,vessels were fixed in 10％ formalin solution and stained with HE.Results After external application of FeCl3 on rat common carotid artery for 20 mins,the artery occlusion rate was 100％,20％,0％ and 0％ in animals receiving 50％,40％,30％ and 20％ FeCl3,respectively.After external application of FeCl3 on rat common carotid artery for 120 mins,the spontaneous revascularization rate was 0％ in 50％ concentration group whereas were 100％ in rest other groups (P＜ 0.001).In 50％ concentration group,the partial recanalization rate was 40％ after intravenous injection of urokinase.HE staining revealed that the thrombus was dense and the lumen was partially recanalized after the urokinase intervention in 50％ concentration group.Conclusion By use of uultrasonic continuous evaluation of ferric chloride-induced thrombosis of rat common carotid artery,we have demonstrated that external application of 50％ ferric chloride solution for 20 mins is effective for the formation of thrombus model,which may be suitable for the studv of thrombolysis.
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Objective To investigate the clinical features and TCD-detected microembolic signals in patients with hypercoagulability related multiple acute cerebral infarcts within non-single arterial territories, and to explore the possi?ble underlying mechanisms. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on all clinical, laboratory, radiological and TCD monitoring records from patients with hypercoagulability related multiple acute cerebral infarcts within non-single arterial territories, who admitted to the neurology department in our hospital. Results The data from twenty-two cases were finally included in this study. All patients presented with acute-onset localized neurological dysfunction, e.g. hemi?paresis, aphasia, hemiparesthesia, dysarthria, hemianopsia and cortical blindness. Their hypercoagulability related diseas?es included 10 cases of systemic malignancy, 5 moderate to severe hyperhomocystynemia (HCY>50μmol/L), 2 nephrot?ic syndrome, 2 antiphospholipid syndrome, 1 ulcerative colitis, 1 polycythemia vera,1 paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobin?uria. In 18 cases, the hypercoagulability related diseases were diagnosed after their initial stroke onset. DWI showed mul?tiple disseminated acute cerebral infarcts in non-single arterial territories involving bilateral anterior or anterior plus pos?terior cerebral circulation simultaneously. Foci involved lobar cortex/subcortex of cerebral hemisphere in 22 cases, deep cerebral hemisphere in 12 cases, cerebellum foci in 10 cases,brainstem foci in 2 cases. TCD revealed microembolic sig? nals in ten of 22 patients monitored. Conclusions Patients with multiple acute cerebral infarcts involving non-single arte?rial territories, should be screened for hypercoagulability as in that hypercoagulability and microembolism might be in?volved in the etiology of cerebral infarction.
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Objective To characterize the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings of patients with occult sys?temic malignant neoplasms, whose initial manifestation presented as multiple acute cerebral infarcts including coagula?tion function,radiological imaging and microembolic signals (MES) detection by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) and to explore the possible underlying mechanisms. Methods All clinical records, laboratory hematological tests includ?ing hypercoagulable states measured by D-dimer levels, brain MRI including DWI, and TCD monitoring MES, the treat?ment and prognosis were retrospectively reviewed in 12 patients with multiple acute cerebral infarcts as the first manifes?tation of occult systemic malignancy. Results The clinical manifestations presented as localized neurological dysfunction, e.g. hemiparesis, aphasia, hemiparesthesia, dysarthria, vertigo and seizures, etc. DWI revealed multiple disseminated acute cerebral infarcts in multiple arterial territories such as the bilateral anterior or anterior plus posterior cerebral circu?lation in all patients. Eleven of 12 patients tested had elevated D-dimer. TCD detected MES in 5 of 7 patients. There were 12 patients diagnosed with occult systemic malignancy including 5 lung cancer, 3 pancreatic cancer, 1 gastric can?cer, 1 colon cancer, 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma and 1 metastatic poorly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma with unknown primary. Ten patients already had remote metastasis at diagnosis. The prognosis was usually poor and there were 7 cases with ischemic stroke recurrence, 4 cases with acute myocardial infarction, 3 cases died during hospitaliza?tion. Conclusions When patients present with multiple disseminated acute cerebral infarcts involving multiple arterial territories as initial manifestation, the underlying occult systemic malignancy should be considered. Hypercoagulopathy and MES might provide the clues to the diagnosis.
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SUMMARY Here we report a case of cervical spondylosis misdiagnosed as cerebral infarction .The pa-tient was a 55-year-old man with a one-day history of weakness in his right extremities .Brain magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) showed no acute abnormality , cerevical MRI showed that cervical spondylisis , C4/5 , C5/6 disc herniation , spinal canal stenosis and compression of the spinal cord .Then the patient was transferred to the Department of Orthopaedics and underwent surgical treatment of cervical spondylo -sis.Followed-up for six months , the weakness of his right extremities returned to normal .
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Objective To investigate the association between the presence of cerebral microbleeds and chronic kidney disease in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods Patients with ischemic stroke within 1-6 months were consecutively recruited.Cranial MRI was taken within two weeks after recruitment.Cerebral microbleeds were assessed using Microbleed Anatomical Rating Scale on gradient echo MRI.Demographics including sex,age and risk factors were obtained.Chronic kidney disease was defined and classified according to National Kidney Fundation-Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative Guideline.Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by using the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation.Results Of the 636 patients included,mean age was (59.8 ± 10.1) years,435 (68.4％) were male.Sixty-six had decreased estimated GFR (eGFR; ＜ 60 ml · min-1 · 1.73 m-2).Two hundred and one (31.6％) patients had cerebral microbleeds,which were most commonly located in deep or infratentorial location (133/201,66.2％).The presence of cerebral microbleeds was much higher in patients with decreased eGFR than the others (48.5％ (32/66) vs 29.6％ (169/570),x2 =9.709,P =0.002).Age,history of hypertension and decreased eGFR were associated with the presence of cerebral microbleeds in univariate analysis.In multivariate analysis,decreased eGFR was independently associated with the presence of cerebral microbleeds in deep or infratentorial location (OR =1.457,95％ CI 1.044-2.034,P =0.027),but not associated with the presence of cerebral microbleeds in pure lobe.Conclusion Impaired kidney function is associated with the presence of cerebral microbleeds in deep or infratentorial regions in patients with ischemic stroke.
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Objectives To evaluate the performances of transcranial Doppler (TCD) and vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling MRI perfusion imaging (VE-ASL) in the evaluation of collateral circulation of cerebral arteries. Methods Thirty patients with unilateral ICA or MCA stenosis diagnosed by TCD and carotid duplex ultrasound and confirmed by MRA underwent VE-ASL. Peak systolic velocity (PSV) of bilateral MCA in the same depth, distal to the stenosis site, was recorded. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) in bilateral MCA territories was measured by VE-ASL. The detection rates of collater-al flow using TCD and VE-ASL were compared. Results TCD revealed that PSV in the ipsilateral and contralateral MCA were (31.6 ± 10.5) cm/s and (83.1 ± 9.2) cm/s, respectively. VE_ASL revealed that CBF in the ipsilateral and contralateral MCA territory were (22.5±9.8) mL·min-1·100g-1 and (31.7±8.3) mL·min-1·100g-1, respectively. The PSV ratio of the ipsi-lateral/contralateral MCA was significantly lower than the CBF ratio of the ipsilateral/contralateral MCA(0.37 ± 0.173 vs. 0.66±0.141, P=0.001). The detection rates of collateral flow using TCD were lower than those using VE-ASL. The detec-tion rate was 26.7% vs. 70% on TCD vs. VE-ASL in anterior collateral circulation (P=0.001), was 16.7% vs. 60% (P<0.001) on TCD vs. VE-ASL in posterior collateral circulation. The total display rate of collateral flow was 36.7%vs. 86.7%on TCD vs. VE-ASL (P<0.001). Conclusions TCD is inferior to VE-ASL in evaluating the collateral circulation because of the limitations including the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and formation of leptomenigeal anastomoses.
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Objective To analyze the dynamic evolution of brain MRI in patients with mitochondrial myopathy,encephalopathy,lactic acidosis,and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome.Methods A retrospective study was performed on 58 MELAS cases with pathologically and (or) molecularly confirmed diagnosis.MRI were repeated within 60 days after the onset of stroke-like episodes (SLE) and the evolution changes of cerebral lesions were accessed.Brain atrophy index (BAI) was calculated in the remission stage from 31 patients with MELAS,and the correlation between BAI,age and disease duration was analyzed.Results The proportion of lesions expansion,migration and shrink within 30 days after the onset of SLE was 64.1％ (25/39),10.2％ (4/39),17.9％ (7/39),respectively,and 13％ (3/23),21.7％ (5/23),56.5％ (13/23),between 30-60 days after the onset of SLE respectively.In the recovery stage of SLE,the BAI in 31 patients with MELAS was 15.2％ ±2.8％.The correlation coefficient between BAI and the age,total disease course and duration of encephalopathy was 0.329 (P =0.043),0.405 (P =0.012) and 0.649 (P =0.000).Conclusions Brain atrophy in the studied MELAS patients gradually develops and strokelike lesions shrink with progression of the disease.However,the migration of lesions is persistent.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Endothelial dysfunction is not only an early stage of atherosclerosis, but also involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral small-vessel diseases. Patients with cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) may have arteriolosclerosis as well as systemic atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the associations among CMBs, atherosclerosis of cerebral large arteries, and endothelial function. Our study aimed to investigate the relationships among them.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This was a cross-sectional study. Ninety patients hospitalized in Peking University First Hospital with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled consecutively between November 1, 2007 and January 31, 2008. All subjects underwent transcranial Doppler and carotid color duplex ultrasonography to record the intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery, carotid plaque, and cerebral artery stenosis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) routine sequences and gradient recall-echo T2(*)-weighted imaging were performed to count CMBs with clinical data blindness. Endothelial function was evaluated using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation (NMD) of the brachial artery. FMD and NMD were examined by an experienced vascular sonographer using a high-resolution ultrasound.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Thirty cases (33.3%) had CMBs with counts ranging from 1 to 30. Both FMD ((9.9 ± 4.8)% vs. (15. 2 ± 7.4)%, P = 0.001) and NMD ((13.7 ± 6.1)% vs. (19.0 ± 7.4)%, P = 0.001) were significantly decreased in CMB-positive patients than in CMB-negative patients. No significant relationships were demonstrated between CMBs and intracranial and/or extracranial artery stenosis. The frequencies of CMBs in patients with IMT≥1.0 mm, carotid plaque, and extracranial artery stenosis were 37.5%, 39.4%, and 47.6% respectively, with no significant difference, but much higher than in patients with IMT <1.0 mm (5%, P < 0.05). In Logistic regression analysis, impaired FMD (OR = 5.783, 95% CI 1.652-6.718, P = 0.007) and high pulse pressure (OR = 6.228, 95% CI 1.594-3.891, P = 0.009) were independently associated with the presence of CMBs, as well as previous ischemic stroke. In contrast, NMD was not correlated with CMBs.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CMBs may coexist with cerebral atherosclerosis in ischemic stroke. Endothelial dysfunction may play a role in the pathogenesis of CMBs, but may not simply reflect functional alterations of large arteries.</p>