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Objective:To investigate the association of serum uric acid (SUA) with the outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) at one year after onset.Methods:Patients with AIS admitted to the Department of Neurology, Dagang Hospital, Tianjin Binhai New Area were included retrospectively. According to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 1 year after onset, patients were divided into a good outcome group (0-2) and a poor outcome group (>2). They were also divided into a survival group and a death group based on their survival status at 1 year after onset. The clinical baseline data and laboratory tests were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associations of SUA with poor outcome and death in patients with AIS. Results:A total of 651 patients were enrolled, including 430 males (66.1%) aged 67.5±11.7 years. Four hundred and fourteen patients (63.6%) were in the good outcome group, and 237 (36.4%) were in the poor outcome group. There were 568 patients (87.3%) in the survival group and 43 (16.7%) in the death group. Univariate analysis showed that there were differences in age, atrial fibrillation, history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and pre-admission mRS score between the poor outcome group and the good outcome group. The homocysteine, SUA, white blood cell count, and creatinine in the poor outcome group were higher than those in the good outcome group, while the red blood cell count and hemoglobin were lower than those in the good outcome group (all P<0.05). There were differences in age, history of ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, baseline NIHSS score, pre-admission mRS score, and stroke etiology classification between the survival group and the death group. Hemoglobin and triglycerides in the survival group were higher than those in the death group, while the white blood cell count and creatinine were lower than those in the death group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SUA was an independent risk factor for poor outcome in patients with AIS (odds ratio 1.004, 95% confidence interval 1.001-1.006; P<0.01), but there was no independent correlation with death. Conclusion:Higher SUA is an independent risk factor for poor outcome at one year after onset in patients with AIS.
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The impact of climate change on the health of elderly individuals is a growing concern.Research has shown that fluctuations in blood glucose levels, resulting from temperature changes, can trigger ischemic stroke in elderly patients.This effect is observed in both high and low temperatures, highlighting the need for effective prevention strategies to mitigate the risk of stroke among vulnerable populations.It is necessary to analyze the seasonal variation of blood glucose fluctuation and its correlation with elderly ischemic stroke, and explore the blood glucose management strategies to cope with temperature change among the elderly population.
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Objective:To investigate the seasonal changes of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:Patients with acute ischemic stroke who were hospitalized in the Department of Neurology, the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University and had fasting blood glucose data from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020 were enrolled retrospectively. The general data and FPG results of all patients were collected, and the seasonal changes of various indexes were analyzed. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the influencing factors of FPG.Results:A total of 1 323 patients with acute ischemic stroke who had FPG data were enrolled, of whom 519 patients (39.2%) had diabetes mellitus and 804 (60.8%) had no diabetes mellitus. The baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and FPG in the winter group were significantly higher than those in the summer group (all P<0.05). Further subgroup analysis of gender and age showed that the FPG level of elderly patients aged 65-80 years had significant seasonal changes ( P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, season, body mass index, whether complicated with diabetes mellitus, whether using insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic drugs were the independent influencing factors of FPG levels. Conclusion:The FPG levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke have the characteristics of seasonal fluctuation, which is more obvious in elderly patients aged 65-80 years.
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Objective:To investigate the seasonal changes of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Tianjin.Methods:Acute ischemic stroke patients with available HbA1c data admitted to the Department of Neurology, the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020 were enrolled retrospectively. The demographic data, vascular risk factors, baseline clinical data and routine blood test findings were collected. The seasonal changes of various indexes were investigated. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the influencing factors of HbA1c.Results:A total of 2 721 acute ischemic stroke patients with available HbA1c data were included, of whom 1 779 (65.4%) also had diabetes mellitus, 942 patients (34.6%) did not have diabetes mellitus. The baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and uric acid in the winter group were significantly higher than those in the summer group (all P<0.05). HbA1c had seasonal difference in acute ischemic stroke patients without diabetes mellitus ( P<0.05). For acute ischemic stroke patients with diabetes mellitus, HbA1c showed seasonal fluctuations only at HbA1c >7% ( P<0.05). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that combined with diabetes mellitus, using insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic drugs, fasting blood glucose, uric acid, creatinine and season were the independent infuencing factors of HbA1c. Conclusions:HbA1c in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Tianjin is characterized by seasonal fluctuations, which is high in winter and spring and low in summer and autumn. This difference is related to the level of HbA1c.
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Objective:To investigate the effects of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress on the stability of atherosclerotic plaques in mice by examining the action of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)on the protein expression levels in the ER stress pathway in atherosclerotic plaques of polipoprotein E gene knockout (ApoE -/-) mice. Methods:From October 2015 to February 2016, 24 ApoE -/-mice were randomly divided into the control group, the LPS group and the TAK group after 10 weeks of high-fat feeding(n=8, each group). After 10 weeks of intervention, peripheral blood was extracted by removing the eyeballs for the measurement of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG)and oxidized low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL). Then mice were sacrificed to obtain carotid and aortic specimens.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of carotid plaque macrophages(MOMA-2), smooth muscle actin(α-actin), TLR4, interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNFα)and nuclear factor-κ-gene binding(NFκB). Western blotting was used to determine the expression of PKR-like eukaryotic initiation factor 2αkinase(PERK), C/EBP-homologous protein(CHOP)and glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78). Results:The levels of TC, TG and ox-LDL were elevated in the LPS group, compared with the control and TAK groups[(25.0±2.3) mmol/L vs. (20.2±1.6) mmol/L and (20.8±2.6) mmol/L, (1.3±0.1) mmol/L vs.(1.3±0.1) mmol/L and (1.0±0.1) mmol/L, (17.4±1.3) mmol/L vs.(15.8±1.6) mmol/L and (12.1±1.1) mmol/L, P<0.05]. The comparison of plaque morphology and pathology showed that the LPS group had a wider range of atherosclerotic plaques, more macrophages and fewer vascular smooth muscle cells than the control and TAK groups( P<0.05). The expression of TLR4, IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, NFκB, PERK, CHOP and GRP78 was higher in the LPS group than in the control and TAK groups( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of PERK, CHOP and GRP78 was lower in the TAK group( P<0.05). The expression of TLR4, PERK, CHOP and GRP78 was higher in the LPS group. Conclusions:LPS-induced TLR4 can up-regulate the expression of proteins in the ER stress pathway, increase the secretion of inflammatory cytokines downstream of the ER stress pathway, aggravate lipid metabolism disorders and increase the instability of atherosclerotic plaques.
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Objective:To investigate the effects of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress on the stability of atherosclerotic plaques in mice by examining the action of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)on the protein expression levels in the ER stress pathway in atherosclerotic plaques of polipoprotein E gene knockout (ApoE -/-) mice. Methods:From October 2015 to February 2016, 24 ApoE -/-mice were randomly divided into the control group, the LPS group and the TAK group after 10 weeks of high-fat feeding(n=8, each group). After 10 weeks of intervention, peripheral blood was extracted by removing the eyeballs for the measurement of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG)and oxidized low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL). Then mice were sacrificed to obtain carotid and aortic specimens.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of carotid plaque macrophages(MOMA-2), smooth muscle actin(α-actin), TLR4, interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNFα)and nuclear factor-κ-gene binding(NFκB). Western blotting was used to determine the expression of PKR-like eukaryotic initiation factor 2αkinase(PERK), C/EBP-homologous protein(CHOP)and glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78). Results:The levels of TC, TG and ox-LDL were elevated in the LPS group, compared with the control and TAK groups[(25.0±2.3) mmol/L vs. (20.2±1.6) mmol/L and (20.8±2.6) mmol/L, (1.3±0.1) mmol/L vs.(1.3±0.1) mmol/L and (1.0±0.1) mmol/L, (17.4±1.3) mmol/L vs.(15.8±1.6) mmol/L and (12.1±1.1) mmol/L, P<0.05]. The comparison of plaque morphology and pathology showed that the LPS group had a wider range of atherosclerotic plaques, more macrophages and fewer vascular smooth muscle cells than the control and TAK groups( P<0.05). The expression of TLR4, IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, NFκB, PERK, CHOP and GRP78 was higher in the LPS group than in the control and TAK groups( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of PERK, CHOP and GRP78 was lower in the TAK group( P<0.05). The expression of TLR4, PERK, CHOP and GRP78 was higher in the LPS group. Conclusions:LPS-induced TLR4 can up-regulate the expression of proteins in the ER stress pathway, increase the secretion of inflammatory cytokines downstream of the ER stress pathway, aggravate lipid metabolism disorders and increase the instability of atherosclerotic plaques.
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Objective To investigate the predictive value of peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for early stroke risk after transient ischemic attack (TIA).Methods Patients with TIA admitted to the Department of Neurology,the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from August 2015 to July 2017 were enrolled retrospectively.According to whether or not ischemic stroke occurred within 90 d after the onset of TIA,they were divided into stroke group and non-stroke group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for early stroke after TIA,and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of baseline NLR for early stroke risk after TIA.Results A total of 131 patients with TIA were enrolled.Among them,23 (17.5％) had a stroke within 90 d,mainly within 7 d after the onset of TIA (n =13,56.5％).Univariate analysis showed that the differences between the two groups were statistically significant in terms of age,ABCD2 score,hypertension,duration of symptoms ≥60 min,diabetes,triglyceride,baseline NLR level,intracranial artery stenosis,use of antiplatelet drugs and dual antiplatelet drugs (all P ＜ 0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for the confounding factors,the baseline NLR level (odds ratio [OR]2.631,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.372-5.046;P =0.004) and ABCD2 score (OR 3.049,95％ CI 1.130-8.226;P =0.028) were the independent risk factors for early stroke after TIA,and use of dual antiplatelet agents (OR 0.195,95％ CI 0.046-0.826;P =0.026) were the independent protective factor.The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that when the NLR cut-off value was 2.84,the area under the curve was 0.803 (95％ CI 0.716-0.889),and the sensitivity and specificity of predicting early stroke risk after TIA were 80.8％ and 69.5％,respectively.Conclusion Higher baseline NLR has certain predictive value for early stroke risk after TIA.
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Objective To investigate the predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) for no early improvement after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods Patients with acute ischemic stroke received intravenous thrombolysis in the Department of Neurology,the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University between January 2017 and December 2018 were enrolled retrospectively.The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score declined ≥4 or the NIHSS score 0-1 in 24 h after thrombolytic therapy was defined as early improvement,and the NIHSS score declined＜4 was defined as no early improvement.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for no early improvement.Receiver operator characteristic (ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of RDW for no early improvement after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Results A total of 119 patients were enrolled in the study,46 (38.7％) had early improvement and 73 (61.3％) had no early improvement.Hypersensitive C-reactive protein,RDW,the time from onset to thrombolysis,and the proportion of complicated hypertension and fasting blood glucose in the no early improvement group were higher or longer than those in the early improvement group,and the differences were statistically significant (all P ＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the elevated RDW was an independent risk factor for no early improvement (odds ratio 3.119,95％ confidence interval 1.584-6.141;P =0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the best cut-off value of RDW for predicting no early improvement after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke was 13.35％.The area under the curve was 0.737 (95％ confidence interval 0.645-0.828).The sensitivity and specificity were 64.4％ and 87.0％,respectively.Conclusion Elevated RDW has certain predictive value for no early improvement after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
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Platelets contain a large number of microRNAs (miRNAs),for example,miR-223,miR-126,and miR-191 are highly expressed in platelets,affecting platelet reactivity through different targets.Platelet-associated miRNAs are involved in platelet activation and are associated with the onset risk and outcome of ischemic stroke,and may be a novel marker for early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of ischemic stroke and provide new therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke.Moreover,platelet-associated miRNAs may play a regulatory role in platelet function and gene expression,and have potential role in evaluating the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs,especially in screening high on-treatment platelet reactivity and high-risk patients as early as possible to guide individualized treatment of antiplatelet drugs.
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Objective To investigate the correlation between anemia and stroke severity and short-term outcome in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke (age≥60 years) admitted to the Department of Neurology, the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University between January 2015 and December 2017 were enrolled retrospectively. The demographic and clinical data were collected. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission was used to evaluate the neurologic deficits, ≤8 was defined as a mild stroke and >8 was defined as moderate to severe stroke. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge or 14 d after onset (whichever occurs first), with 0 to 2 defined as a good outcome and >2 as a poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of the severity and early outcome of stroke. Results A total of 516 patients were enrolled in the study, their age was 74.10 ± 8.64 years, and 291 (56.4% ) were males; 111 (21.5% ) in anemia group and 405 (78.5% ) in non-anemia group, 336 (65.1% ) in mild stroke group, 180 (34.9% ) in moderate to severe stroke group, 303 (58.7% ) in good outcome group, and 213 (41.3% ) in poor outcome group. Univariate analysis showed that the proportion of patients with anemia in the moderate to severe stroke group was significantly higher than that in the mild stroke group (29.4% vs. 17.3% ; χ2 =10.303, P=0.001). The proportion of patients with anemia in the poor outcome group was significantly higher than that in the good outcome group (32.9% vs. 13.5% ; χ2 = 27.687, P< 0.001 ). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that anemia was an independent risk factor for stroke severity (odds ratio 3.263, 95% confidence interval 1.446-7.361; P=0.004) and short-term poor outcome (odds ratio 1.928, 95% confidence interval 1.609-2.311; P= 0.029 ). Conclusions Anemia is significantly associated with stroke severity and short-term outcome in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke.