Enlarged Perivascular Spaces and Age-Related Clinical Diseases.

Perivascular spaces are the fluid-filled areas surrounding small blood vessels in the brain, and they may play a role similar to lymphatic vessels in clearing metabolic waste. When their diameters exceed 1 mm, as measured by structural magnetic resonance imaging, they are classified as enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS). Previously, EPVS were considered to be benign, but increasing evidence suggests that their existence may be associated with various clinical diseases. Here, we review recent clinical studies to understand the potential clinical implications of EPVS. We also review the anatomy and imaging characteristics of EPVS and discuss four causal hypotheses for their formation and associated risk factors. Due to differences in research methods and concerns across studies, unified conclusions are difficult to achieve. Overall, more basic high-quality research is needed to clarify the subject and provide more concrete theoretical support.

Comparative effectiveness of dual to single antiplatelet therapy after one year versus seven years in patients with acute ischemic stroke combined with cerebral microbleeds.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) were thought to be associated with stroke. The relationship CMBs, antiplatelet therapy and prognosis is still unclear. Our aim here was to compare the long-term risk of stoke between dual and single antiplatelet therapies in patients of acute ischemic stroke (IS) combined with CMBs. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1017 acute IS patients received susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. We constructed a sample of patients received short-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (n = 154) and received single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) (n = 125), followed them for up to 7 years (median 33 months). DAPT was prescribed for at least 3 weeks, followed by using SAPT. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, recurrence IS or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Secondary endpoints were a composite of recurrent IS or ICH, and the recurrent IS. RESULT: At last follow-up, rated of the endpoints were similar in patients treated with SAPT and DAPT (P > 0.05). The IS risk was higher in patients treated with SAPT in the first year after the occurrence of acute IS (P = 0.035). And in 0-1 year or in 1-7 year, the risk of primary endpoint and main secondary endpoint were similar among patients treated with SAPT and DAPT (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study is limited due to different baseline characteristics. We initially consider that the short-term DAPT may be considered to potentially reduce the rate of recurrent IS in the first year. In patients of IS combined with CMBs, the short-term DAPT may be recommended to reduce the recurrent IS.

Dual antiplatelet therapy in acute ischaemic stroke with or without cerebral microbleeds.

Antiplatelet therapy (APT) plays an important role in the prevention of ischaemic stroke (IS). Our aim was to assess the influence of short-term single APT (SAPT) and dual APT (DAPT) on the prognosis of patients with acute IS with and without cerebral microbleeds (CMBs). We conducted a single-centre, retrospective, observational cohort study of patients with acute IS who underwent susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) to determine the presence of CMBs between January 2015 and December 2020. The patients were treated with either DAPT or SAPT and followed up for at least 2 years. The primary endpoint was a composite of recurrent IS and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), while either recurrent IS or ICH was considered as other endpoints. We computed weighted Kaplan-Meier curves and identified risk factors using the Cox proportional hazards model. Among the 581 enrolled patients, those with CMBs (n = 225; P = 0.004) had a higher risk of the primary endpoint than those without CMBs (n = 356), especially higher risk of recurrent IS (P = 0.029). In the SAPT group, the presence of CMBs increased the risk of the primary endpoint (P = 0.013), especially that of recurrent IS (P = 0.019). In the DAPT group, the occurrence of ICH was higher in patients with CMBs (P = 0.031). The CMB distribution did not influence the risk of recurrent IS or ICH. In patients with acute IS and CMBs, DAPT may offset the risk of recurrent IS due to CMBs but increase the risk of ICH.

Role of cerebral microbleeds in acute ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation.

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are commonly detected in the brains of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). With the development of neuroimaging, clinicians are paying more attention to the presence of CMBs. CMBs were found to significantly increase the risk of intracranial hemorrhagic transformation and hemorrhage in patients with AIS, especially in patients with concurrent atrial fibrillation (AF). Additionally, the presence of CMBs is thought to be a symbol of a high risk of recurrent ischemic stroke (IS). A few researchers have found that the presence of CMBs has no significant effect on the prognosis of patients with AIS. Therefore, the current views on the role of CMBs in the prognoses of patients with IS are controversial. The use of anticoagulants and other drugs has also become a dilemma due to the special influence of CMBs on the prognosis of these patients. Due to the large number of patients with AF and CMBs, many studies have been conducted on the effects of CMBs on these patients and subsequent pharmacological treatments. However, at present, there are no relevant guidelines to guide the secondary preventive treatment of patients with stroke, CMBs, and AF. In this paper, we summarized the role of CMBs in AIS combined with AF and relevant preventive measures against the recurrence of stroke and the occurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage to help clarify the specifics of drug therapies for this group of patients.

Cerebellar and/or Brainstem Lesions Indicate Poor Prognosis in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

Multiple sclerosis is a serious neurological disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Cerebellar and brainstem symptoms are common in the course of multiple sclerosis, but their prognostic value is unclear. This systematic review aimed to determine the relationship between the location of lesions in the cerebellum and/or brainstem and the prognosis in multiple sclerosis. In this systematic review, we searched and comprehensively read articles related to this research topic in Chinese and English electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and CBM) using search terms "multiple sclerosis," "cerebellum," "brainstem," "prognosis," and others. Cerebellar and brainstem clinically isolated syndromes and clinically definite multiple sclerosis were important predictors of transformation (hazard ratio, 2.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.58-4.22). Cerebellar and/or brainstem lesions indicate a poor overall prognosis in multiple sclerosis, but because of inconsistency, more clinical data are needed.