Current Neurovascular Research - Volume 17, Issue 5, 2020

Background: The precise cellular behaviors of calcification, including its molecular and genetic activities, have not yet been fully established for carotid plaques. Objective: We sought specific genes with tissue-specific differential methylation associated with carotid calcification status. Methods: We classified eight plaques from carotid endarterectomy patients as high- or low-calcified based on their Agatston calcium sco Read More

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to examine the association between the serum homocysteine (Hcy) level and the distal single small subcortical infarction (dSSSI). Methods: Consecutive patients were prospectively recruited in a registered hospital-based ischemic stroke database. Baseline characteristics and risk factors of single small subcortical infarction (SSSI), including the serum Hcy level, were assessed. The S Read More

Background: Gait impairment after stroke is considered as a loss of cerebral function but is also the result of dysfunctional cerebral signals travelling to the spinal motor centres. A therapeutic option to restore disturbed cerebral network activity is deep brain stimulation (DBS). Methods: A promising target for neuromodulation might be the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg), which contributes to the initiation an Read More

Aims: To investigate the role of autophagy in the tight junction of human brain endothelial cells during hypoxia and ischemia. Background: Endothelial cells play an important role in the initiation, progression and recovery from ischemic stroke. The role of autophagy on human brain endothelial cells (HBECs) subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) is not fully elucidated. Objective: The objective of this study was Read More

Background: Haptoglobin (Hp) binds to and facilitates clearance of heme. Compared with HP 1-1 and 1-2 genotypes, HP 2-2 has a weaker binding affinity and has been linked with increased inflammation and vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Objective: This study aims to assess levels of inflammatory cytokines in the context of different HP genotypes. Methods: Patients were enrolled among those Read More

Objective: An increased leukocyte count is positively associated with poor outcomes and all-cause mortality in coronary heart disease, cancer, and ischemic stroke. The role of leukocyte count in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains important. We aimed to investigate the association between admission leukocyte count before thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and 3-month outcomes in AIS pati Read More

Objective: Post-operative chronic post-thoracotomy pain (CPTP) has been linked to restrictions in mobility and daily activities. However, its potential causes and optimal therapy have not been well characterized. Here, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in CPTP rats and its underlying mechanism. Methods: Initially, rat models of CPTP were established. Then, the mechanical withdra Read More

Objective: Prognostic significance of inflammatory response has been reported in various diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between inflammation- based scores and the prognosis of patients who underwent neuro-intervention for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: Inflammation-based scores such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (L Read More

Background: Stroke is associated with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Ischemic postconditioning (IPoC) reduces cerebral ischemic injury in rats and offers neuroprotection. The central histaminergic pathway possesses a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cerebral I/R, but its neuroprotective role in IPoC is still unidentified. Objective: This research explored the role of the histaminergic in IPoC during cerebral I/R Read More

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the VNTR intron 4b/4a variant in the eNOS gene is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and DPN. Methods: A total of 598 subjects were enrolled in the study. eNOS VNTR 4b/4a variant was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results: eNOS VNTR intron 4b/4b genotype and b allele increased in patients with both DPN and T2DM compared Read More

Aim: The study has been commenced to discover the potential of sodium dependent glucose co-transporters (SGLT) in neuroprotective mechanism of ischemic postconditioning (iPoCo) in diabetic and non-diabetic mice. Methods: Cerebral ischemic injury in mice was induced by bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) for 12 min followed by reperfusion for 24 hr. For iPoCo, three episodes of carotid artery reperfusion and occlusi Read More

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum interleukin-33 (IL-33) concentrations and poststroke depression (PSD) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: Serum IL-33 concentrations were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were assigned to the PSD group after a six-month follow-up if their score on the 17- item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Read More

Background: Due to the scarcity of longitudinal data, the morphologic development of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) during their natural history remains poorly understood. However, longitudinal information can often be inferred from cross-sectional datasets as demonstrated by anatomists’ use of geometric morphometrics to build evolutionary trees, reconstructing species inter-relationships based on morphologic landmarks. Read More

Objective: Recently, a few studies have shown that non-traditional lipid parameters are associated with the hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and the clinical outcome of ischemic stroke. However, the role of non-traditional lipid parameters in ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to assess the associations of non-traditional lipid parameters with HT and clinical outcom Read More

Background: We investigated the association between elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) levels upon hospital admission and short-term in-hospital outcomes, including pneumonia in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Methods: A total of 2,084 AIS patients enrolled from December 2013 to May 2014 across 22 hospitals in Suzhou city were included in the present study. We divided patients into four groups according to their level Read More

Background: Since the introduction of endovascular methods to treat cerebral aneurysms, several technical advances have allowed a greater number of aneurysms to be treated endovascularly as opposed to open surgical clipping. These include flow diverting stents, which do not utilize coils and instead treat aneurysms by acting as an “internal bypass.” We sought to investigate whether flow diversion is replacing coiling Read More

Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) is currently the most frequently reported neurological complication of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This article will elaborate the clinical features of inpatients with COVID-19 and AIS and the pathophysiological mechanism of AIS under the background of COVID-19. Through a detailed search of relevant studies, we found that the incidence of AIS among COVID-19 patients varied from 0. Read More

Metabolic disorders that include diabetes mellitus present significant challenges for maintaining the welfare of the global population. Metabolic diseases impact all systems of the body and despite current therapies that offer some protection through tight serum glucose control, ultimately such treatments cannot block the progression of disability and death realized with metabolic disorders. As a result, novel therapeutic av Read More

A pericyte-centered theory suggesting that embolisms occurring within the microvasculature of a neurovascular unit that can result in either parenchymal hemorrhage or intravascular congestion is presented here. Dysfunctional microvascular pericytes are characterized by their location in the neurovascular unit, either on the arteriole or venule side. Pathophysiological and pathological changes caused by coronavirus dise Read More