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Aim: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the most severe complications of thrombolysis. Symptomatic ICHs are associated with adverse outcomes. It has been reported that symptomatic ICHs most commonly occur within the first few hours after the initiation of intravenous thrombolysis. Our aim here was to determine the risk factors for early ICH (within 12 h) after thrombolysis. Methods: We analyzed patients with acute ischemic stroke who received intravenous alteplase at two hospitals affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University between March 2008 and November 2017. The ICH diagnosis time was defined as the time from the intravenous administration of alteplase to the first detection of hemorrhage on computed tomography. Demographic data, medical history, clinical features, and laboratory examination results were collected. Univariate analysis followed by multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of early ICH (within 12 h) after thrombolysis. Results: Among 197 patients, early ICH (within 12 h) after thrombolysis occurred in 13 patients (6.6%). In the univariate analysis, patients with early ICHs were significantly correlated with prior stroke (P = 0.04). After adjusting for potential confounders in the multivariate analysis, prior stroke (odds ratio [OR]: 5.752, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.487–22.248; P = 0.011) and atrial fibrillation (OR: 5.428, 95% CI: 1.427–20.640; P = 0.013) were associated with early ICH. Conclusions: Prior stroke and atrial fibrillation are independent risk factors for early ICHs (within 12 h) after intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase.

Objective: Cognitive impairment has been suggested to be associated with coronary artery disease [CAD]; however, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Our current study aimed to explore the brain activity in CAD patients compared to healthy controls [HCs]. Methods: Twenty-two CAD patients and 23 HCs were enrolled in our study. A low-frequency oscillation at the voxel level in all participants based on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations [ALFF] was measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. All participants underwent neuropsychological examinations [Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE and Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA] and visual acuity examination. Results: CAD patients showed significantly lower ALFF values [P < 0.05] in the right precuneus gyrus [Precuneus_R], left supramarginal gyrus [Supramarginal_L], left angular gyrus [Angular_L], and left middle cingulum gyrus [Cingulum_Mid_L] than healthy controls. Lower MoCA scores in CAD patients significantly correlated with lower Supramarginal_L [P = 0.001] and Cingulate_ Mid_L [P = 0.004] ALFF values. Reduced visual acuity significantly correlated with lower Precuneus_R [P = 0.019] and Cingulate_Mid_L [P = 0.011] ALFF values in CAD patients. Conclusion: These findings may provide further insight into the underlying neuropathophysiology of CAD with cognitive impairment.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes significant changes in brain connectivity and visual impairment. Degree centrality (DC), a graph-based assessment of network organization was performed to explore the connectivity changes in NMOSD patients and their correlation with clinical consequences.Twenty-two NMOSD patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) were included. Participants underwent visual acuity examination and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain. We first performed DC analysis to identify voxels that showed changes in whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) with other voxels. DC was calculated by the fMRI graph method and comparison between the two groups was done by two-sample t-test. GraphPad Prism was used to assess the association between DC changes and clinical consequences.Out of the 22 NMOSD patients, 7 (31.82%) had ON once while 15 (68.18%) had ON twice or more. Decreased DC value (P 0.001) in the left frontal superior orbital gyrus (ORBsup), left angular gyrus (ANG) and right parietal superior gyrus (SPG) was found in NMOSD patients when compared with healthy controls respectively. Reduced visual acuity significantly correlated (RNMOSD patients experience neural network dysfunction which may be associated with their clinical implications.

PurposeRecent neuroimaging reports have shown the microstructural changes in coronary artery disease (CAD) and its correlation with cognitive dysfunction while little is known about the functional characteristics of CAD. We hypothesize that functional characteristics may give clues to underlying pathology in CAD and its link with cognitive dysfunction. Degree centrality (DC), a graph-based assessment of network organization was performed to explore the neural connectivity changes in CAD patients compared with healthy controls and their correlation with cognitive measures.MethodsThirty CAD patients and 36 healthy controls were included in our study. All participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain. We performed DC analysis to identify voxels that showed changes in whole-brain functional connectivity with other voxels. DC was measured by the fMRI graph method and comparisons between the two groups were done. All participants underwent neuropsychological assessment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA and Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE).ResultsOur data analysis included 30 CAD patients (59.90 ± 7.53 years) and 36 HCs (61.61 ± 6.19 years). CAD patients showed a greater prevalence of white matter lesions using the Fazekas score than healthy controls (P < 0.001). Importantly, CAD patients showed significantly lower (P < 0.001) MoCA and MMSE scores compared with healthy controls. CAD patients showed significantly decreased DC value (P < 0.001) in the right hippocampus (hippocampus_R), right lingual gyrus (lingual_R), and significantly increased DC value (P < 0.001) in the left middle frontal gyrus (Frontal_Mid_L) when compared with healthy controls respectively. DC value in the hippocampus_R significantly correlated (P < 0.00) with MMSE and MoCA scores in CAD patients. Fazekas scores in CAD patients showed a significant correlation (P < 0.001) with the DC value in the hippocampus_R.ConclusionThese findings suggest that reduced cerebral neural connectivity in CAD may contribute to their cognitive impairment and white matter microstructural damage.

To investigate the relationship of different subtypes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) to early disease evolution and long-term prognosis in patients with acute cerebral infarction after intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator(r-tPA). Seventy ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous r-tPA who underwent computed tomography (CT) within 24 hours after thrombolysis were divided into 4 types (hemorrhagic infarction type 1 [HI-1], HI-2, parenchymal hemorrhage type 1 [PH-1], or PH-2 which according to the size of the hematoma and the presence or absence of space-occupying effect). Early evolution of the disease was observed by the change in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score within 24 hours after thrombolysis. The long-term prognosis was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at the third month. There were 17 (24.3%) patients with ICH. Compared with patients in the non-ICH group, HI did not affect early neurological function or clinical outcome at the third month. PH-1 did not increase the risk of early neurological deterioration; however, PH-1 has a tendency to increase the risk of death at the third month (50% vs 11.3%, P = 0.090). PH-2 was significantly related to early neurological deterioration (66.7% vs 3.8%, P < 0.001) and mortality at the third month (50.0% vs 11.3%, P = 0.040). Patients with different subtypes of ICH after thrombolysis have different clinical outcomes. PH-2 is significantly associated with early neurological deterioration and increases mortality at the third month.

To analyze the type, etiology, clinical features and prognosis of stroke in southern China diabetic patients. From January to August 2019, acute stroke patients were prospectively enrolled in the Wenzhou Stroke Registry within 7 days of admission to the Hospital. The differences between the 2 groups of stroke patients with or without diabetes were in the following aspects: bleeding site of hemorrhagic stroke, different ischemic stroke etiology, Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project (OCSP) classification, death and disability within 3 months. Of the 497 patients enrolled, 104 (20.9%) were diabetic patients. 114(22.9%) patients had hemorrhagic stroke. The incidence of hemorrhagic stroke in the diabetic group was 10.6%, deep hemorrhage stroke account for 90.9%.In patients with ischemic stroke, the proportions of the new Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) etiological subtype classifications (atherothrombosis (AT), cardioembolism (CE), small artery disease (SAD), stroke of other determined etiology (SOD) and stroke of undetermined etiology (SUD)) in the diabetic (non-diabetic) group was 43% (31%), 7.5% (14.1%), 27.9% (16.9%), 1% (0.3%), and 20.4% (37.6%), respectively; the proportion of The OCSP classifications(total anterior circulation infarcts(TACI), partial anterior circulation infarcts(PACI), lacunar infarcts(LACI) and posterior circulation infarcts(POCI)) in the diabetic (non-diabetic) group was16.1% (22%), 30.1%(37.2%), 42% (31.4%), and 10.8% (9%), respectively. The 3-month poor prognosis of the diabetic and non-diabetic groups was 23.1% and 28.2%. For diabetic patients, the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke is low, deep hemorrhage is common; SAD and LACI are common in the ischemic stroke; There was no significant difference in the 3-month prognosis between the 2 groups.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the macula structure and capillaries in the macula and optic nerve head in recent small subcortical infarct (RSSI) patients.Methods: This observational cross-sectional study included 40 RSSI patients and 46 healthy controls. Optical coherence tomography angiography was used to image the capillaries in the macula and optic nerve head. An inbuilt algorithm was used to measure the densities in the microvasculature of the macula [superficial retinal capillary plexus (SRCP) and deep retinal capillary plexus (DRCP)] and optic nerve head [radial peripapillary capillary (RPC)] and thickness around the optic nerve head, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL).Results: Densities in RPC (P < 0.001), SRCP (P = 0.001), and DRCP (P = 0.003) were reduced in RSSI patients when compared with healthy controls. The pRNFL thickness was thinner (P < 0.001) in RSSI patients than healthy controls. In the RSSI group, the SRCP density significantly correlated with the DRCP density (rho = 0.381, P = 0.042). The pRNFL thickness displayed a significant relationship with the RPC density (rho = 0.482, P = 0.003) in the RSSI group.Conclusions: RSSI patients showed interrupted capillary plexuses leading to its significant impairment and neurodegeneration. Our report provides insight into the macula capillary microcirculation changes in RSSI.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and associated influencing factors in young adults in the southeastern coastal area of China. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional survey and included 7,859 young people who underwent examinations at three hospitals in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. All subjects completed a questionnaire in the form of face-to-face interviews and underwent anthropometric measurements and biochemical tests. The continuous data are presented as the means ± standard deviations and were compared using Student's t-tests. The categorical variables are presented as proportions. The influencing factors associated with dyslipidemia were evaluated through a multivariate logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of dyslipidemia among young adults aged 18–45 years in the southeastern coast of China was high with 7.1, 15.0, 22.9, and 4.0% for high-total cholesterol (TC), high-triglyceride (TG), low-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and high-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Among those with dyslipidemia, a statistically significant difference in sex was observed, and all types of dyslipidemia were associated with smoking and alcohol consumption. However, those with high-TG, high-LDL, and low-HDL levels did not significantly differ in education level or occupation. The presence of dyslipidemia was significantly associated with increased age, the male sex (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.39–2.21), smoking (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.98–2.13), alcohol consumption (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.16–1.63), overweight or obesity (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.79–2.41), and intellectual work (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.11–1.72). Conclusion: The prevalence of dyslipidemia among young adults aged 18–45 years in the southeastern coast of China was high. To prevent dyslipidemia at an early age, it is essential to conduct effective intervention programs targeting risk factors and to implement routine screening programs.

Purpose Macula microvascular impairment is an indicator of retinal pathology in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). We used the spectral-domain optical coherence tomographic angiography (SD - OCTA) to measure the multiple retinal microvascular plexus to evaluate the changes that occur before optic neuritis. Methods 28 seropositive aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP-4 Ab) NMOSD patients (19 eyes with optic neuritis and 9 eyes without optic neuritis) and 30 sex- and age-matched controls were included. SD-OCT was used to image and measure the capillary plexus of the retina (radial peripapillary capillaries, RPC; superficial retinal capillary plexus, SRCP; deep retinal capillary plexus, DRCP). Results Eyes without optic neuritis and with optic neuritis were significantly decreased in the RPC, SRCP and DRCP when compared with healthy controls (P Conclusions Reduced DRCP density was seen regardless of optic neuritis; our study suggests that DRCP changes although microvascular changes occur in NMOSD, these changes may be significant in the DRCP.

PurposeTo investigate the mechanisms underlying the gray matter volume (GMV) and functional connectivity (FC) changes in aquaporin-4 antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients.MethodsThis cross-sectional study consisted of 21 patients with aquaporin-4 antibody-positive NMOSD and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and testing each individual’s visual acuity was done.ResultsNeuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients showed significantly reduced GMV in the left calcarine, left thalamus and right lingual gyrus of the NMOSD patients when compared to HC (P < 0.05). NMOSD patients showed significantly decreased FC values (P < 0.05) in both the left and right calcarine, right lingual gyrus and left thalamus, respectively, when compared to HC. We also observed a positive correlation between the FC values of the left thalamus, bilateral calcarine gyrus and the visual acuity, respectively (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a negative association was seen between the duration of the disease, frequency of optic neuritis, and the FC values in the lingual gyrus, bilateral calcarine gyrus, and right lingual gyrus, respectively (P < 0.05).ConclusionReduced visual acuity and frequency of optic neuritis are associated with alterations in the GMV and FC in NMOSD. Our current study, which provides imaging evidence on the impairment involved in NMOSD, sheds light on pathophysiological responses of optic neuritis attack on the brain especially on the visual network.