Ovine Iliac Vein Model for Endovascular Thrombectomy of Acute Deep Venous Thrombosis

An ovine iliac vein thrombosis model was devised to test a wall-contacting rotational thrombectomy device. Thrombosis was successfully induced in 9 sheep with an average clot length of 31 mm ± 12 and >60% vessel occlusion on angiography. The thrombus was subsequently removed, maintaining normal intraoperative pulmonary arterial pressure (5.9 mm Hg ± 3.6) and complete distal reperfusion after thrombectomy. Additionally, the sheep were without signs of vascular trauma or embolic complications on gross necropsy and histopathologic analysis. The findings from this study support the use of an ovine iliac deep vein thrombosis model for testing of a lower extremity thrombectomy device.     

基于罗森塔尔效应的护理干预对脑出血后遗症病人的心理状况和生活质量的影响

目的:探讨基于罗森塔尔效应的护理干预对脑出血后遗症病人的心理状况和生活质量的影响。方法:按照随机数字表法将2019年1月—2021年1月收治的98例脑出血后遗症病人分为对照组和观察组各49例,对照组实施常规护理,观察组在常规护理基础上给予基于罗森塔尔效应的护理干预。干预前后采用卒中量表(NIHSS)、功能独立性评定量表(FIM)、生活活动功能测量量表Barthel指数(BADL)评定两组病人康复情况,采用非精神病性焦虑量表(HADS-A)、非精神病性抑郁量表(HADS-D)、自我效能量表(GSES)评定两组病人心理状态,采用生活质量简明调查表(SF-36)评定两组病人生活质量。结果:观察组病人干预后NIHSS评分低于对照组,FIM和BADL评分高于对照组(P<0.05);观察组病人干预后HADS-A和HADS-D评分低于对照组,GSES评分高于对照组(P<0.05);观察组病人干预后生活质量各维度(躯体功能、躯体角色、肌体疼痛、总体健康、活力、社会功能、情绪角色、心理卫生)评分均明显高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:基于罗森塔尔效应的护理干预应用于脑出血后遗症病人能有效促进病人康复,改善病人心理状态,提高病人生活质量。     

Sinensetin attenuates oxygen–glucose deprivation/reperfusion-induced neurotoxicity by MAPK pathway in human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells

Sinensetin is a polymethoxylated flavone with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. This work aimed to explore the function and mechanism of sinensetin in oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced neurotoxicity. The overlapping target genes of cerebral stroke and sinensetin were determined according to GeneCards and ParmMapper tools and were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) annotations and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (HCMECs) were stimulated with OGD/R. Neurotoxicity was investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, qRT-PCR, and TUNEL analysis. The proteins (p38, JNK, and ERK) in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling were measured using Western blotting. Total of 50 overlapping target genes of cerebral stroke and sinensetin were predicted. Pathway analysis showed they might be involved in the MAPK pathway. Sinensetin attenuated OGD/R-induced neurotoxicity by mitigating viability reduction, LDH release, ROS generation, inflammatory response, and apoptosis in HCMECs. Sinensetin weakened OGD/R-induced activation of the MAPK pathway via decreasing the phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and ERK. The pathway inhibitors mitigated the activation of the MAPK signaling, and sinensetin exacerbated this effect. The inhibitors reversed OGD/R-induced neurotoxicity in HCMECs, and sinensetin contributed to this role. Overall, sinensetin prevents OGD/R-induced neurotoxicity through decreasing the activation of MAPK pathway.     

中药药浴治疗痉挛型脑性瘫痪患儿的临床效果

目的研究中药药浴治疗痉挛型脑性瘫痪患儿的临床效果。方法选取2021年1月至12月于粤北人民医院儿童康复科确诊的80例痉挛型脑性瘫痪患儿,按随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组,每组各40例。对照组实施常规康复疗法,涉及运动疗法、作业疗法、物理因子治疗等,观察组进行常规康复治疗并结合中药药浴疗法,分别评估两组的肌张力及大运动功能并进行比较。结果治疗后观察组的肌张力低于对照组,大运动功能评估得分高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论中药药浴治疗痉挛型脑性瘫痪患儿可获得显著的效果,可改善肌张力,促进大运动功能提升,具有临床推广价值。     

EEG functional connectivity contributes to outcome prediction of postanoxic coma

ObjectiveTo investigate the additional value of EEG functional connectivity features, in addition to non-coupling EEG features, for outcome prediction of comatose patients after cardiac arrest.MethodsProspective, multicenter cohort study. Coherence, phase locking value, and mutual information were calculated in 19-channel EEGs at 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after cardiac arrest. Three sets of machine learning classification models were trained and validated with functional connectivity, EEG non-coupling features, and a combination of these. Neurological outcome was assessed at six months and categorized as “good” (Cerebral Performance Category [CPC] 1–2) or “poor” (CPC 3–5).ResultsWe included 594 patients (46% good outcome). A sensitivity of 51% (95% CI: 34–56%) at 100% specificity in predicting poor outcome was achieved by the best functional connectivity-based classifier at 12 h after cardiac arrest, while the best non-coupling-based model reached a sensitivity of 32% (0–54%) at 100% specificity using data at 12 h and 48 h. Combination of both sets of features achieved a sensitivity of 73% (50–77%) at 100% specificity.ConclusionFunctional connectivity measures improve EEG based prediction models for poor outcome of postanoxic coma.SignificanceFunctional connectivity features derived from early EEG hold potential to improve outcome prediction of coma after cardiac arrest.     

Disruption of Conscious Access in Psychosis Is Associated with Altered Structural Brain Connectivity

According to global neuronal workspace (GNW) theory, conscious access relies on long-distance cerebral connectivity to allow a global neuronal ignition coding for conscious content. In patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both alterations in cerebral connectivity and an increased threshold for conscious perception have been reported. The implications of abnormal structural connectivity for disrupted conscious access and the relationship between these two deficits and psychopathology remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which structural connectivity is correlated with consciousness threshold, particularly in psychosis. We used a visual masking paradigm to measure consciousness threshold, and diffusion MRI tractography to assess structural connectivity in 97 humans of either sex with varying degrees of psychosis: healthy control subjects (n = 46), schizophrenia patients (n = 25), and bipolar disorder patients with (n = 17) and without (n = 9) a history of psychosis. Patients with psychosis (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with psychotic features) had an elevated masking threshold compared with control subjects and bipolar disorder patients without psychotic features. Masking threshold correlated negatively with the mean general fractional anisotropy of white matter tracts exclusively within the GNW network (inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus, cingulum, and corpus callosum). Mediation analysis demonstrated that alterations in long-distance connectivity were associated with an increased masking threshold, which in turn was linked to psychotic symptoms. Our findings support the hypothesis that long-distance structural connectivity within the GNW plays a crucial role in conscious access, and that conscious access may mediate the association between impaired structural connectivity and psychosis.     

Physiological determinants of residual cerebral arterial pulsatility on best medical treatment after TIA or minor stroke

Cerebral arterial pulsatility is strongly associated with cerebral small vessel disease and lacunar stroke yet its dependence on central versus local haemodynamic processes is unclear. In a population-based study of patients on best medical managment, 4–6 weeks after a TIA or non-disabling stroke, arterial stiffness and aortic systolic, diastolic and pulse pressures were measured (Sphygmocor). Middle cerebral artery peak and trough flow velocities and Gosling’s pulsatility index were measured by transcranial ultrasound. In 981 participants, aortic and cerebral pulsatility rose strongly with age in both sexes, but aortic diastolic pressure fell more with age in men whilst cerebral trough velocity fell more in women. There was no significant association between aortic systolic or diastolic blood pressure with cerebral peak or trough flow velocity but aortic pulse pressure explained 37% of the variance in cerebral arterial pulsatility, before adjustment, whilst 49% of the variance was explained by aortic pulse pressure, arterial stiffness, age, gender and cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, arterial stiffness partially mediated the relationship between aortic and cerebral pulsatility. Overall, absolute aortic pressures and cerebral blood flow velocity were poorly correlated but aortic and cerebral pulsatility were strongly related, suggesting a key role for transmission of aortic pulsatility to the brain.