Cation-osmotic haemolysis in stroke patients

Erythrocyte microrheology changes were measured by cation-osmotic haemolysis (COH) in healthy donors, patients with ischameic stroke, and patients who died within four days after a stroke. COH in patients with stroke was significantly decreased in comparison with that from healthy donors. In patients who died, COH was significantly decreased compared to patients who survived. The relationship between cationosmotic haemolysis and erythrocyte deformability is discussed.     

Griffith精神发育量表在山西0-7岁儿童中的修订

目的:修订Griffith精神发育量表(0～7岁),并建立适合中国国情的常模。方法:采用对城市级别、年龄、性别、父亲职业等因素按比例分层随机抽样的方法,从山西省十二个城市共抽取了2022例0～7岁儿童,样本人群中上述几个因素的构成与山西省人口资料相吻合,由经过专门培训的测试员对抽样点当地的每个儿童进行单独测试,并填写测查量表。结果:年龄分组样本和总样本各分测验以及总发育商的均数都在100上下浮动,总发育商服从正态分布;项目分析显示,各分测验及总量表平均难度在0.5左右,鉴别指数0.62～0.78;对原量表个别项目的排序进行调整;测试者信度0.953,重测信度0.798～0.948,各分测验之间及分测验与总发育商之间相关系数在0.481～0.854之间,探索性因素分析的结果得到思维推理、知觉组织、意动因子三个因素,解释方差比率总计79.8%。结论:引进和修订后的Griffith量表具有较好的信度和效度,可用于评定儿童的智力水平,可以在山西省应用。     

Electrophysiological neurodifferentiation of subventricular zone-derived precursor cells following stroke

Stroke in rodents is associated with increased neurogenesis and the migration of newborn neurons to sites of brain ischemia, where they may participate in repair and recovery. To determine if neurogenesis following stroke yields functional new neurons, we labeled neuronal precursors in the mouse subventricular zone (SVZ) with a lentivirus-green fluorescent protein vector, produced stroke by occluding the middle cerebral artery, and detected newborn neurons 8 weeks later by fluorescence microscopy. Patch-clamp studies on fluorescent neurons in the cortical region surrounding infarction showed tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na⁺ action potentials and spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents, suggesting that ischemia led to functional neurogenesis with synaptic integration. These findings support the hypothesis that enhancing endogenous neurogenesis after stroke might have therapeutic benefit.     

Matrix Metalloproteinase and Cytokine Profiles in Monocytes over the Course of Stroke

Stroke is a common cause of death and disability in our society. Stroke is associated with changes in immune responses within the central nervous system as well as systemically. The cells contributing to such changes as well as the factors contributing to formation of the inflammatory infiltrate observed in stroke remain to be clarified. In this study, blood monocytes and corresponding mononuclear cells (MNC) were separated and examined in parallel within 4 days and 1–3 months after onset of ischemic stroke. Numbers of TNF--, IL-12-, IL-6-, and IL-10-secreting cells and of cells expressing mRNA for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, -2, -7, -9 and tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1 were studied. The TNF--, IL-12-, and IL-6-secreting monocytes and MNC were elevated during the acute phase compared to healthy controls. Such differences were not observed when stroke patients were examined during convalescence. The IL-10-secreting monocytes did not change over the course of stroke. Levels of monocytes expressing MMP-1, MMP-7 and TIMP-1 mRNA were elevated in the acute phase of stroke patients compared to convalescence and healthy controls, as were levels of MMP-1, -2, -7, -9 and TIMP-1 mRNA expressing blood MNC. The MMP-2 and -9 activity as measured by zymography also was higher in MNC supernatants in the acute phase of stroke compared to convalescence. The high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and MMPs in blood monocytes and MNC further demonstrate the presence of systemic aberrations in the acute phase of stroke. Such changes may contribute to the influx of blood-borne cells into the ischemic lesions during the acute phase of stroke.     

Movement related potentials in acutely induced weakness and stroke

Weakness is a common symptom of neurological illness, and recovery may occur via restorative or compensatory mechanisms. Functional imaging studies have shown varied patterns of activity in motor areas following recovery from stroke. Movement related potentials (MRP) reflect the activity in primary and non-primary motor areas. We recorded MRPs in association with index finger abduction in six normal volunteers before and after induced weakness of a hand muscle and in six stroke patients with subcortical lesions and weakness affecting the arm. In both groups of subjects the greatest change was observed in the motor potential component of the MRP. On average, the motor potential had its greatest amplitude and duration at the time of the greatest weakness and became smaller with recovery. In artificially-induced weakness, the MRP had an earlier onset latency (P=0.042) and a greater early BP component (P=0.05) for the weakened finger. For the stroke subjects overall, the peak and NS amplitudes were largest for the initial study and declined thereafter. Similar but smaller changes were present for movements of the clinically unaffected side. The increased motor potential is therefore consistent with increased activity in the motor cortex, and this may occur as compensation for weakness in both normals and after stroke.     

Haemodynamic Adjustments to Mental Stress in Normotensives and Subjects with Mildly Elevated Blood Pressure

Cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume, pre-ejection period, total peripheral resistance, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and oxygen consumption were monitored or derived in young men with mildly elevated casual blood pressures and unambiguously normotensive control subjects before, during, and after exposure to a mental arithmetic stress. Measurements were also taken while subjects underwent graded dynamic exercise. This permitted cardiac output-oxygen consumption regression equations to be calculated and, as a consequence, cardiac output during mental stress to be represented as additional cardiac output. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher during all phases of the study in the mildly elevated blood pressure group. An overall groups effect during the mental stress phase of the experiment was observed for cardiac output and pre-ejection period, and the effect for stroke volume was close to significance. Significant Groups X Periods interactions were found for cardiac output and additional cardiac output, and the heart rate effect was nearly significant. Post-hoc comparisons here indicated that, in the main, group differences in these cardiac variables were more evident during the mental arithmetic stress than during the pre- and post-task baseline periods. Total peripheral resistance did not differ reliably between groups and the cardiac effects were specific to the mental stress phase of the study.     

A Negative Symptom Rating Scale

Renewed interest in the role of negative symptoms in "defect state" schizophrenia calls for the design of a standardized, easy to use, reliable, and valid instrument to assess these aspects of psychopathology. In order to measure negative symptoms, we developed the Negative Symptom Rating Scale (NSRS). We report on the design, interrater reliability, and construct-validation of NSRS against the most frequently used negative symptom scales or subscales. In summary, the NSRS is a short, sensitive, highly specific, reliable, and apparently valid instrument for measuring negative symptoms in schizophrenia.     

Alcohol and obesity: A new look at high blood pressure and stroke

Summary An investigation of the staff of a car assembly plant (3,351 persons) revealed a similarity between the change in relative body weight and diastolic blood pressure with age. There is a good temporal correlation between the course of alcohol consumption during life and the change of the relative body weight. German women had significantly less blood pressure for the same relative body weight than German men, and foreign employees had lower blood pressure than Germans In both cases the main cause is the difference in alcohol consumption. Besides obesity and hereditary factors, alcohol is the main cause of essential hypertension today. Epidemiological and experimental data indicate that there are two ways from alcohol to high blood pressure, a more direct one and an indirect one via obesity. Alcohol causes obesity via a change in metabolism (hyperinsulinism) rather than by higher caloric intake. In both ways alcohol is an important cause of stroke. To reduce body weight and blood pressure, a reduction of alcohol consumption should be recommended in addition to reduced caloric intake and increased physical activity as means of preventive neurology.     

Neuropsychological evaluation in transient ischaemic attack and minor stroke

Summary Two groups of patients with transient ischaemic attack and minor stroke without detectable haemodynamic stenotic lesions were evaluated by neuropsychological tests and compared with a control group. The mean values of the scores adjusted for age and educational background demonstrated that (a) the patients with transient ischaemic attack did not have a worse performance than normal subjects in any of the tests, (b) the patients with minor stroke had a worse performance than normals, particularly in Rey's figure-copying test (P<0.025), and (c) the latter test was not affected by educational background or age of the subjects. The results are discussed with reference to other case series, and the importance of age and cerebral damage in causing intellectual impairment evaluated by neurophysiological tests is stressed.     

缺血性卒中相关性肺炎危险因素的病例对照研究

目的 探讨缺血性卒中相关性肺炎的危险因素。方法 回顾性纳入2018年1月—2020年12月期间唐山市协和医院神经内科住院的急性缺血性卒中(acute ischemic stroke, AIS)患者,收集人口统计学及临床资料。根据是否发生卒中相关性肺炎(stroke - associated pneumonia, SAP)分为非SAP组和SAP组,比较两组的各项临床资料,并采用多因素logistic回归分析SAP的独立影响因素。结果 共纳入721例患者,平均年龄(65.63±12.07)岁;SAP组年龄、入院美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表(National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS)评分,冠心病、心房颤动、卒中史、吞咽障碍和入院格拉斯哥昏迷评分≤10分的比例、同型半胱氨酸、纤维蛋白原和白细胞计数均高于非SAP组,而SAP组入院舒张压、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇、白蛋白、白蛋白与球蛋白比值、血红蛋白和红细胞计数均低于非SAP组,差异均有统计学意义;多因素logistic回归分析显示,年龄增高(OR = 1.055,95%CI:1.009～1.103)、入院NIHSS评分增加(OR = 1.290,95%CI:1.154～1.444)、白细胞计数升高(OR = 1.267,95%CI:1.101～1.457)是SAP发生的危险因素。结论 缺血性卒中相关性肺炎与高龄、入院NIHSS评分增加和白细胞计数升高相关。