Publications by authors named "Afshin Borhanihaghighi"

Objectives: This study investigated the impact of hypoxic preconditioning on the survival and oxidative stress tolerance of nestin-expressing hair follicle stem cells (hHFSCs) and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, two crucial cell types for central nervous system therapies. The study also examined the relative expression of three key genes, HIF1α, BDNF, and VEGF following hypoxic preconditioning.

Materials And Methods: hHFSCs were isolated from human hair follicles, characterized, and subjected to hypoxia for up to 72 hours.

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Inflammation is the major contributor to the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke (IS). Long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) and tumor necrosis factor and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L-related immunoregulatory (THRIL) have been demonstrated to be up-regulated in inflammation and atherosclerosis. Therefore, we aimed to study the expression profile of these lncRNAs after IS.

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Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. Globally, 68 % of all strokes are ischemic, with 32 % being hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke (IS) poses significant challenges globally, necessitating the development of effective therapeutic strategies.

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Objectives: Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (CVT) poses diagnostic challenges due to the variability in disease course and symptoms. The prognosis of CVT relies on early diagnosis. Our study focuses on developing a machine learning-based screening algorithm using clinical data from a large neurology referral center in southern Iran.

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Background: Fast diagnosing ischemic stroke (IS) is a critical issue in clinical studies, as it allows more effective therapy and stops the progression of IS. The blood level of circular RNAs (CircRNAs) after stroke may be a rapid diagnostic marker.

Methods: In this study, the blood level of circRNAs was evaluated using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

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Nicorandil is a dual mechanism anti-anginal agent that acts as a nitric oxide (NO) donor and a potassium (K) channel opener. Recent studies have evaluated the effect of nicorandil on ischemic stroke. Neurons have a low tolerance to hypoxia and therefore the brain tissue is significantly vulnerable to ischemia.

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The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of action observation on the walking ability and oscillatory brain activity of chronic stroke patients. Fourteen chronic stroke patients were allocated randomly to the action observation (AO) or sham observation (SO) groups. Both groups received 12 sessions of intervention.

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Objective: Genetic aspects can play an essential role in the occurrence and development of ischemic stroke (IS). Rs1894720 polymorphism is one of the eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) myocardial infarction-associated transcript () locus. The aim of study is the lncRNA rs1894720 polymorphism decreases IS risk by reducing lncRNA expression.

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Dysphagia can be a life-threatening issue for post-stroke patients, with aspiration pneumonia (AP) being a common risk. However, there is hope through the potential combination of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and classical behavior therapy. Our study aims to investigate the effectiveness of this combination in diminishing the risk of AP in patients with dysphagia who suffered from stroke.

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The evolution of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 pandemic and its vaccination raised more attention to cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Although CVT is less prevalent than arterial stroke, it results in larger years of life lost. CVT is more common in women and young patients.

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Background: Intracranial atherosclerosis disease (ICAD) alters cerebrovascular hemodynamics and brain structural integrity. Multiple studies have evaluated the link between ICAD and cognitive impairment, with mixed results. This study aims to systematically review and summarize the current evidence on this link.

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Background: In dementia, synaptic dysfunction appears before neuronal loss. Stem cell therapy could potentially provide a promising strategy for the treatment of dementia models. The carbamylated erythropoietin fusion protein (CEPO-Fc) has shown synaptotrophic effects.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated sex differences in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT), revealing that 77% of the patients were women.
  • Women presented with more severe symptoms, such as coma and lower platelet counts, and more women underwent endovascular treatment compared to men.
  • Despite these differences in presentation and treatment, the overall clinical outcomes, including complications and in-hospital mortality, were similar for both sexes.
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Background: The initial inflammatory reaction starts following occlusion in ischemic stroke (IS). Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine with a crucial role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders.

Objective: To investigate the levels of IL-1β and vitamin D (VitD) in patients with IS compared with controls and their correlation.

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Background: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) such as cognitive impairment are among common presentations in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In parallel with motor symptoms, these impediments can affect PD patients' quality of life. However, cognitive impairment has received less attention in early PD.

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Introduction: There have been some reports of the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and mucormycosis. This study aims to compare the hospitalization rates and clinical characteristics of mucormycosis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology: In this retrospective study, we compared the hospitalization rate of mucormycosis patients in Namazi hospital in Southern Iran for two periods of 40 months.

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Although cell therapy has been applied in regenerative medicine for decades, recent years have seen greatly increased attention being given to the use of stem cell-based derivatives such as cell-free secretome. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are widely available, easily accessible, and have high neuroprotective and angiogenic properties. In addition, DPSC-derived secretome contains a rich mixture of trophic factors.

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Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most severe pain conditions that humans experience. Drug resistance is a challenging event during treatment that results in using higher doses of drugs or referring for neurosurgical treatment. Laser therapy is also an effective method for pain control.

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Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the evolution of ischemic stroke, but the data regarding the association between stroke severity and vitamin D level is scarce.

Methods: Patients with first-ever ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory, within seven days after the stroke, were recruited. The control group included age- and gender-matched individuals.

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Article Synopsis
  • Adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines are widely used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but cases of vaccine-induced cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) are rarely reported.
  • A study of 228 CVST cases showed 63 from LMICs, with 51% meeting vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) criteria, compared to 62% from high-income countries (HICs).
  • Although clinical manifestations were similar, in-hospital mortality was significantly lower in LMICs (23%) compared to HICs (43%), suggesting different outcomes despite similar treatment approaches.
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Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an immunomodulatory drug currently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and psoriasis. Its benefits on ischemic stroke outcomes have recently come to attention. To date, only tissue plasminogen activators (tPAs) and clot retrieval methods have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

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Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the strong association of inflammatory cytokines and vitamin D (VitD) deficiency and ischemic stroke (IS) pathogenesis. Due to the negative correlation between long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Malat1 and pro-inflammatory factors we decided to investigate the associations between Malat1 expression with serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and VitD levels in IS patients.

Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 63 IS patients were included.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) can lead to severe bleeding and high mortality, particularly among patients requiring decompressive surgery post-COVID vaccination.
  • A study reviewed 128 CVST-VITT patients, finding that 27% underwent surgery, with a 65% in-hospital mortality rate in this group compared to 29% in non-surgical patients, highlighting factors like preoperative coma and pupillary reflex absence as key mortality predictors.
  • Despite the high mortality, around 80% of the surgical survivors were functionally independent at a 6-month follow-up, indicating some potential for recovery even after critical interventions.
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The short-term therapeutic impacts of stem cells and their derivatives were frequently reported in preclinical investigations of ischemic stroke (IS); however, several drawbacks including accessibility, abundancy, and ethical concerns limited their clinical application. We describe here for the first time the therapeutic potential of human hair follicle-derived stem cells (hHFSCs) and their conditioned medium (CM) in a rat model of IS. Furthermore, we hypothesized that a combination of cell therapy with repeated CM administration might enhance the restorative efficiency of this approach compared to each treatment alone.

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