High prevalence of electroencephalographic frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity in patients with moderately severe COVID-19.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to analyse EEG findings in patients with COVID-19 not requiring respiratory support.

Material And Methods: We reviewed EEGs performed in patients with COVID-19 between April 2020 and May 2021 at the University Hospital in Kraków, Poland. Demographic and clinical data, including comorbid conditions, discharge disposition, survival, neuroimaging findings, laboratory results, and treatment was collected.

Additional Value of [18F]FDG PET/CT in Detection of Suspected Malignancy in Patients with Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes Having Negative Results of Conventional Radiological Imaging.

Background: Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) affecting the CNS (central nervous system) are rare, presenting in less than 1% of all those with cancer. The pathogenesis of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes is not fully understood, but it is presumed to result from an immune attack on the underlying malignancy. The presence of different types of onconeural antibodies may occur in different tumors and can lead to different clinical manifestations, making the early detection of cancers challenging.

Mechanical thrombectomy in COVID-19-associated ischaemic stroke: patient characteristics and outcomes in a single-centre study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical profiles and outcomes of patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection and acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) at the Comprehensive Stroke Centre (CSC) of the University Hospital in Krakow.

Clinical Rationale For The Study: COVID-19 is a risk factor for AIS and worsens prognosis in patients with large artery occlusions. During the pandemic, the global number of MT has dropped.

The prognostic significance of large vessel occlusion in stroke patients treated by intravenous thrombolysis.

Purpose: According to guidelines, to shorten the treatment window, acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) treatment by intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) can be done based on the results of head computed tomography (CT) without contrast. The impact of large vessel occlusion (LVO) on computed tomography angiography (CTA) in stroke prognosis in patients treated IVT or IVT and mechanical thrombectomy (MT), where indicated, has not yet been studied systematically. We investigated the influence of LVO in consecutive AIS patients on haemorrhagic transformation (HT) on CT 24 h after treatment, mRS < 2 on discharge (unfavourable outcome), and in-hospital mortality.

4C Mortality Score correlates with in-hospital functional outcome after COVID-19-associated ischaemic stroke.

Aim Of The Study: The 4C Mortality Score was created to predict mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and has to date been evaluated only in respiratory system disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate its application in patients with COVID-19-associated acute ischaemic stroke (AIS).

Clinical Rationale For Study: COVID-19 is a risk factor for AIS.

Prognostic Significance of Stroke-Associated Infection and other Readily Available Parameters in Acute Ischemic Stroke Treated by Intravenous Thrombolysis.

Objectives: The impact of contracting stroke-associate infection (SAI) that requires antibiotic treatment after an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated with alteplase remains unclear. We studied the profiles of SAI in patients with AIS treated with alteplase toward identifying predictive factors and prognostic implications at 90 days post-stroke.

Methods: We analyzed 33 parameters readily available within 24 hours after AIS: demographics, risk factors, and several clinical and biochemical parameters.

Mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke during therapeutic anticoagulation: long-term outcomes.

Aim Of Study: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is one of the aetiological treatment options recommended for anticoagulated patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). We analysed its long-term outcomes using the modified Rankin Score (mRS) or mortality on day 90.

Clinical Rationale For The Study: Data describing the anticoagulant efficacy and safety of MT in patients with AIS is limited.

Genetically Elevated LDL Associates with Lower Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Objective: Observational studies point to an inverse correlation between low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but it remains unclear whether this association is causal. We tested the hypothesis that genetically elevated LDL is associated with reduced risk of ICH.

Methods: We constructed one polygenic risk score (PRS) per lipid trait (total cholesterol, LDL, high-density lipoprotein [HDL], and triglycerides) using independent genomewide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for each trait.

Time from stroke onset to groin puncture affects rate of recanalisation after mechanical thrombectomy: a real-life single centre experience.

Aim Of The Study: We investigated whether the time elapsed between stroke onset and groin puncture (SO-GP) affects the rate of recanalisation as measured by the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) scale.

Clinical Rationale For The Study: There is no doubt that the effectiveness of thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) is time-dependent. There is growing evidence that there is a correlation between SO-GP time and rate of recanalisation in patients treated by mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Fasting Hyperglycemia and Long-term Outcome in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Background: Little is known about the prognostic role of fasting glucose after mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Aims: We investigated whether fasting glucose on the next day after MT was associated with long-term outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients according to diabetes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 181 consecutive patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke who underwent MT in 2 comprehensive stroke centers in Poland.

AQP4 tag SNPs in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage in Greek and Polish population.

Backround: A relatively small number of genetic variants are implicated to pathophysiology of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) has been reported to be implicated in the pathophysiological processes of ICH development.

Objective: To examine the role of AQP4 gene region polymorphisms on the ICH risk.

Genetic variants influencing elevated myeloperoxidase levels increase risk of stroke.

Primary intracerebral haemorrhage and lacunar ischaemic stroke are acute manifestations of progressive cerebral microvascular disease. Current paradigms suggest atherosclerosis is a chronic, dynamic, inflammatory condition precipitated in response to endothelial injury from various environmental challenges. Myeloperoxidase plays a central role in initiation and progression of vascular inflammation, but prior studies linking myeloperoxidase with stroke risk have been inconclusive.

Integrins AV and B8 Gene Polymorphisms and Risk for Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Greek and Polish Populations.

Α limited number of genetic variants have been linked to the development of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Ιntegrin AV and/or B8-deficient mice were found to develop ICH. The present candidate gene association study was designed to investigate possible influence of integrin AV (ITGAV) and integrin B8 (ITGB8) gene region polymorphisms on the risk of ICH.

Catalase activity in blood fractions of patients with sporadic ALS.

Background: Oxidative stress may be a key element in pathogenesis of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS). Several studies proved that markers of peroxidation of lipids, proteins or nucleic acids are increased in postmortem tissue of sALS patients. However, much less is known about enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanism in sALS.

The FGA Thr312Ala polymorphism and risk of intracerebral haemorrhage in Polish and Greek populations.

Background And Purpose: Spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is the most fatal form of stroke with the highest morbidity and disability rate of all stroke types. Recent data suggest that the genetic background has a sizeable and mostly undiscovered effect on the brain haemorrhage risk. Since the coagulation system is crucial to ICH pathology, we studied the significance of the FGA Thr312Ala polymorphism in two European populations.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies 1q22 as a susceptibility locus for intracerebral hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the stroke subtype with the worst prognosis and has no established acute treatment. ICH is classified as lobar or nonlobar based on the location of ruptured blood vessels within the brain. These different locations also signal different underlying vascular pathologies.

The β-fibrinogen -455G/A gene polymorphism and the risk of ischaemic stroke in a Polish population.

Background And Purpose: Ischaemic stroke is considered to be multifactorial and interactions between environmental and genetic factors play an important role. Although vascular risk factors are well known, the genetic ones are still undiscovered. In the present study, we assessed the significance of the β-fibrinogen -455G/A gene polymorphism and the risk of ischaemic stroke in a Polish population.

Heritability estimates identify a substantial genetic contribution to risk and outcome of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Previous studies suggest that genetic variation plays a substantial role in occurrence and evolution of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Genetic contribution to disease can be determined by calculating heritability using family-based data, but such an approach is impractical for ICH because of lack of large pedigree-based studies. However, a novel analytic tool based on genome-wide data allows heritability estimation from unrelated subjects.

Burden of risk alleles for hypertension increases risk of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Genetic variation influences risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Hypertension (HTN) is a potent risk factor for ICH and several common genetic variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) associated with blood pressure levels have been identified. We sought to determine whether the cumulative burden of blood pressure-related SNPs is associated with risk of ICH and pre-ICH diagnosis of HTN.

Fibrin clot properties in acute stroke: what differs cerebral hemorrhage from cerebral ischemia?

Background And Purpose: Fibrin clot formation is important in acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We investigated plasma fibrin clot characteristics in acute ICH compared with acute ischemic stroke (IS) and nonstroke conditions.

Methods: In the 3 studied groups, we analyzed plasma fibrin clot phenotype and its association with clinical stroke presentation.

APOE genotype and extent of bleeding and outcome in lobar intracerebral haemorrhage: a genetic association study.

Background: Carriers of APOE ε2 and ε4 have an increased risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in lobar regions, presumably because of the effects of these gene variants on risk of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. We aimed to assess whether these variants also associate with severity of ICH, in terms of haematoma volume at presentation and subsequent outcome.

Methods: We investigated the association of APOE ε2 and ε4 with ICH volume and outcomes in patients with primary ICH in three phases: a discovery phase of 865 individuals of European ancestry from the Genetics of Cerebral Hemorrhage on Anticoagulation study, and replication phases of 946 Europeans (replication 1) and 214 African-Americans (replication 2) from an additional six studies.