Expression of Acidic Fibrillar Protein and Neuroglobin in Thrombolytic Patients in Ischemic Stroke.

Purpose: Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuroglobin (NGB) are important biomarkers of cerebral hypoxia. For this reason, an attempt was made to assess their concentrations in various time intervals and their impact on the severity of neurological symptoms and functional prognosis of thrombolytic ischemic stroke patients.

Patients And Methods: The study involved 94 patients reporting to the emergency department of the Collegium Medicum University Hospital in Bydgoszcz within < 4.

Early Cerebral Microvasculature Impairment and Increased Body Mass Index in Patients with Psoriasis.

Psoriasis induces systemic atherosclerosis, but its impact on cerebrovascular function remains unclear. However, stroke prevention must be considered in psoriasis, as it is commonly comorbid with classic cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, the aim of the study is to assess cerebral microvasculature function and its confounders in patients with psoriasis.

Air Pollution Increases Risk of Occurrence of Intracerebral Haemorrhage but Not of Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: Time-Series Cross-Sectional Study.

(1) Background: Haemorrhagic strokes (HS), including intracerebral (ICH) and subarachnoid haemorrhages (SAH), account for approximately 10-15% of strokes worldwide but are associated with worse functional outcomes and higher rates of mortality, and financial burden than ischemic stroke. There is evidence that confirmed poor air quality may increase the incidence of haemorrhagic strokes. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between individual ambient air pollutants and the risk of haemorrhagic stroke in an urban environment without high levels of air pollution.

Angiogenin Levels and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.

It is well documented that in patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1), decreased levels of angiogenin are associated with the development of overt nephropathy. However, little is known about angiogenin levels and subclinical macrovascular organ damage in patients with DM1 and concomitant metabolic syndrome (MS). Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between angiogenin levels and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in DM1 patients with and without MS.

The Potential Role of RANTES in Post-Stroke Therapy.

One of the key response mechanisms to brain damage, that results in neurological symptoms, is the inflammatory response. It triggers processes that exacerbate neurological damage and create the right environment for the subsequent repair of damaged tissues. RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Presumably Secreted) chemokine(C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5) is one of the chemokines that may have a dual role in stroke progression involving aggravating neuronal damage and playing an important role in angiogenesis and endothelial repair.

Polish recommendations for diagnosis and therapy of paediatric stroke.

Stroke remains one of the greatest health challenges worldwide, due to a high mortality rate and, despite great progress in its treatment, the significant disability that it causes. Studies conducted around the world show that the diagnosis of stroke in children is often significantly delayed. Paediatric ischaemic arterial stroke (PAIS) is not only a problem that varies greatly in frequency compared to the adult population, it is also completely different in terms of its risk factors, clinical course and outcome.

Assessment of Low-Level Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Incidence in Gdansk, Poland: Time-Series Cross-Sectional Analysis.

(1) Background: More than 1.8 million people in the European Union die every year as a result of CVD, accounting for 36% of all deaths with a large proportion being premature (before the age of 65). There are more than 300 different risk factors of CVD, known and air pollution is one of them.

Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Thrombolytics.

One of the most common neurological disorders involving oxidative stress is stroke. During a stroke, the balance of redox potential in the cell is disturbed, and, consequently, protein oxidation or other intracellular damage occurs, ultimately leading to apoptosis. The pineal gland hormone, melatonin, is one of the non-enzymatic antioxidants.

Selected Mediators of Inflammation in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

During a stroke, a series of biochemical and metabolic changes occur which eventually lead to the death of cells by necrosis or apoptosis. This is a multi-stage process involving oxidative stress and an inflammatory response from the first signs of occlusion of a blood vessel until the late stages of regeneration and healing of ischemic tissues. The purpose of the research was to assess the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α in the blood serum of patients with ischemic stroke (AIS) and to investigate their role as new markers in predicting functional prognosis after thrombolytic therapy.

Cognitive Functions Associated with Brain Imaging Markers in Patients with Psoriasis.

Unlabelled: Psoriasis is a severe inflammatory disease associated with a higher comorbidity of depression, cognitive dysfunction and brain atrophy. The association between psoriasis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers and cognitive impairment has rarely been investigated, and the existing results are conflicting.

Methods: This study included 89 subjects (53 patients with psoriasis and 36 healthy controls).

Skin oxygenation impairment is associated with increased total cholesterol level in children with short-lasting type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Transcutaneous oxygen pressure (tcPO) is a non-invasive method of measuring skin oxygenation that may reflect its superficial perfusion. Skin microvasculature may be impaired in patients with late onset of type 1 diabetes (DM1). However, its condition in children has not been fully determined.

Systemic thrombolysis in ischaemic stroke patients with COVID-19.

Objective: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is the core medical therapy of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). COVID-19 infection negatively modifies acute stroke procedures and, due to its pro-coagulative effect, may potentially impact on IVT outcome. Thus, short-term efficacy and safety of IVT were compared in patients with and without evidence of SARS-CoV-2.

Stroke Care During the First and the Second Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Community Hospital.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection may alter a stroke course; thus, we compared stroke course during subsequent pandemic waves in a stroke unit (SU) from a hospital located in a rural area. A retrospective study included all patients consecutively admitted to the SU between March 15 and May 31, 2020 ("first wave"), and between September 15 and November 30, 2020 ("second wave"). We compared demographic and clinical data, treatments, and outcomes of patients between the first and the second waves of the pandemic and between subjects with and without COVID-19.

Cerebral microbleeds in neurological practice: concepts, diagnostics and clinical aspects.

Introduction: Due to the widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in neurological diagnostics, the number of patients detected as having cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) continues to increase. However, their clinical impact still remains controversial, especially the question of whether CMBs significantly increase the risk of life-threatening intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), or in patients on anticoagulant therapy or statins.

State Of The Art: The term 'CMB' is a radiological concept that aims to illustrate microscopic pathology of perivascular hemosiderin deposits corresponding most probably to small foci of past bleeding.

COVID-19 - neuropathological point of view, pathobiology, and dilemmas after the first year of the pandemic struggle.

This article constitutes a summary of the knowledge on the involvement of the nervous system in COVID-19, concerning its general pathobiology, clinical presentation and neuropathological features as well as the future directions of investigation. Variable definitions, selection bias, mainly retrospective analyses of hospitalized patients and different methodologies are implemented in the research of this new disease. Central nervous system (CNS) pathology presents most frequently features of non-specific neuroinflammation with microglial activation and lymphoid infiltrations, ischemic/hypoxic encephalopathy, acute cerebrovascular disease, and microthrombi.

Cerebral Thrombolysis in Rural Residents Aged ≥ 80.

Purpose: The proportion of older people in Poland is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Thus, we aimed to evaluate treatment rate and factors associated with outcome and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in rural residents aged ≥80 years admitted to primary stroke centers.

Patients And Methods: This study was a retrospective, observational cohort study of 873 patients treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in primary stroke centers between February 1, 2009 and December 31, 2017.

Effect of IL-6 and hsCRP Serum Levels on Functional Prognosis in Stroke Patients Undergoing IV-Thrombolysis: Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose: We evaluated the relationship between pretreatment IL-6 and hsCRP levels, symptom severity and functional outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated with IV-thrombolysis.

Patients And Methods: IL-6 and hsCRP samples were obtained from 83 consecutively treated Caucasian patients with AIS prior to initiation of IV-thrombolysis. Severity of stroke symptoms was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), whereas functional outcome was assessed with modified Rankin Scale (mRS).

Common carotid pulsatility is deteriorated by autoimmune thyroiditis in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus - A pilot study.

Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) frequently coexists with type 1 diabetes (DM1) and additionally increases the extent of microcirculatory complications due to DM1. We hypothesized that in pediatric patients with DM1, impairment of macrocirculation could be further augmented by a coexisting autoimmune process. Therefore, we investigated the influence of AIT on large arteries in DM1 pediatric patients.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells as a Marker of Vascular Damage But not a Predictor in Acute Microangiopathy-Associated Stroke.

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with acute stroke due to cerebral microangiopathy and evaluate whether there is a relationship between their number and clinical status, radiological findings, risk factors, selected biochemical parameters, and prognosis, both in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

Methods: In total, 66 patients with lacunar ischemic stroke, 38 patients with typical location hemorrhagic stroke, and 22 subjects from the control group without acute cerebrovascular incidents were included in the prospective observational study. The number of EPCs was determined in serum on the first and eighth day after stroke onset using flow cytometry and identified with the immune-phenotype classification determinant (CD)45-, CD34+, CD133+.

The Role of Selected Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Pathogenesis of Ischemic Stroke.

Stroke is currently one of the most common causes of death and disability in the world, and its pathophysiology is a complex process, involving the oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction. Unfortunately, no biochemical factors useful in the diagnostics and treatment of stroke have been clearly established to date. Therefore, researchers are increasingly interested in the inflammatory response triggered by cerebral ischemia and its role in the development of cerebral infarction.

The Prognostic Value of High Platelet Reactivity in Ischemic Stroke Depends on the Etiology: A Pilot Study.

Background: Reduced aspirin response may result in a worse prognosis and a poor clinical outcome in ischemic stroke. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to assess the relationship between platelet reactivity and early and late prognosis, and the clinical and functional status in ischemic stroke, with the role of stroke etiology.

Methods: The study involved 69 subjects with ischemic stroke, divided into large and small vessel etiological subgroups.

Aspirin Resistance Affects Medium-Term Recurrent Vascular Events after Cerebrovascular Incidents: A Three-Year Follow-up Study.

: The aim of this prospective, a three-year follow-up study, was to establish the role of high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) in predicting the recurrence of vascular events in patients after cerebrovascular incidents, particularly in the aspect of stroke etiology. : The study included 101 subjects with non-embolic cerebral ischemia (69 patients with ischemic stroke and 32 patients with transient ischemic attack) treated with 150 mg of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) a day. The platelet reactivity was tested in the first 24 h after the onset of cerebral ischemia by impedance aggregometry.

High On-Treatment Platelet Reactivity Affects the Extent of Ischemic Lesions in Stroke Patients Due to Large-Vessel Disease.

Background: Excessive platelet activation and aggregation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Correlation between platelet reactivity and ischemic lesions in the brain shows contradictory results and there are not enough data about the potential role of stroke etiology and its relationships with chronic lesions. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between platelet reactivity and the extent of ischemic lesions with the particular role of etiopathogenesis.

Pituitary apoplexy.

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a clinical syndrome caused by acute haemorrhage and/or infarction of the pituitary gland, generally within a frequently undiagnosed pituitary adenoma. The sudden increase in pituitary gland volume is responsible for typical symptoms: severe headache, nausea, vomiting, visual impairment, cranial nerve palsies, deteriorating level of consciousness, and hypopituitarism. Radiological evidence, especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is the most sensitive diagnostic modality, establishes the diagnosis.