Administration of CD4CD25CD127FoxP3 Regulatory T Cells for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Phase 1 Study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease in which autoimmune T conventional (T) cells break the blood-brain barrier and destroy neurons of the central nervous system. It is hypothesized that CD4CD25CD127FoxP3 T regulatory (T) cells may inhibit this destruction through suppressive activity exerted on T cells.

Methods: We present the results of a phase 1b/2a, open-label, two-arm clinical trial in 14 patients treated with autologous T cells for relapsing-remitting MS.

Cerebral and skin microcirculatory dysfunction in type 1 diabetes.

Introduction: An increase in cerebral pulsatility index (PI), measured by transcranial Doppler, reflects the presence of cerebral microangiopathy. A decrease in distance between skin capillaries (DISTANCE) and an increase in the ratio between the area of capillaries and total area of examined skin (COVERAGE), revealed by capillaroscopy, reflects skin microangiopathy. However, little is known about the association between the cerebral and skin microvasculature function in patients at risk of microcirculatory dysfunction.

Cerebral thrombolysis in patients with ischemic stroke and heart failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is common among patients with ischemic stroke (IS), however its impact on outcome after iv-thrombolysis has not been fully determined. Moreover, definition of HF has been recently modified, but majority of stroke studies classified patients regarding an old HF criteria. Thus, the aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between both, newly and formerly defined HF and the long-term outcome, mortality and the presence of hemorrhagic complications in patients with acute IS treated with iv-thrombolysis.

CD271+, CXCR7+, CXCR4+, and CD133+ Stem/Progenitor Cells and Clinical Characteristics of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Ischemic stroke causes mobilization of various groups of progenitor cells from bone marrow to bloodstream and this correlates with the neurological status of stroke patients. The goal of our study was to identify the activity of chosen progenitor/stem cells in the peripheral blood of acute ischemic stroke patients in the first 7 days after the incident, through associations between the levels of the cells and clinical features of the patients. Thirty-three acute ischemic stroke patients and 15 non-stroke control subjects had their venous blood collected repeatedly in order to assess the levels of the CD45-CD34 + CD271+, the CD45-CD34 + CXCR4+, the CD45-CD34 + CXCR7+, and the CD45-CD34 + CD133+ stem/progenitor cells by means of flow cytometry.

IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels in gingival fluid and serum of patients with ischemic stroke.

It has been documented that an increase of immune cells in periodontitis may stimulate the process of atherosclerosis and lead to ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is any significant difference in serum and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) cytokine concentrations between patients with early ischemic stroke (IS) and a control group. Eighty-six patients were consecutively enrolled for this study, 50 with ischemic stroke and 36 as a control group with no previous stroke.

Left ventricular ejection fraction and aortic stiffness are independent predictors of neurological outcome in acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability and one of the major causes of death worldwide. The short-term prognosis in individual patients is highly variable and cannot be explained solely by stroke severity. We investigated the association of left ventricular ejection fraction with early neurological outcome in acute ischemic stroke.

Renal Dysfunction in Post-Stroke Patients.

Background: The presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an indicator of a worse long-term prognosis in patients with ischemic stroke (IS). Unfortunately, not much is known about renal function in the population of post-IS subjects. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of renal damage and impaired renal function (IRF) in the population of post-IS subjects.

Intravenous thrombolysis and three-year ischemic stroke mortality.

Background And Purpose: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in ischemic stroke (IS) does not reduce three-month mortality; however, longer-term survival after IVT has not been clearly established. Thus, we aimed to compare three-year mortality after IS in IVT-treated vs non-treated patients and to indicate predictors of long-term mortality after IVT.

Methods: We have evaluated data of 366 subjects with IS (196 treated with IVT and 170 non-treated with IVT, whose age, sex, and calendar time of IS occurrence matched the control group) collected via the Pomeranian Stroke Register.

Acute hypertensive response in ischemic stroke is associated with increased aortic stiffness.

Background And Aims: Acute hypertensive response (AHR) affects more than 60% of patients with ischemic stroke and is associated with poor outcomes. We hypothesized that its development is related to arterial stiffening. "The gold standard" estimate of arterial stiffness is carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV).

Statin Use and Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes: An Observational Study.

Objective: We aimed to assess a wide range of cognitive functions in patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1) compared with healthy control subjects and to evaluate the effects of statins on cognitive functions in DM1 patients.

Materials And Methods: The sample studied consisted of 55 DM1 patients (80.0% with hyperlipidemia, 20% with statin treatment) and 36 age-matched control subjects (77.

Long-term mortality after stroke is higher than after myocardial infarction.

Mortality caused by coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke (IS) in Poland is still among the highest in Europe. Because acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and IS share major common risk factors, it would be expected that trends in long-term mortality (LTM) and incidence of these two diseases would be similar. Nevertheless, better AMI acute phase therapy and older age of IS patients make post-IS and post-AMI prognosis difficult to compare.

The role of additional computed tomography in the decision-making process on the secondary prevention in patients after systemic cerebral thrombolysis.

Introduction: Patients with ischemic stroke undergoing intravenous (iv)-thrombolysis are routinely controlled with computed tomography on the second day to assess stroke evolution and hemorrhagic transformation (HT). However, the benefits of an additional computed tomography (aCT) performed over the next days after iv-thrombolysis have not been determined.

Methods: We retrospectively screened 287 Caucasian patients with ischemic stroke who were consecutively treated with iv-thrombolysis from 2008 to 2012.

Interval analysis of interictal EEG: pathology of the alpha rhythm in focal epilepsy.

The contemporary use of interictal scalp electroencephalography (EEG) in the context of focal epilepsy workup relies on the visual identification of interictal epileptiform discharges. The high-specificity performance of this marker comes, however, at a cost of only moderate sensitivity. Zero-crossing interval analysis is an alternative to Fourier analysis for the assessment of the rhythmic component of EEG signals.

Clinical utility of chosen factors in predicting post-stroke depression: a one year follow-up.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify possible interrelation between the presence of post-stroke depression (PSD) and chosen clinical and demographic parameters.

Methods: Initially 116 patients (61.4 ± 12.

Length of stay in emergency department and cerebral intravenous thrombolysis in community hospitals.

Objectives: Current guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke recommend completion of an evaluation within 60 min of the patient's arrival at the emergency department (ED) because prolongation of ED length of stay (LOS) may reduce the efficacy of acute stroke treatment.

Aim: To evaluate the LOS in EDs at the community-based Polish stroke centers, to determine logistic, social, epidemiological, and clinical factors responsible for its prolongation, and to assess the association between increased LOS and the implementation of cerebral intravenous (IV) thrombolysis.

Materials And Methods: This study carried out an evaluation of the medical records of 8398 patients with stroke and transient ischemic attack who consecutively reported to the Pomeranian Stroke Registry from 2010 to 2012.

Efficacy of cerebral thrombolysis in an extended 'time window'.

What Is Known And Objective: Cerebral systemic thrombolysis (i.v. thrombolysis) with tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is the only proven medical therapy for ischaemic stroke.

Diabetic symmetric polyneuropathy is associated with increased aortal stiffening but not cerebral angiopathy in type 1 diabetes.

Introduction: Diabetic symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP) and cerebral microangiopathy are common complications of type 1 diabetes (T1DM). However, little is known about associations between DSP, cerebral microcirculation and macrovascular injury in T1DM. We aimed to assess relationships between those complications.

Changes in skeletal muscle iron metabolism outpace amyotrophic lateral sclerosis onset in transgenic rats bearing the G93A hmSOD1 gene mutation.

Objective: Recently, iron and the adaptor protein "p66Shc" have been shown to play an important role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in rats. We hypothesized that changes in muscle p66Shc activity and iron metabolism would appear before visible symptoms of the disease occurred.

Methods: In the present study, we used transgenic rats bearing the G93A hmSOD1 gene mutation and their non-transgenic littermates to test this hypothesis.

Is there a bad time for intravenous thrombolysis? The experience of Polish stroke centers.

Background And Purpose: The outcome in acute stroke strongly depends on patient-related issues, as well as on the availability of human and diagnostic resources. Our aim was to evaluate safety and effectiveness of intravenous alteplase for stroke according to the time of admission to the hospital.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the data of all acute stroke patients treated with alteplase between October 2003 and December 2010, contributed to the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis for Stroke registry from 27 Polish stroke centers.

Hypertension, brain damage and cognitive decline.

Loss of cognitive function is one the most devastating manifestations of ageing and vascular disease. Cognitive decline is rapidly becoming an important cause of disability worldwide and contributes significantly to increased mortality. There is growing evidence that hypertension is the most important modifiable vascular risk factor for development and progression of both cognitive decline and dementia.

Heart rate variability and functional outcome in ischemic stroke: a multiparameter approach.

Background And Purpose: Heart rate variability (HRV) as a measure of autonomic function might provide prognostic information in ischemic stroke. However, numerous difficulties are associated with HRV parameters assessment and interpretation, especially in short-term ECG recordings. For better understanding of derived HRV data and to avoid methodological bias we simultaneously recorded and analyzed heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate.

Intravenous rt-PA in patients with ischaemic stroke and renal dysfunction.

Objective: Renal dysfunction (RD) increases risk for ischaemic stroke (IS). The impact of RD on the effects of iv-thrombolysis in the Caucasian population has not been fully determined.

Aims: To evaluate the associations between RD and the outcome of iv-thrombolysis in Caucasian patients with IS.