The role of peripheral inflammation-related biomarkers in distinguishing Parkinson's disease.

Background: Peripheral inflammation plays a significant role in Parkinson's disease (PD). Conflicting studies on whether inflammatory indicators in blood could serve as biomarkers to distinguish PD.

Objective: Include a wider range of biomarkers and control confounding factors to comprehensively evaluate the value of peripheral inflammation-related indicators.

Abnormal immune function of B lymphocyte in peripheral blood of Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with peripheral inflammation and abnormal peripheral blood lymphocyte immune responses. Peripheral blood B-lymphocyte subset distributions and whether they are associated with PD are unclear.

Methods: Sixty-one PD patients and sixty-one one-to-one paired healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled.

Gait characteristics related to fall risk in patients with cerebral small vessel disease.

Background: Falls and gait disturbance are significant clinical manifestations of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). However, few relevant studies are reported at present. We aimed to investigate gait characteristics and fall risk in patients with CSVD.

Argatroban Increased the Basal Vein Drainage and Improved Outcomes in Acute Paraventricular Ischemic Stroke Patients.

BACKGROUND Since venous drainage in acute arterial ischemic stroke has not been thoroughly researched, we evaluate the effect of argatroban, a selective direct thrombin inhibitor, as a therapy to increase the rate of basal vein Rosenthal (BVR) drainage and improve patients' post-stroke outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this multicenter clinical trial, 60 eligible patients at 4.5 to 48 hours after the stroke onset were recruited.

Association between neurological deterioration and outcomes in patients with stroke.

Background: Neurological deterioration (ND) shortly after stroke is common in Chinese patients. We aimed to determine the effects of ND during hospitalization on stroke prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed files from the stroke registry of the Department of Neurology of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital between October 1, 2008, and December 31, 2015.

Vinpocetine Inhibits NF-κB-Dependent Inflammation in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Unlabelled: Immunity and inflammation play critical roles in the pathogenesis of acute ischemic stroke. Therefore, immune intervention, as a new therapeutic strategy, is worthy of exploration. Here, we tested the inflammation modulator, vinpocetine, for its effect on the outcomes of stroke.

An Elevated High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Level Is Associated with Unfavorable Functional Outcomes of Small-Artery Occlusion in Patients without Diabetes.

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is associated with a risk of causing diabetes mellitus and ischemic stroke. However, the association between hs-CRP levels and functional outcome after small-artery occlusion (SAO) is unknown.

Methods: Data for 836 patients diagnosed with SAO were collected from the Department of Neurorehabilitation of Huanhu Hospital.

The Effects of Modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy in Acute Subcortical Cerebral Infarction.

: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) promotes upper extremity recovery post stroke, however, it is difficult to implement clinically due to its high resource demand and safety of the restraint. Therefore, we propose that modified CIMT (mCIMT) be used to treat individuals with acute subcortical infarction. : To evaluate the therapeutic effects of mCIMT in patients with acute subcortical infarction, and investigate the possible mechanisms underlying the effect.

Multiple sclerosis risk pathways differ in Caucasian and Chinese populations.

Large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets provide strong support for investigations of the mechanisms underlying multiple sclerosis (MS) by using pathway analysis methods. In our recent study, we conducted a three-stage pathway analysis of GWAS and expression datasets. After identifying 15 shared MS pathways in separate MS GWAS datasets, we found that dysregulated MS genes were significantly enriched in 10 of the 15 MS risk pathways.

No Association between Elevated Total Homocysteine Levels and Functional Outcome in Elderly Patients with Acute Cerebral Infarction.

An elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level is an independent risk factor for vascular events. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between tHcy levels in the acute phase of cerebral infarction and functional outcome among elderly patients. Between October 2009 and December 2012, we recruited 594 elderly patients (age > 75) with first-onset acute cerebral infarction who were consecutively admitted to the Department of Neurology of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, China.

Non-neuronal cholinergic activity is potentiated in myasthenia gravis.

Background: Non-neuronal acetylcholine (ACh) restricts autoimmune responses and attenuates inflammation by cholinergic anti-inflammation pathway. To date, the implication of ACh in myasthenia gravis (MG) remained unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between ACh levels, anti-muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody titers, main clinical features and outcomes of MG patients.

Genetic Variants and Multiple Sclerosis Risk Gene SLC9A9 Expression in Distinct Human Brain Regions.

A recent genome-wide association study reported a significant association between rs9828519 (G) and nonresponsiveness to interferon-beta (IFN-β) treatment and dysregulation of SLC9A9 expression in multiple sclerosis (MS) cases. We hypothesize that disease-relevant tissues are necessary to detect the effects of rs9828519-tagged SNPs on SLC9A9 expression. Here, we investigated whether SLC9A9 expression is regulated by rs9828519-tagged SNPs in human brain tissue.

Association between hs-CRP Levels and the Outcomes of Patients with Small-Artery Occlusion.

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is not only a marker of inflammation but also a prognostic factor for ischemic stroke. The objective of our study was to investigative the association between hs-CRP levels and outcomes of patients with small-artery occlusion (SAO).

Methods: We selected 718 participants diagnosed with SAO (according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classification) using the stroke registry of the Department of Neurorehabilitation of Tianjin HuanHu Hospital.

Association between Elevated Hemoglobin A1c Levels and the Outcomes of Patients with Small-Artery Occlusion: A Hospital-Based Study.

Introduction: Abnormal glucose metabolism is an independent risk factor for poor outcome following acute ischemic stroke. However, the relationship between initial hemoglobin A1c level and functional outcome (defined by modified Rankin Scale scores) following small-artery occlusion, a subtype of ischemic stroke, is unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate this association among patients diagnosed with small-artery occlusion.

Integrating genome-wide association studies and gene expression data highlights dysregulated multiple sclerosis risk pathways.

Background: Much effort has been expended on identifying the genetic determinants of multiple sclerosis (MS). Existing large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets provide strong support for using pathway and network-based analysis methods to investigate the mechanisms underlying MS. However, no shared genetic pathways have been identified to date.

The Predictive Value of Motor-Evoked Potentials and the Silent Period on Patient Outcome after Acute Cerebral Infarction.

Background: The predictive value of neurophysiologic assessment on patients' outcome after acute cerebral infarction is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and the silent period (SP) on clinical outcome.

Methods: A total of 202 patients with acute cerebral infarction were prospectively recruited.

Sex Differences in Stroke Subtypes, Severity, Risk Factors, and Outcomes among Elderly Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Although the age-specific incidence and mortality of stroke is higher among men, stroke has a greater clinical effect on women. However, the sex differences in stroke among elderly patients are unknown. Therefore, we aimed to assess the sex differences in stroke among elderly stroke patients.