Publications by authors named "Simpkins A"

Article Synopsis
  • The "2024 Guideline for the Primary Prevention of Stroke" updates the previous 2014 guidelines, providing new strategies for preventing strokes in individuals without a prior history.
  • A thorough review of relevant literature from various databases was conducted to inform these updated recommendations, ensuring they are based on the latest research.
  • The guidelines emphasize the preventability of strokes and include new sex-specific recommendations, aligning with the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8, while also updating previous recommendations based on recent research findings.
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The terminal cells of the larval tracheal system are perhaps the simplest delivery networks, providing an analogue for mammalian vascular growth and function in a system with many fewer components. These cells are a prime example of single-cell morphogenesis, branching significantly over time to adapt to the needs of the growing tissue they supply. While the genetic mechanisms governing local branching decisions have been studied extensively, an understanding of the emergence of a global network architecture is still lacking.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a leading cause of ischemic strokes in young adults, and this study explored the effects of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on patients with CeAD and stroke symptoms.
  • Analyzed data from the STOP-CAD study, it found that IVT significantly improved functional independence after 90 days in patients without increasing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.
  • The results suggest that IVT is a beneficial treatment for eligible patients with CeAD, aligning with current medical guidelines on its use.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to validate the SINCALC score, which predicts poor outcomes and mortality in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), using an international cohort from the ACTION-CVT study.
  • The ACTION-CVT cohort showed differences from the original International CVT Consortium, being older, having fewer females, and milder symptoms, with a mortality rate of 2.5% at 30 days and 6% at one year.
  • Results indicated the SINCALC score performed reasonably well in predicting outcomes, with AUC values suggesting its effectiveness, and further validation in diverse populations is recommended.
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Background: Small, randomized trials of patients with cervical artery dissection showed conflicting results regarding optimal stroke prevention strategies. We aimed to compare outcomes in patients with cervical artery dissection treated with antiplatelets versus anticoagulation.

Methods: This is a multicenter observational retrospective international study (16 countries, 63 sites) that included patients with cervical artery dissection without major trauma.

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Background Identifying factors associated with delayed diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) can inform future strategies for early detection. Methods and Results We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all participants from ACTION-CVT (Anticoagulation in the Treatment of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis) study who had dates of neurologic symptom onset and CVT diagnosis available. Delayed diagnosis was defined as CVT diagnosis occurring in the fourth (final) quartile of days from symptom onset.

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Background And Purpose: Vessel recanalization after cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is associated with favorable outcomes and lower mortality. Several studies examined the timing and predictors of recanalization after CVT with mixed results. We aimed to investigate predictors and timing of recanalization after CVT.

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Germline mutations upregulating RAS signaling are associated with multiple developmental disorders. A hallmark of these conditions is that the same mutation may present vastly different phenotypes in different individuals, even in monozygotic twins. Here, we demonstrate how the origins of such largely unexplained phenotypic variations may be dissected using highly controlled studies in Drosophila that have been gene edited to carry activating variants of MEK, a core enzyme in the RAS pathway.

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Background: We identified risk factors, derived and validated a prognostic score for poor neurological outcome and death for use in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).

Methods: We performed an international multicenter retrospective study including consecutive patients with CVT from January 2015 to December 2020. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic characteristics were collected.

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Background And Objective: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare cause of stroke carrying a nearly 4% risk of recurrence after 1 year. There are limited data on predictors of recurrent venous thrombosis in patients with CVT. In this study, we aim to identify those predictors.

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Background: Stroke survivors with residual disabling deficits who are medically stable may be recommended for acute rehabilitation or outpatient therapy, depending partly on the severity of their deficits. Here we sought to determine if the location at which patients needing rehabilitation post-stroke has shifted from inpatient to an outpatient setting.

Methods: For analysis, we used our Institutional Review Board-approved Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Database to study stroke survivors discharged to receive either inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation services between 2014 and 2019.

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Background: Perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) is critical for determining whether stroke patients presenting in an extended time window are candidates for mechanical thrombectomy. However, PWI is not always available. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintense vessels (FHVs) are seen in patients with a PWI lesion.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent studies showed a rise in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting this evaluation of hospitalization and mortality rates comparing the pandemic year (2020) to the year prior (2019).
  • A cross-sectional study analyzed data from 171 stroke centers worldwide, focusing on CVT admissions and associated mortality from January 2019 to May 2021, revealing no significant differences in overall CVT volume or mortality between 2019 and 2020.
  • However, the first five months of 2021 saw a notable increase in CVT admissions compared to 2019 and 2020, with higher mortality rates linked to COVID-19-positive patients and instances of vaccine-induced immune
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Patient-centered research in determining health care disparities among stroke patients is limited. Several studies have examined patient perceptions in stroke survivors and have utilized the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) and Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (BIPQ), which are validated measures of illness beliefs. Yet, there are several domains these surveys could assess that warrant more investigation, including: perception of medication side effects; acceptance of the stroke diagnosis; consequence and long-term impact of symptoms; the importance of medications in long-term health maintenance; and perception of ease of access to equitable health care.

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Background: Race and geographic differences in the prevalence and predictors of hypertension in stroke survivors have been reported, but apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (aTRH) among stroke survivors by race (African ancestry vs. non-Hispanic Caucasians) and by geography (continental Africa vs. the United States) are under studied.

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Background: A small randomized controlled trial suggested that dabigatran may be as effective as warfarin in the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). We aimed to compare direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to warfarin in a real-world CVT cohort.

Methods: This multicenter international retrospective study (United States, Europe, New Zealand) included consecutive patients with CVT treated with oral anticoagulation from January 2015 to December 2020.

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