Publications by authors named "Sinnecker T"
Background: There is some evidence of reduced major cardiovascular event (MACE) rates associated with moderate coffee consumption in the general population. However, there is concern about the potential risks of coffee consumption in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between coffee consumption and MACE in AF patients.
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- The study examined the relationship between smoking habits and brain health in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), focusing on brain lesions and volumes using MRI scans.
- A total of 1,728 patients were analyzed, revealing that heavy smoking and longer smoking duration were linked to reduced gray matter volume and increased risk of white matter lesions (WMLs).
- Additionally, patients who quit smoking for at least 16 years had fewer small noncortical infarcts and smaller WML volumes, indicating that long-term cessation may improve brain health.
Background: The influence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and blood pressure (BP) on brain lesions and cognitive function is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of BP with different types of brain lesions and cognitive decline in patients with AF.
Methods: Overall, 1,213 AF patients underwent standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and after 2 years, as well as yearly neurocognitive testing.
Article Synopsis
- * It included over 2,300 patients, with a focus on comparing outcomes based on how many ECV procedures each patient had undergone.
- * The results indicated no significant link between the number of ECVs and either existing or new brain infarcts, nor with clinical issues like strokes, hospitalizations for heart failure, or mortality.
Background: Susac syndrome (SuS) is a rare autoimmune disease that leads to hearing impairment, visual field deficits, and encephalopathy due to an occlusion of precapillary arterioles in the brain, retina, and inner ear. Given the potentially disastrous outcome and difficulties in distinguishing SuS from its differential diagnoses, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), our exploratory study aimed at identifying potential new SuS-specific neuroimaging markers.
Methods: Seven patients with a definite diagnosis of SuS underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 Tesla (7T), including T2* weighted and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) sequences.
Background: Atrial fibrillation is a major risk factor for stroke and silent brain infarcts. We studied whether a multimodal approach offers additional insights to the CHADS-VASc score in predicting stroke or new brain infarcts on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over a 2-year follow-up.
Methods: Swiss-AF is a prospective, multicenter cohort study of patients with known atrial fibrillation.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the link between statin use and the prevalence/progression of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a group at high risk for bleeding and cardiovascular issues.
- Data from the Swiss-AF cohort, including information on statin use, lipid levels, and MRI imaging results over two years, was analyzed, focusing on various health factors that could influence outcomes.
- Results showed that 47.4% of participants were statin users, but statin use did not significantly affect CMB prevalence or progression, indicating more research is needed to clarify these relationships.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed 2715 stroke patients and found that 5.9% had apical pulmonary lesions (APL) visible on computed tomography angiography (CTA).
- One-third of these patients had APL that were suspicious for malignancy, with many having no prior history of lung cancer.
- APL indicating malignancy were linked to worse in-hospital outcomes, including higher stroke severity and increased mortality risk.
Background: Clinical and radiological signs of recurring disease activity (RDA) have been described in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) after discontinuation of fingolimod (FGL).
Objective: To describe frequency, severity and potential risk factors for RDA after FGL discontinuation in a large real-world cohort of pwMS.
Methods: Post-FGL RDA was defined as evidence of clinical and/or radiological activity within 6 months after FGL discontinuation.
Background: Detecting new and enlarged lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is needed to determine their disease activity. LeMan-PV is a software embedded in the scanner reconstruction system of one vendor, which automatically assesses new and enlarged white matter lesions (NELs) in the follow-up of MS patients; however, multicenter validation studies are lacking.
Purpose: To assess the accuracy of LeMan-PV for the longitudinal detection NEL white-matter MS lesions in a multicenter clinical setting.
Objective: Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a metabolite derived from the microbial processing of dietary phosphatidylcholine and carnitine and the subsequent hepatic oxidation. Due to its prothrombotic and inflammatory mechanisms, we aimed to assess its role in the prediction of adverse events in a susceptible population, namely patients with atrial fibrillation.
Methods: Baseline TMAO plasma levels were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 2379 subjects from the ongoing Swiss Atrial Fibrillation cohort.
Background And Purpose: Vascular brain lesions, such as ischemic infarcts, are common among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and are associated with impaired cognitive function. The role of physical activity (PA) in the prevalence of brain lesions and cognition in AF has not been investigated.
Methods: Patients from the multicenter Swiss-AF cohort study were included in this cross-sectional analysis.
Aims: To determine the risk of subsequent adverse clinical outcomes in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who experienced a new bleeding event.
Methods And Results: Anticoagulated AF patients were followed in two prospective cohort studies. Information on incident bleeding was systematically collected during yearly follow-up visits and events were adjudicated as major bleeding or clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis guidelines.
Objective: To examine sex differences in prevalence, volume and distribution of vascular brain lesions on MRI among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, we included 1743 patients with AF (27% women) from the multicentre Swiss Atrial Fibrillation study (SWISS-AF) with available baseline brain MRI. We compared presence and total volume of large non-cortical or cortical infarcts (LNCCIs), small non-cortical infarcts, microbleeds (MB) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH, Fazekas score ≥2 for moderate or severe degree) between men and women with multivariable logistic regression.
Background: White matter lesions (WMLs) on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) may contribute to misdiagnosis. In chronic active lesions, peripheral iron-laden macrophages appear as paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs).
Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of PRLs in differentiating MS from mimics using clinical 3T MRI scanners.
Background: A change in MRI hardware impacts brain volume measurements. The aim of this study was to use MRI data from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy control subjects (HCs) to statistically model how to adjust brain atrophy measures in MS patients after a major scanner upgrade.
Methods: We scanned 20 MS patients and 26 HCs before and three months after a major scanner upgrade (1.
Importance: The mechanisms driving neurodegeneration and brain atrophy in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) are not completely understood.
Objective: To determine whether disability progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) in patients with RMS is associated with accelerated brain tissue loss.
Design, Setting, And Participants: In this observational, longitudinal cohort study with median (IQR) follow-up of 3.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the role of the choroid plexus in two neurological conditions: multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), aiming to compare their choroid plexus volumes.
- Results show that MS patients have a significantly larger choroid plexus volume than NMOSD patients, healthy individuals, or migraine sufferers, suggesting a distinct involvement in MS.
- The differences in choroid plexus volume in MS were linked to various disease-related factors, highlighting its potential relevance in understanding MS pathology compared to NMOSD.
Aims: We aimed to investigate the association of clinically overt and silent brain lesions with cognitive function in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.
Methods And Results: We enrolled 1227 AF patients in a prospective, multicentre cohort study (Swiss-AF). Patients underwent standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and after 2 years.
Silent brain infarcts (SBI) are frequently detected in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but it is unknown whether SBI are linked to autonomic dysfunction. We aimed to explore the association of autonomic dysfunction with SBI in AF patients. 1,358 AF patients without prior stroke or TIA underwent brain MRI and 5-min resting ECG.
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- The study investigates the role of intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and its correlation with disease activity and worsening over time.
- Analysis of data from 530 MS patients shows that those with IgM have significantly shorter times to first relapse and higher MS Severity Scores, along with increased neurofilament light chain levels and T2-weighted MRI lesions.
- The findings suggest that IgM synthesis is an important independent biomarker for assessing disease activity and severity in relapsing MS, differentiating it from patients with only oligoclonal IgG bands.
Silent and overt ischemic brain lesions are common and associated with adverse outcome. Whether the CHADS-VASc score and its components predict magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected ischemic silent and overt brain lesions in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. In this cross-sectional analysis, patients with AF were enrolled in a multicenter cohort study in Switzerland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrainstem-mediated functions are impaired in neurodegenerative diseases and aging. Atrophy can be visualized by MRI. This study investigates extrinsic sources of brainstem volume variability, intrinsic sources of anatomical variability, and the influence of age and sex on the brainstem volumes in healthy subjects.
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