Positive real-time PCR in pneumococcal meningitis 12 hours after initiation of antibiotic therapy - case report.

Background: Purulent meningitis poses a significant clinical challenge with high mortality. We present the case of a 54-year-old female transferred to our emergency department with suspected bacterial meningitis, later diagnosed as an Austrian syndrome.

Case Presentation: The patient exhibited subacute somnolence, severe headache, nausea and fever.

Case Report: Treatment of Akinetic Mutism after Unilateral Anterior Cerebral Artery Infarction with Methylphenidate and Levodopa/Benserazide.

Introduction: Akinetic mutism is a severe state of impaired volition that can result from a stroke. Its therapeutic evidence relies on single case reports that used atomoxetine or levodopa with variable latency and efficacy.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 54-year-old woman who developed akinetic mutism after infarction in the territory of the right anterior cerebral artery, successfully treated with methylphenidate and levodopa/benserazide.

Aspiration only versus stent retriever only thrombectomy in basilar artery occlusion: a propensity score-matched analysis of the German Stroke Registry.

Background: Endovascular treatment has become the standard care for acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO). Uncertainty persists about the optimal thrombectomy technique.

Objective: To compare aspiration thrombectomy with stent retriever thrombectomy in patients with BAO in a multicenter real-world patient population.

Clinical practice of continuous rhythm monitoring after embolic stroke of undetermined source.

Aims: Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) accounts for up to 20% of ischemic strokes annually. Undetected atrial fibrillation (AF) is one important potential underlying cause. For AF, oral anticoagulation has evolved as the most preferable means of secondary stroke prevention.

Toward Individual Treatment in Cervical Artery Dissection: Subgroup Analysis of the TREAT-CAD Randomized Trial.

Objective: Uncertainty remains regarding antithrombotic treatment in cervical artery dissection. This analysis aimed to explore whether certain patient profiles influence the effects of different types of antithrombotic treatment.

Methods: This was a post hoc exploratory analysis based on the per-protocol dataset from TREAT-CAD (NCT02046460), a randomized controlled trial comparing aspirin to anticoagulation in patients with cervical artery dissection.

Telemedical stroke care significantly improves patient outcome in rural areas: Long-term analysis of the German NEVAS network.

Background: Comprehensive stroke centers (CSC) offer state-of-the-art stroke care in metropolitan centers. However, in rural areas, sufficient stroke expertise is much scarcer. Recently, telemedical stroke networks have offered instant consultation by stroke experts, enabling immediate administration of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on-site and decision on thrombectomy.

The RAPID-score: Risk Assessment and PredIction of Delirium in acute stroke patients based on very early clinical parameters.

Background And Objective: Post-stroke delirium (PSD) is a common complication in acute stroke patients, and guidelines recommend routine screening and various preventive and treatment measures. However, there is a substantial lack of standardized approaches in diagnostic and therapeutic management of PSD. Here, we aimed to develop a new pragmatic and easily assessable screening tool to predict PSD based on early parameters, which are already integral to acute stroke diagnostics.

Basilar artery occlusion: drip-and-ship versus direct-to-center for mechanical thrombectomy within the Neurovascular Network of Southwest Bavaria (NEVAS).

Background: Recent clinical trials revealed a substantial clinical benefit for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO). While urban areas are sufficiently covered with comprehensive stroke centers and MT expertise, rural areas lack such resources. Structured telemedical stroke networks offer rural hospitals instant consultation by stroke experts, enabling swift administration of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on-site and transportation for MT.

[Secondary prophylaxis of ischemic stroke].

The secondary prophylaxis of ischemic stroke provides an enormous therapeutic potential due to the high frequency of recurrent thrombembolic events and the exceptional importance of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors for the individual risk of stroke. In this respect, anti-thrombotic, interventional and surgical treatment options must be selected based on the respective etiology. Furthermore, meticulous optimization of risk factors is essential for effective long-term care.

Periprocedural unfractionated heparin bolus during endovascular treatment in acute ischemic stroke does more harm than good.

Background: Unfractionated heparin (UFH) bolus is occasionally administered during endovascular treatment (EVT) to reduce thrombotic complications in acute ischemic stroke patients. However, the MR CLEAN-MED trial showed an increase in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhages (sICH) and a non-significant shift towards worse functional outcome with UFH administration. We aimed to analyze the impact of periprocedural UFH bolus in a real-world setting in anterior (ACS) and posterior circulation stroke (PCS) patients.

Association of the time of day of EVT with clinical outcomes and benefit from successful recanalization after stroke.

Experimental and neuroimaging studies suggest an influence of the time of day on acute infarct growth, but whether this could inform patient selection for acute treatments is uncertain. In a multicenter cohort of 9357 stroke patients undergoing endovascular treatment, morning treatment (05:00-10:59) was associated with lowest 90-day mRS scores (adjusted odds ratio, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.

Impact of ongoing intravenous thrombolysis until completion of endovascular treatment in large vessel occlusion stroke patients.

Background: Recent studies have implied that ongoing intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) during endovascular treatment (ET) improves functional outcomes in patients who have undergone stroke caused by a large vessel occlusion (LVO). In this study, we investigated the effect of ongoing IVT until completion of ET on procedure duration, first-pass thrombectomy rate, and periprocedural complications.

Methods: We analyzed patients from the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment dataset, collected between June 2015 and December 2021.

Translocator protein (TSPO)-PET as diagnostic and monitoring tool in COVID-19 related MRI-negative brainstem encephalitis: a case report.

Background: Encephalitis and myelitis have been linked to both COVID-19 vaccination and infection, causing symptoms such as reduced consciousness, mental state alterations and seizures. Remarkably, most cases do not show significant structural alterations on MRI scans, which poses a diagnostic challenge.

Methods: We present the diagnostic workup and clinical course of a patient who developed a progressive brainstem syndrome two weeks after COVID-19 vaccination and subsequent infection.

Endovascular thrombectomy for basilar artery occlusion stroke: Analysis of the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment.

Background And Purpose: Acute ischemic stroke due to basilar artery occlusion (BAO) causes the most severe strokes and has a poor prognosis. Data regarding efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy in BAO are sparse. Therefore, in this study, we performed an analysis of the therapy of patients with BAO in routine clinical practice.

Atrial Fibrillation Risk Assessment after Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source.

Objective: Approximately 20% of strokes are embolic strokes of undetermined source (ESUS). Undetected atrial fibrillation (AF) remains an important cause. Yet, oral anticoagulation in unselected ESUS patients failed in secondary stroke prevention.

Retinal Infarction: A Pilot Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Thrombolysis and Underlying Aetiologies.

Treatment of non-arteritic central retinal artery occlusion is still inconsistent. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and describe the prevalence of co-occurring ischemic brain lesions in patients with acute visual loss due to ischemia. We analysed 38 consecutive patients with acute visual loss between January 2015 and June 2020.

Minor stroke in large vessel occlusion: A matched analysis of patients from the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment (GSR-ET) and patients from the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke-International Stroke Thrombolysis Register (SITS-ISTR).

Background And Purpose: Reperfusion treatment in patients presenting with large vessel occlusion (LVO) and minor neurological deficits is still a matter of debate. We aimed to compare minor stroke patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or IVT alone.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment (GSR-ET) and the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke-International Stroke Thrombolysis Registry (SITS-ISTR) between June 2015 and December 2019 were analyzed.

Abnormal bone architecture in mice expressing MyD88 in cells of the osteoclast lineage.

The adapter protein myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) links the intracellular domains of interleukin receptors 1 and 18, and most Toll-like receptors (TLRs) to interleukin 1 receptor associated kinase (IRAK) signaling and subsequent NF-κB-mediated transcription. Previous work showed that mice with global deficiency of MyD88 (MyD88) have osteopenic cancellous bone along with a reduction in osteoblastic but also osteoclastic surfaces. To further elucidate the role of MyD88 in bone, we utilized mice with osteoclast-restricted MyD88 expression in bone (MyD88).

Matrix mineralization controls gene expression in osteoblastic cells.

Osteoblasts are adherent cells, and under physiological conditions they attach to both mineralized and non-mineralized osseous surfaces. However, how exactly osteoblasts respond to these different osseous surfaces is largely unknown. Our hypothesis was that the state of matrix mineralization provides a functional signal to osteoblasts.

Osteoblast migration in vertebrate bone.

Bone formation, for example during bone remodelling or fracture repair, requires mature osteoblasts to deposit bone with remarkable spatial precision. As osteoblast precursors derive either from circulation or resident stem cell pools, they and their progeny are required to migrate within the three-dimensional bone space and to navigate to their destination, i.e.