Helpful to Live Healthier? Intermittent Hypoxic/Ischemic Training Benefits Vascular Homeostasis and Lipid Metabolism with Activating SIRT1 Pathways in Overweight/Obese Individuals.

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate whether and how normobaric intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) or remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) plus normoxic training (RNT) has a synergistic protective effect on lipid metabolism and vascular function compared with normoxic training (NT) in overweight or obese adults.

Methods: A total of 37 overweight or obese adults (36.03 ± 10.

Effects of acetazolamide combined with remote ischemic preconditioning on risk of acute mountain sickness: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: We aimed to determine whether and how the combination of acetazolamide and remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduced the incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness (AMS).

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE) study involving 250 healthy volunteers. Participants were randomized (1:1:1:1:1) to following five groups: Ripc (RIPC twice daily, 6 days), Rapid-Ripc (RIPC four times daily, 3 days), Acetazolamide (twice daily, 2 days), Combined (Acetazolamide plus Rapid-Ripc), and Control group.

Intracranial Spotty Calcium Predicts Recurrent Stroke in Patients with Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis : A Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence highlights the association of calcium characteristics and cardiovascular events, but its role in cerebrovascular stenosis has not been well studied. We aimed to investigate the contribution of calcium patterns and density to recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS).

Methods: In this prospective study, 155 patients with symptomatic ICAS in the anterior circulation were included, and all subjects underwent computed tomography angiography.

Association of Posture Instability with Dopamine Drop of Nigrostriatal System and Hypometabolism of Cerebral Cortex in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Posture Instability (PI) is known to be a severe complication in Parkinson's Disease (PD), and its mechanism remains poorly understood. Our study aims to explore the changes of brain network in PI of PD, and further investigate the role of peripheral inflammation on activities of different brain regions in PD with PI.

Methods: 167 individuals were recruited, including 36 PD cases with PI and 131 ones without PI.

Acute Ischemic Stroke at High Altitudes in China: Early Onset and Severe Manifestations.

The detailed characteristics of strokes at high altitudes in diverse nations have not been extensively studied. We retrospectively enrolled 892 cases of first-ever acute ischemic strokes at altitudes of 20, 2550, and 4200 m in China (697 cases from Penglai, 122 cases from Huzhu, and 73 cases from Yushu). Clinical data and brain images were analyzed.

LncRNA HCG11/miR-26b-5p/QKI5 feedback loop reversed high glucose-induced proliferation and angiogenesis inhibition of HUVECs.

Acute coronary syndrome caused by the rupture of atherosclerotic plaques is one of the primary causes of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. Neovascularization within the plaque is closely associated with its stability. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) serves a crucial role in regulating vascular endothelial cells (VECs) proliferation and angiogenesis.

Intensive Lipid-Lowering Therapy Ameliorates Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis.

Statins have proven to exert protective effects in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (SICAS). It is unclear whether intensive lipid-lowering therapy (ILLT) can ameliorate atherosclerosis in asymptomatic ICAS (AICAS). A single-center, prospective cohort study was performed in 71 AICAS patients with lipid-lowering therapy.

Intracranial Vessel Wall Segmentation Using Convolutional Neural Networks.

Objective: To develop an automated vessel wall segmentation method using convolutional neural networks to facilitate the quantification on magnetic resonance (MR) vessel wall images of patients with intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD).

Methods: Vessel wall images of 56 subjects were acquired with our recently developed whole-brain three-dimensional (3-D) MR vessel wall imaging (VWI) technique. An intracranial vessel analysis (IVA) framework was presented to extract, straighten, and resample the interested vessel segment into 2-D slices.

Differential Features of Culprit Intracranial Atherosclerotic Lesions: A Whole-Brain Vessel Wall Imaging Study in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease tends to affect multiple arterial segments. Using whole-brain vessel wall imaging, we sought to study the differences in plaque features among various types of plaques in patients with a recent unilateral anterior circulation ischemic stroke.

Methods And Results: Sixty-one patients with unilateral anterior circulation ischemic stroke were referred to undergo whole-brain vessel wall imaging (before and after contrast) within 1 month of symptom onset for intracranial atherosclerotic disease evaluations.

Quantitative assessment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis and lenticulostriate arteries in recent stroke patients using whole-brain high-resolution cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: It has been shown that intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) has heterogeneous features in terms of plaque instability and vascular remodeling. Therefore, quantitative information on the changes of intracranial atherosclerosis and lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) may potentially improve understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying stroke and may guide the treatment and work-up strategies. Our present study aimed to use a novel whole-brain high-resolution cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (WB-HRCMR) to assess both ICAS plaques and LSAs in recent stroke patients.

Hyperintense Plaque on Intracranial Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Predictor of Artery-to-Artery Embolic Infarction.

Background And Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate atherosclerotic plaque characteristics in patients with artery-to-artery (A-to-A) embolic infarction by whole-brain high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: Seventy-four patients (mean age, 54.7±12.

Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 and Risk of Carotid Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Events in Community-Based Older Adults in China.

We explored the associations between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) level and carotid atherosclerosis with all phenotypes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in Chinese older adults. A total of 1257 adults aged ≥55 years who were free of CVD were enrolled in this cohort study. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 level was evaluated in 3 categories: Lp-PLA2 < 175, 175≤ Lp-PLA2 < 223, and Lp-PLA2 ≥ 223 ng/mL.

Muscle edema of the lower limb determined by MRI in Asian hypokalaemic periodic paralysis patients.

Objective: To determine the pattern of muscle edema occurring in the lower limb muscles of Asian hypokalaemic periodic paralysis (hypoPP) patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Specifically, the relationship between muscle edema and muscle activity during daily use was examined by comparing the lower limb muscle MRI of healthy subjects following exercise and hypoPP patients.

Methods: Twenty Asian patients (mean age: 29·3±7·53 years) clinically diagnosed with hypoPP were enrolled in the present study.

Serum CRP and urinary trypsin inhibitor implicate postoperative cognitive dysfunction especially in elderly patients.

Purpose: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) characterized as the decline of memory and executive function after major surgery is not well illustrated. The aim of this study is to discover whether inflammatory cytokines and urinary trypsin inhibitor (uTi) contribute to the development of POCD.

Method: Sixty-three patients undergoing lumber discectomy and 47 age-matched control volunteers were involved in this study.

Migraine-induced stroke with risk factors--involving two cerebral artery territories.

A patient with migraine-induced stroke with risk factors involving both anterior cerebral artery and posterior cerebral artery territory was presented. To better explain the symptom, the mechanisms of the migraine-induced stroke with risk factors were assessed and a hypothesis was raised.

K+-dependent paradoxical membrane depolarization and Na+ overload, major and reversible contributors to weakness by ion channel leaks.

Normal resting potential (P1) of myofibers follows the Nernst equation, exhibiting about -85 mV at a normal extracellular K(+) concentration ([K(+)](o)) of 4 mM. Hyperpolarization occurs with decreased [K(+)](o), although at [K(+)](o) < 1.0 mM, myofibers paradoxically depolarize to a second stable potential of -60 mV (P2).

[R1239H mutation of CACNA1S gene in a Chinese family with hypokalaemic periodic paralysis].

Objective: Mutation screening was performed to a Chinese family with hypokalaemic periodic paraiysis(HOKPP) for locating the corresponding mutations of gene and for specifying the clinical features associated with mutations.

Methods: The cilnical features of patients from HOKPP family were summurized. Techniques of target exon PCR and direct sequencing were used to screen the mutation in CACNA1S and SCN4A genes in all numbers of the family.

[The mutation V781I in SCN4A gene exists in Chinese patients with normokalemic periodic paralysis].

Objective: In this report are reviewed two unrelated patients with typical normokalemic periodic paralysis (normoKPP) features and the results of screening the SCN4A gene for the disease-related mutation.

Methods: Two sporadic cases with normoKPP were screened for previously known mutations in SCN4A gene (T704M, A1156T, M1360V, I1495F, M1592V) that lead to hyperKPP; denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) was used. Then the rest exons of SCN4A gene were screened by DHPLC, and sequence analysis was performed on those with DHPLC chromatogram variation when compared with unaffected control.

[Screening SCN4A gene for mutations with denaturing high performance liquid chromatography technology in a Chinese family with normokalemic periodic paralysis].

Objective: To study the clinical features of normokalemic periodic paralysis (normoKPP) and to confirm the relation between Met1592Val mutation and normoKPP and clarify its clinical features.

Methods: The clinical features of 14 patients in a Chinese family of normoKPP were summarized. All 24 exons of SCN4A gene were screened with denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) technology, and then sequence analysis was performed on those with abnormal elution peak.