Reliability and Validity of the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Scale in Evaluation of Vascular Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Han Population.

Introduction: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and Alzheimer's disease are the most common cognitive impairment diseases in the elderly. This study aimed to apply the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) scale to evaluate VCI in elderly patients and analyze its reliability and validity.

Methods: We enrolled 278 VCI patients admitted to our hospital, from June 2017 to June 2018.

Effect of PCSK9 on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Functions: A New Player in Atherosclerosis.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a secretory serine protease that plays multiple biological functions in the regulation of physiological and pathological processes. PCSK9 inhibitors decrease the circulating LDL-cholesterol level with well-known preventive and therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis (AS). Still, increasing evidence shows that the direct impact of PCSK9 on the vascular wall also plays an important role in atherosclerotic progression.

Role of oral microbiota in atherosclerosis.

Oral infections are common among individuals of all ages and can activate local and systemic inflammation. The inflammatory response plays an important role in atherosclerosis. An increasing number of studies have reported an association between oral pathogen infection and atherosclerotic coronary heart disease.

A rare case report of a mixed persistent proatlantal intersegmental artery.

Adults with persistent proatlantal intersegmental artery (PPIA) are rarely seen. We present a case of a special type of PPIA that was in a 57-year-old man who presented with dizziness and episodic vertigo of 9 months duration. The diagnosis relied on computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography, by which a left internal carotid artery stenosis and an ipsilateral PPIA originating from the external carotid artery (ECA) was found.

The Association Between Post-stroke Depression, Aphasia, and Physical Independence in Stroke Patients at 3-Month Follow-Up.

Few studies have examined the association between post-stroke depression (PSD), aphasia, and physical independence in Chinese patients. This study investigated the above association in stroke patients in China at 3-month follow-up. Altogether 270 patients within 14 days after ischemic stroke were recruited and followed up at 3 months.

Visual field impairment predicts recurrent stroke after acute posterior circulation stroke and transient ischemic attack.

Aims: To evaluate whether visual field impairment (VFI) can predict stroke recurrence in patients with vertebral-basilar (VB) stroke.

Methods: A total of 326 patients were eligible for a VFI evaluation within 1 week of stroke onset. One-year follow-up data were obtained after VB stroke and other vascular events.

Clinical characteristics of poly-drug abuse among heroin dependents and association with other psychopathology in compulsory isolation treatment settings in China.

Objective: To investigate clinical characteristics and associations of polydrug abuse among heroin-dependent patients in compulsory isolation settings in China.

Methods: Structured interviews were conducted in 882 heroin-dependent patients in two compulsory isolation settings in Changsha, China. Descriptive statistics were employed to report prevalence and general information of polydrug abuse among the participants.