Publications by authors named "Zafar Hashim"

Background: Intraoperative antiplatelet therapy is recommended for emergent stenting during mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Most patients undergoing MT are also given thrombolysis. Antiplatelet agents are contraindicated within 24 hours of thrombolysis.

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Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a central nervous system demyelinating condition. The postulated etiology is an autoimmune reaction, however, the mechanistic details are yet unknown. While infection and immunization are the most prevalent precipitating causes of ADEM, we postulate that radiopaque contrast material might have played a role as an immunological trigger.

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Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are used to diagnose central pontine myelinolysis (CPM), which is seen in the setting of osmotic changes, typically with the rapid correction of hyponatremia. However, they typically follow clinical symptoms and fail to detect myelinolytic lesions within the first two weeks, limiting their efficacy in early diagnosis. CPM can mimic brainstem ischaemic changes on CT head and a glioma on MRI.

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Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) typically has a short median survival of only a few months from diagnosis, with death usually due to thoracic disease. This has led to the belief in the past that mesothelioma rarely has distant metastasis, with cerebral metastasis accounting for only 3%. The multiple cases of brain metastasis from MPM recorded so far were discovered after death at autopsy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Previous studies indicate that COVID-19-related strokes have different mechanisms and outcomes compared to non-COVID-19 strokes, prompting a need for more comparative research.
  • This study analyzed 697 patients with acute large vessel occlusion (LVO), comparing 302 COVID-19 patients to 395 non-COVID-19 patients, and found significant age and gender differences, with COVID-19 patients generally being younger and more male.
  • Results showed that COVID-19 was linked to lower chances of complete revascularization and worse functional outcomes, as well as higher rates of in-hospital complications and mortality.
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Background: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is emerging as an important biomarker of acute physiologic stress in a myriad of medical conditions, and is a confirmed poor prognostic indicator in COVID-19.

Objective: We sought to describe the role of NLR in predicting poor outcome in COVID-19 patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: We analyzed NLR in COVID-19 patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes enrolled into an international 12-center retrospective study of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, consecutively admitted between March 1, 2020 and May 1, 2020.

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Background: The mechanisms and outcomes in coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated stroke are unique from those of non-COVID-19 stroke.

Objective: To describe the efficacy and outcomes of acute revascularization of large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the setting of COVID-19 in an international cohort.

Methods: We conducted an international multicenter retrospective study of consecutively admitted patients with COVID-19 with concomitant acute LVO across 50 comprehensive stroke centers.

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Background: While there are reports of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the overall incidence of AIS and clinical characteristics of large vessel occlusion (LVO) remain unclear.

Objective: To attempt to establish incidence of AIS in COVID-19 patients in an international cohort.

Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective, multicenter study of consecutive patients admitted with AIS and COVID-19 was undertaken from March 1 to May 1, 2020 at 12 stroke centers from 4 countries.

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Background: Mechanical thrombectomy was approved by NICE as a treatment for stroke in 2016. However, most of the evidence is from studies conducted during working hours. Only few centres in the UK perform thrombectomies out-of-hours.

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Interprofessional learning (IPL) was introduced for University of Nottingham 3rd year medical and nursing students at the Lincoln County Hospital. An evaluation of the subsequently implemented IPL intervention allowed us to ask the research question: can a single brief IPL intervention improve attitudes to IPL? A low fidelity simulation intervention was chosen as the mode of IPL, focusing on teamwork in the context of the assessment of the acutely ill patient. To assess the intervention's effect on students' attitudes, a validated questionnaire (RIPLS) was completed before and after the session.

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