Our objective was to evaluate hand-held echocardiography as point of care ultrasound scanning (POCUS) to detect sources of embolism in the acute phase of stroke. Prospective, unicentric observational cohort study of non-lacunar ischemic stroke patients evaluated by V Scan device. The main sources of embolism (MSEs) were classified into embolic valvulopathies and severe ventricular dysfunction. We looked for atrial fibrillation (AF) predictors in strokes of undetermined etiology. MSEs were detected in 19.23% (25/130). Large vessel occlusion (LVO) (odds ratio [OR]: 4.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-17.85) and chronic heart failure (OR: 13.25, 95% CI: 3.54-49.50) were independent predictors of MSEs. LVO (OR: 6.54, 95% CI: 1.62-26.27) and left atrial area >20 cm (OR: 7.01, 95% CI: 1.75-28.09) independently predicted AF. Patients with LVO and chronic heart disease may benefit from hand-held echocardiography as part of POCUS in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. Left atrial area measured was an independent predictor of AF in strokes of undetermined etiology.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.05.009 | DOI Listing |
Stroke
February 2025
Neurovascular Research Unit, Pharmacology Department, Complutense Medical School, Instituto Investigación Hospital 12 Octubre, Madrid, Spain (G.D., B.D., A.M., J.M.P., I.L.).
Background: Acute ischemic stroke treatment typically involves tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) or tenecteplase, but about 50% of patients do not achieve successful reperfusion. The causes of tPA resistance, influenced by thrombus composition and timing, are not fully clear. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), associated with poor outcomes and reperfusion resistance, contribute to thrombosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerg Microbes Infect
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Tianjin Medical University, Heping, Tianjin, 300070 China.
The monkeypox (MPXV) outbreak in 2022 is more prevalent among individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While it is plausible that HIV-induced immunosuppression could result in a more severe progression, the exact mechanisms remain undetermined. To better understand the immunopathology of MPXV in patients with and without HIV infection, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 6 patients hospitalized for MPXV, 3 of whom had HIV infection (HIV antibody positive & HIV RNA level below the detection limit), and 3 patients only infected with MPXV (HIV-).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a well-known red blood cell enzymopathy and a cause of intravascular hemolysis. This case report presents a child with underlying G6PD deficiency who experienced an acute episode of extensive intravascular hemolysis induced by a scrub typhus infection. The key takeaway from this report is that scrub typhus infection can trigger extensive hemolysis in patients with even "mild" G6PD deficiency, and normal G6PD levels found during the acute phase of hemolysis do not rule out the possibility of underlying G6PD deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe idea of self-organized signal processing in the cerebral cortex has become a focus of research since Beggs and Plentz reported avalanches in local field potential recordings from organotypic cultures and acute slices of rat somatosensory cortex. How the cortex intrinsically organizes signals remains unknown. A current hypothesis was proposed by the condensed matter physicists Bak, Tang, and Wiesenfeld when they conjectured that if neuronal avalanche activity followed inverse power law distributions, then brain activity may be set around phase transitions within self-organized signals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagnostic delays prevent most Chagas disease patients from receiving timely therapy during the acute phase when treatment is effective. qPCR-based diagnostic methods provide high sensitivity during this phase but require specialized equipment and complex protocols. More simple and cost-effective tools are urgently needed to optimize early Chagas disease diagnosis in low-income endemic regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!