Circulating Extracellular Vesicles in Stroke Patients Treated With Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Biomarker Analysis of a Randomized Trial.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete trophic factors and extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, the level and role of EVs after MSC therapy in patients with stroke are unknown. We investigated whether circulating EVs and trophic factors are increased after MSCs and are related to the therapeutic benefits in the STARTING-2 trial (Stem Cell Application Researches and Trials in Neurology-2) participants.

The effects of socioeconomic and geographic factors on chronic phase long-term survival after stroke in South Korea.

The stroke incidence has increased rapidly in South Korea, calling for a national-wide system for long-term stroke management. We investigated the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and geographic factors on chronic phase survival after stroke. We retrospectively enrolled 6994 patients who experienced a stroke event in 2009 from the Korean National Health Insurance database.

Traditional East Asian Herbal Medicine for Post-Stroke Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Post-stroke insomnia (PSI) is a highly prevalent complication after stroke. Current evidence of psychotropic drug use for PSI management is scarce and indicates harmful adverse events (AEs). Traditional East Asian herbal medicine is a widely used traditional remedy for insomnia.

A brief history of nearly EV-erything - The rise and rise of extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small cargo-bearing vesicles released by cells into the extracellular space. The field of EVs has grown exponentially over the past two decades; this growth follows the realisation that EVs are not simply a waste disposal system as had originally been suggested by some, but also a complex cell-to-cell communication mechanism. Indeed, EVs have been shown to transfer functional cargo between cells and can influence several biological processes.

Can Evoked Potential Changes during the Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass Surgery Predict Postoperative Improvement of Cerebral Perfusion and Functional Status?

Background: We investigated evoked potential (EP) changes during superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass surgery and their correlations with imaging and clinical findings postoperatively.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent STA-MCA bypass surgery due to ischemic stroke with large artery occlusion (MB group). Patients who underwent unruptured MCA aneurysm clipping were enrolled in the control group (MC group).

Application of digital infrared thermography for carpal tunnel syndrome evaluation.

We investigated the thermographic findings of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We enrolled 304 hands with electrodiagnostically identified CTS and 88 control hands. CTS hands were assigned to duration groups (D1, < 3 months; D2, 3‒6 months; D3, 6‒12 months; D4, ≥ 12 months) and severity groups (S1, very mild; S2, mild; S3, moderate; S4, severe).

Ultrasound-guided ethyl alcohol injection to the deep branch of the ulnar nerve to relieve hand spasticity in stroke patients: A case series.

Hand spasticity with a flexor pattern is a common problem affecting stroke patients and can result in pain, contractures, esthetic concerns, skin maceration, and overall loss of function. Poststroke (≥6 months) hemiparetic adult patients having a Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score of ≥1 for metacarpophalangeal flexion and thumb adduction spasticity were selected to receive an ultrasound-guided 20% ethyl alcohol block performed perineurally at the level of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. Their MAS scores were evaluated pretreatment at 1 month and the change in MAS scores was assessed using Wilcoxon's test.

Machine Learning-Based Three-Month Outcome Prediction in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Single Cerebrovascular-Specialty Hospital Study in South Korea.

Background: Functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke are of great concern to patients and their families, as well as physicians and surgeons who make the clinical decisions. We developed machine learning (ML)-based functional outcome prediction models in acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: This retrospective study used a prospective cohort database.

Changes in Stroke Patients' Health-Seeking Behavior by COVID-19 Epidemic Regions: Data from the Korean Stroke Registry.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to changes in stroke patients' healthcare use. This study evaluated changes in Korean stroke patients' health-seeking behaviors and stroke care services using data from the Korean Stroke Registry (KSR).

Methods: We reviewed data from patients with acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) during 2019 (before COVID-19 period) and 2020 (COVID-19 period).

A Novel Technique to Reject Artifact Components for Surface EMG Signals Recorded During Walking With Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Pilot Study.

Transcutaneous spinal cord electrical stimulation (tSCS) is an emerging technology that targets to restore functionally integrated neuromuscular control of gait. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a novel filtering method, Artifact Component Specific Rejection (ACSR), for removing artifacts induced by tSCS from surface electromyogram (sEMG) data for investigation of muscle response during walking when applying spinal stimulation. Both simulated and real tSCS contaminated sEMG data from six stroke survivors were processed using ACSR and notch filtering, respectively.

Herbal medicine for post-stroke insomnia: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Post-stroke insomnia (PSI) is a highly prevalent complication in patients with stroke. However, there has been no comprehensive systematic review assessing the efficacy and safety of herbal medicine (HM) on PSI. This protocol was developed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the evidence related to the efficacy and safety of HM on PSI.

Machine Learning-Based Cardiovascular Disease Prediction Model: A Cohort Study on the Korean National Health Insurance Service Health Screening Database.

Background: This study proposes a cardiovascular diseases (CVD) prediction model using machine learning (ML) algorithms based on the National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening datasets.

Methods: We extracted 4699 patients aged over 45 as the CVD group, diagnosed according to the international classification of diseases system (I20-I25). In addition, 4699 random subjects without CVD diagnosis were enrolled as a non-CVD group.

Electrodiagnostic, Sonographic, and Clinical Features of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Bifid Median Nerve.

Purpose: A bifid median nerve (BMN) is not a rare variant. This study aimed to investigate the features of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) accompanied by BMN.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective study, we defined a BMN group as CTS with BMN and a non-bifid median nerve (NMN) group as CTS without BMN.

Usefulness of Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring During the Clipping of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm: Diagnostic Efficacy and Detailed Protocol.

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) has been widely applied in brain vascular surgeries to reduce postoperative neurologic deficit (PND). This study aimed to investigate the effect of IONM during clipping of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). Between January 2013 and August 2020, we enrolled 193 patients with 202 UIAs in the N group (clipping without IONM) and 319 patients with 343 UIAs in the M group (clipping with IONM).

Posterior interosseous nerve syndrome caused by a ganglion cyst and its surgical release with intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring: A case report.

Rationale: Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) has been utilized not only for the rapid detection of neural insults during surgeries, but also to verify the neurophysiological integrity of nerve lesions in the surgical field.

Patient Concerns: A 32-year-old woman presented with a wrist and finger drop that had lasted about 3 months.

Diagnoses: The result of the initial electrodiagnostic test was consistent with posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) syndrome.

Clinical Usefulness of the Korean Version of the Dysphagia Handicap Index: Reliability, Validity, and Role as a Screening Test.

This study aimed to measure the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Dysphagia Handicap Index (K-DHI) and evaluate its diagnostic efficacy for predicting aspiration. We enrolled 104 patients with dysphagia symptoms (D group) and 88 controls (ND group). Among controls, there were 43 patients without dysphagia symptoms (ND patient group).

Noninvasive Beat-To-Beat Stroke Volume Measurements to Determine Preload Responsiveness During Mini-Fluid Challenge in a Swine Model: A Preliminary Study.

Cardiac output (CO) is an important parameter in fluid management decisions for treating hemodynamically unstable patients in intensive care unit. The gold standard for CO measurements is the thermodilution method, which is an invasive procedure with intermittent results. Recently, electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has emerged as a new method for noninvasive measurements of stroke volume (SV).

Piezo-Actuated One-Axis Vibrational Patterning for Mold-Free Continuous Fabrication of High-Precision Period-Programmable Micro- and Nanopatterns.

We present a mold-free high-resolution nanopatterning technology named piezo-actuated one-axis vibrational patterning (POP) that enables continuous and scalable fabrication of micro- and nanopatterns with precisely programmable periods and dimensions. POP utilizes the piezoelectric stack-actuated high-precision uniaxial vibration of a flat, pattern-free rigid tool edge to conduct sub-50 nm-periodic indentations on various compliant substrates laterally fed underneath. By controlling the tool vibration frequency, tool temperature, and substrate feed rate and by combining sequential tool strokes along multiple directions, diverse functional micro- and nanopatterns with variable periods and depths and multidimensional profiles can be continuously created without resorting to mold prefabrication.

Clinical Characteristics of the COVID-19 Patients with Pneumonia Detected by Computerized Tomography but Negative for Infiltration by X-ray.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread to all corners of the globe. Different diagnostic tools, such as Chest X-ray (CXR), lung ultrasound (LUS), and computerized tomography (CT), have been used to detect active pneumonic lesions associated with COVID-19 with their varying degrees of sensitivity and specificity. This study was undertaken to investigate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with a pneumonic lung lesion detected by CT that is not detected by CXR.

Spinal Cord Infarction: A Single Center Experience and the Usefulness of Evoked Potential as an Early Diagnostic Tool.

Spinal cord infarction (SCI) is a rare disease and its early diagnosis is challenging. Here, we described the clinical features and imaging findings of SCI, and assessed the results of evoked potential (EP) studies to elucidate their diagnostic role in the early stage of SCI. We retrospectively analyzed 14 patients who had spontaneous SCI.

Impact of Hospital Volume of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) on In-Hospital Outcomes in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: Based on the 2014 Cohort of the Korean Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (K-PCI) Registry.

Background And Objectives: The relationship between the hospital percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) volumes and the in-hospital clinical outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains the subject of debate. This study aimed to determine whether the in-hospital clinical outcomes of patients with AMI in Korea are significantly associated with hospital PCI volumes.

Methods: We selected and analyzed 17,121 cases of AMI, that is, 8,839 cases of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and 8,282 cases of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, enrolled in the 2014 Korean percutaneous coronary intervention (K-PCI) registry.