Cerebral vascular disease

Rhino-cerebral mucormycosis (RM) is a rare and opportunistic fungal infection observed in immune-compromised patients and metabolic imbalances such as Diabetes Mellitus. RM rapidly infiltrates blood vessels, leading to vascular thrombosis, subsequent tissue necrosis, and high mortality rates (23.6-60%). Due to its fast advancement, RM is a life-threatening condition requiring accurate clinical decisions by the medical and surgical teams. Based on the report of six cases, we emphasize the need for an early diagnosis and starting antifungal pharmacological therapy at the slightest suspicion of RM...

OBJECTIVE: Moyamoya arteriopathy can develop in patients with brain tumors, particularly when associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) or cranial irradiation. The present study aimed to analyze the clinical outcomes of moyamoya after brain tumor treatment and elucidate the effect of revascularization on brain tumors. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiographic findings in 27 patients with brain tumors who developed moyamoya requiring revascularization surgery between January 1985 and June 2017 at a single institution...

BACKGROUND: Disruptions in vascular formation attributable to chemical insults is a pivotal risk factor or potential etiology of developmental defects and various disease settings. Among the thousands of chemicals threatening human health, the highly concerning groups prevalent in the environment and detected in biological monitoring in the general population ought to be prioritized because of their high exposure risks. However, the impacts of a large number of environmental chemicals on vasculature are far from understood...

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation has recently been shown to be important in nutrient distribution, waste removal, and neurogenesis. Increased CSF volumes are frequently observed in congenital heart disease (CHD) and are associated with neurodevelopmental deficits. This suggests prolonged perturbation to the CSF system and possible interference to its homeostatic function, which may contribute to the neurodevelopmental deficits in CHD. CSF flow has yet to be studied in CHD patients, but the pulsatile flow of CSF throughout the brain is driven mainly by cardiopulmonary circulation...

Arterial hypertension (AH) is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases including cerebrovascular complications. Strokes and/or vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) are considered as a clinical sign of brain damage as a target organ in hypertension. To identify and assess the severity of VCI, patients with hypertension should undergo a neuropsychological assessment. Neuroimaging confirm the vascular origin of cognitive impairment. Patient management should include antihypertensive therapy along with neuroprotection...

OBJECTIVE: To establish specific features of executive functions (EF) impairment and attention in vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty people (over the age of 50) diagnosed with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and AD, as well as 29 healthy volunteers (control group), were examined. The following neuropsychological methods were used to study the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of cognitive impairments: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), EXIT-25, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Clock Drawing Test, «12 Words» test, verbal associations (literal and categorical) method, Trail Making Test A and B, Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Stroop Test, and Benton Visual Retention Test...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pattern and connections of neuropsychological and metabolic indices in patients with cognitive disorders of Alzheimer's and vascular (subcortical-cortical) types of different severity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 177 patients were examined, including 85 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 92 patients with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). All patients underwent complex neuropsychological examination; 18 F-FDG PET was performed in 17 patients with AD and 15 patients with VCI...

Systemic vasculopathy has occasionally been reported in cases of moyamoya disease (MMD). Since the pathological relationship between moyamoya vasculopathy (MMV) and moyamoya-related systemic vasculopathy (MMRSV) remains unclear, it was examined herein by a review of histopathologic studies in consideration of clinicopathological and genetic viewpoints. Although luminal stenosis was a common finding in MMV and MMRSV, histopathologic findings of vascular remodeling markedly differed. MMV showed intimal hyperplasia, marked medial atrophy, and redundant tortuosity of the internal elastic lamina, with outer diameter narrowing called negative remodeling...

BACKGROUND: A coordinated network of circulating inflammatory molecules centered on the pleotropic pro-atherogenic cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18) is linked to cerebral small vessel disease. We sought to validate the association of this inflammatory biomarker network with incident stroke risk, cognitive impairment, and imaging metrics in a sample of the Framingham Offspring Cohort. METHODS: Using available baseline measurements of serum levels of IL-18, GDF (growth and differentiation factor)-15, soluble form of receptor for advanced glycation end products, myeloperoxidase, and MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) from Exam 7 of the Framingham Offspring Cohort (1998-2001), we constructed a population-normalized, equally weighted log-transformed mean Z -score value representing the average level of each serum analyte to create an inflammatory composite score (ICS5)...

BACKGROUND/AIM: Cardiovascular pathologies are ubiquitous in sickle cell disease (SCD). A targeted literature review was conducted to compare the overall epidemiology of selected vasculopathies seen in SCD (SCDVs) compared to the general population. Since many SCDV may originate in childhood, the study also focused on the retrospective investigation of SCDVs in a pediatric cohort at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: SCDVs were studied along patient age, β-globin genotypes, and fetal hemoglobin (HbF)...

INTRODUCTION: Cavernomas are vascular lesions with a genetic heritage that can be spotted on the central nervous system. Whenever these lesions are localized in eloquent regions, surgical resection is not recommended. In this type of situation, Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKRS) could be a feasible option for treating patients. Thus, we aim to explore the outcomes associated with this procedure. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data based on Kaplan-Meier curves...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by aberrant amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleavage, pathological aggregations of beta-amyloid (Aβ) that make up Aβ plaques and hyperphosphorylation of Tau that makes up neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Although progress has been made in research on AD, the fundamental causes of this disease have not been fully elucidated. Recent studies have shown that vascular dysfunction especially the loss of pericytes plays a significant role in the onset of AD...

BACKGROUND: Craniopharyngioma (CP), although slow growing and histologically benign, has high morbidity, mostly related to hypothalamus-pituitary dysfunction and electrolyte imbalance. Increased risk of vascular complications has been described. However, data are still poor, especially in the paediatric population. The aim of our study was to evaluate the occurrence, timing, and predisposing factors of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and other vascular alterations in neurosurgical paediatric CP patients...

BACKGROUND: Differences in dominance and stenosis in the complex vertebral artery (VA) network pose challenges in diagnosing and treating cerebrovascular diseases crucial for brain nutrition. This research examines these intricacies, highlighting the importance of detailed diagnosis and treatment methods. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prevalence of the dominant VA, evaluate the influence of gender and age on steno-occlusion, and explore the correlation between the dominant VA and stenosed VA segments...

INTRODUCTION: Vascular events account for a considerable burden of morbidity and mortality in Behçet syndrome (BS). Thrombosis occurs in 1.8-21 % pediatric BS patients, even if the real prevalence is still largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: To report clinical features and outcomes of pediatric BS patients with thrombosis and to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of BS patients with and without thrombosis. METHODS: Retrospective data collection of BS patients with thrombosis (T+) included in the EUROFEVER registry...

Obesity, a burgeoning global health issue, is increasingly recognized for its detrimental effects on the central nervous system, particularly concerning the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This manuscript delves into the intricate relationship between obesity and BBB dysfunction, elucidating the underlying phenotypes and molecular mechanisms. We commence with an overview of the BBB's critical role in maintaining cerebral homeostasis and the pathological alterations induced by obesity. By employing a comprehensive literature review, we examine the structural and functional modifications of the BBB in the context of obesity, including increased permeability, altered transport mechanisms, and inflammatory responses...

Arterial occlusions of the retina are potentially sight-threatening diseases which often result in profound visual loss. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the aetiology, discuss major risk factors, describe the management and systemic assessments and evaluate existing therapies. For this review, an extensive literature search in PubMed was performed. Emboli from the heart or the carotid arteries can cause ophthalmic artery occlusion (OAO), central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO)...

Cerebrovascular disease accounts for major neurologic disabilities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). A potential association of mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA ) and inflammation with cerebral vessel remodeling in patients with type 2 DM was evaluated. A cohort of 150 patients and 30 healthy controls were assessed concerning urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), synaptopodin, podocalyxin, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), N-acetyl-β-(D)-glucosaminidase (NAG), interleukins IL-17A, IL-18, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)...

INTRODUCTION: There are no previously reported cases of locked-in syndrome occurring following cervical spinal surgery. We describe a case of locked-in syndrome following an elective cervical foraminotomy and discuss potential etiologies and contributing factors to our patient's presentation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old male with a history of head and neck cancer and prior anterior cervical discectomy and fusion presented with neck pain following a motor vehicle accident...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to establish an intelligent segmentation algorithm to count the number of deep medullary veins (DMVs) and analyze the relationship between DMVs and imaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). METHODS: DMVs on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with CSVD were counted by intelligent segmentation and manual counting. The dice coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to evaluate their consistency and correlation...