Cerebrovascular Dysfunction

Aging is the greatest non-modifiable risk factor for most diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Robust evidence indicates that CVD are a strong determinant for reduced brain health and all-cause dementia with advancing age. CVD are also closely linked with peripheral and cerebral vascular dysfunction, common contributors to the development and progression of all types of dementia, that are largely driven by excessive levels of oxidative stress (e...

Cortical cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) are associated with loss of white matter (WM) integrity and cognitive impairment in cross-sectional studies, while further investigation using longitudinal datasets is required. This study aims to establish the association between cortical CMIs and WM integrity assessed by diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) measures and to investigate whether DTI measures mediate the relationship between cortical CMIs and cognitive decline. Cortical CMIs were graded on 3T MRI. DTI measures were derived from histogram analysis of mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA)...

SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has revealed a broader impact beyond the respiratory system, predominantly affecting the vascular system with various adverse manifestations. The infection induces endothelial dysfunction and immune system dysregulation, creating an inflammatory and hypercoagulable state. It affects both microvasculature and macrovasculature, leading to thromboembolic events, cardiovascular manifestations, impaired arterial stiffness, cerebrovascular complications, and nephropathy, as well as retinopathy-frequently observed in cases of severe illness...

LOX-1, ORL-1, or lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 is a transmembrane glycoprotein that binds and internalizes ox-LDL in foam cells. LOX-1 is the main receptor for oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL). The LDL comes from food intake and circulates through the bloodstream. LOX-1 belongs to scavenger receptors (SR), which are associated with various cardiovascular diseases. The most important and severe of these is the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the intimal layer of the endothelium...

BACKGROUND: The incidence of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is high in patients suffering from ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or with vascular risk factors. Effective prevention strategies for VCI remain limited. Anaemia or low haemoglobin was found as an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes after acute stroke. Anaemia or low haemoglobin was possibly associated with an increased risk of poststroke cognitive impairment. Whether supplement of ferrous iron to correct anaemia reduces the risk of VCI and improves adverse outcomes in patients with ischaemic cerebrovascular disease remains uncertain...

BACKGROUND: There is a common agreement that Alzheimers disease (AD) is inherently complex; otherwise, a general disagreement remains on its etiological underpinning, with numerous alternative hypotheses having been proposed. OBJECTIVE: To perform a scoping review of original manuscripts describing hypotheses and theories of AD published in the past decades. RESULTS: We reviewed 131 original manuscripts that fulfilled our inclusion criteria out of more than 13,807 references extracted from open databases...

Hypotension is a leading cause of age-related cognitive impairment. The available literature evidences that vascular factors are associated with dementia and that hypotension alters cerebral perfusion flow and can aggravate the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the discovery of biomarkers and the recent progress made in neurovascular biology, epidemiology, and brain imaging, some key issues remain largely unresolved: the potential mechanisms underlying the neural deterioration observed in AD, the effect of cerebrovascular alterations on cognitive deficits, and the positive effects of hypotension treatment on cognition...

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction are major prognostic determinants in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The underlying pathomechanisms remain unknown. In this context, we sought to study the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and RV dysfunction in a rat model of obesity-associated HFpEF. METHODS AND RESULTS: HFpEF was induced in obesity-prone rats fed a high-fat diet (n=13) and compared with obesity-resistant rats fed with standard chow (n=9)...

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BACKGROUND: CI/R, characterized by ischemic injury following abrupt reestablishment of blood flow, can cause oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis. We used oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) induced injury in HT22 and primary mouse cortical neurons (MCN) as a model for CI/R. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the role of miR-188-5p in hippocampal neuron cell injury associated with Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion (CI/R). METHODS: HT22 and MCN cells were induced by OGD/R to construct an in vitro model of CI/R...

BACKGROUND: The restoration of cerebrovascular regulation and improvement of cerebral blood flow in ischaemic regions are crucial for improving the clinical prognosis after stroke. An-Gong-Niu-Huang-Wan (AGNHW) is a famous traditional compound Chinese medicine that has been used for over 220 years to treat acute ischaemic stroke; however, its role in the regulation of cerebral blood flow is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the regulatory effect of AGNHW on cerebral blood flow and microcirculation after ischaemic stroke and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved...

FMR1 premutation carriers (55-200 CGG repeats) are at risk of developing fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder associated with motor and cognitive impairment. Bilateral hyperintensities of the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP sign) are the major radiological hallmarks of FXTAS. In the general population, enlarged perivascular spaces (PVS) are biomarkers of small vessel disease and glymphatic dysfunction and are associated with cognitive decline. Our aim was to determine if premutation carriers show higher ratings of PVS than controls and whether enlarged PVS are associated with motor and cognitive impairment, MRI features of neurodegeneration, cerebrovascular risk factors and CGG repeat length...

Cardiac arrest (CA) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Due to hypoxic ischemic brain injury, CA survivors may experience variable degrees of neurological dysfunction. This study, for the first time, describes the progression of CA-induced neuropathology in the rat. CA rats displayed neurological and exploratory deficits. Brain MRI revealed cortical and striatal edema at 3 days (d), white matter (WM) damage in corpus callosum (CC), external capsule (EC), internal capsule (IC) at d7 and d14. At d3 a brain edema significantly correlated with neurological score...

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause neuronal damage and cerebrovascular dysfunction, leading to acute brain dysfunction and considerable physical and mental impairment long after initial injury. Our goal was to assess the impact of pediatric TBI (pTBI) on military service, completed by 65-70% of men in Finland. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective register-based nationwide cohort study. All patients aged 0 to 17 years at the time of TBI, between 1998 and 2018, were included...

Pericyte dysfunction severely undermines cerebrovascular integrity and exacerbates neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, pericyte-targeted therapy is a yet-untapped frontier for AD. Inspired by the elevation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in pericyte lesions, we fabricated a multifunctional nanoprodrug by conjugating the hybrid peptide VLC, a fusion of the VCAM-1 high-affinity peptide VHS and the neuroprotective apolipoprotein mimetic peptide COG1410, to curcumin (Cur) through phenylboronic ester bond (VLC@Cur-NPs) to alleviate complex pericyte-related pathological changes...

Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) represent a complex matrix of ocular age-related neurodegenerative changes. Numerous decades of research on this disease entity have highlighted the unique clinical features of ocular protein-complex aggregates, which lead to tissue dysfunction of the ocular outflow channels, leading to irreversible optic nerve damage and glaucoma. While genetic studies have reported several genes associated with XFS and XFG, numerous studies have shown their association with common systemic diseases such as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular accidents, and hypertension...

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is considered a safe and effective method for nutritional support in patients with malnutrition and swallowing impairment with an estimated survival of over two months. Some indications, such as advanced cognitive decline, contraindicate the technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent PEG placement between January 2001 and May 2019 were included. Clinical data, indication, complications, and mortality were retrospectively analyzed...

INTRODUCTION: Direct current cardioversion (DCCV) remains one of the recommended management strategies for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). Antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) are prescribed post procedure to maintain sinus rhythm (SR). Limited literature exists on the AAD prescribing practices and their efficacy, post-DCCV in rural Australia. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to determine the preferred AAD post-DCCV and the factors affecting AAD prescribing practices...

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is a robust predictor of coronary heart disease outcomes, with targeted therapies currently under investigation. We aimed to evaluate the association of high Lp(a) with standard modifiable risk factors (SMuRFs) for incident first acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective study used the Mass General Brigham Lp(a) Registry, which included patients aged ≥18 years with an Lp(a) measurement between 2000 and 2019...

BACKGROUND: Microvascular resistance reserve (MRR) can characterize coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD); however, its prognostic impact in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients remains undefined. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the prevalence of CMD in STEMI patients and to elucidate the prognostic performance of MRR. METHODS: This prospective cohort study enrolled 210 STEMI patients with multivessel disease who underwent successful revascularization and returned at 3 months for coronary physiology assessments with bolus thermodilution...