In recent years, the incidence rate of ischemic stroke in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is increasing, attracting wide attention from scholars at home and abroad. In addition to traditional risk factors of stroke, the secondary ischemic stroke in PLWHA is also affected by HIV infection. This study reviews the incidence rate and risk factors of secondary ischemic stroke in PLWHA, in order to provide a theoretical basis for preventing and reducing the incidence of ischemic stroke in PLWHA.
Ischemic stroke can lead to disruption in the oral ecology and an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, resulting in periodontal disease. Meanwhile, the aspiration and pulmonary infection resulted from dysphagia can increase the unfavorable prognosis. Some studies have found that there exist oral bacteria in the thrombus in myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke patients, showing that oral flora might be associated with thrombus and stroke-associated pneumonia. There are few high quality clinical studies or evidence-based guidelines. Priority should be given to high quality research that provides oral care standards, and incorporating oral care into future stroke pathways to improve the prognosis.
Objective To investigate whether there is an off-hours effect on the endovascular treatment (EVT) process for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after emergency admission to the hospital. Methods We retrospectively analyzed AIS patients who were admitted to the West China Hospital of Sichuan University on the stroke green channel between September 2019 and August 2023 and planned to perform emergency EVT. The patients were divided into working-hour and off-hour groups according to their admission time. The clinical information, door-to-puncture time (DPT), door-to-head/neck imaging time (DIT) and door-to-blood test time (DBT) of the two groups patients were compared, and subgroup analysis was conducted according to whether they arrived at the hospital at night, before and after the guideline update, and whether they were in the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic period. Results A total of 586 AIS patients with large vessel occlusion were included, including 220 patients admitted during working hours and 336 patients admitted during off-working hours. There was no statistically significant difference in the basic information and EVT process time between patients admitted during working hours and patients admitted during off-working hours (P>0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that in patients admitted during off-working hours, there was no statistically significant difference in the basic information and EVT process time between patients arrived at the hospital at night and patients did not arrive at the hospital at night (P>0.05). Before and after the guideline updated, there was no statistically significant difference in the basic information and EVT process time between patients admitted during working hours and patients admitted during off-working hours (P>0.05). No matter whether it is in the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic period, there was no statistically significant difference in the basic information and EVT process time between patients admitted during working hours and patients admitted during off-working hours (P>0.05). Conclusions There is no off-hours effect on the EVT process time after AIS patients arrive at the hospital. In the future, more stroke centers of different levels are needed to further explore the impact of off-hours effect on emergency diagnosis and treatment of AIS patients.
This article explores the application and research progress of shared decision-making (SDM) tools in ultra-early vascular recanalization therapy for ischemic stroke, focusing on analyzing the functional characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of various tools. Based on functional goals, SDM tools can be divided into four categories: brief decision aids, risk communication tools, patient information tools, and prognosis assessment tools. These tools can assist patients and doctors in making informed treatment decisions quickly in time-sensitive situations, providing a reference for optimizing stroke revascularization treatment. Additionally, SDM tools can facilitate communication between doctors and patients, enabling patients to better understand the risks and benefits of treatment options, leading to choices more aligned with personal preferences and values. Through an in-depth study of these SDM tools, it is expected to improve the diagnostic and treatment efficiency for stroke patients, reduce decision conflicts, promote collaboration between doctors and patients, and provide new ideas and methods for stroke treatment and management.
Objective To evaluate the ability of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the brain symmetry index (BSI) to predict stroke recurrence in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods This retrospective study enrolled 366 AIS patients admitted to the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2021 and August 2022. Before discharge, resting electroencephalography was recorded to obtain the eyes-open BSI (BSIo) and eyes-closed BSI (BSIc); the TyG index was calculated concurrently. Stroke recurrence was assessed at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months. Logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic analyses were used to determine the predictive performance of baseline TyG index, BSIo and BSIc. Results Sixty-two patients (16.9%) experienced stroke recurrence within 18 months. Baseline TyG index, BSIo and BSIc were significantly higher in the recurrence group than those in the non-recurrence group (P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression identified TyG index [odds ratio (OR)=2.273, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.441, 3.585)] and BSIo [OR=27.305, 95%CI (1.155, 645.737)] as independent predictors of recurrence (P<0.05). TyG index and BSIo provided the highest predictive accuracy for recurrence within 3 months (area under the curve=0.777 and 0.795, respectively); their discriminative ability declined over longer follow-up periods. BSIo correlated positively with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin Scale scores (P<0.001), and was elevated in patients with atrial fibrillation, heart failure or small-artery occlusion (P<0.05), while lowered in patients with diabetes (P<0.05). Conclusion Elevated TyG index and BSIo are closely associated with stroke recurrence after AIS and may serve as useful adjuncts for early risk stratification and individualized secondary prevention.