Stroke-associated pneumonia: A bibliometric analysis of worldwide trends from 2003 to 2020

Aprepitant Alleviates Poststroke Pneumonia in a Mouse Model of Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion

Elevated substance P can be utilized to predict early mortality during the first week of cerebral infarction. Whether aprepitant, a substance P receptor blocker could be utilized to alleviate poststroke pneumonia which is investigated in this study. Intraluminal monofilament model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was constructed in C57BL/6J male mice, and the relative expression of substance P was detected in collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue homogenate at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours poststroke. On the other hand, different concentrations of aprepitant (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg) were atomized and inhaled into MCAO mice. Inflammation cytokines and bacterial load were detected in collected BALF and lung tissue homogenate at 72-hour poststroke, and lung injury was revealed by histological examination. Aprepitant administration decreased total proteins, total cells, neutrophils, and macrophages in BALF. The concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon γ, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and IL-10 in lung tissue homogenates were also diminished by the administration of aprepitant. In conclusion, aprepitant could attenuate poststroke pneumonia in mice suggesting its potential therapeutic use in the clinic.

Predictive value of the Oxford Acute Severity of Illness Score in acute stroke patients with stroke-associated pneumonia

Background

Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) is associated with a poor prognosis and a high mortality rate in stroke patients. However, the accuracy of early prediction of SAP is insufficient, and there is a lack of effective prognostic evaluation methods. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the predictive value of the Oxford Acute Severity of Illness Score (OASIS) in SAP to provide a potential reference index for the incidence and prognosis of SAP.

Methods

We recruited a total of 280 patients with acute ischemic stroke who had been diagnosed and treated in the Zhumadian Central Hospital between January 2021 and January 2023. These patients were divided into an SAP group (86 cases) and a non-SAP group (194 cases) according to SAP diagnostic criteria by expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of SAP. We collated general and clinical data from all patients, including the survival of SAP patients during the follow-up period. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for SAP. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate COX regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between OASIS and the prognosis of SAP, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of OASIS for SAP.

Results

Our analyses identified body temperature, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, OASIS, and a prolonged length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay as the main risk factors for SAP (all Ps < 0.05). Advanced age and an elevated OASIS were identified as the main risk factors for death in SAP patients (all Ps < 0.05). The risk of death in patients with OASIS of 31-42 points was significantly higher than that in patients with OASIS of 12-20 points (HR = 5.588, 95% CI = 1.531-20.401, P = 0.009). ROC curve analysis further showed that OASIS had a high predictive value for morbidity and the incidence of death in SAP patients.

Conclusion

OASIS can effectively predict the onset and death of SAP patients and provides a potential reference index for early diagnosis and the prediction of prognosis in patients with SAP. Our findings should be considered in clinical practice.

Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Stroke

Gastrointestinal (GI) complications are seen in over 50% of ischemic stroke survivors; the most common complications are dysphagia, constipation, and GI bleeding. The bidirectional relationship of the gut-brain axis and stroke has recently gained traction, wherein stroke contributes to gut dysbiosis (alterations in the normal host intestinal microbiome) and gut dysbiosis perpetuates poor functional neurologic outcomes in stroke. It is postulated that the propagation of proinflammatory cells and gut metabolites (including trimethylamine N-oxide and short-chain fatty acids) from the GI tract to the central nervous system play a central role in gut-brain axis dysfunction. In this review, we discuss the known GI complications in acute ischemic stroke, our current knowledge from experimental stroke models for gut-brain axis dysfunction in stroke, and emerging therapeutics that target the gut-brain axis.

The top 100 cited articles on spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a bibliometric analysis

Aim: This study identifies the most cited papers on spontaneous coronary artery dissection and evaluates their focus and the characteristics of the current literature. Methods: The Web of Science database was queried for publications between 1971 and 2021. The articles were ranked from the most to the least citations, and each was reviewed by two authors. Results: The total citations ranged from 44 to 457, with a median (interquartile range) citation of 78.5 (60-140). Females were 28% of the first authors, about half the papers (52/100) were published in the last decade, most were observational studies (78/100) and the rest were nonoriginal studies. The impact factor of the journal weakly correlated with the number of citations (r [98] = 0.24; p = 0.018). Conclusion: Efforts are needed to encourage female authorship and increase the quality of articles in this subject area.

Pneumonia, Aspiration Pneumonia, or Frailty-Associated Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a common reason for admission afflicting frail older adults. Those who are the frailest are more likely to be provided with a diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia. This diagnosis has no clear definition and no clinical consensus. It is therefore time to stop attempting to differentiate between pneumonia type and use the term frailty-associated pneumonia.

Reduced plasma levels of RGM-A predict stroke-associated pneumonia in patients with acute ischemic stroke: A prospective clinical study

Background

Stroke-induced immunodepression syndrome is considered the major etiology of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP). Repulsive guidance molecule A (RGM-A) is an immunomodulatory protein that is closely related to inflammation and immune responses. To explore the relationship between RGM-A and SAP and facilitate the early identification of patients at high risk of developing SAP, we investigated the predictive value of RGM-A in SAP.

Methods

We enrolled 178 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and finally analyzed 150 patients, among whom 69 had SAP and 81 had non-SAP. During the same period, 40 patients with community-acquired pneumonia and 40 healthy participants were included as controls. SAP was defined according to the modified US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Blood samples were collected at 24 h, 48 h, 3 days, 4 to 7 days, and 8 to 14 days after stroke onset. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the plasma levels of RGM-A and interleukin-6.

Results

The plasma RGM-A levels were significantly decreased in both patients with community-acquired pneumonia and those with AIS, and the decline was most pronounced in patients with SAP (P < 0.001). RGM-A started to decline within 24 h after stroke in the SAP group, and the lowest levels were detected on day 3 and days 4 to 7 (P < 0.001). The RGM-A levels in the SAP group were lower than those in the non-SAP group at all blood collection time points (P < 0.05). In the logistic regression analyses, RGM-A was a protective factor for SAP after adjusting for confounders (adjusted odds ratio = 0.22, 95% confidence interval = 0.091–0.538, P = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for RGM-A was 0.766 (0.091–0.538; P = 0.001), the cutoff value was 4.881 ng/mL, and the sensitivity and specificity were 80.00 and 76.36%, respectively.

Conclusions

We demonstrated that reduced plasma levels of RGM-A might help in the early identification of high-risk patients with SAP and predict the occurrence of SAP in patients with AIS. RGM-A might provide new clues to a potential alternative therapy for SAP.

Characteristics and perioperative complications of hip fracture in the elderly with acute ischemic stroke: a cross-sectional study

Background

Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after hip fracture in the elderly have worse prognosis. We aimed to describe the characteristics and complications of hip fracture with AIS in the elderly.

Methods

This cross-sectional study selected patients with hip fracture (age ≥65 years) from January 2018 to September 2020. The collected data included age, sex, fracture types, comorbidities. In above screened patients, we further collected cerebral infarction related information of AIS patients. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression was performed to identify the strongest predictors of AIS after hip fracture. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to find independent risk factors for AIS after hip fracture.

Results

Sixty patients (mean age 79.7 years;female 56.7%) occurred AIS after hip fracture in 1577 cases. The most common infarction type was partial anterior circulation infarction (PACI) (70.0%). The majority of these infarction lesions were single (76.7%) and most infarction lesions(65.0%) were located in the left side. 81.7% of AIS patients had mild (Health stroke scale NIHSS <4) AIS. Older patients with AIS after hip fracture were more frequently complicated by hypertension(73.3%), prior stroke (46.7%), diabetes(35.0%) and were more likely to have hypoproteinemia(68.3%), electrolyte disorders ( 66.7%), anemia (65.0%), deep vein thrombosis (51.6%), pneumonia (46.6%),cardiac complications (45.0%). Combined with hypertension (OR 2.827, 95%CI 1.557-5.131) and male sex(OR 1.865, 95%CI 1.095-3.177) were associated with the increased risk of AIS after hip fracture.

Conclusions

Older patients combined with hypertension are more likely to have AIS after hip fracture. For these patients, early preventions should be administered. AIS patients after hip fracture are prone to have multiple complications under traumatic stress, and we should enhance the management of these patients to reduce the stress and avoid occurrence of complications.

15-Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenase Is a Predictor of Stroke-Associated Pneumonia

Background and Purpose

Stroke is a serious fatal and disabling disease. Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) is the most common complication of stroke, which may further aggravate the stroke. The prevention and early prediction of SAP is a key clinical strategy. 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) is involved in pneumonia, while its relationship with SAP has yet to be determined. Therefore, we investigated the predictive value of 15-PGDH for SAP and visualized their relationship.

Methods

Stroke patients were recruited and divided into SAP group and Non-SAP group. Baseline demographic and clinical data were obtained from the medical record system, blood samples were collected to detect relevant variables and 15-PGDH levels. Patient characteristics were compared with a t-test. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive value of 15-PGDH for SAP. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were performed to visualize the relationship between 15-PGDH and SAP risk. Finally, the SAP patient characteristics between the severe group and mild group were compared.

Results

50 patients were enrolled and divided into SAP group (n = 26) and Non-SAP group (n = 24). 15-PGDH in the SAP group was lower than that in the Non-SAP group (0.258 ± 0.275 vs. 0.784 ± 0.615, p = 0.025). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the lower 15-PGDH, the higher the risk of SAP (OR = 0.04, 95%CI, 0.010–0.157, p < 0.001). The RCS model showed the L-shaped relationship between 15-PGDH and SAP.

Conclusions

In stroke patients, serum 15-PGDH is a valuable biomarker for predicting SAP. There is an L-shaped relationship between the level of 15-PGDH and the risk of SAP.