Association of the Presence and Pattern of MRI Markers of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease With Recurrent Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Ginsenoside Rd and chrysophanol: Modulating the serine-glycine-one-carbon pathway to enhance neuroprotection in intracerebral hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating neurological disorder characterized by oxidative stress, inflammatory cascades, and metabolic dysregulation. Ginsenoside Rd (G-Rd) and chrysophanol (Chr), two natural compounds with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, have demonstrated neuroprotective potential, however, their mechanisms in ICH remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of G-Rd and Chr against heme-induced injury in HT22 cells and in a rat model of ICH, with a focus on oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and metabolic regulation.

METHODS

In vitro, HT22 cells were exposed with heme (10 μmol/L, 12 h) to simulate ICH injury, followed by treatment with G-Rd and Chr (80 μmol/L). Reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) were assessed using flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and ELISA. In vivo, ICH was induced in rats via collagenase injection. Neurological function, hematoma volume, histopathology, and metabolic enzymes (SOD, MDA, NAD+, Ca2+-ATPase) were evaluated. Western blotting was used to analyze key enzymes in the serine-glycine-one‑carbon (SGOC) pathway.

RESULTS

G-Rd and Chr significantly suppressed ROS production (P < 0.05), downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6; P < 0.01), and inhibited apoptosis (P < 0.01) in HT22 cells. Both compounds restored mitochondrial membrane potential and alleviated cellular damage. In the ICH rat model, combined treatment improved neurological scores by 45 % (P < 0.01), decreased hematoma volume by 38 % (P < 0.01), and restored metabolic homeostasis through modulation of SGOC pathway enzymes (PHGDH, PSAT1, PSPH, SHMT2; P < 0.05). Synergistic effects were observed in both hematoma resolution and neuroprotection.

CONCLUSION

G-Rd and Chr confer neuroprotection in ICH through antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Their synergistic efficacy underscores their promise as therapeutic candidates, meriting further investigation of their molecular targets and translational potential.

Location and Timing of Recurrent, Nontraumatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Importance

: The spatial and temporal distribution of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) recurrence are largely unknown.

Objective

To assess timing and location of recurrent ICH events in relation to the index ICH event (adjacent ICH [adjICH] vs remote ICH [remICH]).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study was a pooled analysis of individual cohort studies from 2002 to 2021 among hospital-based European cohorts. Patients with 2 or more clinically distinguishable (≥1 recurrent) small vessel disease-related ICH events were included. Data analysis was performed from December 2023 to December 2024.

Exposures

ICH location and underlying small vessel disease type.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was adjICH, defined by anatomical ICH location and side, and the secondary outcome was time to recurrence. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted adjusting for ICH location, cerebral amyloid angiopathy according to Boston 2.0 or simplified Edinburgh criteria, convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage extension, hypertension, and antihypertensive treatment, including an interaction term for hypertension and antihypertensive treatment.

Results

Among 733 patients (median [IQR] age, 72.4 [65.2 to 79.0] years; 346 female [47.2%]), there were 1616 ICH events, including 733 index and 883 recurrent ICH events (range, 1 to 6 recurrences) over a median (IQR) follow-up of 2.53 (0.66 to 4.92) years. There were 340 patients (46.4%) with adjICH and 393 patients (53.6%) with remICH. Among recurrent ICH events, there were 476 adjICH events and 407 remICH events. In multivariable regression analyses, lobar index ICH (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.08; 95% CI, 1.32 to 3.27) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy at index ICH (aOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.57 to 3.11) were associated with higher odds of adjICH, while cerebellar index ICH was associated with lower odds of adjICH (aOR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.89). The median (IQR) time to recurrence was 1.25 (0.36 to 3.38) years for adjICH and 2.21 (0.66 to 4.85) years for remICH. Previous lobar or convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage (coefficient, -0.75; 95% CI, -1.25 to -0.25; P = .003 ), adjICH (coefficient, -0.60; 95% CI, -1.02 to -0.18; P = .005), and the number of previous ICH events (coefficient per 1-event increase, -0.62; 95% CI, -0.93 to -0.32; P < .001) were independently associated with a shorter time to recurrence.

Conclusions and relevance

This study found that early recurrence and cerebral amyloid angiopathy were associated with adjICH. These findings suggest that regional, tissue-based factors may facilitate recurrence and that identifying and targeting local vasculopathic changes may represent potential novel treatment targets.

Risk factors, mechanisms, and clinical outcomes of stroke in young adults presenting to a North Central London stroke service: UCL Young Stroke Systematic Evaluation Study (ULYSSES)

INTRODUCTION

Stroke incidence in younger adults is increasing worldwide yet few comprehensive studies exist from a UK population. We investigated the risk factors, mechanisms, functional outcome and stroke recurrence rate in a cohort of young adults with stroke.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We included consecutive patients (<55 years) with ischaemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) admitted to the University College London Hospitals Hyperacute Stroke Unit between 2017 and 2020. Ischaemic stroke was classified using Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria and ICH using modified CLAS-ICH criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of unfavourable functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] > 1) at 6 months.

RESULTS

Five hundred fifty-two patients were included (median age 47, IQR 41-51; 33% female; 76% ischaemic stroke). Common risk factors included dyslipidaemia (57%), hypertension (40%), and cigarette smoking (34%). Ischaemic stroke was mostly due to cardioembolism (22%). Probable cerebral small vessel disease was the most frequent ICH aetiology (53%). Unfavourable functional outcome was prevalent in 50% at 6 months and was associated with ICH (OR 2.02, 95%CI 1.14-3.58, p = 0.017), female sex (OR 1.62, 95%CI 1.03-2.55, p = 0.037), admission stroke severity (per point increase, OR 1.11, 95%CI 1.07-1.16, p < 0.001) and pre-morbid mRS 2-5 (OR 3.16; 95%CI 1.11-9.03, p = 0.032). 4.4% had a recurrent stroke within 6 months.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Traditional cardiovascular risk factors are common in young adults with stroke. Unfavourable functional outcome is associated with female sex, ICH, severe stroke and pre-morbid disability. These findings can inform national stroke prevention and rehabilitation strategies.

Intracerebral haemorrhage - mechanisms, diagnosis and prospects for treatment and prevention

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating condition associated with high mortality and substantial residual disability among survivors. Effective treatments for the acute stages of ICH are limited. However, promising findings from randomized trials of therapeutic strategies, including acute care bundles that target anticoagulation therapies, blood pressure control and other physiological parameters, and trials of minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures have led to renewed optimism that patient outcomes can be improved. Currently ongoing areas of research for acute treatment include anti-inflammatory and haemostatic treatments. The implementation of effective secondary prevention strategies requires an understanding of the aetiology of ICH, which involves vascular and brain parenchymal imaging; the use of neuroimaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease improves classification with prognostic relevance. Other data underline the importance of preventing not only recurrent ICH but also ischaemic stroke and cardiovascular events in survivors of ICH. Ongoing and planned randomized controlled trials will assess the efficacy of prevention strategies, including antiplatelet agents, oral anticoagulants or left atrial appendage occlusion (in patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation), and optimal management of long-term blood pressure and statin use. Together, these advances herald a new era of improved understanding and effective interventions to reduce the burden of ICH.

MRI-Based Prediction of Macrovascular Causes of Intracerebral Hemorrhage: The MACRO Score

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Although most spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) are due to cerebral small vessel diseases (SVDs), between 1 in 7 and 1 in 10 are due to a macrovascular cause. Rapid diagnosis has important therapeutic and prognostic implications but sometimes requires digital subtraction angiography (DSA), an invasive procedure which cannot be performed in all patients. MRI provides optimal sensitivity for markers of SVD but was not included in previous risk stratification scores. We aimed to create and validate a risk stratification score for macrovascular causes of ICH including MRI findings to guide diagnosis and further investigations.

METHODS

We pooled data from 2 large observational study cohorts (London/United Kingdom and Graz/Austria) of consecutive patients with ICH who had brain MRI and at least 1 angiographic modality within 90 days of symptom onset. The primary outcome was a macrovascular cause of ICH (arteriovenous malformation/dural arteriovenous fistula, aneurysm, cavernoma, or cerebral venous thrombosis), with the diagnosis based on neurovascular multidisciplinary meetings. Using lasso logistic regression, we built the MRI Assessment of the Causes of intRacerebral haemOrrhage (MACRO) score to assess the probability of a macrovascular cause. We performed internal validation using bootstrapping and external validation in an independent cohort (Bern/Switzerland).

RESULTS

We included 1,043 patients with ICH (mean age 66 years, 42% female), 78 of whom had a macrovascular cause (7.5%). The final score includes age (0-39, 40-69, or ≥70), location of ICH (lobar, deep, or infratentorial), and SVD markers on MRI (≥1 microbleed, ≥1 lacune, presence of cortical superficial siderosis, or white matter hyperintensities using the Fazekas scale). The MACRO score showed an optimism-adjusted c-statistic of 0.90 (95% CI 0.88-0.93), superior to existing CT-based scores (p < 0.001). In external validation, the c-statistic was 0.87 (95% CI 0.80-0.94). MACRO scores ≥6 (59.5% of patients) indicated a very low risk of a macrovascular cause (0.2%), while scores ≤2 (9% of patients) indicated a high risk (48.9%).

DISCUSSION

The MRI-based MACRO score shows excellent performance in predicting the likelihood of macrovascular causes of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, making it useful in guiding further investigations. Important limitations include the observational study design and the performance of DSA in a minority of patients.

Diagnostic accuracy and radiological validation of intracerebral hemorrhage diagnosis in the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

National quality registries for stroke care operate under the assumption that the included patients are correctly diagnosed. We aimed to validate the clinical diagnosis of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in Riksstroke (RS) by evaluating radiological data from a large, unselected ICH population.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study including all ICH patients registered in RS between 2016 and 2020 residing in Skåne County in Sweden (1.41 million inhabitants). Radiological data from first imaging were evaluated for the presence of spontaneous ICH. Other types of bleeds were registered if a spontaneous ICH was not identified on imaging. The radiological evaluation was independently performed by one radiology fellow and one senior neuroradiologist.

RESULTS

Between 2016 and 2020, 1784 ICH cases were registered in RS, of which 1655 (92.8%) had a radiological diagnosis consistent with spontaneous ICH. In the 129 (7.2%) remaining cases, the radiological diagnosis was instead traumatic bleed (n = 80), subarachnoid hemorrhage (n = 15), brain tumor bleed (n = 14), ischemic lesion with hemorrhagic transformation (n = 14), ischemic lesion (n = 3), or no bleed at all (n = 3). There was a higher degree of incorrect coding in the older age groups.

CONCLUSION

At radiological evaluation, 92.8% of ICH diagnoses in RS were consistent with spontaneous ICH, yielding a high rate of agreement that strengthens the validity of the diagnostic accuracy in the register, justifying the use of high coverage quality register data for epidemiological purposes. The most common coding error was traumatic bleeds that were classified as spontaneous ICH.

Temporal and Spatial Clustering of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

OBJECTIVES

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)-associated lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has a high risk of recurrence, but the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. We, therefore, aimed to characterize patterns of recurrent ICH.

METHODS

We investigated early recurrent ICH (≥1 recurrent ICH event within 90 days of the index event) and ICH clusters (≥2 ICH events within 90 days at any time point) in 2 large cohorts of consecutive patients with first-ever ICH and available MRI.

RESULTS

In 682 included patients (median age 68 years, 40.3% female, median follow-up time 4.1 years), 18 (2.6%) had an early recurrent ICH, which was associated with higher age and CAA. In patients with probable CAA, the risk of early recurrent ICH was increased 5-fold within the first 3 months compared with during months 4-12 (hazard ratio 5.41, 95% CI 2.18-13.4) while no significant difference was observed in patients without CAA. In patients with an ICH cluster, we observed spatial clustering (recurrent ICH within close proximity of index ICH in 63.0%) and a tendency for multiple sequential hemorrhages (≥3 ICH foci within 3 months in 44.4%).

DISCUSSION

Our data provide evidence of both temporal and spatial clustering of ICH in CAA, suggesting a transient and localized active bleeding-prone process.

Associations of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients With Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be associated with the pathogenesis and phenotype of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), which is the commonest cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of CKD with ICH neuroimaging phenotype, volume, and location, total burden of small vessel disease, and its individual components.

METHODS

In 2 cohorts of consecutive patients with ICH evaluated with MRI, we investigated the frequency and severity of CKD based on established Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria, requiring estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measurements <60 mL/min/1.732 ≥ 3 months apart to define CKD. MRI scans were rated for ICH neuroimaging phenotype (arteriolosclerosis, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, mixed location SVD, or cryptogenic ICH) and the presence of markers of SVD (white matter hyperintensities [WMHs], cerebral microbleeds [CMBs], lacunes, and enlarged perivascular spaces, defined according to the STandards for ReportIng Vascular changes on nEuroimaging criteria). We used multinomial, binomial logistic, and ordinal logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, and diabetes to account for possible confounding caused by shared risk factors of CKD and SVD.

RESULTS

Of 875 patients (mean age 66 years, 42% female), 146 (16.7%) had CKD. After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, patients with CKD had higher rates of mixed SVD than those with eGFR >60 (relative risk ratio 2.39, 95% CI 1.16-4.94, p = 0.019). Severe WMHs, deep microbleeds, and lacunes were more frequent in patients with CKD, as was a higher overall SVD burden score (odds ratio 1.83 for each point on the ordinal scale, 95% CI 1.31-2.56, p < 0.001). Patients with eGFR ≤30 had more CMBs (median 7 [interquartile range 1-23] vs 2 [0-8] for those with eGFR >30, p = 0.007).

DISCUSSION

In patients with ICH, CKD was associated with SVD burden, a mixed SVD phenotype, and markers of arteriolosclerosis. Our findings indicate that CKD might independently contribute to the pathogenesis of arteriolosclerosis and mixed SVD, although we could not definitively account for the severity of shared risk factors. Longitudinal and experimental studies are, therefore, needed to investigate causal associations. Nevertheless, stroke clinicians should be aware of CKD as a potentially independent and modifiable risk factor of SVD.

Neuro-imaging in intracerebral hemorrhage: updates and knowledge gaps

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is characterized by hematoma development within the brain's parenchyma, contributing significantly to the burden of stroke. While non-contrast head computed tomography (CT) remains the gold standard for initial diagnosis, this review underscores the pivotal role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in ICH management. Beyond diagnosis, MRI offers invaluable insights into ICH etiology, prognosis, and treatment. Utilizing echo-planar gradient-echo or susceptibility-weighted sequences, MRI demonstrates exceptional sensitivity and specificity in identifying ICH, aiding in differentiation of primary and secondary causes. Moreover, MRI facilitates assessment of hemorrhage age, recognition of secondary lesions, and evaluation of perihematomal edema progression, thus guiding tailored therapeutic strategies. This comprehensive review discusses the multifaceted utility of MRI in ICH management, highlighting its indispensable role in enhancing diagnostic accuracy as well as aiding in prognostication. As MRI continues to evolve as a cornerstone of ICH assessment, future research should explore its nuanced applications in personalized care paradigms.

Clinical features and associated factors of coexisting intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with cerebral small vessel disease: a cross-sectional study

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is generally considered to be closely related to cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), leading to a poor prognosis. However, the coexistence of ICH in general CSVD patients and related factors remain underreported. In our cross-sectional study, we screened 414 CSVD patients from a database at the Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (September 2018 to April 2022). Imaging biomarkers of CSVD and coexisting ICH lesion were assessed. Factors associated with coexisting ICH in CSVD were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. ICH was observed in 59 patients (14.3%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that previous history of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (OR 5.189, 95%CI 2.572-10.467, P < 0.001), high-grade perivascular space in the basal ganglia (n > 10) (OR 2.051, 95%CI 1.044-4.027, P = 0.037) and low adjusted calcium-phosphorus product (OR 0.728 per 1 [mmol/L]2 increase, 95%CI 0.531-0.998, P = 0.049) were associated with coexisting ICH in CSVD patients. The considerable proportion of coexisting ICH and revelation of associated factors in general CSVD patients alert physicians of the potential risk of the reoccurrence of ICH, and might have a significant impact on therapeutic strategies.