ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the relationship between the activation level of Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and the change of cognitive functions in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:A total of 88 patients with acute ischemic stroke in Department of Neurology from October 2018 to July 2020 were selected as case group and 100 healthy physical examinees were selected as control group.Peripheral blood of the case group and the control group was collected, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by centrifugation.Then the NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), Caspase-1 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) expression were detected by Western blot.The cognitive function of patients with acute ischemic stroke was detected by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The differences in expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and IL-1β were compared between the case group and the control group.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1β and MoCA score.Logistic multivariate regression was used to analyze the relationship between expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β and the cognitive dysfunction.Results:(1)Western blot results showed that NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and IL-1β expressions in PBMCs cells in the case group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). (2)The expression level of NLRP3 in stroke patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥ 8 points was significantly higher than that in patients without hypertension, hyperlipidemia and NIHSS score<8 points ( P<0.05); (3)The incidence of cognitive dysfunction in the case group was 34.09% (30/88). The MoCA scores of the cognitive dysfunction group and the non-cognitive dysfunction group were 20 (24, 28) and 27 (26, 28) points respectively, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05); (4)Pearson correlation analysis showed that NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1 and IL-1β expression in PBMCs cells were negatively correlated with MoCA scores ( r=-0.426, -0.396, -0.417, -0.320 respectively, all P<0.05). (5)Logistic regression analysis showed that hyperlipidemia, NIHSS scores, frontotemporal lobe infarction, and NLRP3 expression were the influencing factors for the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Patients with acute ischemic stroke have high activated NLRP3 inflammasome, and its activation degree is closely related to the condition and the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction after stroke.Targeted inhibition or regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation may become a new idea of neuroprotection for acute ischemic stroke.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the risk factors for ruptured intracranial aneurysms in order to provide the basis for the clinical decision-making of intracranial aneurysms.Methods The demographic and clinical data of the patients with intracranial aneurysm were collected retrospectively.Three-dimensional cerebral angiography was used to identify the aneurismal location and shape,existing ascus or not,aneurysm length,maximum diameter and neck width.The aspect ratio (AR) of aneurysm was calculated.Results A total of 243 patients with intracranial aneurysms (289 aneurysms) were included,149 patients(171 aneurysms) in the ruptured aneurysm group,94 patients (118 aneurysms) in the unruptured aneurysm group.The proportions of female (71.1％ vs.51.1％ ;x2 =12.13,P ＜ 0.01),hypertension (57.7％ vs.38.3％ ;x2 =8.69,P =0.003),smoking (53.0％ vs.39.5％ ; x2 =4.12,P =0.045),existing ascus (63.7％ vs.39.8％ ; x2 =16.07,P ＜0.01),and the maximum diameter ＞ 5 mm (80.7％ vs.66.9％ ;x2 =7.06,P ＜ 0.01) in the ruptured aneurysm group were significantly higher than those in the unruptured aneurysm group,while the proportion of the maximum diameter ＞ 10 mm (31.6％vs.52.5％ ;x2 =12.77,P ＜0.01) was significantly lower than that in the unruptured aneurysm group; the maximum diameter in the ruptured aneurysm group was less than that in the unruptured aneurysm group (8.68± 5.79 mm vs.10.67± 5.78 mm; t=-2.91,P=0.004),while the aneurysm length (8.27 ± 4.19 mm vs.6.94 ± 4.77 mm; t =2.50,P =0.013) and AR (2.32 ± 1.18 vs.1.42± 1.21; t =634,P ＜ 0.01) were significantly longer and higher than that in the unruptured aneurysm group,respectively.Of the 289 aneurysms,103 were anterior communicating artery aneurysms,84 were posterior communicating artery aneurysms,56 were middle cerebral artery aneurysms,12 were anterior cerebral artery aneurysms,9 were internal carotid artery aneurysms,and 25 were basilar artery aneurysms.There were significant differences in the rupture incidence of intracranial aneurysm at different locations (63.1％,79.8％,41.1％,33.3％,33.3％,and 36.0％,respectively; P ＜0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the female (odds ratio [OR],6.311,95％ confidence interval [OR]3.673-10.844; P ＜ 0.01),existing ascus (OR 2.789,95％ CI 1.624-4.792; P＜0.01),and maximum diameter ＞5 mm (OR 1.866,95％ CI 1.012-3.437; P =0.046) were the independent risk factors for ruptured intracranial aneurysms.Conclusions The incidence and rupture rate in women patients with intracranial aneurysm were higher than those in men.Hypertension,history of smoking existing ascus,aneurysm location,aneurysm maximum diameter,aneurysm length and AR were all the factors that impact ruptured intracranial aneurysms,in which women,existing ascus and the maximum diameter ＞5 mm were the independent risk factors.