ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are known to be indicative of bleeding-prone microangiopathy. Little is known about the significance of CMBs in anticoagulated patients. We determined the frequency of new CMBs in ischemic stroke patients who had been receiving warfarin treatment for 2 years. METHODS: A total of 204 ischemic stroke patients on warfarin therapy for 2 years underwent a repeat MRI. We compared demographic features, vascular risk factors, and radiological findings of patients with and without new CMBs. RESULTS: New CMBs on gradient-echo MRI were found in 29 of 204 patients (10%). Of 35 patients who had CMBs in the original study, 9 developed new CMBs after 2 years (26%), compared with 20 of the 169 patients (12%) who did not have CMBs at baseline (p=0.03). Patients with new CMBs were older than patients without CMBs (p=0.04), and the frequency of leukoaraiosis was significantly higher (p=0.02). The mean duration of warfarin treatment was not significantly different between the patients with and without new CMBs (p=0.28). CONCLUSION: This longitudinal study suggested that the presence of CMBs at baseline increased the frequency of new CMBs in patients on warfarin therapy.
Subject(s)
Anticoagulants/adverse effects , Brain Ischemia/complications , Cerebral Hemorrhage/etiology , Stroke/complications , Warfarin/adverse effects , Aged , Anticoagulants/therapeutic use , Brain Ischemia/pathology , Cerebral Hemorrhage/epidemiology , Cerebral Hemorrhage/pathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Hypertension/complications , International Normalized Ratio , Leukoaraiosis/complications , Longitudinal Studies , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Stroke/pathology , Warfarin/therapeutic useABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) induced by glycodeoxycholic acid in rats. The induction of ANP resulted in significant increase in mortality rate, pancreatic necrosis and serum activity of amylase, alanine aspartate transferase (ALT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, serum concentration of urea, tissue activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the pancreas and lung, and significant decrease of concentrations of calcium, blood pressure, urine output and pO(2). The use of NAC inhibited the changes in urine output, pO(2), tissue activity of MPO and MDA in pancreas and lungs, and the serum activity of IL-6, ALT, and serum concentrations of urea and calcium. NAC reduced the mortality and pancreatic damage. The use of NAC has a beneficial effect on the course of ANP in rats. It may be used in the treatment of acute pancreatitis.
