Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with epithelioid glioblastoma (ep-GBM) and their influencing factors for survival.Methods:Sixteen ep-GBM patients admitted to Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from August 2015 to March 2022 were chosen. Clinical data such as age, gender, maximum tumor diameter, degrees of tumor resection, treatments, and immunohistochemical staining-related indexes were obtained. Survival curves of the patients were plotted by Kaplan-Meier method, and differences of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) among patients with different clinical characteristics were compared. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates, and Cox proportional risk regression model was constructed to analyze the influencing factors for PFS and OS.Results:In these 16 patients, median OS was 11.8 months and median PFS was 7.0 months. Significant differences in PFS and OS were noted between groups of age<32 years and age≥32 years, between groups of maximum tumor diameter<4.8 cm and diameter≥4.8 cm, and between groups of positive p53 expression and negative p53 expression ( P<0.05). Log-rank test indicated that OS and PFS ratios were significantly different between groups of age<32 years and age≥32 years, between groups of maximum tumor diameter<4.8 cm and diameter≥4.8 cm, between S100 positive group and S100 negative group, between Olig-2 positive group and Olig-2 negative group, and between groups of positive p53 expression and negative p53 expression ( P<0.05). Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that age ( HR=1.070, 95% CI: 1.013-1.134, P=0.016), preoperative maximum tumor diameter ( HR=2.150, 95% CI: 1.142-4.055, P=0.018) and Olig-2 expression ( HR=0.040, 95% CI: 0.003-0.498, P=0.013) had influences in PFS; preoperative maximum tumor diameter ( HR=2.350, 95%CI: 1.149-4.798, P=0.019) and Olig-2 expression ( HR=0.080, 95% CI: 0.007-0.972, P=0.047) had influences in OS. Conclusion:Older ep-GBM patients are prone to progress after surgery; ep-GBM patients with larger tumor diameter and negative Olig-2 expression likely progress and have poor prognosis after surgery.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of intracavernous sinus spring coil+Onyx gel embolization combined with proximal spring coil occlusion of the ophthalmic vein in cavernous sinus-dural arteriovenous fistula (CS-DAVF).Methods:Thirty-seven patients with CS-DAVF accepted intracavernous sinus spring coil+Onyx gel embolization combined with proximal spring coil occlusion of ophthalmic vein in Department of Radiology and Interventional Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were selected. The clinical data and therapeutic efficacy of these patients were retrospectively analyzed.Results:All 37 patients had different degrees of ocular symptoms at the time of treatment: 31 (83.8 %) had conjunctival congestion, 16 (43.2 %) had exophthalmos, and 14 (37.8 %) had obvious periorbital vascular murmur. Endovascular intervention was performed in all patients via venous routes, including inferior petrous sinus approach ( n=34), ophthalmic vein approach ( n=2), and facial vein approach ( n=1). Immediate postoperative DSA showed that 31 patients had complete occlusion of the fistula, and 6 patients had near-total occlusion (disappeared drainage of the thickened ophthalmic vein or obviously slowed down drainage). Thirty-five patients had ocular oedema of varied degrees and then gradually reduced (lasting for 1-2 weeks), and all the ocular congestion and vascular murmurs disappeared before discharging from the hospital. Four patients had postoperative palsy of the motor and abducens nerves, which improved significantly after 1-5 months; 1 patient had diplopia in combination with abducens nerve palsy; all symptoms alleviated after 2 months of nutritional nerve medication. Follow up in Outpatient Clinic or telephone was performed for (12.1±4.4) months, ranged for 6.5-21.3 months; symptoms of ocular congestion and edema disappeared in all patients at the last follow-up. Followed-up DSA at 6 months showed no recurrence of CS-DAVF. Conclusion:Intracavernous sinus spring coil+Onyx gel embolisation combined with proximal spring coil occlusion of the ophthalmic vein is safe and effective in CS-DAVF.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with anterior and posterior circulation large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke and clinical prognoses after successful endovascular recanalization.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed; 170 patients with large vessel occlusive ischemic stroke, admitted to Stroke Center, Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 2016 to September 2022 were chosen; these patients had modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 2b or 3 after endovascular treatment. These patients were divided into anterior-circulation large vessel occlusion group ( n=138) and posterior-circulation large vessel occlusion group ( n=32) according to the locations of vessel occlusion. Clinical data, parameters related to endovascular treatment, and clinical prognoses of the 2 groups were collected and compared. Results:Posterior-circulation large vessel occlusion group had significantly higher percentages of male patients and patients with atherosclerotic type (81.3% vs. 61.6%; 78.1% vs. 47.1%), significantly higher ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte and NIHSS scores (3.78 [1.93, 10.86] vs. 2.77[1.77, 4.72]; 20.50±8.96 vs. 14.83±4.67), significantly lower percentage of patients with atrial fibrillation (21.9% vs. 58%), and significantly longer times from onset to puncture, onset to recalculation, admission to puncture, and admission to recalculation (367.50 [246.25, 630.00] min vs. 240.00 [198.75, 330.00]; 515.00 [292.50, 701.25] vs. 345.50 [270.00, 425.75] min; 163.00 [123.25, 218.50] min vs. 125.50 [97.00, 161.00]; 258.00 [200.25,389.00] vs. 219.50 [178.00, 276.25]) than anterior-circulation large vessel occlusion group ( P<0.05). The NIHSS scores 24 h after endovascular treatment, NIHSS scores at discharge, and mortality within 90 d in posterior-circulation large vessel occlusion group were significantly higher than those in anterior-circulation large vessel occlusion group (21.31±9.23 vs. 15.74±6.53; 25.5 [4.25, 40.25] vs. 10.00 [4.00, 18.25]; 40.6% vs. 20.3%, P<0.05); however, no significant differences in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, incidence of intracranial hemorrhage, in-hospital mortality or 90-d good prognosis were noted between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Posterior circulation large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke patients have higher neurological impairment at onset than anterior circulation acute large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke patients; both patients enjoy similar results in terms of 90-d good prognosis and complications, but 90-d mortality is higher than that in anterior ones.

Objective:To study the correlations of hippocampal subfield volumes with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.Methods:Forty-nine patients with cognitive impairment, including 30 AD patients and 19 non-AD patients, were recruited in Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Clinical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from May 2017 to December 2021. Concentrations of Aβ 1-42, total tau protein and phosphorylated tau protein in CSF were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Volumes of 12 hippocampal subfields were calculated using FreeSurfer image analysis. Differences of clinical data, neuropsychological scores and CSF biomarker concentrations between the 2 groups were compared. Partial correlation was performed to analyze the correlations of volumes of hippocampal subfields with CSF biomarker concentrations. Results:AD patients had significantly lower Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and Aβ 1-42 concentration in CSF than non-AD patients ( P<0.05); AD patients had significantly lower volumes of the right hippocampal parasitulum, dentate gyrus and CA4 than non-AD group ( P<0.05); the right parasubiculum volume was negatively correlated with CSF Aβ 1-42 ( r=-0.445, P=0.023) and positively correlated with CSF P-tau ( r=0.393, P=0.047) in AD patients. Volumes of left hippocampus tail, parasubiculum, CA1, molecular layer, dentate gyrus, CA3 and CA4 were negatively correlated with CSF total tau ( P<0.05). No significant correlation was noted between hippocampal subfield volumes and CSF biomarker concentrations in non-AD patients. Conclusion:Some right hippocampal subfields in AD patients atrophy compared with those in non-AD patients with cognitive impairment; the right parasubiculum may play a compensatory role in disease process, while volumes of the left hippocampus decreased with increased CSF total tau.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of self-referential network (SRN) functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) patients with normal and impaired metacognition.Methods:Seventy-one subjects were selected from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database, with 25 cognitively normal controls and 46 SCD patients. The metacognitive level of SCD patients was assessed by Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog), and then, they were divided into a metacognitively normal group ( n=25, metacognitive scores>-0.074) and a metacognitively impaired group ( n=21, metacognitive scores≤-0.074). Results of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Montreal Cognitive Scale (MoCA), Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Rey Auditory Word Learning Test (RAVLT), Logical Memory Scale, expressions of pathological markers (cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid protein [Aβ], total tau protein [t-tau] and phosphorylated tau protein [p-tau]), brain glucose metabolism, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were collected and compared among the 3 groups. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to extract SRN and analyze the different brain regions among the 3 groups; Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlations of SRN functional connectivity changes with cognitive scales and pathological markers. Results:No significant differences in demographic characteristics (age and gender), scores of GDS, MoCA and MMSE, or levels of Aβ, t-tau, p-tau and brain glucose metabolism were noted among the 3 groups ( P>0.05). The metacognitive scores in metacognitively impaired group were significantly lower than those in metacognitively normal group and cognitively normal controls ( P<0.05). Significant difference in the functional connectivity of bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex was noted among the 3 groups (TFCE-FWE correction, P<0.01, voxel>100); compared with the cognitively normal controls, the metacognitively impaired group showed significantly decreased functional connectivity of bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, while the metacognitively normal group showed enhanced functional connectivity of bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (TFCE-FWE correction, P<0.01, voxel>100); compared with the metacognitively normal group, the metacognitively impaired group had statistically decreased functional connectivity of bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (TFCE-FWE correction, P<0.01, voxel>100). Further correlation analysis showed that difference value of functional connectivity of bilateral orbitofrontal cortex between metacognitively impaired group and cognitively normal controls was negatively correlated with RAVLT-immediate scores ( r=-0.445, P=0.043); difference value of functional connectivity of bilateral orbitofrontal cortex between metacognitively impaired group and metacognitively normal group was negatively correlated with RAVLT-immediate scores ( r=-0.463, P=0.034). Conclusion:SCD patients with different metacognitive levels have characteristic SRN functional connectivity changes; impaired metacognition may be an early feature of Alzheimer's disease.

Objective:To observe the effect of escitalopram combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on efficacy and attention function in patients with first-episode unipolar depression.Methods:Fifty-two first-episode initial-naive unipolar depression patients were enrolled in Department of Neurology of Guangzhou First People's Hospital from March 2022 to April 2023 were chosen. They were randomly allocated to active stimulation group ( n=27) and sham stimulation group ( n=25); both were treated with escitalopram, and active treatment or sham treatment in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were given for 4 weeks (5 d per week, 20 d totally). Before treatment and 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)-24 was used to evaluate depressive symptoms, and Birmingham Cognitive Screening Scale-Chinese (BCoS-C) was used to evaluate the attention function. Results:(1) In terms of depressive symptoms: HAMD-24 scores of the active stimulation group 2 and 4 weeks after treatment (20.63±2.73, 15.85±2.43) were significantly lower than those before treatment (25.74±2.68, P<0.05); HAMD-24 scores of sham stimulation group 4 weeks after treatment were also significantly lower than those before treatment ([20.48±2.33] vs. [25.80±2.57], P<0.05); HAMD-24 scores of the active stimulation group 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were significantly lower than those of sham stimulation group ( P<0.05). (2) In terms of auditory attention indicators: total correct number (selective attention) in active stimulation group 4 weeks after treatment was significantly larger than that before treatment (51.74±1.38 vs. 47.48±1.60), and the sustained index (sustained attention) was significantly lower than that before treatment (0.74±0.71 vs. 4.37±1.15, P<0.05); total correct number in active stimulation group 4 weeks after treatment was significantly larger than that in sham stimulation group (48.00±1.66), and the sustained index was significantly lower than that in sham stimulation group (3.72±1.28, P<0.05). Conclusion:Combined with escitalopram, rTMS can more effectively mitigate the depressive symptoms in first-episode unipolar depression patients, and depressive symptoms improve more quickly than attentional function.

Objective:To investigate the safety and effectiveness of emergency one-stop hybrid operation in ruptured and hemorrhagic high-grade brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs).Methods:Twelve patients with ruptured and hemorrhagic high-grade BAVMs who underwent emergency one-stop hybrid operation were chosen. The clinical data and efficacy of these patients were analyzed retrospectively.Results:All patients completed surgery successfully. Embolization combined with BAVMs resection was performed in 4 patients, BAVMs resection under digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed in 4 patients, embolization combined with balloon-assisted BAVMs resection was performed in 1 patient, balloon-assisted BAVMs resection under DSA was performed in 1 patient, embolization combined with BAVMs resection and aneurysm clipping was performed in 1 patient, and BAVMs resection combined with aneurysm clipping under DSA was performed in 1 patient. Intraoperative DSA showed residual vascular malformation in 1 patient and complete resection in other 11 patients. No surgical complications occurred. Two patients presented symptoms of delayed epilepsy after discharge. Six months after operation, 8 patients had good prognosis (Glasgow Outcome Scale [GOS] scores≥4), 4 had poor prognosis (GOS scores of 1-3), and no death occurred. CTA or DSA in all patients 6 months after operation found no residual or recurrent vascular lesions.Conclusion:Emergency one-stop hybrid operation has high complete occlusion rate and low surgical complication incidence in ruptured and hemorrhagic high-grade BAVMs, which is worthy of clinical application.

In recent years, a large number of studies have found that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients often complicate with osteoporotic fracture, which may be related to decreased dopamine transmitters, PD risk gene mutations, mitochondrial dysfunction, vitamin D reduction, anti-PD drug use, autonomic nervous dysfunction and intestinal microflora disorders. Therefore, this paper reviews the current research progress on the pathogenesis of osteoporotic fracture in PD patients to provide theoretical basis for co-morbid treatment of PD and osteoporotic fracture.

Recent studies have found that the pathological changes of Tau proteinopathy, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), involve transmission or circulatory disturbance of synaptic vesicles. This article reviews the relations of AD/PSP with circulatory disturbance of synaptic vesicles and explore the pathogenesis of these diseases, aiming to provide a new perspective for new therapeutic drugs.

Epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizure (EIMFS) is a rare drug-resistant epilepsy syndrome with characteristic migrating EEG presentation. In recent years, with increased discovery of new pathogenic genes in this syndrome, our knowledge and understanding on pathophysiological mechanisms of this syndrome have been broadened. This article systematically summarizes the genes associated with EIMFS that have been reported at home and abroad to expand clinicians' understanding of the disease and provide references for identifying the disease.