Objective To discuss the effects of acupuncture therapy on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in patients with ischemic stroke; To explore the central mechanism of acupuncture therapy.Methods Ten is chemic stroke patients with hemiplegia limbs and ten matched control subjects were included. Treatment group was given anti-platelet aggregation, anticoagulation, and nutrition brain cell therapy. At the same time, acupuncture therapy was given, taking Jianyu, Quchi, Shousanli, Waiguan, Hegu, Zusanli, Fenglong, Yanglingquan, Sanyinjiao, and Taichong, with even reinforcing-reducing method, and retaining the needle 30 min, manipulating needle every 10 min, once a day, 5 times a week, needle stopping for 2 d, for continuous 30 d. The health group did not undergo any treatment. BOLD-fMRI imaging technique was used, and based on RSET1.8 software, the parameters of brain activity before and after treatment were observed by amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method. The Results were compared with healthy group. Results Before treatment, the ALFF value of left caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus in the treatment group was lower than that in the health group, and the ALFF value of bilateral precentral and postcentral gyrus, left grus frontalis superior, gyrus frontalis medius, gyrus temporalis medius and precuneus was higher than the health group (P<0.05). After treatment, the ALFF value in left caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus in the treatment group was higher than that before treatment, and the ALFF value in left gyrus frontalis superior, gyrus frontalis medius and precuneus decreased than before group (P<0.05).Conclusion In the resting state of the ischemic stroke patients with hemiplegia limbs, the principal injured brain regions are caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus. Acupuncture has a regulatory role for these brain areas, presumably may be the central mechanism of efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between serum procalcitonin (PCT) level and intracranial atherosclerotic burden (ICASB) in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2020, consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology, Jiangsu Provincial Second Chinese Medicine Hospital were enrolled. Chemiluminescence immunoassay was used to detect serum PCT levels, and ICASB was evaluated based on the results of cranial magnetic resonance angiography. Univariate analysis was used to determine the baseline data among the different ICASB score groups. Then the independent correlation between serum PCT level and ICASB was determined by the ordinal logistic regression analysis. At the same time, the correlation between serum PCT level and ICASB was determined by the linear regression analysis. Results:A total of 291 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled, including 161 male (55.3%), aged 64.5±8.4 years; median serum PCT level was 0.053 μg/L. According to the ICASB score, the patients were divided into 0 group ( n=155, 53.3%), 1-3 group ( n=95, 32.6%) and >3 group ( n=41, 14.1%). Univariate analysis showed that the age, serum homocysteine and PCT level, as well as the proportion of diabetes were significantly higher in the higher ICASB score group, while the proportion of the patients with atrial fibrillation was significantly lower (all P<0.05). Ordinal multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that higher serum PCT level was an independent factor for higher ICASB score (the 4 th quartile vs. the 1 st quartile: odds ratio, 2.015, 95% confidence interval 1.052-3.927; P=0.043). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the serum PCT level was positively correlated with the ICASB score ( r=0.253, P=0.001). Conclusion:The serum PCT level is correlated with ICASB.

Objective The abnormal ankle-brachial index ( ABI) is associated with the incidence of cardiocerebral vascular diseases, but little is known about its relationship with cerebral microbleeds (CMB).This study aimed to investigate the correlation be-tween ABI≤0.9 and different distribution patterns of CMB . Methods We enrolled 187 patients with acute lacunar infarction , inclu-ding 115 non-CMB cases and 72 CMB cases (20 strictly lobar, 24 strictly deep, and 28 lobar and deep).We analyzed the differences between the two groups and the association of abnormal ABI with the occurrence and distribution of CMB by logistic regression analysis . Results ABI≤0.9 was found in 57 (30.5%) of the patients, with a significantly higher incidence rate in the CMB group than in the non-CMB group (43.1%vs 22.6%, P=0.003).The level of ABI was negatively correlated with the number of CMBs (r=-0.211, P=0.006).Multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusted for confounders indicated that ABI ≤0.9 was significantly associated with the presence of CMB (OR=2.363;95%CI:1.181-4.729), deep CMB (OR=3.434;95%CI:1.283-9.187), and lobar and deep CMB ( OR=2.837;95%CI:1.098-7.333) in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease . Conclusion Decreased ABI is a risk factor of CMB, particularly deep CMB, in patients with ischemic stroke.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for reduced renal function in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods The medical records of patients with ischemic stroke were analyzed retrospectively.They were divided into normal renal function group and reduced renalfunction group.Reduced renal function was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ＜60 ml/(min·1.73 m2).Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for reduced renal function in patients with ischemic stroke.Results A total of 805 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled in the study.8.8％ of patients had a reduced renal function.There was no significant differences in the proportion of patients with mild and moderate neurological deficit between the reduced renal function group and the normal renal function group (all P ＞ 0.05),however,the proportion of patients with severe neurological deficit was significantly higher than that in the normal renal function group (8.4％vs.2.6％,x2 =5.573,P =0.017).The proportion of small artery occlusion in the reduced renal function group was sigaificantly higher than that in the normal renal function group (66.2％ vs.46.5％,x2 =9.962,P =0.002),and the proportion of large artery atherosclerosis was significantly lower than that in the normal renal function group (19.7％ vs.43.5％,x2 =15.045,P =0.000).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that old age (odds ratio [ OR] 3.301,95％ confidence interval [ CI],1.575 to 6.918; P=0.002) was the most important independent risk factor for reduced renal function,then was female (OR,2.291,95％ CI 1.355to 3.872; P=0.002) and hyperlipidemia (OR,2.527,95％ CI 1.095 to 5.831; P=0.030).Conclusions Reduced renal function in patients with ischemic stroke is strongly associated with old age,female,and hyperlipidemia.