Objective To explore the influencing factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial internal carotid artery(ICA)stenosis and to construct a nomogram prediction model.Methods This study retrospectively and consecutively enrolled patients diagnosed with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis and exhibited indications for carotid endarterectomy(CEA)hospitalized in the Department of Neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University,between August 2019 and September 2024.The patients were divided into a stroke group and a non-stroke group,based on their clinical presentation and head MRI results.Baseline characteristics and clinical data including age,sex,body mass index,blood pressure(systolic and diastolic pressure[＜140 mmHg,140-＜160 mmHg,≥160 mmHg]),hypertension,diabetes,smoking and alcohol consumption history,use of statin and antiplatelet medication,fasting blood glucose,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC)were collected and ratios between LDL-C/HDL-C,TG/HDL-C,non-HDL-C(calculated according to equation:non-HDL-C=TC-HDL-C),and non-HDL-C/HDL-C(nHHR)were calculated based on aforementioned data.The clinical and baseline data were then compared between two groups.Imaging data included side of carotid artery stenosis(identified through neck vascular ultrasound,CT angiography and/or DSA),degree of carotid stenosis(with 50％-69％categorized as moderate stenosis,and,70％-99％as severe stenosis),plaque echogenicity(predominantly low,medium or high),plaque calcification(surface and basal calcification),plaque ulceration(exists or not),bilateral middle cerebral artery(MCA)hemodynamic parameters measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasound(including,mean flow velocity[Vm],peak systolic velocity[Vs],end-diastolic velocity[Vd]),and the pulsatility index(PI,calculated via formula:PI=[Vs-Vd]/Vm).The hemodynamic parameter differences(△Vm,△Vs,△Vd,△PI)between the healthy and affected MCA were calculated.The baseline,clinical and imaging data with P＜0.05 in univariate analysis were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis using forward stepwise selection to identify influencing factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis,and a nomogram prediction model was then constructed base on the analyzed results.Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the predictive performance of the nomogram.Delong's test was used to compare AUC differences between single indicators and the combined model.Results A total of 166 patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis and CEA indication were included.In which,99 patients were in the stroke group and 67 patients were in the non-stroke group.The stroke group had a significantly higher proportion of hypertension patients(78.8％[78/99]vs.59.7％[40/67],P=0.008),higher systolic blood pressure([152±15]mmHg vs.[137±18]mmHg,P＜0.01),higher diastolic blood pressure([84±10]mmHg vs.[80±10]mmHg,P=0.042),higher TG(1.33[0.95,1.77]mmol/L vs.1.10[0.87,1.48]mmol/L,P=0.019),higher TG/HDL-C(1.35[0.97,2.08]vs.1.07[0.81,1.52],P=0.003),and higher nHHR(2.89[2.25,3.61]vs.2.48[1.93,3.27],P=0.027)than the non-stroke group.The HDL-C was significantly lower in the stroke group(0.96[0.80,1.15]mmol/L vs.1.03[0.91,1.16]mmol/L,P=0.014).Statistically significant differences were also observed in the distribution of systolic blood pressure between the groups(P＜0.01).No significant differences were found in other clinical data(all P＞0.05).The proportion of patients with carotid plaque ulceration was higher in the stroke group(35.4％[35/99]vs.16.4％[11/67],P=0.007),while stenosis side,stenosis degree,plaque echogenicity,and plaque calcification type showed no significant differences between the groups(all P＞0.05).△Vm(19[4,32]cm/s vs.10[-3,21]cm/s,P=0.001),△Vs(32[9,55]cm/s vs.24[3,40]cm/s,P=0.005),and △Vd(10[-1,19]cm/s vs.6[-3,12]cm/s,P=0.006)were significantly higher in the stroke group.No significant difference was found in △PI(P=0.076).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified high systolic blood pressure(OR,1.063,95％CI 1.036-1.090,P＜0.01),high TG/HDL-C(OR,2.802,95％CI 1.551-5.061,P=0.001),high △Vm(OR,1.032,95％CI 1.010-1.055,P=0.004),and plaque ulceration(OR,2.777,95％CI 1.123-6.871,P=0.027)as independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis.Systolic blood pressure,TG/HDL-C,△Vm and plaque ulceration were involved in the construction of a combined predictive model for ischemic stroke in the targeted patient group(with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis).The AUC of the combined prediction model was 0.828(95％CI 0.765-0.892,P＜0.01),which was significantly higher than the predictive efficacy of any single factor(all P＜0.01).Conclusions High systolic blood pressure,high TG/HDL-C ratio,high △Vm,and plaque ulceration are independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis.The nomogram prediction model based on these factors demonstrates good predictive value for assessing ischemic stroke risk in this patient population.

Objective To explore the influencing factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial internal carotid artery(ICA)stenosis and to construct a nomogram prediction model.Methods This study retrospectively and consecutively enrolled patients diagnosed with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis and exhibited indications for carotid endarterectomy(CEA)hospitalized in the Department of Neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University,between August 2019 and September 2024.The patients were divided into a stroke group and a non-stroke group,based on their clinical presentation and head MRI results.Baseline characteristics and clinical data including age,sex,body mass index,blood pressure(systolic and diastolic pressure[＜140 mmHg,140-＜160 mmHg,≥160 mmHg]),hypertension,diabetes,smoking and alcohol consumption history,use of statin and antiplatelet medication,fasting blood glucose,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC)were collected and ratios between LDL-C/HDL-C,TG/HDL-C,non-HDL-C(calculated according to equation:non-HDL-C=TC-HDL-C),and non-HDL-C/HDL-C(nHHR)were calculated based on aforementioned data.The clinical and baseline data were then compared between two groups.Imaging data included side of carotid artery stenosis(identified through neck vascular ultrasound,CT angiography and/or DSA),degree of carotid stenosis(with 50％-69％categorized as moderate stenosis,and,70％-99％as severe stenosis),plaque echogenicity(predominantly low,medium or high),plaque calcification(surface and basal calcification),plaque ulceration(exists or not),bilateral middle cerebral artery(MCA)hemodynamic parameters measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasound(including,mean flow velocity[Vm],peak systolic velocity[Vs],end-diastolic velocity[Vd]),and the pulsatility index(PI,calculated via formula:PI=[Vs-Vd]/Vm).The hemodynamic parameter differences(△Vm,△Vs,△Vd,△PI)between the healthy and affected MCA were calculated.The baseline,clinical and imaging data with P＜0.05 in univariate analysis were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis using forward stepwise selection to identify influencing factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis,and a nomogram prediction model was then constructed base on the analyzed results.Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the predictive performance of the nomogram.Delong's test was used to compare AUC differences between single indicators and the combined model.Results A total of 166 patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis and CEA indication were included.In which,99 patients were in the stroke group and 67 patients were in the non-stroke group.The stroke group had a significantly higher proportion of hypertension patients(78.8％[78/99]vs.59.7％[40/67],P=0.008),higher systolic blood pressure([152±15]mmHg vs.[137±18]mmHg,P＜0.01),higher diastolic blood pressure([84±10]mmHg vs.[80±10]mmHg,P=0.042),higher TG(1.33[0.95,1.77]mmol/L vs.1.10[0.87,1.48]mmol/L,P=0.019),higher TG/HDL-C(1.35[0.97,2.08]vs.1.07[0.81,1.52],P=0.003),and higher nHHR(2.89[2.25,3.61]vs.2.48[1.93,3.27],P=0.027)than the non-stroke group.The HDL-C was significantly lower in the stroke group(0.96[0.80,1.15]mmol/L vs.1.03[0.91,1.16]mmol/L,P=0.014).Statistically significant differences were also observed in the distribution of systolic blood pressure between the groups(P＜0.01).No significant differences were found in other clinical data(all P＞0.05).The proportion of patients with carotid plaque ulceration was higher in the stroke group(35.4％[35/99]vs.16.4％[11/67],P=0.007),while stenosis side,stenosis degree,plaque echogenicity,and plaque calcification type showed no significant differences between the groups(all P＞0.05).△Vm(19[4,32]cm/s vs.10[-3,21]cm/s,P=0.001),△Vs(32[9,55]cm/s vs.24[3,40]cm/s,P=0.005),and △Vd(10[-1,19]cm/s vs.6[-3,12]cm/s,P=0.006)were significantly higher in the stroke group.No significant difference was found in △PI(P=0.076).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified high systolic blood pressure(OR,1.063,95％CI 1.036-1.090,P＜0.01),high TG/HDL-C(OR,2.802,95％CI 1.551-5.061,P=0.001),high △Vm(OR,1.032,95％CI 1.010-1.055,P=0.004),and plaque ulceration(OR,2.777,95％CI 1.123-6.871,P=0.027)as independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis.Systolic blood pressure,TG/HDL-C,△Vm and plaque ulceration were involved in the construction of a combined predictive model for ischemic stroke in the targeted patient group(with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis).The AUC of the combined prediction model was 0.828(95％CI 0.765-0.892,P＜0.01),which was significantly higher than the predictive efficacy of any single factor(all P＜0.01).Conclusions High systolic blood pressure,high TG/HDL-C ratio,high △Vm,and plaque ulceration are independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe extracranial ICA stenosis.The nomogram prediction model based on these factors demonstrates good predictive value for assessing ischemic stroke risk in this patient population.

Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is one of the common complications of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a high mortality rate. Several studies have shown that active implementation of effective treatment can significantly improve the quality of life and prolong survival of HCC patients with PVTT. In recent years, with the continuous development of molecular biology and molecular immunology, the treatment of advanced liver cancer has shifted from single agent to combination therapy, among which, the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other systemic or local therapies has attracted much attention. This treatment strategy has shown good efficacy in some large-scale clinical trials. With the deepening of relevant research, it is believed that this treatment scheme will bring more hope and opportunities to such patients.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and safety of endovascular interventional embolization in pregnancy-related acute large vessel occlusive stroke.Methods:Three patients with pregnancy-related acute large-vessel occlusive stroke accepted endovascular interventional embolization in Department of Neurology, Jining First People's Hospital from November 2017 to June 2021 were chosen; their clinical data and treatment efficacy were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Two patients were in early pregnancy and one was in puerperium; they were with acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusion, including one with occlusion of the M1 segment of the right middle cerebral artery, one with occlusion of the ophthalmic segment of the left internal carotid artery, and one with occlusion of the traffic segment of the left internal carotid artery; cardiogenic embolism was considered, and the risk factors for embolism included unclosed foramen ovale ( n=1), rheumatic heart disease ( n=1), and atrial fibrillation ( n=1); embolization was performed by catheter aspiration in one patient and stenting in two patients; all vessels were well re-canalized with modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) 3; two patients had a good prognosis 90 d after embolization (mRS scores of 0 and 2) and one had a poor prognosis (mRS scores of 4); no surgical complications occurred. Conclusion:Endovascular interventional embolization after individualized evaluation may be a safe and effective approach for patients with pregnancy-related acute large vessel occlusive stroke.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to acute primary medium vessel occlusion (MeVO).Methods:Patients with primary MeVO received EVT in the stroke center of Jining First People's Hospital from January 2019 to January 2022 were enrolled retrospectively. MeVO was defined as occlusion of M2/M3 segment of middle cerebral artery, A2/A3 segment of anterior cerebral artery and P2/P3 segment of posterior cerebral artery. The symptoms, vascular recanalization and surgical complications were documented. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at discharge and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 d after onset were followed up.Results:A total of 17 patients with primary MeVO were included, among them 16 successfully achieved vascular recanalization, 1 had distal emboli escape, and 1 had asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. There was significant difference in NIHSS scores before and after thrombectomy ( P<0.01). Ten patients (62.5%) had good functional outcome (mRS score 0-2), and 1 died of secondary pulmonary infection at 20 d after procedure. Conclusion:After strict risk/benefit evaluation and screening, EVT of acute ischemic stroke due to primary MeVO was technically feasible, and had good efficacy and safety.

Capsule warning syndrome (CWS) is a special clinical subtype of transient ischemic attack involving internal capsule, no cortical involvement and showing stereotyped attack. Although CWS is rare in clinical practice, most patients have poor outcomes. Therefore, a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of CWS is helpful to improve the outcomes and quality of life of patients. This article reviews the recent research progress of CWS.

Objective:To investigate the clinical safety and efficacy of tirofiban in the treatment of hemiplegic stroke warning syndrome.Methods:Patients with hemiplegic stroke warning syndrome admitted to Jining First People's Hospital without receiving intravenous thrombolysis from January 2018 to May 2020 were enrolled retrospectively. Some patients were given tirofiban intravenous infusion for at least 24 h in acute phase, then received oral antiplatelet therapy (tirofiban group); some only received aspirin+ clopidogrel dual antiplatelet therapy (control group). The primary endpoint was muscle strength at the paralytic side and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at day 7 after onset. The secondary endpoint was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months after onset, and ≤2 was defined as good clinical outcome. The safety endpoint was the bleeding events during treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of clinical outcome. Results:A total of 30 patients with hemiplegic stroke warning syndrome were enrolled, including 19 (63.3%) in the tirofiban group and 11 (36.7%) in the control group. There was no significant difference in baseline clinical data between the two groups, and no drug-related bleeding complications occurred during treatment. The muscle strength at paralytic side and NIHSS score at day 7 after onset, NIHSS score at discharge and good clinical outcome rate at 3 months in the tirofiban group were significantly better than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that tirofiban was an independent protective factor for good outcome after adjusting the NIHSS score at the beginning of treatment (odds ratio 0.040, 95% confidence interval 0.040-0.449; P=0.009). Conclusions:Tirofiban is safe and effective in the treatment of patients with hemiplegic stroke warning syndrome in acute phase. It can effectively block the progress of the disease, improve the outcome of patients, and will not increase the risk of bleeding.