Objective:To explore the factors associated with vascular luminal dilatational remodeling (VLDR) following balloon angioplasty for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS).Methods:A case-control study was conducted to analyze the data of symptomatic severe ICAS patients who received either paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty (PCBA) or plain balloon angioplasty (POBA) at our center from January 2019 to January 2022 and completed the six-month follow-up. The patients were divided into VLDR group and non-VLDR group according to whether VLDR occurred on follow-up digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The baseline data, preoperative and postoperative lesion characteristics (DSA), and perioperative related information were collected. The definition of VLDR was a decrease in luminal stenosis rate by more than 10% at the time of follow-up compared to the immediate postoperative period. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze possible factors affecting VLDR such as balloon type, balloon length, and expansion time.Results:A total of 88 patients were included in this study, with 16 in the VLDR group and 72 in the non-VLDR group. The follow-up time for all included patients was 6.00 (5.00, 7.00) months. VLDR occurred in 18.2% (16/88) of cases, with a VLDR incidence of 30.4% (14/46) after PCBA and 4.8% (2/42) after POBA. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that treatment balloon type, balloon length, inflated time, immediate postoperative stenosis rate, follow-up time and Mori classification may affect the occurrence of VLDR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the use of paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) ( OR=9.82, 95% CI 1.99-48.49, P=0.005) and postoperative immediate stenosis rate ( OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.14, P=0.042) were independently associated with VLDR. Conclusion:The occurrence of VLDR following balloon angioplasty in ICAS was associated with the use of PCB and immediate postoperative stenosis rates, which will provide guidance for the clinical application of PCB.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between cancer node status identified after radical resection and patterns of recurrence in stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ gastric cancer patients for developing personalized follow-up plans in node-positive patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 706 stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ gastric cancer patients who underwent curative intent surgery at Henan Cancer Hospital from Sep 2015 to Sep 2018. Patients were categorized into node-positive (TDs +) and node-negative (TDs -) groups based on their cancer node status. Clinical-pathological characteristics and recurrence patterns were compared between the groups to formulate an optimized follow-up plan. Results:Among the patients, there were 112 TDs + and 594 TDs - cases. TDs - patients exhibited significantly better overall survival and disease-free survival rates at 1 and 3 years compared to the TDs + group (92.4%,72.2% vs. 79.4%,38.8%;87.9%,68.6% vs. 66.7%,35.9%, all P<0.05). The cumulative recurrence rates of peritoneal and distant metastases were higher in TDs + patients compared to TDs - patients, with statistical significance (33.0% vs. 14.5%,21.4% vs. 10.8%, χ 2=21.285,8.851 all P<0.05). TDs + patients experienced significantly earlier median time to distant metastasis compared to TDs - patients (9.0 months vs. 15.4 months , Z=-2.294 P=0.022). The risk of peritoneal metastasis recurrence was higher in the TDs + group, showing a bimodal recurrence pattern at 8.5 and 15.0 months post-surgery. TDs + patients also had a higher risk of distant metastasis recurrence, with a single peak at 6 months. Conclusion:Postoperative recurrence patterns differ between TDs + and TDs - patients, and an optimized follow-up plan can enhance early detection of recurrence.

Objective To explore the changes in macrophage infiltration behavior during the dynamic evolution of thrombi following the formation of acute carotid artery thrombosis occlusion(ACTO).Methods 15 healthy male New Zealand rabbits were selected to establish an ACTO model by causing injury to the rabbit carotid artery using surgical sutures treated with ferric chloride.All rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the end-point time using the random number table method,namely 24-hour group,1 week group,4week group,8 week group,and 12week group postoperatively,with 3 rabbits in each group.At 24 hours post-operation,the ACTO model was examined by DS A.At 24 hours,1 week,4 weeks,8 weeks,and 12 weeks post-operation,samples were taken from the thrombotic arterial segment of the 3 rabbits in each group and embedded in paraffin.The thrombus samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE)and Martius scarlet blue(MSB)to analyze changes in thrombus morphology and composition(including red blood cells,fibrin and collagen fibers).Orbit Imaging Analysis software was used for semi-quantitative analysis of the thrombus composition components.Using immunohistochemistry to detect the distribution of MO and M2 macrophages in thrombi,aimed to summarize the dynamic evolution of thrombus morphology,composition,and macrophage infiltration behavior at different stages following ACTO occurrence.Results The 24-hour DSA results indicated that all experimental rabbits successfully established the ACTO model.(1)HE staining showed a continuous increase in thrombus size from 24 hours to 1 week.By 4 weeks,signs of thrombus dissolution appeared,and at 8 weeks,neovascularization was observed within the thrombus.By 12 weeks,signs of fibrosis were evident in the thrombus.(2)MSB staining revealed that during the acute phase of thrombus formation(within 24 hours after surgery),red blood cells were the predominant component initially,but after this period,fibrin and collagen fibers became the main components.(3)The detection results of MO macrophages showed that 24 hours after surgery,MO macrophages in the thrombus were not evenly distributed throughout the thrombus,but mainly gathered at the thrombus edge;at 1 week after surgery,the positive area percentage of MO macrophage in the thrombus increased compared with 24 hours after surgery(thrombus edge:[41.7±27.0]％vs.[24.6±16.7]％,thrombus core:[35.7±19.6]％vs.[11.1±10.4]％,all P＜0.001),and evenly distributed within the thrombus;at 4 weeks after surgery,MO macrophages in the thrombus decreased compared with 1 week after surgery(thrombosis edge:[10.7±6.1]％vs.[41.7±27.0]％,thrombus core:[12.1±8.5]％vs.[35.7±19.6]％,all P＜0.001),the differences were statistically significant.At 4,8,and 12 weeks after surgery,MO macrophages within the thrombus did not change significantly with time(thrombus edge:[10.7±6.1]％,[8.0±7.7]％,and[8.9±5.3]％;thrombus core:[12.1±8.5]％,[9.5±4.2]％,and[15.7±11.0]％),and the differences were not statistically significant(all P＞0.05).In addition,at 12 weeks after surgery,MO macrophages at the thrombus edge was less than the thrombus core([8.9+5.3]％vs.[15.7±11.0]％,P＜0.01).The detection results of M2 macrophages showed that 24 hours after surgery,M2 macrophages in the thrombus were widely distributed throughout the thrombus;at 1 week after surgery,the positive area percentage of M2 macrophages in the thrombus increased compared with 24 hours after surgery(thrombus edge:[22.1±11.3]％vs.[11.4±8.7]％,P＜0.001;thrombus core:[24.5±9.8]％vs.[7.6±6.0]％,P＜0.001);at 4 weeks after surgery,M2 macrophage in the thrombus decreased compared with 1 week after surgery(thrombosis edge:[10.6±3.7]％vs.[22.1±11.3]％,P＜0.001;thrombus core:[9.2±4.3]％vs.[24.5±9.8]％,P＜0.001);at 8 weeks after surgery,M2 macrophages in the thrombus increased compared with 4 weeks after surgery([17.9±8.8]％vs.[9.2±4.3]％,P＜0.001),and the differences were statistically significant.However,M2 macrophages in the thrombus did not change significantly from 8 weeks to 12 weeks after surgery(thrombus edge:[9.4±6.3]％vs.[8.5±5.3]％,P＞0.05;thrombus core:[17.9±8.8]％vs.[14.4±10.0]％,P＞0.05).In addition,at 8 and 12 weeks after surgery,M2 macrophages in the thrombus core was greater than the thrombus edge(8 weeks after surgery:[17.9±8.8]％vs.[9.4±6.3]％,P＜0.001;12weeks after surgery:[14.4±10.0]％vs.[8.5±5.3]％,P＜0.001).Conclusions This study successfully established an ACTO animal model and demonstrated for the first time the dynamic evolution of macrophages within 12 weeks post-thrombus formation.Macrophages may played a significant role in both thrombus formation and fibrinolysis,as well as in the promotion of thrombus dissolution and the formation of new blood vessels within the thrombus which may potentially promote the spontaneous reperfusion of the occluded vessels.The results of this study need further verification.

A large number of non-specific immune cells, such as macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer cells, as well as specific immune cells, such as B cells and T cells, are presented in the atherosclerotic plaques and arterial blood. In addition, immune-related regulatory molecules such as interferon-γ, interleukin-17, and interleukin-1β highly express in atherosclerotic lesion tissues, which is similar to the tumor immune microenvironment and influence the atherosclerosis progression. In this paper, the research progress of immune cells and related factors involved in the immune microenvironment around cerebral atherosclerotic lesions is reviewed to provide idea and basis for its clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.Methods:Forty-nine patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis treated with DCB in the People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to August 2021 were retrospectively included. The location and number of lesions were as follows: 21 cases of the middle cerebral artery, 11 cases of the intracranial segment of vertebral artery, 12 cases of the basilar artery, and 5 cases of the intracranial segment of internal carotid artery. Pre-dilatation of the lesion with a normal balloon followed by DCB angioplasty. Clinical follow-up (outpatient or telephone) was carried out at 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the operation. Imaging follow-up was carried out at 6 months postoperatively. The surgical success rate (defined as the proportion of patients with residual stenosis<50% after balloon dilatation), perioperative safety (any strokes, TIA, and deaths within 1 month), stroke recurrence, and restenosis were analyzed.Results:The operation was performed in all patients successfully. The median stenosis level was 80% (75%, 85%) preoperatively and 20% (15%, 30%) at the time after the operation. The success rate of the operation was 91.8% (45/49). Stenting was given in 11 cases (22.4%, 11/49) for severe flow-limiting vascular entrapment, or non-flow-limiting entrapment, owing to the concern of subsequent progression of the entrapment. Three cases (6.1%, 3/49) had significant vascular elastic retraction and implement stent implantation. One patient (2.0%, 1/49) developed symptomatic cerebral infarction during perioperative period, and the symptoms improved after treatment. No fatal or disabling stroke occurred. All patients were followed-up successfully. The median follow-up time was 12 months. Two patients (4.1%, 2/49) had a stroke in the responsible vascular area, and 1 (2.0%, 1/49) patient had a stroke in the non-responsible vascular area. Thirty-eight patients (77.6%, 38/49) had followed-up images. The median follow-up time of postoperative imaging was 6 months. Restenosis occurred in two cases (1 case had symptomatic restenosis), and the incidence of restenosis was 5.3% (2/38).Conclusions:DCB in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis has a high technical success rate, good perioperative safety, and low stroke recurrence rate in short-term follow-up, demonstrating the good feasibility, safety, and efficacy of DCB.

Objective:To evaluate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) of the vertebrobasilar artery.Methods:Twenty-one patients with ISR of the vertebrobasilar artery treated with DCB at the Zhengzhou University People′s Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively included. There were 22 lesions with ISR, of which 8 were located in the initial segments of vertebral artery, 12 were located in the V4 segment of the vertebral artery, and 2 were located in the basilar artery. The clinical prognosis was evaluated by modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and the target vessel restenosis was evaluated by DSA, CTA or MRA. The safety, feasibility and effectiveness of DCB in the treatment of vertebrobasilar artery ISR were analyzed by perioperative complications, technical success rate and follow-up.Results:All 21 patients with ISR underwent successful interventional surgery. No stroke, TIA and death occurred in perioperative period. During the operation, two cases (9.5%) were treated with Apollo stent due to the residual stenosis>50% after DCB dilation. The technical success rate was 90.5%. The mean stenosis of the target vessel was improved immediately from preoperative (78.1±11.3)% to postoperative (22.1±8.3)%. All the 21 patients were followed up. As of the last follow-up in September 2021, the median clinical follow-up period was 19 (12, 33.5) months, and there were no stroke, TIA and death caused by the corresponding artery. The mRS score was 0 in 18 patients 1 in 2 patients and 2 in 1 patient. Imaging follow-up was available in 13 cases (61.9%) with a median follow-up time of 7(5.5, 19) months, and the target vessel restenosis rate was 7.7% (1/13).Conclusions:This preliminary study has shown that DCB in the treatment of ISR of the vertebrobasilar artery is safe and feasible, with a high technical success rate and low restenosis rate, which provides clinical application evidence, but the long-term effect needs further follow-up observation.

Objective:To establish a nomogram to predict overall survival of patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ gastric cancer (GC) based on preoperative inflammatory markers.Methods:Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 1 035 patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ gastric cancer operated at He'nan Cancer Hospital between May 2015 and Oct 2016 were retrospectively collected. A nomogram was established based on prognostic factors. Harrell's concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to verify the performance of the model according to differentiation, calibration and clinical utility.Results:A total of 1 035 patients were enrolled . The median follow-up time was 41.9 months; According to the optimal cutoff value, 170 were with elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and 865 with a reduced　ratio; 562 in elevated platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) vs. 473 in the reduced group; fibrinogen/albumin ratio (FAR) elevated in 108 group vs. 972 in the reduced group; 180 in the prognostic nutritional index score (PNI) elevated group and 855 in the reduced group. Two hundred and sixty-seven patients were categorized at stage Ⅰ, 334 at stage Ⅱ ,434 at stage Ⅲ. Multivariate regression analysis showed tumor location, vascular tumor thrombus, pTNM stage, FAR, PNI and NLR were independent prognostic factors (all P<0.05). The C-index of the nomogram was 0.723 (95% CI: 0.710 -0.736) and had better clinical utility than the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th TNM staging system 0.693 (95% CI, 0.681 -0.705). The calibration curve of the nomogram showed that the predicted survival rate was consistent with the actual survival rate in GC patients. Compared to AJCC 8th pTNM staging system, the DCA curve indicate that the nomogram has a higher net income. Conclusion:The nomogram predicting overall survival of patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ gastric cancer is established and verified , which provides better individual prediction than TNM staging system.

Objective:To explore the relationship between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and first pass effect (FPE) during mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusive stroke.Methods:Four hundred and six patients with acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusive stroke, admitted to and received mechanical thrombectomy in our hospital from January 2018 to June 2021, were chosen in our study. They were divided into FPE group ( n=186) and non-FPE group ( n=220) according to whether the occluded vessels were successfully or completely re-canalized after the first mechanical thrombectomy. The baseline data, clinical characteristics and operation related data were recorded and compared. The factors with P<0.05 in univariate analysis were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis to identify the independent factors for FPE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to compare the effectiveness of various factors in predicting FPE. Results:Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in gender, proportion of different collateral circulation grading, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and NLR between the two groups ( P<0.05). As compared with non-FPE group, FPE group had significantly higher ASPECTS scores at admission, significantly shorter time from femoral artery puncture to recanalization, significantly higher proportion of vascular recanalization, statistically higher proportion of patients using balloon guiding catheter, significantly lower ratio of contrast extravasation, significantly lower incidences of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and mortality, and statistically higher rate of good prognosis 90 d after surgery ( P<0.05). The results of multivariate Logistics regression analysis showed that gender ( OR=0.686, 95%CI: 1.131-3.491, P=0.017), ASPECTS scores ( OR=0.143, 95%CI: 0.094-0.220, P<0.001), NLR ( OR=1.722, 95%CI: 1.413-2.098, P<0.001), and PLR ( OR=1.007, 95%CI: 1.003-1.014, P<0.001) were independent factors for FPE. ROC curve results showed that the areas under the curve predicted by gender, ASPECTS scores, PLR, NLR and combination of multiple factors (gender+ASPECTS scores+PLR+NLR) were 0.60, 0.17, 0.71, 0.77 and 0.91, respectively; among them, NLR had the highest efficacy in single-factor prediction for FPE, with cut-off value of 5.86, specificity of 83.3%, and sensitivity of 62.3%. Conclusion:High NLR at admission in patients with acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusive stroke is likely to have FPE failure during mechanical thrombectomy.

Objective　To investigate the expression differences of serum endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in patients with arteriosclerotic cerebral infarction and their role in the prognosis of patients.Methods　A total of 126 patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction admitted to our hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 and 130 healthy people in the same period were selected.Patients were divided into groups according to infarct volume,dysfunction and prognosis,and serum NOS3 and GDNF levels were compared between different groups.ROC curve was used to analyze the predictive value of NOS3 and GDNF for poor prognosis.Results　The proportion of diabetes and hypertension in patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction increased,and the serum levels of NOS3 and GDNF decreased (P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the levels of NOS3 and GDNF among patients with different infarct volumes (P>0.05).The levels of NOS3 and GDNF in mild dysfunction group,moderate dysfunction group and severe dysfunction group decreased successively (P<0.05).The AUC of NOS3 and GDNF levels in predicting poor prognosis were 0.858 and 0.779,respectively.Conclusion　The serum levels of NOS3 and GDNF in patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction are decreased,and their levels are related to the degree of neurological impairment and prognosis of patients,which is expected to be a biological indicator to evaluate the prognosis of patients.

Objective:To investigate the effect of thrombus burden on the clinical outcome of endovascular recanalization in large vessel occlusive stroke.Methods:Patients with acute anterior circulation occlusion who underwent endovascular treatment within 24 hours after onset in Zhengzhou University People′s Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected. According to the clot burden score (CBS) of DSA, total objectives were divided into CBS≥6 group (24 cases) and CBS<6 group (38 cases). Clinical data of the two groups were collected and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used to evaluate the clinical outcome at 90 days after surgery. Independent sample t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test and χ 2 test were used to compare the clinical data between the two groups. Independent risk factors affecting the clinical outcome were analyzed by binary logistic regression. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in basic demographic data, stroke risk factors and other factors between the CBS≥6 group and CBS<6 group ( P>0.05).The proportion of using tirofiban after surgery in the CBS≥6 group (63.2%, 24/38) was lower than that in the CBS<6 group (87.5%, 21/24) (χ2=4.380, P=0.044). The discharge NIHSS score of the CBS≥6 group was [5.0 (3.3, 7.8) points] lower than CBS<6 group [8.5 (1.8, 14.5) points] ( Z=5.221, P=0.022). The proportion of postoperative mRS 0-2 was (91.7%, 22/24) in the CBS≥6 group higher than CBS<6 group(39.5%, 15/38) (χ2=20.486, P=0.001), there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups ( P<0.05). The results of binary logistics regression analysis showed the CBS groups (OR=0.042, 95%CI 0.007-0.244 , P=0.001) was an independent risk factor affecting good outcome. Subgroup analysis of whether tirofiban was used or not showed there was no statistically significant difference in clinical prognosis between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The clinical outcome of CBS≥6 group is significantly better than that of CBS<6 group, and patients with small thrombus burden are more likely to get a good clinical outcome of 90 days.