Call to Action: SARS-CoV-2 and CerebrovAscular DisordErs (CASCADE)

Background and purpose: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), now named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), may change the risk of stroke through an enhanced systemic inflammatory response, hypercoagulable state, and endothelial damage in the cerebrovascular system. Moreover, due to the current pandemic, some countries have prioritized health resources towards COVID-19 management, making it more challenging to appropriately care for other potentially disabling and fatal diseases such as stroke. The aim of this study is to identify and describe changes in stroke epidemiological trends before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is an international, multicenter, hospital-based study on stroke incidence and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will describe patterns in stroke management, stroke hospitalization rate, and stroke severity, subtype (ischemic/hemorrhagic), and outcomes (including in-hospital mortality) in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic, comparing them with the corresponding data from 2018 and 2019, and subsequently 2021. We will also use an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to assess the change in stroke hospitalization rates before, during, and after COVID-19, in each participating center. Conclusion: The proposed study will potentially enable us to better understand the changes in stroke care protocols, differential hospitalization rate, and severity of stroke, as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, this will help guide clinical-based policies surrounding COVID-19 and other similar global pandemics to ensure that management of cerebrovascular comorbidity is appropriately prioritized during the global crisis. It will also guide public health guidelines for at-risk populations to reduce risks of complications from such comorbidities. © 202

Variety is the spice of life: Strategies for promoting fruit and vegetable acceptance during infancy

International audienceThe present manuscript describes two experimental studies that were conducted to explore the effects of an 8-day exposure to a particular food or a variety of foods between and/or within meals on fruit and vegetable acceptance in 74 infants. Whether the dietary experience modified acceptance depended on the flavors of foods experienced, whether the experience occurred between or within meals or both, and whether the target food was a fruit or vegetable. In the first study, we found that 8 days of dietary exposure to pears or a variety of fruits between meals (not including pears) resulted in greater consumption of pears by the infants but this increased acceptance did not generalize to green beans. In the second study, we found that 8 days of vegetable variety both between and within meals led to increased acceptance of green beans, carrots and spinach. Those infants who experienced green beans alone or a variety of vegetables between meals also tended to eat more green beans after the exposure. These findings suggest that not only can infants clearly discriminate flavors but repeated opportunities to taste a particular or a variety of foods may promote willingness to eat fruits and vegetables, the consumption of which is generally low in the pediatric population and the acceptance of which is difficult to enhance beyond toddlerhood

Detection of Stroke with Retinal Microvascular Density and Self-Supervised Learning Using OCT-A and Fundus Imaging

Acute cerebral stroke is a leading cause of disability and death, which could be reduced with a prompt diagnosis during patient transportation to the hospital. A portable retina imaging system could enable this by measuring vascular information and blood perfusion in the retina and, due to the homology between retinal and cerebral vessels, infer if a cerebral stroke is underway. However, the feasibility of this strategy, the imaging features, and retina imaging modalities to do this are not clear. In this work, we show initial evidence of the feasibility of this approach by training machine learning models using feature engineering and self-supervised learning retina features extracted from OCT-A and fundus images to classify controls and acute stroke patients. Models based on macular microvasculature density features achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.87–0.88. Self-supervised deep learning models were able to generate features resulting in AUCs ranging from 0.66 to 0.81. While further work is needed for the final proof for a diagnostic system, these results indicate that microvasculature density features from OCT-A images have the potential to be used to diagnose acute cerebral stroke from the retina

Synthetic OCT-A blood vessel maps using fundus images and generative adversarial networks

Abstract Vessel segmentation in fundus images permits understanding retinal diseases and computing image-based biomarkers. However, manual vessel segmentation is a time-consuming process. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) allows direct, non-invasive estimation of retinal vessels. Unfortunately, compared to fundus images, OCT-A cameras are more expensive, less portable, and have a reduced field of view. We present an automated strategy relying on generative adversarial networks to create vascular maps from fundus images without training using manual vessel segmentation maps. Further post-processing used for standard en face OCT-A allows obtaining a vessel segmentation map. We compare our approach to state-of-the-art vessel segmentation algorithms trained on manual vessel segmentation maps and vessel segmentations derived from OCT-A. We evaluate them from an automatic vascular segmentation perspective and as vessel density estimators, i.e., the most common imaging biomarker for OCT-A used in studies. Using OCT-A as a training target over manual vessel delineations yields improved vascular maps for the optic disc area and compares to the best-performing vessel segmentation algorithm in the macular region. This technique could reduce the cost and effort incurred when training vessel segmentation algorithms. To incentivize research in this field, we will make the dataset publicly available to the scientific community

Neurology Trainee Attitudes Toward Neurointervention: Results From an International Survey

Background The rapidly changing treatment landscape for large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke, now more than ever, has added to the complexity of emergent decision making and the demand for neurointerventionists. Ensuring exposure of neurology trainees to neurointervention and the availability of well‐defined pathways for those interested in this career is crucial. Here we report the results from our large survey of neurology trainee attitudes toward neurointervention training. Methods An online survey targeting trainee impressions on the current state of vascular neurology, neurocritical care, and neurointervention training was conducted as a mandatory requirement for trainee registration in the Society for Vascular and Interventional Neurology Break meeting in April 2020. Quantitative results are reported in proportions, and qualitative results are described. Chi‐square test was used to determine association between categorical variables. Results Of the 725 respondents from 49 countries who participated in this conference, 450 (62%) were trainees. A total of 30% of trainees did not have access to neurointervention training, and 40% believed that neurology residency, vascular neurology, or neurocritical care fellowship do not adequately prepare them for a career in neurointervention. A total of 237/321 (73%) trainees whose institutional neurointervention practice included neurologists or a mix of subspecialty backgrounds including a neurologist had an opportunity to spend elective time in a neurology–angiography suite compared with 49/89 (55%) if the institutional neurointervention practice consisted of neurosurgeons or radiologists alone (P=0.001). A total of 49% of trainees each preferred the introduction of a mandatory or an elective neurointervention module during residency. A total of 60% of trainees preferred no to minimal exposure at the medical student level. Conclusions This international survey of trainees reinforces the existing gap in neurointervention exposure for neurology trainees. Inclusion of neurointervention faculty that come from a neurology training background and exposure to neurointervention will be crucial to support trainees interested in a neurointervention career pathway

Call to Action: SARS-CoV-2 and CerebrovAscular DisordErs (CASCADE)

Background and purpose: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), now named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), may change the risk of stroke through an enhanced systemic inflammatory response, hypercoagulable state, and endothelial damage in the cerebrovascular system. Moreover, due to the current pandemic, some countries have prioritized health resources towards COVID-19 management, making it more challenging to appropriately care for other potentially disabling and fatal diseases such as stroke. The aim of this study is to identify and describe changes in stroke epidemiological trends before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is an international, multicenter, hospital-based study on stroke incidence and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will describe patterns in stroke management, stroke hospitalization rate, and stroke severity, subtype (ischemic/hemorrhagic), and outcomes (including in-hospital mortality) in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic, comparing them with the corresponding data from 2018 and 2019, and subsequently 2021. We will also use an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to assess the change in stroke hospitalization rates before, during, and after COVID-19, in each participating center. Conclusion: The proposed study will potentially enable us to better understand the changes in stroke care protocols, differential hospitalization rate, and severity of stroke, as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, this will help guide clinical-based policies surrounding COVID-19 and other similar global pandemics to ensure that management of cerebrovascular comorbidity is appropriately prioritized during the global crisis. It will also guide public health guidelines for at-risk populations to reduce risks of complications from such comorbidities