Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is compromised in ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology only in the non-affected hemisphere

Background and purpose To assess dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) in patients with acute ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology, within 72h of stroke onset. Materials and methods In 6 patients with ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology (aged 66±9 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score on admission: 4.0, range: 4–11), selected based on screening of 118 consecutive ischaemic stroke patients and in 14 volunteers (aged 62±10 years), we continuously monitored RR intervals (RRI), mean arterial pressure (MAP) by means of photoplethysmography, mean cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) and respiration during 2-min deep breathing paced at 6min−1 (0.1Hz). To assess CA, we evaluated the impact of breathing-induced MAP oscillations on fluctuations of CBFV in the hemispheres with stroke, the non-involved hemispheres and randomly selected hemispheres of controls by applying cross-spectral analysis and calculating coherence, transfer function gain (CBFV–MAP gain) and phase shift angle between the two oscillating signals. Results Phase shift angle between MAP and CBFV oscillations showed values >0 and was significantly reduced in the hemispheres without stroke as compared to controls (0.39±0.95 vs. −1.59±0.33rad, p=0.015), whereas in the hemispheres with stroke, phase shift angle did not differ significantly from that observed in the control hemispheres. Clinical status of stroke patients significantly improved at discharge from the hospital (NIHSS: 2.0, range: 1–8, p=0.028). Conclusions During the first days of ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology, dynamic cerebral autoregulation is compromised in the non-affected hemisphere, but not in the hemisphere with ischaemic lesion

Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is compromised in ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology only in the non-affected hemisphere

Background and purpose: To assess dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) in patients with acute ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology, within 72 h of stroke onset. Materials and methods: In 6 patients with ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology (aged 66 9 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score on admission: 4.0, range: 4–11), selected based on screening of 118 consecutive ischaemic stroke patients and in 14 volunteers (aged 62 10 years), we continuously monitored RR intervals (RRI), mean arterial pressure (MAP) by means of photoplethysmography, mean cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) and respiration during 2-min deep breathing paced at 6 min1 (0.1 Hz). To assess CA, we evaluated the impact of breathing-induced MAP oscillations on fluctuations of CBFV in the hemispheres with stroke, the non-involved hemispheres and randomly selected hemispheres of controls by applying cross-spectral analysis and calculating coherence, transfer function gain (CBFV–MAP gain) and phase shift angle between the two oscillating signals. Results: Phase shift angle between MAP and CBFV oscillations showed values >0 and was significantly reduced in the hemispheres without stroke as compared to controls (0.39 0.95 vs. 1.59 0.33 rad, p = 0.015), whereas in the hemispheres with stroke, phase shift angle did not differ significantly from that observed in the control hemispheres. Clinical status of stroke patients significantly improved at discharge from the hospital (NIHSS: 2.0, range: 1–8, p = 0.028). Conclusions: During the first days of ischaemic stroke of undetermined aetiology, dynamic cerebral autoregulation is compromised in the non-affected hemisphere, but not in the hemisphere with ischaemic lesio

Nowa kronika wałbrzyska, t. 3

Wałbrzych i jego słynny „złoty pociąg”, od pierwszej wzmianki na jego temat, zajmuje obecnie szczególne miejsce w wielu informacjach publicystycznych i naukowych. Na nowo rozbudzona ciekawość historyczna naszym miastem i regionem zbiegła się z siedemdziesiątą rocznicą przejęcia miasta przez władze polskie. Każdy niemalże mieszkaniec Wałbrzycha odczuwa ten pozytywny wzrost zainteresowania. Przygraniczne położenie, wielonarodowe wpływy w rozwoju politycznym, gospodarczym i kulturalnym odcisnęły swoje piętno na dziejach miasta, widzianych przez nas jako ciągłość od czasów najdawniejszych po czasy współczesne. I właśnie ta różnorodność stała się nagle niezwykle atrakcyjnym elementem dla przybywających tu turystów zaintrygowanych tajemniczymi historiami. Kolejny, trzeci tom Nowej kroniki wałbrzyskiej stara się jak zwykle uwzględnić wyniki najnowszych prac naukowych lokalnych badaczy, jak i wykorzystać te ustalenia, które posiadają istotną wartość poznawczą. Jak pisze Andrzej Garlicki „Najtrudniejsze w historii jest zrozumienie. Czyli odpowiedź na pytanie, dlaczego wydarzenia potoczyły się tak, a nie inaczej”, dlatego też staramy się zapewnić Czytelnikom szerokie spectrum poruszanych problemów oraz różne wątki wałbrzyskiej historii, podzielone na cztery części.Elżbieta Kwiatkowska-Wyrwis

Effect of natalizumab on disease progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (ASCEND). a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an open-label extension

Background: Although several disease-modifying treatments are available for relapsing multiple sclerosis, treatment effects have been more modest in progressive multiple sclerosis and have been observed particularly in actively relapsing subgroups or those with lesion activity on imaging. We sought to assess whether natalizumab slows disease progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, independent of relapses. Methods: ASCEND was a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (part 1) with an optional 2 year open-label extension (part 2). Enrolled patients aged 18–58 years were natalizumab-naive and had secondary progressive multiple sclerosis for 2 years or more, disability progression unrelated to relapses in the previous year, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores of 3·0–6·5. In part 1, patients from 163 sites in 17 countries were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 300 mg intravenous natalizumab or placebo every 4 weeks for 2 years. Patients were stratified by site and by EDSS score (3·0–5·5 vs 6·0–6·5). Patients completing part 1 could enrol in part 2, in which all patients received natalizumab every 4 weeks until the end of the study. Throughout both parts, patients and staff were masked to the treatment received in part 1. The primary outcome in part 1 was the proportion of patients with sustained disability progression, assessed by one or more of three measures: the EDSS, Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW), and 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT). The primary outcome in part 2 was the incidence of adverse events and serious adverse events. Efficacy and safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01416181. Findings: Between Sept 13, 2011, and July 16, 2015, 889 patients were randomly assigned (n=440 to the natalizumab group, n=449 to the placebo group). In part 1, 195 (44%) of 439 natalizumab-treated patients and 214 (48%) of 448 placebo-treated patients had confirmed disability progression (odds ratio [OR] 0·86; 95% CI 0·66–1·13; p=0·287). No treatment effect was observed on the EDSS (OR 1·06, 95% CI 0·74–1·53; nominal p=0·753) or the T25FW (0·98, 0·74–1·30; nominal p=0·914) components of the primary outcome. However, natalizumab treatment reduced 9HPT progression (OR 0·56, 95% CI 0·40–0·80; nominal p=0·001). In part 1, 100 (22%) placebo-treated and 90 (20%) natalizumab-treated patients had serious adverse events. In part 2, 291 natalizumab-continuing patients and 274 natalizumab-naive patients received natalizumab (median follow-up 160 weeks [range 108–221]). Serious adverse events occurred in 39 (13%) patients continuing natalizumab and in 24 (9%) patients initiating natalizumab. Two deaths occurred in part 1, neither of which was considered related to study treatment. No progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy occurred. Interpretation: Natalizumab treatment for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis did not reduce progression on the primary multicomponent disability endpoint in part 1, but it did reduce progression on its upper-limb component. Longer-term trials are needed to assess whether treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis might produce benefits on additional disability components. Funding: Biogen

Clinical autonomic nervous system laboratories in Europe: a joint survey of the European Academy of Neurology and the European Federation of Autonomic Societies

© 2022 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.Background and purpose: Disorders of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are common conditions, but it is unclear whether access to ANS healthcare provision is homogeneous across European countries. The aim of this study was to identify neurology-driven or interdisciplinary clinical ANS laboratories in Europe, describe their characteristics and explore regional differences. Methods: We contacted the European national ANS and neurological societies, as well as members of our professional network, to identify clinical ANS laboratories in each country and invite them to answer a web-based survey. Results: We identified 84 laboratories in 22 countries and 46 (55%) answered the survey. All laboratories perform cardiovascular autonomic function tests, and 83% also perform sweat tests. Testing for catecholamines and autoantibodies are performed in 63% and 56% of laboratories, and epidermal nerve fiber density analysis in 63%. Each laboratory is staffed by a median of two consultants, one resident, one technician and one nurse. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) number of head-up tilt tests/laboratory/year is 105 (49-251). Reflex syncope and neurogenic orthostatic hypotension are the most frequently diagnosed cardiovascular ANS disorders. Thirty-five centers (76%) have an ANS outpatient clinic, with a median (IQR) of 200 (100-360) outpatient visits/year; 42 centers (91%) also offer inpatient care (median 20 [IQR 4-110] inpatient stays/year). Forty-one laboratories (89%) are involved in research activities. We observed a significant difference in the geographical distribution of ANS services among European regions: 11 out of 12 countries from North/West Europe have at least one ANS laboratory versus 11 out of 21 from South/East/Greater Europe (p = 0.021). Conclusions: This survey highlights disparities in the availability of healthcare services for people with ANS disorders across European countries, stressing the need for improved access to specialized care in South, East and Greater Europe.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

EFAS/EAN survey on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on European clinical autonomic education and research

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Purpose: To understand the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on clinical autonomic education and research in Europe. Methods: We invited 84 European autonomic centers to complete an online survey, recorded the pre-pandemic-to-pandemic percentage of junior participants in the annual congresses of the European Federation of Autonomic Societies (EFAS) and European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and the pre-pandemic-to-pandemic number of PubMed publications on neurological disorders. Results: Forty-six centers answered the survey (55%). Twenty-nine centers were involved in clinical autonomic education and experienced pandemic-related didactic interruptions for 9 (5; 9) months. Ninety percent (n = 26/29) of autonomic educational centers reported a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education quality, and 93% (n = 27/29) established e-learning models. Both the 2020 joint EAN-EFAS virtual congress and the 2021 (virtual) and 2022 (hybrid) EFAS and EAN congresses marked higher percentages of junior participants than in 2019. Forty-one respondents (89%) were autonomic researchers, and 29 of them reported pandemic-related trial interruptions for 5 (2; 9) months. Since the pandemic begin, almost half of the respondents had less time for scientific writing. Likewise, the number of PubMed publications on autonomic topics showed the smallest increase compared with other neurological fields in 2020-2021 and the highest drop in 2022. Autonomic research centers that amended their trial protocols for telemedicine (38%, n = 16/41) maintained higher clinical caseloads during the first pandemic year. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial negative impact on European clinical autonomic education and research. At the same time, it promoted digitalization, favoring more equitable access to autonomic education and improved trial design.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clinical course and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in multiple sclerosis patients treated with disease-modifying therapies — the Polish experience

Introduction. The aim of this study was to report the course and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in Poland. A major concern for neurologists worldwide is the course and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with MS treated with different DMTs. Although initial studies do not suggest an unfavourable course of infection in this group of patients, the data is limited.Materials and methods. This study included 396 MS patients treated with DMTs and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 28 Polish MS centres. Information concerning patient demographics, comorbidities, clinical course of MS, current DMT use, as well as symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, need for pharmacotherapy, oxygen therapy, and/or hospitalisation, and short-term outcomes was collected up to 30 January 2021. Additional data about COVID-19 cases in the general population in Poland was obtained from official reports of the Polish Ministry of Health.Results. There were 114 males (28.8%) and 282 females (71.2%). The median age was 39 years (IQR 13). The great majority of patients with MS exhibited relapsing-remitting course (372 patients; 93.9%). The median EDSS was 2 (SD 1.38), and the mean disease duration was 8.95 (IQR 8) years. Most of the MS patients were treated with dimethyl fumarate (164; 41.41%). Other DMTs were less frequently used: interferon beta (82; 20.70%), glatiramer acetate (42; 10.60%), natalizumab (35;8.84%), teriflunomide (25; 6.31%), ocrelizumab (20; 5.05%), fingolimod (16; 4.04), cladribine (5; 1.26%), mitoxantrone (3; 0.76%), ozanimod (3; 0.76%), and alemtuzumab (1; 0.25%). The overall hospitalisation rate due to COVID-19 in the cohort was 6.81% (27 patients). Only one patient (0.3%) died due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and three (0.76%) patients were treated with mechanical ventilation; 106 (26.8%) patients had at least one comorbid condition. There were no significant differences in the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection regarding patient age, duration of the disease, degree of disability (EDSS), lymphocyte count, or type of DMT used.Conclusions and clinical implications. Most MS patients included in this study had a favourable course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The hospitalisation rate and the mortality rate were not higher in the MS cohort compared to the general Polish population. Continued multicentre data collection is needed to increase the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection impact on the course of MS in patients treated with DMTs

Mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke – Five years of experience in Poland

Objectives Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not reimbursed by the Polish public health system. We present a description of 5 years of experience with MT in acute stroke in Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) in Poland. Methods and results We retrospectively analyzed the results of a structured questionnaire from 23 out of 25 identified CSCs and 22 data sets that include 61 clinical, radiological and outcome measures. Results Most of the CSCs (74%) were founded at University Hospitals and most (65.2%) work round the clock. In 78.3% of them, the working teams are composed of neurologists and neuro-radiologists. All CSCs perform CT and angio-CT before MT. In total 586 patients were subjected to MT and data from 531 of them were analyzed. Mean time laps from stroke onset to groin puncture was 250±99min. 90.3% of the studied patients had MT within 6h from stroke onset; 59.3% of them were treated with IV rt-PA prior to MT; 15.1% had IA rt-PA during MT and 4.7% – emergent stenting of a large vessel. M1 of MCA was occluded in 47.8% of cases. The Solitaire device was used in 53% of cases. Successful recanalization (TICI2b–TICI3) was achieved in 64.6% of cases and 53.4% of patients did not experience hemorrhagic transformation. Clinical improvement on discharge was noticed in 53.7% of cases, futile recanalization – in 30.7%, mRS of 0–2 – in 31.4% and mRS of 6 in 22% of cases. Conclusion Our results can help harmonize standards for MT in Poland according to international guidelines

Socio-political conditions in the process of organizing the education system for the minorities in the Lower Silesia in the post-war period

Autorka prezentuje okoliczności i warunki osiedlania na Dolnym Śląsku mniejszości narodowych oraz analizuje sytuację szkolnictwa w kontekście społeczno-politycznym. Opisuje także decyzje polskich władz politycznych oraz oświatowych, które umożliwiły utworzenie szkół oraz kompletów nauczania dla tej ludności. Charakteryzuje organizację i funkcjonowanie szkół z niepolskim językiem nauczania. Krótko opisuje okoliczności likwidacji tego typu szkolnictwa.The author presents the circumstances and conditions of settling national minorities in Lower Silesia and analyses the situation of the education of national minorities in the socio-political context. It also describes the decisions of the Polish political and educational authorities that enabled the creation of schools and courses for this population. It characterizes the organization and activity of schools with non-Polish language of learning. The author briefly describes the circumstances of the liquidation of this type of education