| 1. |
- Fragata, Isabel, et al.
(author)
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Early Prediction of Delayed Ischemia and Functional Outcome in Acute Subarachnoid Hemorrhage : Role of Diffusion Tensor Imaging
- 2017
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In: Stroke. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 48:8, s. 2091-2097
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and Purpose-Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters are markers of cerebral lesion in some diseases. In patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), we investigated whether DTI parameters measured at < 72 hours might be associated with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and with poor functional outcome at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale score =3).Methods-DTI was performed in a prospective cohort of 60 patients with nontraumatic SAH at < 72 hours. Association of fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values at < 72 hours with the occurrence of DCI and outcome at 3 months was evaluated with logistic regression models, adjusting for known predictors of prognosis.Results-At < 72 hours after SAH, fractional anisotropy values at the cerebellum were associated with DCI occurrence (78% less odds of DCI for each 0.1 increase in fractional anisotropy; P=0.019). Early apparent diffusion coefficient values were not associated with DCI. After adjusting for confounding variables, an increase of 10 U in apparent diffusion coefficient at the frontal centrum semiovale corresponded to 15% increased odds of poor outcome (P=0.061).Conclusions-DTI parameters at < 72 hours post-SAH are independently associated with the occurrence of DCI and functional outcome. These preliminary results suggest the role of DTI parameters as surrogate markers of prognosis in nontraumatic SAH.
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| 2. |
- Cotlarciuc, Ioana, et al.
(author)
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Towards the genetic basis of cerebral venous thrombosis-the BEAST Consortium: a study protocol.
- 2016
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In: BMJ open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 6:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare cerebrovascular condition accounting for <1% of all stroke cases and mainly affects young adults. Its genetic aetiology is not clearly elucidated.To better understand the genetic basis of CVT, we have established an international biobank of CVT cases, Biorepository to Establish the Aetiology of Sinovenous Thrombosis (BEAST) which aims to recruit highly phenotyped cases initially of European descent and later from other populations. To date we have recruited 745 CVT cases from 12 research centres. As an initial step, the consortium plans to undertake a genome-wide association analysis of CVT using the Illumina Infinium HumanCoreExome BeadChip to assess the association and impact of common and low-frequency genetic variants on CVT risk by using a case-control study design. Replication will be performed to confirm putative findings. Furthermore, we aim to identify interactions of genetic variants with several environmental and comorbidity factors which will likely contribute to improve the understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying this complex disease.BEAST meets all ethical standards set by local institutional review boards for each of the participating sites. The research outcomes will be published in international peer-reviewed open-access journals with high impact and visibility. The results will be presented at national and international meetings to highlight the contributions into improving the understanding of the mechanisms underlying this uncommon but important disease. This international DNA repository will become an important resource for investigators in the field of haematological and vascular disorders.
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| 3. |
- Fragata, Isabel, et al.
(author)
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Evolution of diffusion tensor imaging parameters after acute subarachnoid haemorrhage : a prospective cohort study
- 2017
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In: Neuroradiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-3940 .- 1432-1920. ; 59:1, s. 13-21
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Few studies assessed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) changes in the acute phase of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). We prospectively evaluated DTI parameters in the acute phase of SAH and 8-10 days after and analysed whether changes could be related to SAH severity or to the development of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI).METHODS: Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) changes over time were assessed in a prospective cohort of patients with acute SAH. Two MRI studies were performed at <72 h (MRI-1) and 8-10 days (MRI-2). DTI parameters were recorded in 15 ROIs. Linear mixed regression models were used.RESULTS: Forty-two patients were included. Subtle changes in DTI parameters were found between MRI-1 and MRI-2. At the posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC), a weak evidence of a 0.02 mean increase in FA (p = 0.064) and a 17.55 × 10(-6) mm(2)/s decrease in ADC (p = 0.052) were found in MRI-2. Both FA and ADC changed over time at the cerebellum (increase of 0.03; p = 0.017; decrease of 34.73 × 10(-6) mm(2)/s; p = 0.002, respectively). Patients with DCI had lower FA values on MRI-1 and lower ADC on MRI-2, although not reaching statistical significance, compared to non-DCI patients. DTI parameters on MRI-1 were not correlated to clinical admission scales.CONCLUSION: ADC and FA values show subtle changes over time in acute SAH at the PLIC and cerebellum although not statistically associated with the severity of SAH or the occurrence of DCI. However, DTI changes occurred mainly in DCI patients, suggesting a possible role of DTI as a marker of DCI.
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| 4. |
- Gameiro, Joana, et al.
(author)
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Prognosis of cerebral vein thrombosis presenting as isolated headache: Early vs. late diagnosis
- 2012
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In: Cephalalgia. - : SAGE Publications. - 0333-1024 .- 1468-2982. ; 32:5, s. 407-412
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To analyse the outcome of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) patients presenting with isolated headache, specifically to compare isolated headache patients with early vs. late CVT diagnosis. Method: In the International Study on Cerebral Vein and Dural Sinus Thrombosis (ISCVT) database we compared the outcome of patients with isolated headache and a CVT diagnosed early (<= 7 days from onset) vs. late (> 7 days). We retrieved 100 patients with isolated headache, 52 patients with early CVT diagnosis (early isolated headache) and 48 with late CVT diagnosis (late isolated headache). Results: Neurological worsening was more frequent within early isolated headache patients (23% vs. 8%) (p = 0.045). At the last follow-up (median 411 days), 93% patients had a complete recovery, and 4% were dead or dependent, with no significant difference between early isolated headache and late isolated headache. Conclusion: The outcome of CVT patients with isolated headache diagnosed early or late was similarly favourable, but there was a higher proportion of neurological worsening in the acute phase among early isolated headache patients, who need close neurological monitoring.
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| 5. |
- Ranjan, Redoy, et al.
(author)
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Coma in adult cerebral venous thrombosis: The BEAST study
- 2024
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In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY. - 1351-5101 .- 1468-1331. ; 31:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and purpose: Coma is an independent predictor of poor clinical outcomes in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). We aimed to describe the association of age, sex, and radiological characteristics of adult coma patients with CVT. Methods: We used data from the international, multicentre prospective observational BEAST (Biorepository to Establish the Aetiology of Sinovenous Thrombosis) study. Only positively associated variables with coma with <10% missing data in univariate analysis were considered for the multivariate logistic regression model. Results: Of the 596 adult patients with CVT (75.7% women), 53 (8.9%) patients suffered coma. Despite being a female-predominant disease, the prevalence of coma was higher among men than women (13.1% vs. 7.5%, p = 0.04). Transverse sinus thrombosis was least likely to be associated with coma (23.9% vs. 73.3%, p < 0.001). The prevalence of superior sagittal sinus thrombosis was higher among men than women in the coma sample (73.6% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.01). Men were significantly older than women, with a median (interquartile range) age of 51 (38.5-60) versus 40 (33-47) years in the coma (p = 0.04) and 44.5 (34-58) versus 37 (29-48) years in the non-coma sample (p < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, an age- and superior sagittal sinus-adjusted multivariate logistic regression model found male sex (odds ratio = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-3.4, p = 0.04) to be an independent predictor of coma in CVT, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.61 (95% CI = 0.52-0.68, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Although CVT is a female-predominant disease, men were older and nearly twice as likely to suffer from coma than women.
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| 6. |
- Sousa, Elsa, et al.
(author)
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Ankylosing Spondylitis Susceptibility and Severity-Contribution of TNF Gene Promoter Polymorphisms at Positions-238 and-308
- 2009
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In: Contemporary Challenges in Autoimmunity. - : Wiley. - 0077-8923. ; 1173, s. 581-588
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which genetic factors play a central role. The efficacy of TNF blockers has reoriented research in this field in order to explain the influence of TNF in AS pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to access the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at positions -308 and -238 of the promoter region of TNF gene on AS susceptibility and prognosis. SNPS were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphisms in patients and controls. AS patients exhibited a decreased frequency of the A allele at position -238 (10%) when compared with controls (18%), suggesting that this could be a protective factor for disease susceptibility. In addition, the -308 GA/AA genotypes were associated with later disease onset in AS patients. These results suggest that TNF gene promoter polymorphisms at positions -238 and -308 could have a small influence on AS susceptibility and prognosis.
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