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Background: Following acute ischemic stroke (AIS), approximately half of patients do not achieve recanalization after intravenous administration of tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). Thrombolysis resistance is a possible reason for recanalization failure. Thrombolysis resistance is likely related to the ultrastructure and composition of the thrombus. However, there is a paucity of published information on the relationship between thrombus ultrastructure and thrombolysis resistance. Case presentation: Two patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy were observed within 4.5 h after stroke onset. One patient failed to respond to rt-PA (defined as thrombolysis resistant), and the other patient did not receive rt-PA treatment (non-rtPA). In each patient, the occluded artery was the internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery. According to the Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classification, both patients had large atherosclerotic cerebral infarction. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found that the thrombus structure was significantly different between the two patients. Conclusion: Grid-like dense fibrin, compressed polyhedral erythrocytes, and large accumulation of neutrophils may be characteristics of thrombolysis resistant thrombi.

Introduction. Limited comparative studies have reported the safety and efficacy of tirofiban in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients after mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Additionally, the available studies are inconsistent with each other, which makes application of tirofiban unclear in neuro-intervention. Here, we performed a comparative retrospective study to investigate whether tirofiban combined with MT improves short- and long-term prognosis in AIS patients and whether its use is associated with complications. Method. Retrospective data were collected for AIS patients admitted between January 2013 and January 2019 at three stroke centers. According to whether tirofiban was used during the operation, patients were divided into tirofiban group and control group. Multivariate and COX regression analyses were performed to determine the association of tirofiban treatment with safety and efficiency in subjects treated with MT. Result. A total of 174 patients were analyzed, of whom 89 (51.1%) were treated with tirofiban. There were no differences in the incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (10.2% vs. 10.6%, p=0.918), parenchymal hemorrhage type 2 (18.0% vs. 16.5%, p=0.793), and reocclusion at 24 h (3.4% vs. 10.6%, p=0.060) between the tirofiban group and control group. Multivariate regression showed that tirofiban was not associated with intracerebral hemorrhage, early neurological deterioration, neurological improvement at 7 days, functional independence at 3-month and 9-month follow-up, or death at 9-month follow-up (adjusted p>0.05 for all). However, AIS patients treated with MT + tirofiban showed a trend towards acquiring faster functional independence, with a median time to acquire functional independence of 4.0 months compared with 6.5 months in the control group (risk ratio = 1.49, 95% confidence interval 0.98–2.27; long rank p=0.066). Conclusion. Tirofiban may help AIS patients given MT to gain functional independence faster, without increasing the risk of complications.

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Background: Recently, increasing evidence has implicated methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation as a risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS) in the general population. However, studies have been inconclusive and lack evidence on specific populations. We aim to determine whether the rs1801133 (NC_000001.11 (MTHFR):g. 677C>T (p.Ala222Val) variant, we termed as MTHFR rs1801133 (677 C>T), is linked to an increased risk of IS in different age groups and ancestry groups.Methods: The literature relevant to our study was found by searching the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CNKI databases. A random effect model analysis was used to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate any possible association. We conducted a subgroup analysis based on the age and ancestry groups of the included populations.Results: As of March 2022, 1,925 citations had been identified in electronic databases, of which 96 studies involving 34,814 subjects met our eligibility criteria. A strong link was found between IS and the MTHFR gene rs1801133 (677C>T) polymorphism in all genetic models [dominant genetic model (OR = 1.47; 95%CI = 1.33–1.61; p < 0.001), recessive genetic model (OR = 1.52; 95%CI = 1.36–1.71; p < 0.001), heterozygous model (OR = 1.36; 95%CI = 1.24–1.48; p < 0.001), homozygous model (OR = 1.82; 95%CI = 1.58–2.11; p < 0.001), and T allelic genetic model (OR = 1.37; 95%CI = 1.27–1.48; p < 0.001)]. Further subgroup analyses indicated that the MTHFR rs1801133 (677C>T) variant may increase the risk of IS in Asian, Hispanic, or Latin population, middle-aged, and elderly populations (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Our results implied that mutation of the T allele of MTHFR rs1801133 (677C>T) could be a risk factor for IS. A significant association was found among Asian, Hispanic, or Latin population, middle-aged, and elderly people.

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BackgroundContrast-enhanced high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (CE-HR-MRI) is a useful imaging modality to assess vulnerable plaques in intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) patients. We studied the relationship between the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and plaque enhancement in patients with ICAS.MethodsWe retrospectively enrolled consecutive ICAS patients who had undergone CE-HR-MRI. The degree of plaque enhancement on CE-HR-MRI was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Enrolled patients were classified into no enhancement, mild enhancement, and obvious enhancement groups. An independent association of the FAR with plaque enhancement was identified by multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses.ResultsOf the 69 enrolled patients, 40 (58%) were classified into the no/mild enhancement group, and 29 (42%) into the obvious enhancement group. The obvious enhancement group had a significantly higher FAR than the no/mild enhancement group (7.36 vs. 6.05, p = 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, the FAR was still significantly independently associated with obvious plaque enhancement in multiple regression analysis (odds ratio: 1.399, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.080–1.813; p = 0.011). ROC curve analysis revealed that FAR >6.37 predicted obvious plaque enhancement with 75.86% sensitivity and 67.50% specificity (area under the ROC curve = 0.726, 95% CI: 0.606–0.827, p < 0.001).ConclusionThe FAR can serve as an independent predictor of the degree of plaque enhancement on CE-HR-MRI in patients with ICAS. Also, as an inflammatory marker, the FAR has potential as a serological biomarker of intracranial atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability.