Surface electromyography analysis of contralateral lower extremity tremor following thalamic hemorrhage

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor and cortisol expression to predict prognosis of patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Cerebral hemorrhage is a common and severe complication of hypertension in middle-aged and elderly men.

AIM

To investigate the correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cortisol (Cor) and the prognosis of patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage.

METHODS

A hundred patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage were enrolled from January 2020 to December 2022 and assigned to the hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage group. Another 100 healthy people who were examined at our hospital during the same period were selected and assigned to the healthy group. Peripheral venous blood was collected, and serum Cor and VGEF levels were measured through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

A statistically significant difference in serum Cor and VGEF levels was observed among patients with varying degrees of neurological impairment (P < 0.05). Serum Cor and VGEF levels were significantly higher in the severe group than in the mild-to-moderate group. Cor and VEGF levels were significantly higher in patients with poor prognoses than in those with good prognoses. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that serum Cor and VGEF levels were independent factors affecting hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Cor and VGEF are associated with the occurrence and development of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage and are significantly associated with neurological impairment and prognosis of patients.

Rare coexistence of multiple manifestations secondary to thalamic hemorrhage: A case report

BACKGROUND

A growing body of literature indicates that the occurrence of thalamic lesions could lead to various dysfunctions, such as somatosensory disturbances, hemiparesis, language deficits, and movement disorders. However, clinical cases describing the coexistence of these types of manifestations have not been reported. Herein, we report a patient who exhibited these rare complications secondary to thalamic hemorrhage.

CASE SUMMARY

A 53-year-old right-handed man experienced sudden left hemiparesis, numbness of the left side of body, and language alterations due to an acute hemorrhage located in the right basal ganglia and thalamus 18 mo ago. Approximately 17 mo after the onset of stroke, he exhibited rare complications including dysphasia, kinetic tremor confined to the left calf, and mirror movement of the left arm which are unique and interesting, and a follow-up computed tomography scan revealed an old hemorrhagic lesion in the right thalamus and posterior limb of the internal capsule.

CONCLUSION

Hypophonia may be a recognizable clinical sign of thalamus lesions; thalamus injury could cause tremor confined to the lower extremity and mimicking extremity movements.

Glutamine combined with pantoprazole for prevention of stress ulcer in patients with thalamic hemorrhage: Impact on prognosis

AIM

To investigate the effect of glutamine combined with pantoprazole on the incidence of stress ulcer and prognosis in patients with thalamic hemorrhage.

METHODS

The clinical data of 130 patients with thalamic hemorrhage treated at the Ningbo Yinzhou Second Hospital from May 2012 to May 2017 were retrospectively analyzed, of whom 60 were given pantoprazole to prevent stress ulcer (control group) and 70 were given glutamine and pantoprazole (observation group). Gastric juice pH value, plasma adreno-cortico-tropic-hormone (ACTH), cortisol (Cor), the incidence of stress ulcer, bleeding duration, and mortality were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

One week after treatment, the pH value of gastric juice in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (5.19 ± 0.81 vs 3.03 ± 0.91, P < 0.05), and the concentrations of plasma ACTH and Cor in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (18.68 ± 1.56 vs 25.22 ± 2.58 and 431.5 ± 213.1 vs 579.9 ± 209.6, respectively; P < 0.05). At 2 wk after treatment, the pH value of gastric juice in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (5.12 ± 0.87 vs 2.92 ± 0.93, P < 0.05), and plasma concentrations of ACTH and Cor in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (17.32 ± 1.41 vs 25.31 ± 2.61 and 423.9 ± 203.6 vs 531.8 ± 210.7, respectively, P < 0.05). The incidence of stress ulcer, duration of bleeding, and mortality in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (14.29% vs 31.67%, 2.56 ± 1.89 vs 5.38 ± 2.07, and 11.43% vs 21.67%, respectively; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The application of glutamine combined with pantoprazole in patients with thalamic hemorrhage can prevent the occurrence of stress ulcer and improve the prognosis of patients.