Weekly variations of stroke occurrence: an observational cohort study based on the Kyoto Stroke Registry, Japan

Acute social jetlag augments morning blood pressure surge: a randomized crossover trial

Although social jetlag (SJL) is generally considered a chronic condition, even acute SJL may have unfavorable effects on the cardiovascular system. We focused on the acute effects of SJL on morning blood pressure (BP) surge. This randomized crossover trial recruited 20 healthy men. In the SJL trial, participants delayed their bedtime by three hours on Friday and Saturday nights. Participants in the control (CON) trial implemented the same sleep-wake timing as on weekdays. Pre- and post-intervention measurements were performed to evaluate resting cardiovascular variables on Friday and Monday mornings, respectively. The ambulatory BP was automatically measured during the sleep and awake periods for 2 h after the participant woke up at night before pre- and post-intervention measurements. SJL (average mid-sleep time on weekends - average mid-sleep time on weekdays) occurred only in the SJL trial (SJL: 181 ± 24 min vs. CON: 8 ± 47 min). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and morning BP surge on Monday in the SJL trial were significantly higher than those on Friday in the SJL trial (cfPWV: P = 0.001, morning BP surge: P < 0.001), and those on Monday in the CON trial (cfPWV: P = 0.007; morning BP surge: P < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between ΔcfPWV and Δmorning BP surge (R = 0.587, P = 0.004). These results suggest that even acute SJL augments morning BP surge. This phenomenon may correspond to increased central arterial stiffness.State the details of Clinical Trials: Name: Effect of acute social jetlag on risk factors of lifestyle-related diseases. URL: https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000053204 . Unique identifier: UMIN000046639. Registration date: 17/01/2022.

Registry Studies of Stroke in Japan

Recently, the Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Disease Control Act was enacted, for which it was necessary to establish a comprehensive and accurate nationwide database and promote rational and economical stroke countermeasures in Japan, thus serving the public interest. Among the many studies on stroke registries, the Fukuoka Stroke Registry, a regional cohort, provides highly accurate information, and the Japanese Stroke Data Bank, a nationwide cohort, is highly comprehensive. The findings of these studies have contributed to the construction of evidence and the establishment of guidelines for stroke management. In the Nationwide survey of Acute Stroke care capacity for Proper dEsignation of Comprehensive stroke CenTer in Japan, research on improving the quality of medical care to close the gap between guidelines and clinical practice was performed using electronic medical records. This has enabled the recommendation of medical policies in Japan by visualizing medical care. In the era of healthcare big data and the Internet of Things, plenty of healthcare information is automatically recorded electronically and incorporated into databases. Thus, the establishment of stroke registries with the effective utilization of these electronic records can contribute to the development of stroke care.

Misuse of multinomial logistic regression in stroke related health research: A systematic review of methodology

Multinomial logistic regression (MLR) is often used to model the association between a nominal outcome variable and one or more covariates. The results of MLR are interpreted as relative risk ratios (RRR) and warrant a more coherent interpretation than ordinary logistic regression. Some authors compare the results of MLR to ordinal logistic regression (OLR), irrespective of the fact that these estimate different quantities. We aim to investigate the time trends in the use and misuse of MLR in studies including stroke patients, specifically the extent to which (1) the results are denoted as anything other than RRR, (2) comparisons are made of results with results of OLR and (3) results have been interpreted coherently. Secondarily, we examine the use of model validation techniques in studies with predictive aims. We searched EMBASE and PubMed for articles using MLR on populations of stroke patients. Identified studies were screened, and information pertaining to our aims was extracted. A total of 285 articles were identified through a systematic literature search, and 68 of these were included in the review. Of these, 60 articles (88%) did not denote exponentiated coefficients of MLR as relative risk ratios but rather some other measure. Additionally, 63 articles (93%) interpreted the results of MLR in a non-coherent manner. Two articles attempted to compare MLR results with those of OLR. Nine studies attempted to use MLR for predictive means, and three used relevant validation techniques. From these findings, it is clear that the interpretation of MLR is often suboptimal.

Exposure to air pollution and its effect on ischemic strokes (EP-PARTICLES study)

It is well known that exceeded levels of particulate matter in the air and other air pollutants harmfully affect the cardiovascular system. Empirical analyses of the effects of these factors on stroke incidence and mortality are still limited. The main objective of our analyses was to determine the association between short-term exposure to air pollutants and stroke incidence in non-industrial areas, more specifically in north-eastern Poland. To achieve this aim, we used data from the National Health Fund on patients hospitalized for stroke between 2011 and 2020 in the largest city of the region described as the Green Lungs of Poland. The pollution levels and atmospheric conditions data were obtained from the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Using daily data on hospitalizations, atmospheric conditions, and pollution, as well as ordered logistic regression models the hypotheses on the impact of weather and air pollution conditions on ischemic strokes were tested. The study group included 4838 patients, 45.6% of whom were male; the average patient age was approximately 74 years. The average concentrations of PM_2.5 were 19.09 µg/m³, PM₁₀ 26.66 µg/m³ and CO 0.35 µg/m³. Analyses showed that an increase in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations by 10 µg/m³ was associated with an increase in the incidence of stroke on the day of exposure (OR = 1.075, 95% CI 0.999-1.157, P = 0.053; OR = 1.056, 95% CI 1.004-1.110, P = 0.035) and the effect was even several times greater on the occurrence of a stroke event in general (PM_2.5: OR = 1.120, 95% CI 1.013-1.237, P = 0.026; PM₁₀: OR = 1.103, 95% CI 1.028-1.182, P = 0.006). Furthermore, a short-term (up to 3 days) effect of CO on stroke incidence was observed in the study area. An increase of 1 μg/m³ CO was associated with a lower incidence of stroke 2 days after the exposure (OR = 0.976, 95% CI 0.953-0.998, P = 0.037) and a higher incidence 3 days after the exposure (OR = 1.026, 95% CI 1.004-1.049, P = 0.022).

Correlation between surgical mortality for perforated peritonitis and days of the week for operations: A retrospective study using the Japanese National Clinical Database

BACKGROUND

The association between weekend interventions and poor outcomes is termed the "weekend effect." This retrospective study investigated whether the weekend effect exists in the surgical treatment of acute diffuse peritonitis due to gastrointestinal perforation.

METHODS

Patients (n = 16,209) who underwent operation for acute diffuse peritonitis during 2016-2017 were included and grouped depending on the perforation site. Using 23 variables, we performed hierarchical logistic regression analysis and calculated odds ratios for surgical mortality.

RESULTS

Surgical mortality rates were 8.8%, 15.0%, and 14.1% for patients with gastroduodenal, small bowel, and large bowel perforations, respectively. Unadjusted odds ratios for surgical mortality differed significantly on Wednesdays only for patients with large bowel perforation (odds ratio: 0.772, 95% confidence interval: 0.613-0.972, P = 0.03). However, there was no significant difference in adjusted odds ratios.

CONCLUSION

The quality of emergency surgical treatment is uniform in Japan throughout the week in terms of mortality.

Weekly Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Occurrence Among Different Populations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and purpose: The causes of the higher incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) on a given day are unclear. Previous studies have shown that it may vary by region and population. The purpose of this study was to detect weekly variations in ICH occurrence in southwest China and to assess differences in ICH occurrence among different populations.

Methods: This hospital-based study included patients with first-onset ICH that occurred from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2019. The weekly variation in ICH occurrence was analyzed and stratified by sex, age, comorbidities, living habits, and residence.

Results: A total of 5,038 patients with first-onset ICH were enrolled. ICH occurrence was higher on Monday [odds ratio (OR), 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09–1.36; P < 0.001] and Friday (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03–1.28; P < 0.001) among all patients, and this pattern was consistent with that of men, whereas women showed a higher incidence on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The increase in the number of ICH events on Monday and Friday was pronounced in the age range of 41–60 years; however, no significant weekly variation in ICH occurrence was observed among other age groups. After stratifying by comorbidities, a significant weekly variation in ICH occurrence was observed in patients with hypertension or diabetes. Smoking and alcohol consumption was associated with a higher incidence of ICH on Friday; otherwise, a Monday excess was observed. The urban population demonstrated a significant weekly variation in ICH occurrence, whereas the rural population did not.

Conclusions: Intracerebral hemorrhage occurrence showed weekly variations in southwest China and was significantly affected by sex, age, comorbidities, living habits, and residence. This suggests that weekly variations in ICH occurrence maybe dependent on the region and population.

A prehospital diagnostic algorithm for strokes using machine learning: a prospective observational study

High precision is optimal in prehospital diagnostic algorithms for strokes and large vessel occlusions. We hypothesized that prehospital diagnostic algorithms for strokes and their subcategories using machine learning could have high predictive value. Consecutive adult patients with suspected stroke as per emergency medical service personnel were enrolled in a prospective multicenter observational study in 12 hospitals in Japan. Five diagnostic algorithms using machine learning, including logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, and eXtreme Gradient Boosting, were evaluated for stroke and subcategories including acute ischemic stroke with/without large vessel occlusions, intracranial hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Of the 1446 patients in the analysis, 1156 (80%) were randomly included in the training (derivation) cohort and cohorts, and 290 (20%) were included in the test (validation) cohort. In the diagnostic algorithms for strokes using eXtreme Gradient Boosting had the highest diagnostic value (test data, area under the receiver operating curve 0.980). In the diagnostic algorithms for the subcategories using eXtreme Gradient Boosting had a high predictive value (test data, area under the receiver operating curve, acute ischemic stroke with/without large vessel occlusions 0.898/0.882, intracranial hemorrhage 0.866, subarachnoid hemorrhage 0.926). Prehospital diagnostic algorithms using machine learning had high predictive value for strokes and their subcategories.

Employment Status Prior to Ischemic Stroke and Weekly Variation of Stroke Onset

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the differences in clinical backgrounds, especially weekly variations of stroke occurrence, between hyper-acute ischemic stroke patients with and without regular employment (RE), as well as the impact of RE on outcome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Symptomatic ischemic stroke patients with ≤4.5 h from onset to door were enrolled. First, we divided patients into the RE and non-RE group to analyze differences in clinical characteristics, especially relation between weekly variations of stroke occurrence and RE. Second, we divided the same patients into those with and without favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 at 3 months from stroke onset) to analyze the impact of RE on outcomes.

RESULTS

We screened 1,249 consecutive symptomatic ischemic stroke patients and included 377 patients (284 [75%] males; median age, 67 years). Of these patients, 248 (66%) were included in RE group. First, RE was independently associated with occurrence of stroke on Monday in reference to Sunday or a public holiday (OR 2.562, 95% CI 1.004-6.535, p = 0.049). Second, RE (OR 2.888 95% CI 1.378-6.050, p = 0.005) was a factor independently associated with a favorable outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with RE were more likely to have a hyper-acute ischemic stroke on Monday in reference to Sunday or a public holiday. However, RE before stroke onset appears to have a positive impact on outcome.

Suitability of Thrombolysis for Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Complicated With Trousseau Syndrome

Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) improves functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and is the standard first-line treatment; however, it is associated with many complications, including cerebral hemorrhage. Cancer patients are susceptible to thrombotic events – collectively referred to as Trousseau syndrome (TS) – owing to their hypercoagulable state. Here, we describe the case of a 55-year-old male with a history of hypertension for over 10 years who underwent surgery for removal of a cancer of lower esophagus, with no subsequent treatment. Three months later, he was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital with sudden dizziness and incoherent speech. Brain computed tomography revealed multiple cerebral infarctions. The patient was treated by IVT with tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) after the onset of symptoms, which improved by the end of the treatment. However, a few months later, he experienced a recurrence of cerebral infarction and hemorrhage, which has rarely been reported. The clinical course of this case suggests that the suitability of thrombolysis with rtPA in the acute phase of cerebral infarction complicated with TS should be carefully considered.

Diurnal variations in the quality of stroke care in Sweden

OBJECTIVES

A recent study of acute stroke patients in England and Wales revealed several patterns of temporal variation in quality of care. We hypothesized that similar patterns would be present in Sweden and aimed to describe these patterns. Additionally, we aimed to investigate whether hospital type conferred resilience against temporal variation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted this nationwide registry-based study using data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke) including all adult patients registered with acute stroke between 2011 and 2015. Outcomes included process measures and survival. We modeled time of presentation as on/off-hours, shifts, day of week, 4-hour, and 12-hour time blocks. We studied hospital resilience by comparing outcomes across hospital types.

RESULTS

A total of 113 862 stroke events in 72 hospitals were included. The process indicators and survival all showed significant temporal variation. Door-to-needle (DTN) time within 30 minutes was less likely during nighttime than daytime (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.41-0.60). Patients admitted during off-hours had lower odds of direct stroke unit (SU) admission (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.70-0.75). 30-day survival was lower in nighttime vs daytime presentations (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84-0.96). The effects of temporal variation differed significantly between hospital types for DTN time within 30 minutes and direct SU admission where university hospitals were more resilient than specialized non-university hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that variation in quality of care and survival is present throughout the whole week. We also found that university hospitals were more resilient to temporal variation than specialized non-university hospitals.

Platelet microvesicles promote the recovery of neurological function in mouse model of cerebral infarction by inducing angiogenesis

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of PMVs on mice with ischemic cerebral infarction and its mechanism. Male C57BL/6 mice were selected, and the right focal cortical infarction model was established via cauterization under a microscope and randomly divided into sham operation (Sham) group, normal saline control (Saline) group and platelet microvesicles intervention (PMVs) group. At 1 h after modeling, 5 μL of PMVs (50 μg/mL) or normal saline was injected into the lateral ventricle. The neurological function of mice in each group was evaluated at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 d after modeling. After 28 d, the cerebral infarction area was detected via 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. At 7 and 28 d after modeling, the blood vessel density, proliferation rate of new vessels and encapsulation rate of pericytes were detected via immunofluorescence staining. Moreover, the changes in cerebral cortical blood flow at the infarction side were detected before modeling and at 7 and 28 d after modeling, respectively. Finally, the expressions of proangiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and N-Cadherin were detected via Western blotting at 3, 7 and 28 d after modeling. PMVs could promote the improvement of neurological function and significantly reduce the cerebral infarction volume in mice with cerebral infarction. PMVs promoted proliferation of new vessels and increased blood vessel density at the infarction edge in mice with cerebral infarction. PMVs could increase the encapsulation rate of pericytes at the infarction edge and improve the permeability of blood-brain barrier in mice with cerebral infarction. PMVs could increase the cerebral cortical blood flow perfusion in mice with cerebral infarction. PMVs could increase proangiogenic factors in brain tissues in mice with cerebral infarction. PMVs could significantly improve the recovery of neurological function in mice with cerebral infarction, which is closely related to the ability of PMVs to promote angiogenesis at the infarction edge. The possible mechanism is that PMVs facilitate angiogenesis after cerebral infarction through promoting the expressions of VEGF, Ang-1 and N-Cadherin. More importantly, the new vessels promoted by PMVs have complete structure and perfect function, and can improve the cerebral blood flow perfusion at the infarction side.

Real World Home Blood Pressure Variability in Over 56,000 Individuals With Nearly 17 Million Measurements

BACKGROUND

Using the data from 56,365 individuals, from 185 countries, and a Nokia Health Wireless blood pressure (BP) monitor, we investigated real-world characteristics of BP variability (BPV).

METHODS

All included individuals self-measured and uploaded their BP using Bluetooth at least 20 times over a period of ≥1 month at a frequency and duration of their choosing. In total, 16,904,844 BP measurements were analyzed, with a median of 146 measurements per person (interquartile range [IQR] 73-321) over a median of 14 months (IQR 7-31). SD, coefficient of variation, maximum BP, and maximum minus minimum BP difference were all calculated as measures of BPV.

RESULTS

BPV showed a distinct pattern, influenced by season of year, day of week, and time of day. BPV index was higher in females compared with males (P < 0.001) and increased with age (P < 0.001). Compared to the weekend, the weekday BPV index was significantly higher, and this finding was more prominent in females (P = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, BPV index were significantly associated with age, gender, geographic location, and mean BP values.

CONCLUSION

Using the largest BP data set we are aware of, with the benefits and limitations of real-world measurement, we could show the pattern of BPV and provide reference values that may be helpful in understanding the nature of BPV as self-measurement at home becomes more common, and help guide individualized management.

Temporal Variations of Stroke Occurence

Stroke is one of leading causes of death worldwide. Different frequency of stroke occurence is observed in days of the week and months in the year, and incidence of stroke has irregular time pattern. We analyzed 516 patients who had acute stroke and were treated in Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center Kragujevac from January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2014, mean age 72,11±11,52. Statistical analysis is conducted out using the SPSS software version 20.0. We used descriptive statistic, student T-test, chi-square or Fisher exact test.

Friday is day we found the most IS and all stroke types occurences, and Wednesday is day we found the most IS in men. We found the most strokes in women younger than 65 years on Wednesday, but in women older than 65 years on Friday. Monday is day with the most admissions to hospital for patients with IS, and we observed that there is average delay in the refering to the doctor for 1.80±1.44 days. Friday is the day with the most ICH symptom beginings and the most admissions to the hospital, and Saturday is the day with the least symptom beginings and admissions to the hospital in the case of IS and ICH. The most IS occured in winter (in Decembar), and the least in summer (in August). The most ICH occured in May, and the least in July and October.

We confirmed that there is a significant weekly variability in the IS symptom onset day.

Increased double product on Monday morning during work

It has been reported that cardiovascular events often occur on Monday morning, especially in the young working population. Because hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk, we examined whether blood pressure was elevated on Monday, especially in the morning during work. However, there were no weekly rhythms in blood pressure itself. Instead, we found significant interactions between the double product (systolic blood pressure × heart rate) and weekly (high on Monday) and circadian (high in the morning) rhythms. Further studies are required to determine whether Monday morning preference in cardiovascular events is caused by increased double product.

Seasonal and Monthly variation in stroke and its subtypes-10 Year Hospital-Based Study

Background and Objectives:

There is no evidence of long-term studies of seasonal variations in stroke in Iran. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the seasonal and monthly variation of 28-day mortality in Isfahan, Iran.

Methods:

From 2003 to 2013, In a Hospital-based retrospective study which was conducted by Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center(ICRC), 24186 cases with first-ever stroke were recruited. Multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for seasonal and monthly 28-day mortality for stroke in general and three subtypes of stroke including intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), ischemic (IS) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Results:

In this study, unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios of seasonal 28-day mortality of stroke was highest in the winter and lowest in the summer. Although, differences were not statistically significant. For total and IS stroke, the unadjusted 28-day mortality ratio (UMR) was significant in February (1.19, 95% CI 1.00 -1.42, P= 0.04) as compared to March. Whereas after adjusted, for total stroke, 28-day mortality was significantly lowest in May (0.746, 95% CI 0.575-0.97, p=0.029), June (0.777, 95% CI 0.60-0.99, p=0.49) and July (0.771, 95% CI 0.59-0.99 p=0.049) as compared to March. The AMR between months were not significant in SAH and IS.

Conclusion:

Our findings demonstrate clear obvious monthly variation of 28-day mortality of stroke and its subtypes in Isfahan but no seasonal variations were observed.

Higher ratio of ischemic stroke to hemorrhagic stroke in summer

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal variation of the ratio of hemorrhagic stroke to ischemic stroke. The working hypothesis is that the ratio may vary among seasons.

METHODS

A total of 13,788 patients registered in the Kyoto Stroke Registry from 1999 to 2009 were divided into 4 groups based on the season in which stroke developed. We calculated odds ratio (OR) for the incidence of stroke as a whole, cerebral infarction (CeI), cerebral hemorrhage (CH), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in spring, autumn, and winter setting summer as a reference. Using a logistic regression, we evaluated the seasonal variation of ORs for CH/CeI and for SAH/CeI with adjustment for age, gender, and risk factors.

RESULTS

Incidence of CeI in autumn was lower than in summer (OR: 0.93; 0.87-0.98, P = 0.013). Incidence of CH was higher in spring (OR: 1.36; 1.23-1.49, P < 0.001), in autumn (OR: 1.16; 1.05-1.28, P = 0.004), and in winter (OR: 1.37; 1.25-1.51, P < 0.001) than in summer. Incidence of SAH was higher in spring (OR: 1.51; 1.28-1.79, P < 0.001) and in winter (OR: 1.44; 1.22-1.70, P < 0.001) than in summer. OR for CH/CeI in spring, autumn, and winter were 1.28 (1.13-1.45, P < 0.001), 1.26 (1.11-1.43, P < 0.001), and 1.35 (1.19-1.53, P < 0.001), respectively. ORs for SAH/CeI were 1.46 (1.19-1.79, P < 0.001), 1.34 (1.09-1.66, P = 0.007), and 1.50 (1.22-1.84, P < 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Seasonal variations differed among stroke subtypes. The OR for CH/CeI and for SAH/CeI was lower in summer and higher in the rest of seasons independent of age, gender, and risk factors.