We report findings in five patients who presented with venous thrombosis and thrombocytopenia 7 to 10 days after receiving the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 adenoviral vector vaccine against ...coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The patients were health care workers who were 32 to 54 years of age. All the patients had high levels of antibodies to platelet factor 4-polyanion complexes; however, they had had no previous exposure to heparin. Because the five cases occurred in a population of more than 130,000 vaccinated persons, we propose that they represent a rare vaccine-related variant of spontaneous heparin-induced thrombocytopenia that we refer to as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.
Brain health is essential for physical and mental health, social well‐being, productivity, and creativity. Current neurological research focuses mainly on treating a diseased brain and preventing ...further deterioration rather than on developing and maintaining brain health. The pandemic has forced a shift toward virtual working environments that accelerated opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration for fostering brain health among neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, neuro and socio‐behavioral scientists, scholars in arts and humanities, policymakers, and citizens. This could shed light on the interconnectedness of physical, mental, environmental, and socioeconomic determinants of brain disease and health. We advocate making brain health the top priority worldwide, developing common measures and definitions to enhance research and policy, and finding the cause of the decline of incidence of stroke and dementia in some countries and then applying comprehensive customized cost‐effective prevention solutions in actionable implementation units. Life cycle brain health offers the best single individual, communal, and global investment.
During a 2-week period, we have encountered five cases presenting with the combination of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), intracerebral hemorrhage and thrombocytopenia. A clinical hallmark was the ...rapid and severe progression of disease in spite of maximum treatment efforts, resulting in fatal outcome in for 4 out of 5 patients. All cases had received ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine 1–2 weeks earlier and developed a characteristic syndrome thereafter. The rapid progressive clinical course and high fatality rate of CVT in combination with thrombocytopenia in such a cluster and in otherwise healthy adults is a recent phenomenon. Cerebral autopsy findings were those of venous hemorrhagic infarctions and thrombi in dural venous sinuses, including thrombus material apparently rich in thrombocytes, leukocytes and fibrin. Vessel walls were free of inflammation. Extra-cerebral manifestations included leech-like thrombi in large veins, fibrin clots in small venules and scattered hemorrhages on skin and membranes. CVT with thrombocytopenia after adenovirus vectored COVID-19 vaccination is a new clinical syndrome that needs to be recognized by clinicians, is challenging to treat and seems associated with a high mortality rate.
The endovascular treatment procedure in tandem occlusions (TO) is complex compared to single occlusion (SO) and optimal management remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to identify clinical ...and procedural factors that may be associated to efficacy and safety in the management of TO and compare functional outcome in TO and SO stroke patients.
This is a retrospective single center study of medium (MeVO) and large vessel occlusion (LVO) of the anterior circulation. Clinical, imaging, and interventional data were analyzed to identify predictive factors for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and functional outcome after endovascular treatment (EVT) in TO. Functional outcome in TO and SO patients was compared.
Of 662 anterior circulation stroke patients with MeVO and LVO stroke, 90 (14%) had TO. Stenting was performed in 73 (81%) of TO patients. Stent thromboses occurred in 8 (11%) patients. Successful reperfusion with modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) ≥ 2b was achieved in 82 (91%). SICH occurred in seven (8%). The strongest predictors for sICH were diabetes mellitus and number of stent retriever passes. Good functional clinical outcome (mRS ≤ 2) at 90-day follow up was similar in TO and SO patients (58% vs 59% respectively). General anesthesia (GA) was associated with good functional outcome whereas hemorrhage in the infarcted tissue, lower mTICI score and history of smoking were associated with poor outcome.
The risk of sICH was increased in patients with diabetes mellitus and those with extra stent-retriever attempts. Functional clinical outcomes in patients with TO were comparable to patients with SO.
Background and purpose
Neurological disorders pose a profound unmet medical need for which new solutions are urgently needed. The consideration of both biological (sex) and socio‐cultural (gender) ...differences between men and women is necessary to identify more efficacious, safer and tailored treatments. Approaches for putting sex and gender medicine into practice have gathered momentum across Europe, but it is currently unclear to what extent they have been implemented in the field of neurology and neuroscience.
Methods
We mapped current activities in research, funding and education aimed at integrating sex and gender consideration in neuroscience and neurology in Europe. We examined and analyzed data gathered from literature searches, policy documents and reports by the European Commission and national funding agencies, web‐based searches, Web of Science, and searches of project databases of funding agencies. An informative/non‐systematic search was performed for sections on policies and funding, education, and basic research, while a systematic literature and database review was conducted for quantitative analysis of research output and funded projects in terms of sex and gender analysis.
Results
Our mapping shows that there is a growing interest in and attention given to sex and gender considerations in neurological fields, both from funding agencies and researchers. However, most activities, especially for education, are limited to the individual motivation of researchers and are not organically built within curricula and strategic research priorities.
Conclusion
We recommend actions that might help increase the consideration of sex and gender specifically in the field of neuroscience and neurology.
Approaches for putting sex and gender medicine into practice have gathered momentum globally. In this paper we map such initiatives specifically in Europe, in the context of neurology and neuroscience, showing a growing attention to consideration of sex and gender in these fields. We call for closer collaboration between stakeholders to ensure that sex and gender analyses are properly integrated in education, medical diagnosis and treatment, and basic research, in the push towards precision medicine.
Fatal complications have occurred after vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, a vaccine against Covid-19. Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) with severe outcome is characterized by ...venous thrombosis, predominantly in cerebral veins, thrombocytopenia and anti-PF4/polyanion antibodies. Prolonged headaches and cutaneous hemorrhages, frequently observed after the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, have therefore caused anxiety among vaccinees. We investigated whether these symptoms represent a mild form of VITT, with a potential for aggravation, e.g. in case of a second vaccination dose, or a different entity of vaccine complications
We included previously healthy individuals who had a combination of headache and spontaneous severe cutaneous hemorrhages emerging after the 1st dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Twelve individuals were found to meet the inclusion criteria, and a phone interview, cerebral MRI, assessment of platelet counts, anti PF4/polyanion antibodies and other laboratory tests were performed.
None of the symptomatic vaccinees had cerebral vein thrombosis, hemorrhage or other pathology on MRI. Platelet counts were within normal range and no anti-PF4/polyanion platelet activating antibodies were found. Moreover, vasculitis markers, platelet activation markers and thrombin generation were normal. Furthermore, almost all symptoms resolved, and none had recurrence of symptoms after further vaccination with mRNA vaccines against Covid-19.
The combination of headaches and subcutaneous hemorrhage did not represent VITT and no other specific coagulation disorder or intracranial pathology was found. However, symptoms initially mimicking VITT demand vigilance and low threshold for a clinical evaluation combined with platelet counts and D–dimer.
In this letter-to-the-editor the Task Force on Gender and Diversity issues in Neurology founded under the auspices of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) addresses various gender issues that are ...arising during the COVID-19 pandemic. These issues concern different aspects, spanning from gender disparities in health care workforce to gender differences amongst patients suffering from COVID-19, risk factors, occurrence of neurological complications and (outcomes of) management. Due to the continuous flow of COVID-19 related papers this review cannot be comprehensive. We attempted to select the most relevant literature on this topic.
Background
Soluble lectin‐like oxidized low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐1 (sLOX‐1) has been shown to be increased in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Here, we evaluated plasma sLOX‐1 levels and ...vascular carotid plaque LOX‐1 (ie, OLR1) gene expression in patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) with particular focus on their relation to time since symptom onset.
Methods and Results
Plasma sLOX‐1 (n=232) and carotid plaque OLR1 gene expression (n=146) were evaluated in patients who were referred to evaluation for carotid endarterectomy, as well as in healthy control plasma (n=81). Patients were categorized according to presence of acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (n=35) ≤7 days, >7 days ≤3 months (n=90), >3 months (n=40), or no reported symptoms before study inclusion (n=67). Our major findings were the following: (1) Patients with carotid atherosclerosis had increased plasma sLOX‐1 levels as compared with controls. (2) Plaque OLR1 mRNA levels were increased in carotid plaques (n=146) compared with nonatherosclerotic vessels (ie, common iliac arteries of organ donors, n=10). (3) There were no differences in sLOX plasma levels or OLR1 gene expression when analyzed according to the time since relevant cerebral ischemic symptoms. (4) Also patients with severe carotid atherosclerosis without any previous ischemic events had raised sLOX‐1 levels. (5) Immunostaining showed colocalization between LOX‐1 and macrophages within the carotid plaques. (6) Also patients with acute stroke (within 7 days) caused by atrial fibrillation (n=22) had comparable raised sLOX‐1 levels.
Conclusions
sLOX‐1 levels are elevated in patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack independent of cause and time since the ischemic event.
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