Biomarkers of Vascular Changes in Neurological Diseases

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 329

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Guest Editor
Department of Basic Biomedical Science, School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 41–200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Interests: genetic, biochemical and clinical risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases in children; arterial ischemic stroke; post-stroke consequences; epilepsy; headache; cerebral palsy; modern drug forms (liposomes, nanoparticles)
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cerebrovascular diseases are a common and extremely important problem in the population of both adult patients and children. Stroke is one of the most frequent causes of permanent disability and lack of independence. It is still the leading cause of death, after heart disease, in developed countries. According to the CDC, in 2021, 1 out of 6 deaths from cardiovascular disease resulted from stroke. In patients with stroke, many factors (biochemical, genetic, and clinical) affecting its etiology often coexist.

Vascular dysfunction often accompanies neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease), contributing to further cognitive impairment. It is even suggested that vascular changes may precede the manifestation of Alzheimer's disease; therefore, they may play a role in the etiology of the neurodegenerative disease.

In turn, in patients with epilepsy, the long-term use of antiepileptic drugs may affect the concentration of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including lipids, homocysteine, or asymmetric dimethylarginine. These parameters play an important role in endothelial dysfunction, which is a key step in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases in adults. Since more than half of epilepsy patients are treated with a combination of several antiepileptic drugs, the awareness of the negative impact of drugs on biochemical parameters may help prevent vascular diseases. In children with epilepsy, the use of antiepileptic drugs is particularly important from the point of view of the possibility of developing early vascular problems. Also, headaches may be the first manifestation of increased pro-atherogenic parameters.

Other changes such as vasculitis may also affect cerebral vessels. It is a heterogeneous group of multisystem lesions characterized by inflammatory infiltrates and necrotic changes in the walls of blood vessels. The vessels are affected by the disease process only in some sections, but these changes may result in local narrowing/occlusion of the vessels, resulting in ischemia.

Since vascular changes cause or accompany many neurological diseases, the importance of the problem is high, and the knowledge of biomarkers that increase the risk of vascular changes in neurological diseases may be helpful, e.g., in secondary prevention.

In this Special Issue, all types of articles regarding the biomarkers of vascular changes in neurological diseases are welcome including original research, review, meta-analyses, and case studies.

Dr. Beata Sarecka-Hujar
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cerebrovascular diseases
  • biomarkers
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • stroke
  • neurodegenerative Diseases
  • epilepsy
  • inflammation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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9 pages, 1379 KiB  
Case Report
Stroke Caused by Vasculitis Induced by Periodontitis-Associated Oral Bacteria after Wisdom Teeth Extraction
by David Kiramira, Timo Uphaus, Ahmed Othman, Ralf Heermann, James Deschner and Lena Katharina Müller-Heupt
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(6), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14060550 - 28 May 2024
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Abstract
Invasive dental procedures, such as wisdom teeth removal, have been identified as potential triggers for vascular events due to the entry of oral bacteria into the bloodstream, leading to acute vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. This study presents the case of a 27-year-old [...] Read more.
Invasive dental procedures, such as wisdom teeth removal, have been identified as potential triggers for vascular events due to the entry of oral bacteria into the bloodstream, leading to acute vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. This study presents the case of a 27-year-old healthy male who developed ischemic stroke resulting from bacteremia after undergoing wisdom teeth extraction. Initially, the patient experienced fever and malaise, which were followed by right-sided hemiplegia. Diagnostic imaging, including a CT scan, identified a subacute infarction in the posterior crus of the left internal capsule, and MRI findings indicated inflammatory changes in the masticatory muscles. Further investigations involving biopsies of the masticatory muscles, along with blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples, confirmed bacterial meningitis with associated vasculitis. Notably, oral bacteria linked to periodontitis, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, and Parvimonas micra, were found in the biopsies and microbiological analyses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case showing that bacteremia following dental procedures can lead to such severe neurological outcomes. This case underscores the importance of recognizing bacteremia-induced vasculitis in patients presenting with neurological symptoms post-dental procedures, emphasizing the broader implications of oral infections in such pathologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarkers of Vascular Changes in Neurological Diseases)
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