Background and Purpose-Activation of endothelial cells and platelets is an important mediator of atherothrombosis.Markers of endothelial cell and platelet activation such as soluble adhesion molecules can be measured in plasma. We hypothesized that patients with acute ischemic stroke would have increased blood concentrations of soluble E-selectin and von Willebrand factor (vWF), primarily reflecting activation of endothelial cells, and increased concentrations of soluble P-selectin and platelet-derived microvesicles (PDM), primarily reflecting activation of platelets, compared with healthy controls. We also hypothesized that these markers would be differentially elevated in ischemic stroke caused by large-and small-artery atherothrombosis compared with cardiogenic embolism. Methods-We conducted a case-control study of 200 hospital-referred cases of first-ever ischemic stroke and 205 randomly selected community controls stratified by age, sex, and postal code. Using established criteria, we classified cases of stroke by etiological subtype in a blinded fashion. The prevalence of vascular risk factors and blood concentrations of E-selectin, P-selectin, vWF antigen, and PDM were determined in stroke cases within 7 days and at 3 to 6 months after stroke and in controls. Results-Mean blood concentrations of soluble E-selectin, P-selectin, and PDM within 7 days of stroke onset were all significantly higher in cases compared with controls. At 3 to 6 months after stroke, the mean blood concentrations of E-selectin and P-selectin fell significantly below that of controls, and PDM concentrations remained elevated. There was a strong, graded, and independent (of age, sex, and vascular risk factors) association between increasing blood concentrations of E-selectin during the acute phase and all etiological subtypes of ischemic stroke, particularly ischemic stroke caused by large-artery atherothrombosis. There was also a significant, graded, and independent association between increasing blood concentrations of vWF during the acute phase and ischemic stroke caused by large-artery atherothrombosis. Conclusions-We have demonstrated significant associations between acute elevation of blood markers of endothelial cell and platelet activation and ischemic stroke and between acute elevation of blood markers of endothelial cell activation and ischemic stroke caused by large-artery atherothrombosis. Persistent elevated blood concentrations of PDM may be a marker of increased risk of ischemic stroke.
The spontaneously diabetic BB/W-rat has emerged as an important model system for somatic and autonomic diabetic polyneuropathy. In this study we examined visual evoked potentials and the presence of morphometric and structural changes in the optic nerve and the retinal ganglion cells and their afferent axons contained in the retinal nerve fibre layer. A six-month duration of diabetes mellitus was associated with significant increases in the latencies of the visual evoked potentials. The latency of the first positive potential showed a 44% increase, and that of the first negative potential was prolonged by 41%. No significant changes were demonstrated at any of the amplitudes. In the optic nerve mean myelinated fibre size was significantly reduced to 82% of control values, which was accounted for by a significant reduction in axonal size. Axo-glial dysjunction, a prominent structural defect of diabetic somato-sensory neuropathy in both man and diabetic rodents, was non-significantly increased in the optic nerve. In diabetic animals retinal ganglion cells displayed dystrophic changes. No such changes were observed in age- and sex-matched control animals. Proximal axons of the retinal nerve fibre layer showed an increase in dystrophic axons in diabetic BB/W-rats. Morphometric analysis of optic nerve capillaries revealed no abnormalities except for basement membrane thickening. The present data suggest that the diabetic BB/W-rat develops a central sensory neuropathy, characterized functionally by prolonged latencies of the visual evoked potentials and structurally by an axonopathy of optic nerve fibres.
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