Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26329797›Full record

ArticleBMC neurology2015

The presence of cerebral and/or systemic endothelial dysfunction in patients with leukoaraiosis--a case control pilot study.

Matija Zupan, Mišo Šabović, Marjan Zaletel, Katarina Šurlan Popovič, Bojana Žvan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC neurology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Impaired endothelial function may predict treatment response in restless legs syndrome.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2019
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Matija ZupanDivision of Vascular Neurology, Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 2 Zaloška Street, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. matija.zupan@kclj.si.
Mišo ŠabovićDivision of Vascular Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 2 Zaloška Street, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. miso.sabovic@kclj.si.
Marjan ZaletelDivision of Vascular Neurology, Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 2 Zaloška Street, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. marjan.zaletel@kclj.si.
Katarina Šurlan PopovičClinical Institute of Radiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 2 Zaloška Street, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. katarina.surlan@kclj.si.
Bojana ŽvanDivision of Vascular Neurology, Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 2 Zaloška Street, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. bojana.zvan@kclj.si.
Ljubljana University Medical Centre · SI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn spite of high prevalence and clinical relevance of leukoaraiosis (LA), its pathophysiology is still incompletely understood. Theories of ischaemic genesis and a leaky blood-brain barrier are contradictory yet could share a common denominator-endothelial dysfunction (cerebral, systemic or both), which has not been studied thoroughly in LA.

methodsThirty patients with LA (58 years (SD 7)) and 30 gender- and age-matched controls without LA (55 years (SD 6)) were recruited. The vascular risk factors (VRF) were identical in both groups. Cerebral endothelial function was determined by cerebrovascular reactivity to L-arginine (CVR). Systemic endothelial function was determined by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery after hyperaemia. All participants underwent a brain MRI to search for radiological signs of LA that was classified according to the Fazekas score. Linear regression was used to explore the correlation between CVR and FMD in patients with LA. A 95 % confidence interval was used. For any statistical test used in the study, p ≤ 0.050 was regarded as statistically significant.

resultsWe found a marked and significant decrease in both CVR (9.6 % (SD 3.2) vs. 15.8 % (SD 6.1), p < 0.001) and FMD (4.8 % (SD 3.1) vs. 7.4 % (SD 3.8), p = 0.004) in LA patients compared to controls. Both CVR (7.4 % (SD 3.1) vs. 12.2 % (SD 2.6), p = 0.001) and FMD (3.0 % (SD 2.2) vs. 6.4 % (SD 3.1), p = 0.011) were significantly decreased in LA subgroup Fazekas 3 compared to subgroup Fazekas 1. CVR and FMD significantly positively correlated (b = 0.192, 95 % CI = 0.031-0.354, p = 0.02).

conclusionsThe results of our pilot study suggest that patients with LA have a significant impairment of both cerebral and systemic endothelial function that is larger than could be expected based on present VRF. Endothelial dysfunction increases in parallel with LA severity and correlates between cerebral and systemic arterial territory. Overall, our results suggest a so far unknown "intrinsic" generalised endothelial dysfunction in patients with LA that could be involved in LA pathophysiology. This interesting issue needs to be confirmed in larger samples since it could help better understand the mechanisms underlying LA.

Indexed as

AgedArginineBlood Flow VelocityBrachial ArteryCase-Control StudiesCerebrovascular CirculationEndothelium, VascularFemaleHumansLeukoaraiosisMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsVasodilationArginine

Identifiers

PMID26329797
PMCPMC4557861
OpenAlexW2168969798

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.