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Biomedical subjects

J H Garcia

Publications and source records attributed to J H Garcia.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Pathogenesis of leukoaraiosis: a review.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the cerebral hemispheric white matter, detectable with increasing frequency by modern neuroimaging methods, are associated with aging and conceivably may contribute to the development of specific cognitive deficits. The pathogenesis of these cerebral white matter abnormalities (sometimes described as leukoaraiosis) is unknown. This review evaluates the available evidence in support of the hypothesis that the etiology of leukoaraiosis is related to a specific type of cerebral ischemia and highlights mechanisms by which ischemic injury to the brain may induce selected structural alterations limited to the cerebral white matter. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: The review is based on the critical analysis of over 100 publications (most appearing in the last decade) dealing with the anatomy and physiology of the arterial circulation to the cerebral white matter and with the pathogenesis of leukoaraiosis. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of clues support the hypothesis that some types of leukoaraiosis may be the result of ischemic injury to the brain. Structural changes affecting the small intraparenchymal cerebral arteries and arterioles that are associated with aging and with stroke risk factors, altered cerebral blood flow autoregulation, and the conditions created by the unique arterial blood supply of the hemispheric white matter each seem to contribute to the development of leukoaraiosis. To the best of our ability to interpret current information, the type of ischemic injury that is most likely responsible for these white matter changes involves transient repeated events characterized by moderate drops in regional cerebral blood flow that induce an incomplete form of infarction. This hypothesis could be tested in appropriate experimental models.

Brain Diseases

Vascular pathology in three cases of progressive cognitive deterioration.

The clinical condition known as vascular dementia remains poorly defined. Few studies have attempted a correlative link between the clinical syndrome and the structural abnormalities of the brain. Classically the clinical progression of the vascular dementing process is thought to be a multi-step process punctated by repeated episodes of ischemia, that are clinically expressed as strokes. In most instances it has been assumed that the substrate of vascular dementias consists of atherothrombotic infarcts. The objective of this report is to illustrate 3 cases of progressive (rather than stepwise) cognitive deterioration without clinical evidence of stroke, evolving over a period of several years, in which there were prominent vascular lesions. A complete autopsy and detailed neuropathologic examination demonstrated cerebral vascular lesions involving small arterial vessels (< 200 microns in diameter). The lesions consisted of moderate-to-severe arteriolosclerosis in two cases, and mild-to-moderate arteriolosclerosis in a case of Alzheimer's disease with severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Parenchymal lesions consisted of small cortical and subcortical infarcts, most of them smaller than 0.1 cm in average diameter, and subcortical leukoencephalopathy severe in two cases and mild-to-moderate in the third case. Severe atherosclerosis not accompanied by large infarcts was also present in one case. Arterial changes affecting small, distal branches causing sometimes small parenchymal lesions in association with diffuse cerebral white matter disease, appear to be the anatomical substrate that accompanies progressive cognitive impairment in some patients who are frequently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease because in their clinical records there is neither history of strokes nor stepwise progression of symptoms.

Aged

Ischemic stroke and incomplete infarction.

BACKGROUND: The concept of selective vulnerability or selective loss o f individual neurons, with survival of glial and vascular elements as one of the consequences of a systemic ischemic-hypoxic insult (eg, transient cardiac arrest or severe hypotension), has been recognized for decades. In contrast, selective neuronal death as one of the lesions that may develop in the brain after occluding an intracranial artery is an idea not readily acknowledged in the current medical literature dealing with human stroke. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: A review of pertinent publications reveals that selective neuronal injury after middle cerebral artery occlusion was observed in autopsy specimens over 40 years ago, although its pathogenesis remains unclear. Recent observations in both humans and animals suggest that selective neuronal necrosis (rather than infarct) is the consequence of either a short-term arterial occlusion or permanent occlusion accompanied by ischemia of moderate severity. During the acute and subacute states of an ischemic stroke, the loss of a limited number of neurons (ie, incomplete infarction) does not result in structural changes discernible by either CT or conventional MRI. However, the loss of a selected number of neurons may be demonstrable in vivo by calculating the corresponding loss of benzodiazepine receptors. The use of specific radiotracers in combination with single-photon emission CT or positron emission tomography allows demonstration of a decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic receptor sites at places where many neurons have been lethally injured. CONCLUSIONS: We aim to alert physicians to the potential development of incomplete brain infarctions in patients with intracranial arterial occlusions. Recognizing incomplete infarcts is particularly important in the context of stroke therapy with thrombolytic and neuroprotective agents. This brain lesion is likely to be the consequence of an arterial occlusion with a resultant ischemia of moderate severity (eg, regional blood flows in the range of 15 to 20 mL x 100 g-1 x min-1).

Animals

Cerebral white matter is highly vulnerable to ischemia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The effects of ischemia on the cerebral white matter structure seldom have been studied possibly because white matter is generally considered less vulnerable to ischemia than gray matter. The objective of this study was to evaluate the early (< or = 24 hours) structural effects of experimental focal ischemia on the cerebral white matter of the rat as a preliminary step to investigating human conditions of unknown pathogenesis that are characterized by selective damage to the white matter. METHODS: Twenty-eight rats, including four controls, had a middle cerebral artery occluded with an intravascular filament for periods ranging between 0.5 and 24 hours. Brain samples from the subcortical white matter were examined with light and electron microscopic methods, and the abnormalities were quantified with an image-analysis system. RESULTS: As early as 30 minutes after the arterial occlusion, there was conspicuous swelling of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes; after 3 hours, large numbers of oligodendrocytes were lethally injured. These changes preceded by several hours the appearance of necrotic neurons in the cortex and basal ganglia. Vacuolation and pallor of the white matter were very marked after 24 hours and reflected the segmental swelling of myelinated axons, the formation of spaces between myelin sheaths and axolemma and astrocyte swelling. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the cerebral white matter is highly vulnerable to the effects of focal ischemia. Pathological changes in oligodendrocytes and myelinated axons appear early and seem to be concomitant with, but independent of neuronal perikaryal injury. Modifications of this experimental model of focal ischemia could provide the means to test the hypothesis that selected types of human leukoencephalopathies have an ischemic origin.

Animals

Severe transient hypoglycemia causes reversible change in the apparent diffusion coefficient of water.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of temporary severe hypoglycemia on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) acquired by diffusion-weighted MRI of brain water with the use of serial multislice ADC mapping in rats. Severe hypoglycemia reduces the extracellular space volume, as does ischemia. Demonstrating a reduction of ADC with hypoglycemia should increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying ADC changes in ischemia and other conditions. METHODS: Fasted rats were given regular insulin (15 IU/kg IP). Rats were subjected to 15 minutes (n = 5) and 50 minutes (n = 5) of temporary severe hypoglycemia, causing a transiently isoelectric electroencephalogram (EEG). ADC mapping was performed every 30 seconds beginning at the onset of isoelectricity for 8.5 minutes. ADC maps were also obtained later during the isoelectric EEG period and 10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes after glucose infusion. Control images were obtained from a separate group of animals suffering cardiac arrest (n = 5). RESULTS: Abnormal ADC values were not observed before the onset of cerebral isoelectricity, except for isolated areas in the cortex and periventricular regions. Cortical ADC values globally declined at the onset of EEG isoelectricity. The ADC decline spread to subcortical regions within a few minutes. During the isoelectric period, significant declines of ADC values (27% to 45%) occurred in the entire brain. Glucose infusion normalized most of the ADC changes, even after a 50-minute period of isoelectricity. CONCLUSIONS: ADC mapping during hypoglycemia clearly demonstrates changes likely related to energy depletion. Most of these ADC declines were reversible. Hypoglycemia is a condition known to be associated with shrinkage of the extracellular space. These observations support the hypothesis that ADC reductions observed in ischemia are also related to shifts of water from the extracellular to the intracellular compartment.

Animals

Cocaine-associated intracranial hemorrhage: absence of vasculitis in 14 cases.

Complications associated with the use of cocaine are varied, and include cerebral hemorrhage and ischemia, with vasculitis and vasospasm as possible etiologies. We reviewed selected brain samples from 14 autopsy cases of cocaine-related cerebrovascular disease. Intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage was present in 12 cases. Intracranial arterioles were either normal or showed nonspecific changes. From these observations, we suggest that intracranial hemorrhages occur in the absence of readily detectable vascular abnormalities.

Adult

Effects of CD11b/18 monoclonal antibody on rats with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion.

The progression of a lesion from ischemic injury to infarct, after the permanent occlusion of a middle cerebral artery, may be influenced by the influx of leukocytes into the ischemic territory. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of treating rats that had permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion with a single dose of an anti-CD11b/18 monoclonal antibody injected 1 hour after the arterial occlusion. To mimic the clinical situation of patients with ischemic strokes who may be treated within 1 hour of the ischemic event, the artery remained occluded. Forty-one adult Wistar rats had permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion, and one was subjected to a sham operation. One hour later, 22 rats received CD11b/18 monoclonal antibody and an additional 20 were injected either with a nonspecific antibody (n = 10) or a buffer solution (n = 10). Experiments were terminated at intervals ranging 12 to 96 hours after the arterial occlusion. Endpoints included neurological testing, daily evaluation of body weight, counts of white blood cells in the peripheral blood, measurement of the area of pallor in the ischemic hemisphere, counts of necrotic neurons, and counts of leukocytes sequestered in the ischemic hemisphere. In experiments terminated 12 hours after the arterial occlusion (n = 4), there were fewer necrotic neurons in the group treated with the CD11b/18 monoclonal antibody compared with the two controls (P < .05), but this difference was not reflected in the neurological scores. Numbers of necrotic neurons in experiments terminated > 12 hours later were not different among the three subgroups. White blood cell counts in peripheral blood were lower in animals with arterial occlusion injected with the monoclonal antibody CD11b/18 (P < .05); numbers of leukocytes sequestered in the ischemic hemisphere were not different in the three groups. Neither changes in body weight nor in the volume of the area of pallor were significantly different among the three groups.

Animals

Carotid atherosclerosis. Definition, pathogenesis, and clinical significance.

Atherosclerotic plaques are aggregates of plasma lipids (especially cholesterol), cells (smooth muscle cells and monocytes/macrophages), and connective tissue matrix (collagen fibers and proteoglycans). Symptomatic plaques in the carotid artery involve primarily the carotid bulb and are characterized by increased cellular proliferation, lipids accumulation, calcification, ulceration, hemorrhage, and thrombosis. Risk factors (arterial hypertension, cigarette smoking, high serum levels of cholesterol, and fibrinogen) promote thrombus formation and continuous transendothelial seepage of plasma lipids.

Arteriosclerosis

Neurological deficit and extent of neuronal necrosis attributable to middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. Statistical validation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Occluding a large intracranial artery in rats produces a brain lesion that grows in terms of an increase in both surface area and number of necrotic neurons. The present study investigated whether reperfusing the ischemic territory 30 to 60 minutes after the arterial occlusion would have a beneficial effect on either the clinical or the histological outcome of the lesion. METHODS: One hundred four adult rats (including appropriate controls) were used; 97 had a middle cerebral artery occluded by inserting a nylon monofilament via the right external carotid artery. The arterial occlusion was transient in two groups and permanent in another; survival times were comparable for all groups. Control animals were subjected to a sham operation during which the artery was occluded for less than 1 minute. The outcome was evaluated by measuring the extent of the neurological deficit and the severity of the histological injury. RESULTS: Mean neurological score and mean number of necrotic neurons in the cortex were more favorable after transient (30- to 60-minute) compared with permanent arterial occlusion (P < .005). Moreover, the correlation between mean neurological score and mean number of necrotic neurons was highly significant: r = .951; P < .001. CONCLUSIONS: The histological effects of an intracranial arterial occlusion in the adult rat can be predicted on day 1 by the neurological score described in this report. Significant improvement can be obtained in these animals by reestablishing arterial flow 60 minutes or sooner after the ictus. The pattern of cortical pannecrosis observed after permanent occlusion (> or = 72 hours) was transformed into incomplete ischemic injury in most instances of transient occlusion.

Animals

Neuronal necrosis after middle cerebral artery occlusion in Wistar rats progresses at different time intervals in the caudoputamen and the cortex.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most brain lesions that develop after an artery is occluded evolve from an initial stage of "ischemic injury" (probably reversible) to an infarct or an area where most neurons become necrotic. There is scant information on the time that must elapse after the arterial occlusion for neurons to undergo irreversible injury. The objective of these experiments was to chart the time course and the topographic distribution of the neuronal necrosis that follows the occlusion of a large cerebral artery. METHODS: One hundred fifty-one adult rats (including 15 controls) were used in this study. One hundred forty-seven had the right middle cerebral artery occluded for variable periods ranging from 30 minutes to 7 days. After processing the brains for histology, a meticulous structural evaluation of each specimen, including quantitation of necrotic neurons, was followed by a detailed statistical analysis of the neuronal counts. RESULTS: Few neurons in isolated sites showed morphological signs of necrosis during the initial 4 hours; the first significant increase in the percentage of necrotic neurons (15%) was observed within the territory of the occluded artery after 6 hours (P < .05); 12 hours after the arterial occlusion most neurons (65%) had become necrotic (P < .0001). Pannecrosis involving neurons, glial cells, and blood vessels was observed at 72 to 96 hours. However, even at this time pannecrosis involved only the preoptic area and the lateral putamen; a few intact neurons remained visible in the cortex, and scattered necrotic neurons could be identified beyond the edges of the "area of pallor," which does not become clearly demarcated until 4 to 5 days after the arterial occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: There is a predictable progression in the development of neuronal necrosis after a permanent arterial occlusion. Irreversible changes appear first in the caudoputamen and then spread to the cortex. The causes for the progression of the lesion are not known; however, therapeutic interventions that start within the first 1 to 2 hours after the arterial occlusion may alter the histopathologic responses to this form of injury. It remains to be determined whether the extent of the neurological deficit induced by an arterial occlusion correlates with the number of necrotic neurons.

Animals

Vasospasm and thrombus formation as possible mechanisms of stroke related to alkaloidal cocaine.

BACKGROUND: "Crack" cocaine (alkaloidal cocaine) induces ischemic stroke. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs are not well documented in humans. We present pertinent information on three patients whose ischemic strokes involved the territory of the internal carotid artery and were associated with crack use. CASE DESCRIPTIONS: These patients were investigated clinically, radiologically, intraoperatively, and/or histopathologically at the same institution, and the diagnostic evaluations did not reveal a definite cardiac or hematologic cause of stroke. Large filling defects were noted on conventional carotid angiography in two of these patients; in the third patient, the histopathological changes were compatible with vasospasm. To our knowledge, these changes have not been previously documented in human arteries. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that some brain infarcts among crack cocaine users may result from vasospasm of large arteries and secondary intravascular thrombosis.

Adult

The significance of cerebral white matter abnormalities 100 years after Binswanger's report. A review.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the cerebral hemispheric white matter are detected with increasing frequency by CT and MRI among persons older than 60 years. The pathogenesis, clinical significance, and morphological substrate of these changes are incompletely understood. Patients who have such neuroimaging abnormalities are sometimes diagnosed with "Binswanger's disease," an eponym that has generated much confusion because of its imprecise meaning. The objectives of this study were to determine whether the term Binswanger's disease merits acceptance as a distinct clinicopathologic entity, to deduce the clinical significance of these white matter abnormalities from the analysis of appropriate publications, and to evaluate studies that correlate in vivo changes in the cerebral white matter with pathological features. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: We evaluated Binswanger's original case description and, after conducting a Medline search, reviewed more than 160 publications, mostly in the English language, on the subject of white matter abnormalities detectable by currently used neuroimaging methods (ie, leukoaraiosis). CONCLUSIONS: Binswanger's original description appears to be insufficient for the purpose of defining a new nosological entity. After evaluating the vaguely outlined pathological correlates described in a few of these subcortical cerebral leukoencephalopathies, we conclude that the clinical significance of leukoaraiosis remains incompletely defined. However, its frequency increases with age independent of other risk factors, and in nondemented subjects leukoaraiosis is associated with deficits in selected cognitive functions. Moreover, leukoaraiosis correlates with an increased risk for the subsequent development of strokes. We make specific suggestions for future studies that may help to clarify this topic.

Aged

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist decreases the number of necrotic neurons in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Marked increases in the brain expression of interleukin (IL)-1 have been reported in rats after permanent occlusion of a large cerebral artery. Interactions between endothelial cells and leukocytes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of ischemic injury to the myocardium and other organs. In this study we asked whether inhibiting the effects of IL-1 would affect the outcome of an experimental brain infarct. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 13) with permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery were given IL-1 receptor antagonist. A second group (n = 13) with the same type of brain injury was given a placebo. A third group, subjected to a sham operation, was given either IL-1 receptor antagonist (n = 2) or a placebo (n = 2). Experiments were terminated after either 24 hours or 7 days. Compared with the control group, animals treated with IL-1 receptor antagonist improved their neurological score (P < 0.05), experienced less pronounced changes in body weight (P < 0.05), and had fewer necrotic neurons (P < 0.001) and fewer leukocytes in the ischemic hemisphere (P < 0.001) as well as a smaller area of pallor (P < 0.05) in the ischemis hemisphere. The results suggest that inhibiting the proinflammatory effects of IL-1 with a receptor antagonist is an effective way of influencing the leukocyte responses elicited by an arterial occlusion. Such leukocyte inhibition seemingly attenuates the number of necrotic neurons resulting from the occlusion of a large brain artery.

Animals

Temporal profile of ischemic tissue damage, neutrophil response, and vascular plugging following permanent and transient (2H) middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat.

We investigated the temporal profile of ischemic tissue damage, neutrophil response, and vascular occlusion after permanent and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by advancing a nylon monofilament to occlude middle cerebral artery (MCA). Two groups of rats were investigated: (1) those with permanent MCA occlusion (n = 29), and (2) and those having the arterial occlusion released after 2 h (n = 34). Experiments were terminated at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 168 h after the onset of ischemia, and brain sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological evaluation. Initially, the cortical lesion was smaller in rats subjected to transient MCA occlusion than in rats subjected to permanent MCA occlusion (p < 0.02). The surface area of the lesion was identical in both groups at 48 h after the onset of ischemia. Neutrophil infiltration into tissue and the time of peak neutrophil infiltration occurred earlier after transient MCA occlusion than after permanent MCA occlusion (6 h, 48 h in transient; 12 h, 72 h in permanent). Within the lesions, the number of occluded vessels was significantly lower in the transient ischemia group than in the permanent ischemia group during the time interval between 12-48 h (p < 0.01). Our data suggest that the temporal evolution of the lesion, the pattern of neutrophil infiltration and the chronology of microvascular occlusion differs depending on whether the MCA occlusion is transient (2 h) or permanent; however, significant differences in the size of the brain lesion disappeared 48 h after onset of ischemia.

Animals

ATP and pH predictors of histologic damage following global cerebral ischemia in the rat.

In vivo changes of high energy phosphates and pH were determined with 31P NMR spectroscopy in rats subjected to symmetric or asymmetric partial global ischemia with reperfusion. Tissue damage was assessed by histology. ATP depletion, following PCr depletion, developed shortly after the onset of ischemia. In prolonged ischemia reperfusion was not followed with full recovery. APT depletion of more than 20% during reperfusion was associated with histologic damage; marked necrosis was associated with 50% reduction. Although during ischemia, severe persisting intracellular acidosis developed sometimes, and it was also associated with tissue damage, it did not appear to elicit tissue damage independently of the ATP depletion. Splitting of the Pi peak was useful in predicting heterogeneous distribution of the necrosis, thus it can reflect a heterogeneous distribution of the intracellular pH.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Brain microvessels: factors altering their patency after the occlusion of a middle cerebral artery (Wistar rat).

The progression from ischemic injury to pannecrosis that occurs in the rat brain several hours after occluding a large artery may be partly attributable to a worsening of the circulation through the microvessels. The objective of this study was to quantitate selected structural changes involving astrocytes and endothelial cells within an area of focal brain ischemia created by the occlusion of a middle cerebral artery. The magnitude of these structural changes was correlated with alterations in the patency to a circulating macromolecule through the microvessels (< or = 15 mu in diameter) located within the territory of the occluded artery. One hundred eighty-five adult male Wistar rats had the right middle cerebral artery occluded after threading a nylon monofilament through the external carotid artery. Experiments were terminated by either cardiovascular perfusion or decapitation and immersion fixation at intervals ranging between 30 minutes and 7 days after the arterial occlusion. Randomly selected animals from each experimental subgroup were injected intravenously with horseradish peroxidase (molecular weight 44 kd) approximately 20 minutes before death. The progressive decline in the area fraction comprised by the vessels filled with horseradish peroxidase was preceded at 30 to 60 minutes by an increase in the surface area occupied (on a cross-section of a microvessel) by endothelial cells (both nucleus and cytoplasm). This was followed by an increase of 23.7% in the mean diameter of astrocytes nuclei and a decrease of approximately 35% in lumenal surface of the microvessels. These observations suggest that the occlusion of a large cerebral artery causes prompt swelling of endothelial cells and astrocytes; both of these early biological responses may interfere with erythrocyte circulation and oxygen delivery, which (after the arterial occlusion) are entirely dependent on the circulation provided by the collateral arterial connections. Through its interference with microvascular patency and oxygen delivery, cell swelling may influence the rate at which neurons become necrotic. In this model of brain infarct the number of necrotic neurons peaks approximately 72 hours after middle cerebral artery occlusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals

Influx of leukocytes and platelets in an evolving brain infarct (Wistar rat).

The results of several experimental studies of focal ischemia and anecdotal observations suggest that leukocytes may contribute to the injury initiated by an arterial occlusion. The timing and the nature of leukocyte responses in evolving brain infarcts (either human or experimental) are incompletely characterized. This is a study of experimental brain lesions in 96 Wistar rats that underwent occlusion of a large intracranial artery for variable intervals ranging between 30 minutes and 7 days. The experimental model, based on the occlusion of a middle cerebral artery ostium via the insertion of a nylon monofilament through the external carotid artery, does not require opening the skull; therefore, the inflammatory response is not influenced by the effects of craniotomy and changes in intracranial pressure are only those induced by the ischemic lesion. All 96 animals having the same type of arterial occlusion developed an ischemic brain lesion (limited to the territory of the corresponding artery) that evolved into an area of extensive neuronal necrosis over a period of 6 to 12 hours followed by pan-necrosis (infarct) approximately 60 hours later. In this study, leukocytes (in particular polymorphonuclear cells) were detected in the microvessels (capillaries and venules) of the ischemic hemisphere as early as 30 minutes after the arterial occlusion. Numbers of intravascular neutrophils peaked at 12 hours, whereas intraparenchymal granulocytes were most numerous at 24 hours; a few granulocytes were visible in the brain infarct as late as day 7. Circulating monocytes were first detected within the capillaries/venules of the ischemic area after 4 to 6 hours. Platelet aggregates were more abundant in the arterial than the venous side of the circulation, and luminal obstruction of arteries by platelet aggregates became noticeable only 48 hours after the arterial occlusion. Fibrin thrombi were conspicuous for their absence. These observations provide the background for studies that will attempt to unravel the relationship between the biological responses of leukocytes and neuronal necrosis secondary to focal ischemia.

Animals