This review discusses the functions of blood vessels such as coagulation, regulation, immunity, endocrinology, and nerve conduction from a new perspective and suggests that hypoxia plays a common role in the changes in vascular function in various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, it is oxygen therapy regulation may be a particularly beneficial means by which to regulate vascular function due to its low risk of harm and ease of implementation. Further, the authors have identified a link between vascular function and diseases caused by endogenous hypoxia and analyzed it in depth. The potential effects of hypoxia regulation schemes such as hyperxia, hyperoxic-hypoxia alternations, hypoxia preconditioning, and intermittent hypoxia on vascular function are also discussed, and we present theoretical support for targeted vascular therapy.

Increasing evidence demonstrated that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was involved in developing cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). The BBB participates in the neurovascular coupling and regulates the transport of substances, which is closely related to neurodegenerative diseases. In CAA, the deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) in arteries, capillaries, and arterioles of meninges and cerebral cortex results in the destruction of the BBB, chronic inflammatory response, chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, and dysfunction of the neurovascular unit, which eventually leads to neurodegeneration. At the same time, CAA is an age-related disease. Patients with CAA often have some risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which can further aggravate the damage to the BBB. Thus, it is of great significance to pay attention to the BBB in the pathogenesis and future intervention targets of CAA. Therefore, this manuscript reviewed the dysfunction of the BBB in CAA.

Insomnia is currently a common phenomenon, which manifests itself as difficulty in falling asleep, problems remaining asleep, or early awakening, and has a serious impact on people’s lives. Neurotransmitters play a key role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, among which gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), noradrenaline (NE), acetylcholine (ACh), and melatonin have been widely studied. This review analyzes the research results in recent years and reveals the role of neurotransmitters in the occurrence of insomnia and their relevance. It provides new perspectives for further discussion on the diagnosis and treatment strategies of insomnia and research on targeted drugs.

Objective: Early and accurate identification of large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients is critically important for stroke management. Practicable scales with simple items can facilitate prehospital paramedics distinguishing LVO-AIS patients with high efficiency and help to avoid unnecessary and costly delays. The current study aims to develop a screening tool to predict AIS-LVO patients based on prehospital available data. Method: A total of 251 suspected stroke patients who were transported to the emergency department of our hospital via emergency medical services were consecutively enrolled from August, 2020 to January, 2022. Data including demographic information, medical history, clinical manifestations, and vital signs were collected. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed based on statistically significant variables selected from univariate analysis. Result: Forty-two patients (16.7%) were diagnosed as LVO-AIS based on imaging validation at admission. A comprehensive model was developed with past medical history factors such as atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease, vital signs such as systolic blood pressure, and prominent symptoms and signs such as gaze palsy, facial paralysis, and dysarthria. The model showed better diagnostic performance in terms of area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (0.884, 95% CI, 0.830 – 0.939), which was higher than other common prehospital prediction scales such as the Face, Arm, Speech, Time test (FAST), the Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination (FAST-ED) scale, and the Gaze-Face-Arm-Speech-Time test (G-FAST). Calibration curve analysis, decision curve analysis, and clinical impact curve analysis further validated the reliability, net benefit, and potential clinical impact of the prediction model, respectively. Conclusion: We conducted a prediction model based on prehospital accessible factors including past history of atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease, systolic blood pressure, and signs such as gaze palsy, facial palsy, and dysarthria. The prediction model showed good diagnostic power and accuracy for identification of the high-risk patients with LVO and may become an effective tool for the LVO recognition in prehospital settings. Future studies are warranted to refine and validate the model further in order to enhance the accuracy and objectivity of clinical judgments.

Objective: To investigate the regulatory role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate responsive element binding protein (CREB)/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling pathway in acute sleep deprivation (SD)-induced anxiety-like behavior mice (SD group) to study the mechanism of anxiety-like behavior better. Methods: The SD chamber was used to deprive the mice of sleep, and the anxiety-like behavior of the mice was verified using an open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM), forced swim test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). Finally, proteins were detected by Western blotting. Result: OFT showed that the active distance and the time of stay in the central area were significantly reduced (P<0.05). EPM showed that the time and number of open arms in the SD group were significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.05). The FST showed that the forced swimming immobility time of the SD group was significantly lower than that of the control (P<0.05). Moreover, the TST showed that the immobility time of the tail suspension experiment in the SD group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acute SD can regulate anxiety-like behavior in mice through the CREB/BDNF signaling pathway.