Background: Ischemic stroke remains a leading cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. Reperfusion therapies, such as intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, are crucial for restoring cerebral blood flow but may also trigger ischemia–reperfusion injury and systemic inflammatory activation, associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of 8833 patients hospitalized for acute ischemic stroke between January 2014 and May 2025. Of these, 2242 (25.38%) underwent reperfusion therapy (mechanical thrombectomy ± intravenous thrombolysis), and 6591 (74.62%) were treated conservatively. Laboratory parameters, including leukocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and albumin, and composite inflammatory indices (e.g., neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic immune–inflammation index (SII), systemic-inflammation response index (SIRI), and neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR)), were assessed at admission. Clinical outcomes included in-hospital mortality and functional scale results (e.g., National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, modified Rankin score (mRS), Barthel scale, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)). Results: Patients treated with reperfusion therapy had higher inflammatory indices (white blood cells, CRP, NLR, SII, and NPAR) compared to patients treated conservatively. In multiple regression analysis, these indices were significantly determined only by GCS and mRS scores, but age, gender, comorbidities, biochemical determinations, and type of ischemic stroke treatment (reperfusion or conservative) remained non-statistically significant. Conclusions: Patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing reperfusion therapy exhibited a stronger inflammatory response and higher in-hospital mortality than those treated conservatively. However, multivariate analysis showed that a stronger inflammatory response following reperfusion therapy results more from the severity of the patients’ state than the kind of therapy.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the growth dynamics of the first sacral vertebra and its ossification center in the human fetus, based on their linear, planar, and volumetric parameters. Methods: The examinations were carried out on 54 human fetuses of both sexes (26 males and 28 females) aged 18–30 weeks of gestation, which had been preserved in 10% neutral formalin solution. Using CT, digital image analysis software, 3D reconstruction, and statistical methods, the size of the first sacral vertebra and its ossification center was evaluated. Results: The first sacral vertebra and its ossification center grew proportionately according to fetal weeks. Conclusions: The numerical data obtained from computed tomography and the growth patterns of the body of the first sacral vertebra and its ossification center may serve as age-specific normative intervals relevant for gynecologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, and radiologists during fetal ultrasound screening. Our findings on the growth of the body of the first sacral vertebra and its ossification center may be useful in daily clinical practice, particularly in ultrasonic monitoring of normal fetal growth and in screening for congenital defects and skeletal dysplasias.

Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) induces a severity of inflammatory response that varies depending on the individual and may depend on the type of reperfusion treatment used. The aim of this study was to compare values of inflammatory response indices between AIS patients treated with endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EMT) only and those in whom EMT was preceded by intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of medical documentation of 2242 consecutive, real-world patients hospitalized in one center due to AIS between 1 January 2014 and 31 May 2025. Several single and composite inflammatory indices were analyzed. Results: Patients who underwent double reperfusion treatment (IVT + EMT) (n = 1201; 53.57%) had lower C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-albumin, CRP-to-lymphocyte, CRP-to-neutrophil, and CRP-to-platelet ratios; lower platelet-to-lymphocyte, platelet-to-albumin, and platelet-to-hemoglobin ratios; and a lower inflammatory burden and systemic inflammatory index than those who were treated only with EMT (n = 1041; 46.43%). Compared to patients treated only with EMT, those treated with IVT + EMT also had a shorter length of in-hospital stay, were less likely to be readmitted within 14 days of discharge, and were more likely to achieve a modified Rankin score of 0–1 at discharge. Conclusions: Patients with AIS treated with IVT + EMT may exert a lower inflammatory magnitude of response and better functional status at discharge than those treated with EMT only. Biomarkers of inflammatory response to AIS require further study to confirm their usefulness in AIS patients’ management and personalized qualification for reperfusion and non-reperfusion targeted treatment.

Objectives: The present study aimed to analyze the growth dynamics of the ossification centers of the seventh cervical (C7) vertebra in the human fetus, focusing on linear, planar, and volumetric parameters of both the vertebral body and neural processes. Methods: The study was conducted on 55 human fetuses of both sexes (27 males and 28 females), aged 17–30 weeks’ gestation. High-resolution computed tomography, three-dimensional reconstruction, digital image analysis, and appropriate statistical modeling were used to obtain detailed morphometric measurements of the C7 ossification centers. Results: All morphometric parameters—length, cross-sectional area, and volume—of the vertebral body ossification center increased linearly with gestational age, except for the sagittal diameter, which followed a logarithmic growth pattern. Linear growth was likewise observed in all diameters of the neural process ossification centers, including length, width, cross-sectional area, and volume. No statistically significant sex-related or side-related differences were detected. Conclusions: The CT-based morphometric data and growth models for the ossification centers of C7 presented in this study offer preliminary reference values for the vertebra prominens during fetal development. Although limited by sample size, these results establish a baseline that may assist anatomists, radiologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, and spinal surgeons in assessing cervical-spine maturation and in detecting congenital anomalies prenatally. Further studies involving larger and more diverse fetal cohorts are warranted to validate and extend these observations.

Background: Several studies reveal an inverse relation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration and the risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The aim of this study was to determine relationships between 25(OH)D concentration and the course and outcomes of AIS treatment and the level of indices of inflammatory response to brain injury. Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical documentation of 1381 real-world AIS patients hospitalized in a single center between 1 January 2020 and 31 May 2025. Serum 25(OH)D level, several inflammatory indices, and clinical data were assessed. Results: Compared to patients in the lowest quartile of 25(OH)D concentration, those in the highest quartile had a shorter length of in-hospital stay, a lower risk of all-cause death, and a lower score for disability on a modified Rankin scale (mRS). Along with an increase in 25(OH)D quartiles, we found: a decrease in neutrophil count; a decrease in glucose, HbA1c, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and CRP-to-albumin, -lymphocyte, -neutrophil, and -platelet ratios; lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and -albumin ratios, and lower systemic immune inflammation, and systemic inflammation response indices. In multifactorial logistic regression, the quartile of 25(OH)D (OR, 95% CI: 1.52, 1.09–2.12; p = 0.012) was the only variable to have a positive association with a mRS score ≤ 2 at discharge from hospital, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, age, diabetes, and treatment with endovascular mechanical thrombectomy were biomarkers of poor functional status at discharge. Conclusions: Higher 25(OH)D concentration in AIS patients is related to better survival and a lower level of inflammatory response indices and disability at discharge.

Background/Objectives: Cutaneous manifestations of inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are among the most common and often early signs of these disorders, estimated to affect about 40% of patients with IEI, and in some cases, they provide the first diagnostic clue. Skin findings in IEI are heterogeneous and include recurrent skin infections, severe atopic dermatitis, autoimmune manifestations, as well as atypical granulomatous dermatoses, neoplastic lesions, pigmentation disorders, and changes involving hair and nails. Early recognition of these manifestations and linking them to the appropriate immunologic defect is crucial for establishing the diagnosis and initiating targeted therapy. Methods: This paper reviews the dermatologic phenotypes associated with IEI, with particular emphasis on a tabular classification of skin lesions corresponding to specific immunologic defects. Relevant literature was analyzed to summarize characteristic cutaneous presentations and current diagnostic approaches, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary evaluation. Results: Cutaneous findings in IEI encompass a wide spectrum of infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic manifestations. Systematic classification of these lesions facilitates earlier recognition of underlying immune defects and supports differential diagnosis. Dermatologic signs frequently precede systemic manifestations, making them valuable early clinical indicators of IEI. Conclusions: Recognition of dermatologic manifestations is critical for early diagnosis of IEI. Interdisciplinary collaboration between dermatologists, immunologists, and other specialists improves diagnostic accuracy and patient management. Current therapeutic strategies range from symptomatic treatment to targeted therapies, and personalized approaches improve prognosis and quality of life in patients with IEI.