Epidemiological features of traumatic brain injuries from a first-level trauma care national medical center in Georgia.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injuries is a significant public health issue in both developed and developing countries. In Georgia, traumatic brain injuries remains one of the leading causes of mortality and disability. Traumatic brain injuries affect families, communities and societies in Georgia and have far-reaching human, social and economic costs, manifested in increased emergency department visits, hospitalizations, disability and deaths.

Emerging Treatments for Disorders of Consciousness in Paediatric Age.

The number of paediatric patients living with a prolonged Disorder of Consciousness (DoC) is growing in high-income countries, thanks to substantial improvement in intensive care. Life expectancy is extending due to the clinical and nursing management achievements of chronic phase needs, including infections. However, long-known pharmacological therapies such as amantadine and zolpidem, as well as novel instrumental approaches using direct current stimulation and, more recently, stem cell transplantation, are applied in the absence of large paediatric clinical trials and rigorous age-balanced and dose-escalated validations.

Establishing Stroke Services in the Republic of Georgia.

Introduction: This article summarizes the medical experience in establishing stroke units and systemic thrombolysis in Georgia, which, like many other post-Soviet countries, still faces problems in organizing stroke care even after 30 years of independence.

Patients And Methods: We created an example of treating acute stroke with systemic thrombolysis and introduced stroke units in several hospitals in the country, including standardization of the diagnostic and treatment process, consistent evaluation, and monthly feedback to the stroke unit staff.

Results: Systemic thrombolysis has become a clinical routine in some large hospitals and is meanwhile reimbursed by the state insurance.

Global Impact of COVID-19 on Stroke Care and IV Thrombolysis.

Objective: To measure the global impact of COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of IV thrombolysis (IVT), IVT transfers, and stroke hospitalizations over 4 months at the height of the pandemic (March 1 to June 30, 2020) compared with 2 control 4-month periods.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study across 6 continents, 70 countries, and 457 stroke centers. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes or classifications in stroke databases.

Global impact of COVID-19 on stroke care.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to profound changes in the organization of health care systems worldwide.

Aims: We sought to measure the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes for mechanical thrombectomy, stroke, and intracranial hemorrhage hospitalizations over a three-month period at the height of the pandemic (1 March-31 May 2020) compared with two control three-month periods (immediately preceding and one year prior).

Methods: Retrospective, observational, international study, across 6 continents, 40 countries, and 187 comprehensive stroke centers.

Poly(ester amide) microspheres are efficient vehicles for long-term intracerebral growth factor delivery and improve functional recovery after stroke.

Growth factors promote plasticity in injured brain and improve impaired functions. For clinical application, efficient approaches for growth factor delivery into the brain are necessary. Poly(ester amide) (PEA)-derived microspheres (MS) could serve as vehicles due to their thermal and mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability.

Management of ischemic stroke in Central and Eastern Europe.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in Europe. Central and Eastern European countries have the highest incidence and mortality rates through Europe. The improvements in stroke prevention and treatment in Central and Eastern European countries did not completely reach the quality parameters present in Western European countries.

A prototype worldwide survey of diagnostic and treatment modalities for stroke.

Stroke is a global health problem. However, very little is known about stroke care in low- to middle-income countries. Obtaining country-specific information could enable us to develop targeted programs to improve stroke care.

Correlation between MMP-9 and extracellular cytokine HMGB1 in prediction of human ischemic stroke outcome.

Ischemic stroke (IS) outcome predictors include clinical features, biochemical parameters and some risk factors. The relations between two main players in the ischemic brain, MMPs and HMGB1, were estimated in the plasma of ischemic stroke patients stratified according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project classification. IS patients exhibited higher plasma concentration of MMP-9 and the inflammatory cytokine HMGB1 compared with healthy controls.

Incidence rates of the primary brain tumours in Georgia--a population-based study.

Background: To determine the incidence rate and to describe other basic epidemiological data of primary brain tumours in a population-based study in Georgia, performed between March 2009 and March 2011.

Methods: Active case ascertainment was used to identify brain tumour cases by searching neuroradiology scan reports and medical records from all participating medical institutions, covering almost 100% of the neurooncology patients in the country.

Results: A total of 980 new cases were identified during the two-year period.

Primary brain tumour epidemiology in Georgia: first-year results of a population-based study.

A population-based cohort study was initiated in Georgia in March 2009 to collect epidemiologic data of malignant and non-malignant primary brain tumours. During the first year, 473 incident cases were identified. For a population of 4.

Stroke incidence and 30-day case-fatality in a suburb of Tbilisi: results of the first prospective population-based study in Georgia.

Background And Purpose: Although stroke is one of the main public health problems worldwide, no study of stroke incidence has been performed in Georgia, and therefore, a population-based registry was established to determine the incidence and case-fatality rates of first-ever stroke.

Methods: We identified all first-ever strokes between November 2000 and July 2003 in a defined population of 51,246 residents in the Sanzona suburb of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, using overlapping sources of information and standard diagnostic criteria.

Results: A total of 233 first-ever strokes occurred during the study period.