Hydration of -Hydroxyurea from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

-Hydroxyurea (HU) is an important chemotherapeutic agent used as a first-line treatment in conditions such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, among others. To date, its properties as a hydrated molecule in the blood plasma or cytoplasm are dramatically understudied, although they may be crucial to the binding of HU to the radical catalytic site of ribonucleotide reductase, its molecular target. The purpose of this work is the comprehensive exploration of HU hydration.

Practice of prescribing antipsychotics in schizophrenia during 2013-2018 based on data from the National Health Fund.

Aim: The aim of the study was to analyse the prescribing pattern of antipsychotic drugs in patients with schizophrenia during the years 2013-2018.

Method: Schizophrenia is analysed as one of the diseases with the highest rate of Disability-Adjusted Life Years - DALY. In this study, the unitary data of the National Health Fund (NFZ) reported in the years 2013-2018 were used.

Analysis of psychiatric services for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, reported to the National Health Fund in the years 2009-2018.

Aim.: Analysis of psychiatric services for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, reported to the National Health Fund in the years 2009-2018.

Material And Methods: Schizophrenia is analyzed as one of the diseases with the highest rate of Disability-Adjusted Life Years - DALY.

Mental Health Centers. Preliminary evaluation of the pilot program implementation process.

Objectives: The aim of the presented research is to characterize the operating Mental Health Centers (MHCs) and to provide a preliminary assessment of the implementation process of the pilot program model in the area of psychiatric care in Poland.

Methods: The study uses the Polish version of the German questionnaire, which covers four areas: (1) basic conditionsof the model project/pilot program; (2) characteristicsof the organizational structure of the treatment entity; (3) statistical characteristics of the services provided;(4) specific features of the psychiatric care system in model regions/pilot program Mental Health Centers.

Results: Nineteen of the 27 Mental Health Centers completed the survey.

Telerobotic neurovascular interventions with magnetic manipulation.

Advances in robotic technology have been adopted in various subspecialties of both open and minimally invasive surgery, offering benefits such as enhanced surgical precision and accuracy with reduced fatigue of the surgeon. Despite the advantages, robotic applications to endovascular neurosurgery have remained largely unexplored because of technical challenges such as the miniaturization of robotic devices that can reach the complex and tortuous vasculature of the brain. Although some commercial systems enable robotic manipulation of conventional guidewires for coronary and peripheral vascular interventions, they remain unsuited for neurovascular applications because of the considerably smaller and more tortuous anatomy of cerebral arteries.

Flexible and Integrative Psychiatric Care Based on a Global Treatment Budget: Comparing the Implementation in Germany and Poland.

The past decade has witnessed the establishment of flexible and integrative treatment (FIT) models in 55 German and Polish psychiatric catchment areas. FIT is based on a global treatment budget (GTB), which integrates funding of all acute psychiatric hospital services for a regional population. Prior research has identified 11 specific program components of FIT in Germany.

Feasibility and accuracy of a robotic guidance system for navigated spine surgery in a hybrid operating room: a cadaver study.

The combination of navigation and robotics in spine surgery has the potential to accurately identify and maintain bone entry position and planned trajectory. The goal of this study was to examine the feasibility, accuracy and efficacy of a new robot-guided system for semi-automated, minimally invasive, pedicle screw placement. A custom robotic arm was integrated into a hybrid operating room (OR) equipped with an augmented reality surgical navigation system (ARSN).

Design and control of an image-guided robot for spine surgery in a hybrid OR.

Background: Minimally invasive spine (MIS) fusion surgery requires image guidance and expert manual dexterity for a successful, efficient, and accurate pedicle screw placement. Operating room (OR)-integrated robotic solution can provide precise assistance to potentially minimize complication rates and facilitate difficult MIS procedures.

Methods: A 5-degrees of freedom robot was designed specifically for a hybrid OR with integrated surgical navigation for guiding pedicle screw pilot holes.

The robotic ENT microsurgery system: A novel robotic platform for microvascular surgery.

Objective: Assess the feasibility of a novel robotic platform for use in microvascular surgery.

Study Design: Prospective feasibility study.

Setting: Robotics laboratory.

Robotic microlaryngeal phonosurgery: Testing of a "steady-hand" microsurgery platform.

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate gains in microlaryngeal precision achieved by using a novel robotic "steady hand" microsurgery platform in performing simulated phonosurgical tasks.

Study Design: Crossover comparative study of surgical performance and descriptive analysis of surgeon feedback.

Methods: A novel robotic ear, nose, and throat microsurgery system (REMS) was tested in simulated phonosurgery.

Accuracy assessment and kinematic calibration of the robotic endoscopic microsurgical system.

This paper explores the general stereotactic accuracy of the Robotic Endoscopic Microsurgical System (REMS) by calibrating with a standard optical tracking system. Based on a simple yet effective test protocol, the proposed calibration method combines hand-eye calibration with Bernstein polynomials to improve our kinematic pose accuracy.

Public health and international drug policy.

Unlabelled: In September 2015, the member states of the United Nations endorsed sustainable development goals (SDG) for 2030 that aspire to human rights-centered approaches to ensuring the health and well-being of all people. The SDGs embody both the UN Charter values of rights and justice for all and the responsibility of states to rely on the best scientific evidence as they seek to better humankind. In April 2016, these same states will consider control of illicit drugs, an area of social policy that has been fraught with controversy, seen as inconsistent with human rights norms, and for which scientific evidence and public health approaches have arguably played too limited a role.

Human eye phantom for developing computer and robot-assisted epiretinal membrane peeling.

A number of technologies are being developed to facilitate key intraoperative actions in vitreoretinal microsurgery. There is a need for cost-effective, reusable benchtop eye phantoms to enable frequent evaluation of these developments. In this study, we describe an artificial eye phantom for developing intraocular imaging and force-sensing tools.

A Multi-Function Force Sensing Instrument for Variable Admittance Robot Control in Retinal Microsurgery.

Robotic systems have the potential to assist vitreoretinal surgeons in extremely difficult surgical tasks inside the human eye. In addition to reducing hand tremor and improving tool positioning, a robotic assistant can provide assistive motion guidance using virtual fixtures, and incorporate real-time feedback from intraocular force sensing ophthalmic instruments to present tissue manipulation forces, that are otherwise physically imperceptible to the surgeon. This paper presents the design of an FBG-based, multi-function instrument that is capable of measuring mN-level forces at the instrument tip located inside the eye, and also the sclera contact location on the instrument shaft and the corresponding contact force.

A Novel Dual Force Sensing Instrument with Cooperative Robotic Assistant for Vitreoretinal Surgery.

Robotic assistants and smart surgical instruments have been developed to overcome many significant physiological limitations faced by vitreoretinal surgeons, one of which is lack of force perception below 7.5 mN. This paper reports the development of a new force sensor based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with the ability to sense forces at the tip of the surgical instrument located inside the eye and also provide information about instrument interaction with the sclera.

Improvement of optical coherence tomography using active handheld micromanipulator in vitreoretinal surgery.

An active handheld micromanipulator has been developed to cancel hand tremor during microsurgery. The micromanipulator is also applicable in optical coherence tomography to improve the quality of scanning and minimize surgical risks during the scans. The manipulator can maneuver the tool tip with six degrees of freedom within a cylindrical workspace 4 mm in diameter and 4 mm high.

Evaluation of a Micro-Force Sensing Handheld Robot for Vitreoretinal Surgery.

Highly accurate positioning is fundamental to the performance of vitreoretinal microsurgery. Of vitreoretinal procedures, membrane peeling is among the most prone to complications since extremely delicate manipulation of retinal tissue is required. Associated tool-to-tissue interaction forces are usually below the threshold of human perception, and the surgical tools are moved very slowly, within the 0.

Force sensing micro-forceps for robot assisted retinal surgery.

Membrane peeling is a standard vitreoretinal procedure, where the surgeon delaminates a very thin membrane from retina surface using surgical picks and forceps. This requires extremely delicate manipulation of the retinal tissue. Applying excessive forces during the surgery can cause serious complications leading to vision loss.

Optical coherence tomography scanning with a handheld vitreoretinal micromanipulator.

An active handheld micromanipulator has been developed that is capable of automated intraocular acquisition of B-mode and C-mode optical coherence tomography scans that are up to 4 mm wide. The manipulator is a handheld Gough-Stewart platform actuated by ultrasonic linear motors. The manipulator has been equipped with a Fourier-domain common-path intraocular OCT probe that fits within a 25-gauge needle.

Auditory force feedback substitution improves surgical precision during simulated ophthalmic surgery.

Purpose: To determine the extent that auditory force feedback (AFF) substitution improves performance during a simulated ophthalmic peeling procedure.

Methods: A 25-gauge force-sensing microforceps was linked to two AFF modes. The "alarm" AFF mode sounded when the force reached 9 mN.

Hybrid tracking and mosaicking for information augmentation in retinal surgery.

Current technical limitations in retinal surgery hinder the ability of surgeons to identify and localize surgical targets, increasing operating times and risks of surgical error. In this paper we present a hybrid tracking and mosaicking method for augmented reality in retinal surgery. The system is a combination of direct and feature-based tracking methods.

Novel Mutations in FA2H-Associated Neurodegeneration: An Underrecognized Condition?

Hereditary spastic paraplegias and related genetically heterogeneous disorders may be difficult to distinguish clinically. The FA2H gene has been associated with autosomal recessive neurodegenerative phenotypes encompassing spastic paraplegia with or without dystonia, and demyelinating leukodystrophy. To date, few individuals with mutations in the FA2H gene have been described.

A force-sensing microsurgical instrument that detects forces below human tactile sensation.

Purpose: To test the sensitivity and reproducibility of a 25-gauge force-sensing micropick during microsurgical maneuvers that are below tactile sensation.

Methods: Forces were measured during membrane peeling in a "raw egg" and the chick chorioallantoic membrane models (N = 12) of epiretinal membranes. Forces were also measured during posterior hyaloid detachment and creation of retinal tears during vitrectomy in live rabbits (n = 6).

Vision-based proximity detection in retinal surgery.

In retinal surgery, surgeons face difficulties such as indirect visualization of surgical targets, physiological tremor, and lack of tactile feedback, which increase the risk of retinal damage caused by incorrect surgical gestures. In this context, intraocular proximity sensing has the potential to overcome current technical limitations and increase surgical safety. In this paper, we present a system for detecting unintentional collisions between surgical tools and the retina using the visual feedback provided by the opthalmic stereo microscope.