Sequential adaptive e-learning and hands-on simulator training for unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) of the lumbar spine - results from an EANS Young Neurosurgeons hands-on course.

Introduction: Unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) is a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) technique utilized for lumbar decompression, which has recently gained popularity in Europe. We aimed to explore the value of sequential adaptive e-learning, followed by simulator-based hands-on training modules for UBE at the occasion of the 2024 EANS Young Neurosurgeons meeting.

Materials And Methods: An adaptive e-learning was designed by learning engineers (Area 9 Lyceum), based on theoretical content provided by two endoscopic spine surgeons.

COTIDIANA Dataset - Smartphone-Collected Data on the Mobility, Finger Dexterity, and Mental Health of People With Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases.

Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) are very common and can negatively impact patients' quality of life. The current care of patients with RMDs is episodic, based on a few yearly doctor visits, which may not provide an adequate picture of the patient's condition. Researchers have hypothesized that RMDs could be passively monitored using smartphones or sensors, however, there are no datasets to support this development.

The use of advanced technology for preoperative planning in cranial surgery - A survey by the EANS Young Neurosurgeons Committee.

Introduction: Technological advancements provided several preoperative tools allowing for precise preoperative planning in cranial neurosurgery, aiming to increase the efficacy and safety of surgery. However, little data are available regarding if and how young neurosurgeons are trained in using such technologies, how often they use them in clinical practice, and how valuable they consider these technologies.

Research Question: How frequently these technologies are used during training and clinical practice as well as to how their perceived value can be qualitatively assessed.

Giant sacral aneurysmal bone cyst treated with endovascular embolization.

Background: Spine aneurysmal bone cysts (SABC) are osteolytic tumor-like lesions with cystic, blood-filled cavities that represent 15% of all primary spinal bone tumors. The sacrum is a rare site for SABC, and sacral lesions typically carry higher morbidity rates. Here, a 19-year-old female with a large primary multisegmental sacral SABC was successfully managed with 2-staged endovascular embolization.

Leaf and stem micromorphology of Jacquemontia evolvuloides (Moric.) Meisn. (Convolvulaceae) populations: New insights for taxonomic classification using light and scanning electron microscopy.

Morphoanatomical studies can provide useful and relevant information to support taxonomic groupings. Jacquemontia evolvuloides shows great morphological variability, which has led to numerous taxonomic classifications. To determine if anatomical characters can be used to recognize operational taxonomic units within populations of that species, we analyzed the leaves and stems of 22 populations using light and scanning electron microscopy.

Direct C-H Arylation of Dithiophene-Tetrathiafulvalene: Tuneable Electronic Properties and 2D Self-Assembled Molecular Networks at the Solid/Liquid Interface.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Manuel Souto and co-workers at the University of Aveiro and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials. The image depicts the direct C-H arylation of dithiophene-tetrathiafulvalene (DT-TTF) and the self-assembly of DT-TTF-tetrabenzoic acid studied by using scanning tunnelling microscopy. Read the full text of the article at 10.

Quantitative assessment of cognitive profile and brain asymmetry in the characterization of autism spectrum in children: A task-based EEG study.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by learning, attention, social, communication, and behavioral impairments. Each person with Autism has a different severity and level of brain functioning, ranging from high functioning (HF) to low functioning (LF), depending on their intellectual/developmental abilities. Identifying the level of functionality remains crucial in understanding the cognitive abilities of Autistic children.

Direct C-H Arylation of Dithiophene-Tetrathiafulvalene: Tuneable Electronic Properties and 2D Self-Assembled Molecular Networks at the Solid/Liquid Interface.

Tetrathiafulvalene is among the best known building blocks in molecular electronics due to its outstanding electron-donating and redox properties. Among its derivatives, dithiophene-tetrathiafulvalene (DT-TTF) has attracted considerable interest in organic electronics, owing to its high field-effect mobility. Herein, we report the direct C-H arylation of DT-TTF to synthesise mono- and tetraarylated derivatives functionalised with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups in order to evaluate their influence on the electronic properties by cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis spectroscopy and theoretical calculations.

Multidisciplinary Approach to Spinal Metastases and Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression-A New Integrative Flowchart for Patient Management.

Metastatic spine disease (MSD) and metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) are major causes of permanent neurological damage and long-term disability for cancer patients. The development of MSD is pathophysiologically framed by a cooperative interaction between general mechanisms of bone growth and specific mechanisms of spinal metastases (SM) expansion. SM most commonly affects the thoracic spine, even though multiple segments may be affected concomitantly.

Antitumoral and Antimicrobial Activities of Block Copolymer Micelles Containing Gold Bisdithiolate Complexes.

Gold(III) bisdithiolate complexes have been reported as potential antimicrobial and antitumoral agents. The complex [Au(cdc)] (cdc=cyanodithioimido carbonate) displayed antimicrobial and outstanding antitumor activity against the ovarian cancer cells A2780 and A2780cisR, which are sensitive and resistant to cisplatin, respectively. However, poor water solubility may hamper its clinical use.

Feature-Based Information Retrieval of Multimodal Biosignals with a Self-Similarity Matrix: Focus on Automatic Segmentation.

Biosignal-based technology has been increasingly available in our daily life, being a critical information source. Wearable biosensors have been widely applied in, among others, biometrics, sports, health care, rehabilitation assistance, and edutainment. Continuous data collection from biodevices provides a valuable volume of information, which needs to be curated and prepared before serving machine learning applications.

Transformation of neurosurgical training from "see one, do one, teach one" to AR/VR & simulation - A survey by the EANS Young Neurosurgeons.

Introduction: Modern technologies are increasingly applied in neurosurgical resident training. To date, no data are available regarding how frequently these are used in the training of neurosurgeons, and what the perceived value of this technology is.

Research Question: The aim was to benchmark the objective as well as subjective experience with modern- and conventional training technologies.

Ferric Citrate Dosing in Iron Deficiency Anemia in Nondialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease.

Introduction: Ferric citrate (FC) is indicated as an oral iron replacement for iron deficiency anemia in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not on dialysis. The recommended starting dose is one 1-g tablet three times daily (TID). This study investigated long-term efficacy and safety of different FC dosing regimens for treating anemia in nondialysis-dependent CKD (NDD-CKD).

3D Antenna Characterization for WPT Applications.

The main goal of this paper is to present a three-dimensional (3D) antenna array to improve the performance of wireless power transmission (WPT) systems, as well as its characterization with over-the-air (OTA) multi-sine techniques. The 3D antenna consists of 15 antenna elements attached to an alternative 3D structure, allowing energy to be transmitted to all azimuth directions at different elevation angles without moving. The OTA multi-sine characterization technique was first utilized to identify issues in antenna arrays.

Cervical spine multiple myeloma and isolated radiotherapy.

Multiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy frequently presenting with spinal lytic lesions. The authors report the case of a patient with an extensively destructive osteolytic MM lesion in the cervical spine treated exclusively with radiotherapy. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans showed an arrest of further progression of instability and resolution of the lytic lesion, showing signs of new bone formation.

Postoperative Brown-Séquard syndrome: case report and review of the literature.

Brown-Séquard syndrome (BSS) is a rare neurological condition caused by a hemi-lesion of the spinal cord and was first described in the 1800s. BSS is characterized by an ipsilateral absence of motor control and discriminatory/proprioceptive/vibratory sensation at and below the spinal level involved, associated with loss of contralateral temperature and pain sensation a couple of vertebral segments below the lesion. BSS is commonly associated with trauma, but can also be iatrogenic.

Conducting neutral gold bisdithiolene complex [Au(dspdt)]˙.

[Au(dspdt)2] (dspdt = 2,3-dihydro-5,6-selenophenedithiolate) is an unprecedented example of a neutral gold bisdithiolene complex with a unique structure composed of interacting dimer and trimer chains displaying relatively high electrical conductivity (0.1 S cm-1 at room temperature).

ECG Biometrics Using Deep Learning and Relative Score Threshold Classification.

The field of biometrics is a pattern recognition problem, where the individual traits are coded, registered, and compared with other database records. Due to the difficulties in reproducing Electrocardiograms (ECG), their usage has been emerging in the biometric field for more secure applications. Inspired by the high performance shown by Deep Neural Networks (DNN) and to mitigate the intra-variability challenges displayed by the ECG of each individual, this work proposes two architectures to improve current results in both identification (finding the registered person from a sample) and authentication (prove that the person is whom it claims) processes: Temporal Convolutional Neural Network (TCNN) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN).

[Co/Fe(α-Alkyl-tpdt)]: Alkyl-Substituted Cobalt and Iron Bis-dithiolenethiophenic Complexes.

Tetraphenylphosphonium salts of Co and Fe complexes with alkyl-substituted, -butyl (), and isopropyl () 2,3-thiophenedithiolate (α-tpdt) ligands, namely, TPP[Co(α--tpdt)] (), TPP[Fe(α--tpdt)] (-), TPP[Co(α--tpdt)] (), and TPP[Fe(α--tpdt)] () were prepared and characterized by cyclic voltammetry, single crystal X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Compound and are isostructural with their Au and Ni analogues with a square-planar coordination geometry. Compound presents two polymorphs (-) both showing a Fe(III) bisdithiolene dimerization.