Interbody fusion of the lumbar spine is a standard procedure for symptomatic degenerative lumbar spine disease if conservative treatment fails. Surgical decompression and fusion of the segment can be achieved using several different techniques. Over the last decades, minimally invasive techniques, such as lateral interbody fusion (LLIF), have been developed to reduce tissue damage and complications and allow quicker patient recovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper, we present a method based on a modal decomposition to quantify the efficiency of photonic lanterns (PLs) based free space optical (FSO) communication receivers. We fabricate a seven-port PL, and we evaluate numerically the free space to fiber coupling efficiency based on a reconstruction of the fields at the PL FSO multimode port. We validate the numerical approach with an experimental characterization of the PL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A corpectomy of the lumbar spine is a widely performed surgical procedure with numerous indications. Previous research predominantly focused on various surgical techniques and their outcomes, lacking a general and comprehensive analysis of factors affecting this procedure. With this study, we aimed to assess the all-cause 90-day readmission rate and identify risk factors for adverse events following a lumbar corpectomy.
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Objectives: Acute traumatic central cord syndrome (atCCS) is the most common incomplete spinal cord injury in the US, characterized by motor weakness of the upper extremities with relative sparing of the lower extremities and varying degrees of bladder dysfunction and sensory changes caudal to the lesion. Hypoalbuminemia (HA) has previously been associated with poorer outcomes following acute spinal cord injury.
Background: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) patients face unique challenges when navigating the healthcare system. In laboratory medicine, LGBTQIA + patients may experience bias and stigma when interacting with phlebotomists and laboratory professionals leading to substandard care and safety concerns. Education and job-specific training can help improve cultural competency on the part of lab staff.
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