Predictors of opioid use for rib fractures in a regional Australian hospital.

Background: Rib fractures (RFs) are the leading type of single serious injury in New South Wales trauma patients. Uncontrolled pain drives the sequelae of atelectasis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death in severe cases. Opioids are the mainstay of management; however, they carry numerous adverse effects.

Enhanced external counter pulsation therapy in patients with symptomatic and severe intracranial steno-occlusive disease: a randomized clinical trial protocol.

Unlabelled: Intracranial stenosis is prevalent among Asians and constitutes a common cause of cerebral ischemia. While the best medical therapy carries stroke recurrence rates in excess of 10% per year, trials with intracranial stenting have been associated with unacceptable peri-procedural ischemic events. Cerebral ischemic events are strongly related to the severity of intracranial stenosis, which is high in patients with severe intracranial stenosis with poor vasodilatory reserve.

Single-frequency violet and blue laser emission from AlGaInN photonic integrated circuit chips.

Chip-based, single-frequency and low phase-noise integrated photonic laser diodes emitting in the violet (412 nm) and blue (461 nm) regime are demonstrated. The GaN-based edge-emitting laser diodes were coupled to high-quality on-chip micro-resonators for optical feedback and mode selection resulting in laser self-injection locking with narrow emission linewidth. Multiple group III-nitride (III-N) based photonic integrated circuit chips with different waveguide designs including single-crystalline AlN, AlGaN, and GaN were developed and characterized.

Etiologies, mechanisms, and risk factors of ischemic stroke in a young Asian adult cohort.

Objectives: Risk factors and causes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are more diverse in young adults, and traditional stroke classifications may be inadequate. Precise characterisation of AIS is important for guiding management and prognostication. We describe stroke subtypes, risk factors and etiologies for AIS in a young Asian adult population.

Potential Embolic Sources in Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source Patients with Patent Foramen Ovale.

Introduction: A patent foramen ovale (PFO) may coexist with other potential embolic sources (PESs) in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS), leading to difficulty in attributing the stroke to either the PFO or other PESs. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of concomitant PESs in ESUS patients with PFOs.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary stroke centre.

Effect of perioperative seizures on mortality and recurrence in patients with brain metastases.

Objective: To identify the independent risk factors for 30-day perioperative seizures, as well as to evaluate the effect of perioperative seizures on overall mortality and tumor recurrence among patients who underwent surgical resection of brain metastases.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection of brain metastases at our institution between 2011 and 2019 were included. 30-day perioperative seizures were defined as the presence of any preoperative or postoperative seizures diagnosed by a neurosurgeon or neurologist within 30 days of metastases resection.

Vagus nerve stimulation for treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To analyze the efficacy and safety of high-frequency VNS versus control (low-frequency VNS or no VNS) in patients with DRE using data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). An electronic literature search was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL); 12 RCTs reporting seizure frequency or treatment response in studies containing a high-frequency VNS treatment arm (conventional VNS or transcutaneous VNS [tVNS]) compared to control (low-frequency VNS or no VNS) were included. Seizure frequency, treatment response (number of patients with ≥ 50% reduction in seizure frequency), quality of life (QOL), and adverse effects were analyzed.

Acute Ischemic Stroke During the Convalescent Phase of Asymptomatic COVID-2019 Infection in Men.

Importance: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a known neurological complication in patients with respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 infection. However, AIS has not been described as a late sequelae in patients without respiratory symptoms of COVID-19.

Objective: To assess AIS experienced by adults 50 years or younger in the convalescent phase of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hyperacute stroke treatment: experience from a comprehensive stroke centre in Singapore.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving and affecting healthcare systems across the world. Singapore has escalated its alert level to Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) Orange, signifying severe disease with community spread. We aimed to study the overall volume of AIS cases and the delivery of hyperacute stroke services during DORSCON Orange.

Individual and Area Level Socioeconomic Status and Its Association with Cognitive Function and Cognitive Impairment (Low MMSE) among Community-Dwelling Elderly in Singapore.

Background/aims: Neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) can affect cognitive function. We assessed cognitive function and cognitive impairment among community-dwelling elderly in a multi-ethnic urban low-SES Asian neighborhood and compared them with a higher-SES neighborhood.

Methods: The study population involved all residents aged ≥60 years in two housing estates comprising owner-occupied housing (higher SES) and rental flats (low SES) in Singapore in 2012.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in childhood: histology, glomerular morphometry, electron microscopy and immunofluorescence findings in biopsies performed early in the course of the disease.

The histological evolution of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is poorly documented due to variation in the time at which the biopsy is taken. We looked at patients presenting with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) in which the first biopsy was performed within 3 months of presentation. FSGS lesion was demonstrable in 68.