Augmented Reality-Assisted Navigation System for Transforaminal Epidural Injection.

Purpose: Multiple studies have attempted to demonstrate the benefits of augmented reality (AR)-assisted navigation systems in surgery. Lumbosacral transforaminal epidural injection is an effective treatment commonly used in patients with radiculopathy due to spinal degenerative pathologies. However, few studies have applied AR-assisted navigation systems to this procedure.

Influence of Handgrip Strength and Psoas Muscle Index on Analgesic Efficacy of Epidural Steroid Injection in Patients With Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Disease.

Background: Handgrip strength (HGS) and psoas muscle index (PMI) are widely used protocols for screening or diagnosing sarcopenia by measuring muscle strength and mass. Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is a common intervention for the treatment of spinal pain; however, the influence of pre-procedural sarcopenic status on therapeutic effects after ESI has not been investigated.

Objectives: In the present study, whether pre-procedural HGS or PMI predicts analgesic efficacy of ESI in elderly patients with degenerative lumbar spinal disease was investigated.

Elderly Patients Require Higher Doses of Sugammadex for Rapid Recovery from Deep Neuromuscular Block.

This study compared the doses of sugammadex needed for rapid recovery from deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) between young and elderly adults. Twenty-two young (20-40 yrs) and 22 elderly (≥70 yrs) adults were enrolled, and deep NMB of 1-2 post-tetanic counts was maintained with rocuronium intraoperatively. Predetermined doses of sugammadex were given at the end of surgery starting at 4.

Ultrasonographic assessment of optic nerve sheath diameter during pediatric laparoscopy.

This study investigated the extent of the raised intracranial pressure resulting from carbon dioxide (CO2) pneumoperitoneum by ultrasonographically measuring optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in children undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Twenty-five children aged less than 9 y (53.1 ± 23.

Isolation and characterization of multipotent human keloid-derived mesenchymal-like stem cells.

In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of a population of multipotent keloid-derived mesenchymal-like stem cells (KMLSCs) from keloid scalp tissues. These KMLSCs expressed the typical mesenchymal stem cell marker proteins CD13, CD29, CD44, CD90, fibronectin, and vimentin when they were cultured in serum-containing medium and when subsequent exposure to various differentiation media resulted in their differentiation into adipocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes, smooth muscle cells, and angiogenic endothelial cells. When KMLSCs were cultured in neural stem culture conditions (i.