The Power of Advocacy in Global Neurosurgery.

Advocacy, one of the five domains of global neurosurgery, represents a powerful avenue to influence public policy to expand access to safe, timely, and affordable neurosurgical care. In this manuscript, we characterize advocacy in global neurosurgery, describe specific neurosurgeon-led initiatives, and delineate how neurosurgeons can become involved in global neurosurgery advocacy efforts. Advocacy in global neurosurgery involves working together in organized neurosurgery with organizations focused on clinical provisions, training, and policy initiatives.

Preoperative HbA1c and Postoperative Outcomes in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies on HbA1c in preoperative risk stratification in patients undergoing spinal procedures and provide an overview of the consensus recommendations.

Summary Of Background Data: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperglycemia have been shown to be independent risk factors for increased surgical complications.

Bariatric Surgery Before Spine Surgery is Associated With Fewer Postsurgical Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the rate of adverse events after spine surgery in patients who underwent bariatric surgery (BS).

Summary Of Background Data: Obesity is an established risk factor for postoperative complications after spine surgery.

Do Obese Patients Lose Weight After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Obesity is a major health care concern in the United States and is associated with high rates of postoperative complications after spine surgery. Obese patients assert that weight reduction is not possible unless spine surgery first relieves their pain and concomitant immobility. We describe the post-spine surgery effects on patient weight, with an emphasis on obesity.

Laminectomy With Fusion is Associated With Greater Functional Improvement Compared With Laminectomy Alone for the Treatment of Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare outcomes and complications profile of laminectomy alone versus laminectomy and fusion for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS).

Summary Of Background Data: Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis is a common cause of back pain and functional impairment.

Intracranial Capillary Hemangiomas: A Peripartum Presentation and Review of the Literature.

Background: Intracranial capillary hemangiomas (ICHs) are rare vascular tumors composed of a bed of many narrow thin-walled vessels. Within the confines of the skull, these tumors can lead to serious neurologic deficits including cranial nerve dysfunction, mood/personality disturbances, and signs of intracranial mass effect.

Methods: We report the case of a 23-year-old, 5-week postpartum woman with a history of progressive painful ophthalmalgia of the right eye presenting with rapid onset of ptosis, diplopia, and right-sided facial pain and hypesthesia.

Use of a mobile application for Ebola contact tracing and monitoring in northern Sierra Leone: a proof-of-concept study.

Background: The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa was the largest Ebola epidemic to date. Contact tracing was a core surveillance activity. Challenges with paper-based contact tracing systems include incomplete identification of contacts, delays in communication and response, loss of contact lists, inadequate data collection and transcription errors.

Extended Combined Neonatal Treatment With Erythropoietin Plus Melatonin Prevents Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus of Prematurity in Rats.

Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity (PHHP) remains a global challenge. Early preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation), particularly those exposed to chorioamnionitis (CAM), are prone to intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and PHHP. We established an age-appropriate, preclinical model of PHHP with progressive macrocephaly and ventriculomegaly to test whether non-surgical neonatal treatment could modulate PHHP.

Repetitive Neonatal Erythropoietin and Melatonin Combinatorial Treatment Provides Sustained Repair of Functional Deficits in a Rat Model of Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the leading cause of motor impairment for children worldwide and results from perinatal brain injury (PBI). To test novel therapeutics to mitigate deficits from PBI, we developed a rat model of extreme preterm birth (<28 weeks of gestation) that mimics dual intrauterine injury from placental underperfusion and chorioamnionitis. We hypothesized that a sustained postnatal treatment regimen that combines the endogenous neuroreparative agents erythropoietin (EPO) and melatonin (MLT) would mitigate molecular, sensorimotor, and cognitive abnormalities in adults rats following prenatal injury.