Recombinant Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor Facilitates Motor Recovery and Reduces Myelomalacia in Traumatic American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale A Spinal Cord Injured Patients.

This study aims to evaluate the potential benefits of treating spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF), a potent neurotrophic factor that preserves neuronal survival. The study involved 12 tetraplegic patients with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) Grade A SCI who were randomly assigned to receive either a recombinant human aFGF or a placebo every 4 weeks for three doses. Participants underwent comprehensive evaluations of medical, neurological, and functional parameters at baseline and every 4 weeks after the first dose until the 48th week.

Designed for Satisfaction: The Impact of Single-Family Room Neonatal Intensive Care Units on Family Presence and Satisfaction.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the extent to which single-family room (SFR) designs enhance family presence and satisfaction and to examine the impact of built environment factors such as proximity, access, privacy, technology, lighting, and acoustics on these outcomes.

Background: The SFR neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) presents a highly intricate setting with distinctive design attributes. This study investigated a NICU environment moving from an open-bay model to a single-family unit.

The Quantitative Evaluation of Automatic Segmentation in Lumbar Magnetic Resonance Images.

Objective: This study aims to overcome challenges in lumbar spine imaging, particularly lumbar spinal stenosis, by developing an automated segmentation model using advanced techniques. Traditional manual measurement and lesion detection methods are limited by subjectivity and inefficiency. The objective is to create an accurate and automated segmentation model that identifies anatomical structures in lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging scans.

Impact of a mindfulness and self-care intervention on stress, self-compassion, and attentiveness in university healthcare students and faculty.

Objective: To evaluate impact of a 12-week, online, guided, self-paced intervention of mindfulness and self-care practices on self-compassion, attentiveness, and perceived stress.

Participants: University healthcare faculty and students.

Methods: Participants received 7 different mindful and self-care activity options every week for 12 wk.

Four-Level Cervical Disc Arthroplasty.

Background: Multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion inevitably yields a higher chance of pseudarthrosis or require more reoperations than single-level procedures. Therefore, multilevel cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) could be an alternative surgery for cervical spondylosis, as it (particularly 3- and 4-level CDA) could preserve more functional motility than single-level disc diseases. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and radiological outcomes of 4-level CDA, a relatively infrequently indicated surgery.

Evaluating the toxic mechanism of 1,2-diacetylbenzene in neural cells/tissues: The favorable impact of silibinin.

1,2-diacetylbenzene (1,2-DAB) is a neurotoxic component of aromatic solvents commonly used in industrial applications that induces neuropathological changes in animals. This study unraveled the toxic impact of 1,2-DAB in nerve tissues, explant cultures, and neuron-glial cultures, and explored whether herbal products can mitigate its toxicity. The effects of DAB on axonal transport were studied in retinal explant cultures grown in a micro-patterned dish.

Cervical disc arthroplasty for magnetic resonance-evident cervical spondylotic myelopathy: comparison with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Objective: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a standard surgical approach for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) caused by disc herniations. Although cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) has become, in the past decade, a viable alternative to ACDF in selected patients, the differences among patients with CSM treated with CDA and ACDF remain elusive. The effectiveness of motion preservation devices in CSM is also unclear.

Comparative Study of the Cytokine Profiles of Serum and Tissues from Patients with the Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.

Background: The ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is one of the contributing factors leading to severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The mechanism causing ossification is still unclear. The current study was designed to analyze the specimens of patients with or without OPLL.

Examining Efficiency in Open-Bay and Single-Family Room NICU Designs.

Background: There is growing awareness of the relationship between physical work environments and efficiency. Two conflicting factors shape efficiency in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment: the move to single-family rooms (SFRs) and increased demand for care, requiring growth in unit size.

Purpose: The goal of this research was to understand the impact of SFR NICUs on efficiency factors such as unit design, visibility and proximity, staff time, and workspace usage by various health professionals.

Multifaceted Benefits of GDF11 Treatment in Spinal Cord Injury: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) initiates a series of cellular and molecular events that include both primary and secondary injury cascades. This secondary cascade provides opportunities for the delivery of therapeutic intervention. Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, regulates various biological processes in mammals.

The Healthcare Workspace: Understanding the Role of Decentralized Nursing Stations, Corridors, and Huddle Spaces as Locations for Teamwork in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: The goal of this research was to understand the use of decentralized nursing stations (DNS), corridors, and huddle stations as places for teamwork and multidisciplinary care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Background: This article shares outcomes from a pre- and post-occupancy evaluation that assessed a NICU moving from an open-bay model to a new single-family room (SFR) unit comprised of six, 12-bed neighborhoods. This interdisciplinary research team draws upon the practical expertise of a NICU Patient Care Manager and researchers in Design and Communication to illuminate the research process, results, and lessons learned.

Anterior Bone Loss in Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Correlates with Increased Cervical Lordosis.

Objective: Although cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) has reportedly been associated with similarly low incidences of complications to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, the phenomenon of anterior bone loss (ABL) is unique to CDA and has only recently gained notice. This study thus aimed to investigate the incidence of ABL and its correlation with cervical alignment post-operation.

Methods: Consecutive patients who received CDA for herniated disc or spondylosis were retrospectively reviewed.

Feasibility of High Repetition Upper Extremity Rehabilitation for Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

Aims: In pediatric upper extremity rehabilitation, feasible repetition rates are unknown. Our objectives were to examine repetition rates during rehabilitation and their impact on outcomes.

Methods: Children with unilateral cerebral palsy due to perinatal stroke ( = 55, median 10 y 7 mo, 30 males) received Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) followed by Bimanual Therapy, each for 5 days.

Structural characterization of a monomethylauristatin-E based ADC that contains 8 drugs conjugated at interchain cysteine residues.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with a drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) of 8 are attractive as therapeutic anti-cancer agents due to the higher levels of cytotoxic payload delivered to tumors. Biophysical characterization of a DAR 8 ADC fully conjugated at all interchain cysteine residues was carried out to determine if IgG1 interchain disulfide reduction and conjugation led to structural perturbations that impacted product stability. Comparisons between the DAR 8 ADC and the unconjugated parent antibody identified minor tertiary and quaternary structural changes localized to the C, C1, and C2 domains and C2-C3 domain interface.

The Application of an Omentum Graft or Flap in Spinal Cord Injury.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes a primary injury at the lesion site and triggers a secondary injury and prolonged inflammation. There has been no definitive treatment till now. Promoting angiogenesis is one of the most important strategies for functional recovery after SCI.

Patient Room Design: A Qualitative Evaluation of Attributes Impacting Health Care Professionals.

The focus of this research was to identify what attributes of patient room designs are most beneficial to health care professionals and to explore whether particular professionals hold certain beliefs about patient room attributes. Acute care, progressive care, and intensive care patient room designs were analyzed through the use of pre- and postoccupancy evaluations of a cardiovascular service line. Fourteen focus groups and 1 interview among 74 health care professionals were conducted.

Cranio-Vertebral Junction Triangular Area: Quantification of Brain Stem Compression by Magnetic Resonance Images.

(1) Background: Most of the currently used radiological criteria for craniovertebral junction (CVJ) were developed prior to the popularity of magnetic resonance images (MRIs). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel triangular area (TA) calculated on MRIs for pathologies at the CVJ. (2) Methods: A total of 702 consecutive patients were enrolled, grouped into three: (a) Those with pathologies at the CVJ ( = 129); (b) those with underlying rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but no CVJ abnormalities ( = 279); and (3) normal (control; = 294).