Intensive support does not improve positive-airway pressure use in spinal cord injury/disease: a randomized clinical trial.

Study Objective: Treatment of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy has unique clinical challenges in individuals living with spinal cord injuries and diseases (spinal cord injury [SCI]/D). Interventions focused on increasing PAP use have not been studied in this population. We aimed to evaluate the benefits of a program to increase PAP use among Veterans with SCI/D and SDB.

An End-User's Personal Perspective on the Need of Consumer Involvement in Research.

There is growing understanding that the consumer's voice in research needs to be stronger. Translational research studies need consumer inclusion in order to be effectively implemented. This narrative article provides the perspective of a Veteran with spinal cord injury (SCI) who is an active member of several study teams and serves as a Consumer Advocate, providing the voice of the person with SCI.

Development of Foot Displacement Detection Algorithm for Power Wheelchair Footplate Pressure and Positioning.

Inadvertent lower extremity displacement (ILED) puts the feet of power wheelchair (PWC) users at great risk of traumatic injury. Because disabled individuals may not be aware of a mis-positioned foot, a real-time system for notification can reduce the risk of injury. To test this concept, we developed a prototype system called FootSafe, capable of real-time detection and classification of foot position.

Bacterial urine profile and optimal urine specimen collection timing in asymptomatic chronically catheterized adults with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Background: Adults with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) require chronic indwelling catheterization which is associated with an increased risk of catheter-associated (CA) adverse events.

Methods: We studied urine samples (culture and urinalysis) from 2 cohorts of chronically catheterized males with SCI/D. Cohort 1 included 28 participants; 3 samples per patient were collected (before, after, and 7 days after catheter change).

Development of Predictive Informatics Tool Using Electronic Health Records to Inform Personalized Evidence-Based Pressure Injury Management for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury.

Background: Pressure injuries (PrI) are serious complications for many with spinal cord injury (SCI), significantly burdening health care systems, in particular the Veterans Health Administration. Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) provide recommendations. However, many risk factors span multiple domains.

Initial assessment and management of respiratory infections in persons with spinal cord injuries and disorders in the COVID-19 era.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, emergency department (ED) personnel will face a higher caseload, including those with special medical needs such as persons living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). Individuals with SCI/D who develop COVID-19 are at higher risk for rapid decompensation and development of acute respiratory failure during respiratory infections due to the combination of chronic respiratory muscle paralysis and autonomic dysregulation causing neurogenic restrictive/obstructive lung disease and chronic immune dysfunction. Often, acute respiratory infections will lead to significant mucus production in individuals with SCI/D, and aggressive secretion management is an important component of successful medical treatment.

A Primary Care Provider's Guide to Prevention and Management of Pressure Injury and Skin Breakdown in People With Spinal Cord Injury.

Skin breakdown, including burns and pressure injuries (PrIs), is a devastating complication of spinal cord injury (SCI). Chronic wounds place the person with SCI at high risk of infections, sepsis, and death. Skin health and breakdown is individual and multifactorial, thus prevention requires individualized education focused on patient preferences and goals.

Wheelchair Mobility-Related Injuries Due to Inadvertent Lower Extremity Displacement on Footplates: Analysis of the FDA MAUDE Database From 2014 to 2018.

Objectives: The aims of the study were to assess reports of wheelchair mobility-related injuries from inadvertent lower extremity displacement (ILED) on footplates, which were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database during 2014-2018, characterize injury types, and evaluate MAUDE data quality.

Methods: A systematic MAUDE database review was performed. Annual reports were searched using keywords: (a) "power wheelchair" and "injury" and (b) "mechanical (also known as manual) wheelchair" and "injury.

Measurement System of a Magnetic Suspension System for a Jet Engine Rotor.

This paper presents laboratory results on the measurement system of a magnetic suspension bearing system for a jet engine rotor of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Magnetic suspension technology enables continuous diagnostics of a rotary machine and eliminates of the negative properties of classical bearings. This rotor-bearing system consists of two radial magnetic bearings and one axial (thrust) magnetic bearing.

Management of the Patient with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

Individuals with spinal cord injuries or disorders (SCI/D), whether of traumatic or nontraumatic cause, require multidisciplinary management by their care team to achieve optimal health outcomes. SCI/D is relatively rare in the general population and primary care providers (PCPs) may not have extensive experience managing people with these disorders. Spinal cord injuries, impair the body's autonomic and biomechanical performance by interrupting the communications to and from major bodily systems.

Canine behaviour problems in Brazil: a review of 180 referral cases.

Background: Behavioural case loads may vary due to cultural differences, and so it is important to know how these differ with geography.

Methods: One hundred and eighty dog cases referred to a veterinary behaviourist in São Paulo (Brazil) during the period of 2008-2014 are described.

Results: Aggression against people was the most common behavioural complaint (22.

Biomarkers for recurrent pressure injury risk in persons with spinal cord injury.

To investigate potential linkages between pressure injury (PrI) recurrence following spinal cord injury (SCI) and muscle-based and circulatory biomarkers, specifically fatty metabolites and inflammatory cytokines. Observational study. Tertiary Care Center.

Power Wheelchair Footplate Pressure and Positioning Sensor.

Power wheelchair users are at risk for severe injuries caused by foot mis-position on the footplate. This can lead to collisions or foot dragging which are severe or lifethreatening injuries for people with spinal cord injuries. The foot cannot be safely immobilized due to tilting pressure relief injuries, therefore, the foot can easily fall into a vulnerable position without the user realizing it.

Prediction of Non-sentinel Lymph Node Metastases After Positive Sentinel Lymph Nodes Using Nomograms.

Background/aim: Only 30-50% of patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases present with further axillary lymph node metastases. Therefore, up to 70% of patients with positive SLN are overtreated by axillary dissection (AD) and may suffer from complications such as sensory disturbances or lymphedema. According to the current S3 guidelines, AD can be avoided in patients with a T1/T2 tumor if breast-conserving surgery with subsequent tangential irradiation is performed and no more than two SLNs are affected.

Impact of interdisciplinary rounds in the spinal cord injury unit on relational coordination for patients with pressure injury: A pilot study.

Context/objective: Multiple medical specialties are often involved in the management of patients with both spinal cord injuries (SCI) and pressure injuries (PIs), sometimes leading to inadequate communication. Our Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital has an interdisciplinary team for PI patients in the SCI unit. This team conducts monthly bedside rounds and journal clubs; there is no similar team for patients with PIs outside the SCI unit.

A Computational, Tissue-Realistic Model of Pressure Ulcer Formation in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.

People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are predisposed to pressure ulcers (PU). PU remain a significant burden in cost of care and quality of life despite improved mechanistic understanding and advanced interventions. An agent-based model (ABM) of ischemia/reperfusion-induced inflammation and PU (the PUABM) was created, calibrated to serial images of post-SCI PU, and used to investigate potential treatments in silico.

Systemic Evaluation of Electrical Stimulation for Ischemic Wound Therapy in a Preclinical Model.

In a systematic preclinical investigation of ischemic wound healing, we investigated the hypothesis that electrical stimulation (ES) promotes the healing of ischemic wounds. The effects of varying clinically relevant ES variables were evaluated using our modified version of the Gould F344 rat ischemic wound model. Stimulation was delivered using the novel lightweight integrated, single-channel, current-controlled modular surface stimulation (MSS) device.

Stereotactic radiotherapy of benign meningioma in the elderly: clinical outcome and toxicity in 121 patients.

Background And Purpose: To investigate the outcome of definitive stereotactic-based radiotherapy in elderly patients (≥70 years of age) with benign intracranial meningiomas.

Materials And Methods: 121 patients were treated with either fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FRTS; n=74), hypofractionated FSRT (hFSRT; n=35) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS; n=12), depending on tumor size and location. Local control (LC), overall survival (OS), cause-specific survival (CSS), symptomatology and acute and late toxicity were assessed.

Stereotactic radiation therapy for benign meningioma: long-term outcome in 318 patients.

Purpose: To investigate the long-term outcome of stereotactic-based radiation therapy in a large cohort of patients with benign intracranial meningiomas.

Methods And Materials: Between 1997 and 2010, 318 patients with histologically confirmed (44.7%; previous surgery) or imaging-defined (55.

Reference gene identification for reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis in an ischemic wound-healing model.

Reference genes are often used in RT-quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis to normalize gene expression levels to a gene that is expressed stably across study groups. They ultimately serve as a control in RT-qPCR analysis, producing more accurate interpretation of results. Whereas many reference genes have been used in various wound-healing studies, the most stable reference gene for ischemic wound-healing analysis has yet to be identified.

Stereotactic radiosurgery of cerebral arteriovenous malformations: long-term follow-up in 164 patients of a single institution.

This retrospective study aimed to investigate long-term outcome in patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVM) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Between 1998 and 2008, 164 patients with AVM received SRS. Median age was 36 years (range 7-69 years).