Does Spinal Cord Stimulation Really Influence Sleep?

Background: To date, clinical pain research has typically used subjective questionnaires to assess effectiveness of treatment. However, in the near future, new technologies may provide us objective outcome measures as an alternative to self-report. The goal of this study is to compare subjective and objective sleep assessments in a population of failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) patients, treated with spinal cord stimulation (SCS).

Realistic Procedural Plant Modeling from Multiple View Images.

In this paper, we describe a novel procedural modeling technique for generating realistic plant models from multi-view photographs. The realism is enhanced via visual and spatial information acquired from images. In contrast to previous approaches that heavily rely on user interaction to segment plants or recover branches in images, our method automatically estimates an accurate depth map of each image and extracts a 3D dense point cloud by exploiting an efficient stereophotogrammetry approach.

Knowledge on types of treatment pressure. A cross-sectional study among mental health professionals.

Treatment pressure restricts patients' voluntary and autonomous decisions. Yet interventions involving treatment pressure are widely used in mental health and psychosocial services. This cross-sectional study explored whether mental health professionals' knowledge on five types of treatment pressure (no coercion, persuasion or conviction, leverage, threat, and formal coercion) was associated with sociodemographic, professional and contextual factors.

Noninvasive Monitoring of Dynamic Cerebrovascular Autoregulation and 'Optimal Blood Pressure' in Normal Adult Subjects.

Background: Cerebrovascular autoregulation can be continuously monitored from slow fluctuations of arterial blood pressure (ABP) and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the index of dynamic cerebrovascular autoregulation (TOx) and the associated 'optimal' ABP in normal adult healthy subjects.

Methods: Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were studied.

Identification of Pharmaceuticals in The Aquatic Environment Using HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS and Elimination of Erythromycin Through Photo-Induced Degradation.

Monitoring pharmaceuticals throughout the water cycle is becoming increasingly important for the aquatic environment and eventually for human health. Targeted and non-targeted analysis are today's means of choice. Although targeted analysis usually conducted with the help of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer may be more sensitive, only compounds previously selected can be identified.

Return to Work of Patients Treated With Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Chronic pain has a substantial negative impact on work-related outcomes, which underscores the importance of interventions to reduce the burden. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) efficiently causes pain relief in specific chronic pain syndromes. The aim of this review was to identify and summarize evidence on returning to work in patients with chronic pain treated with SCS.

Spectral correction for handheld optoacoustic imaging by means of near-infrared optical tomography in reflection mode.

In vivo imaging of tissue/vasculature oxygen saturation levels is of prime interest in many clinical applications. To this end, the feasibility of combining two distinct and complementary imaging modalities is investigated: optoacoustics (OA) and near-infrared optical tomography (NIROT), both operating noninvasively in reflection mode. Experiments were conducted on two optically heterogeneous phantoms mimicking tissue before and after the occurrence of a perturbation.

Is cerebrovascular autoregulation associated with outcomes after major noncardiac surgery? A prospective observational pilot study.

Background: Studies have identified multiple risk factors for development of cognitive decline after surgery. Impaired cerebrovascular autoregulation may be a contributor to postoperative cognitive decline.

Methods: One hundred and forty patients admitted for major elective noncardiac surgery were recruited.

Genetic deficiency of NOD2 confers resistance to invasive aspergillosis.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a severe infection that can occur in severely immunocompromised patients. Efficient immune recognition of Aspergillus is crucial to protect against infection, and previous studies suggested a role for NOD2 in this process. However, thorough investigation of the impact of NOD2 on susceptibility to aspergillosis is lacking.

Cross-Cultural Notions of Risk and Liberty: A Comparison of Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalization and Outpatient Treatment in New York, United States and Zurich, Switzerland.

Involuntary hospitalization is a frequently discussed intervention physicians must sometimes execute. Because this intervention has serious implications for the citizens' civil liberties it is regulated by law. Every country's health system approaches this issue differently with regard to the relevant laws and the logistical processes by which involuntary hospitalization generally is enacted.

Cerebral Biochemical Effect of Pregabalin in Patients with Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: With the development of new neuroimaging tools it has become possible to assess neurochemical alterations in patients experiencing chronic pain and to determine how these factors change during pharmacological treatment. The goal of this study was to examine the exact neurochemical mechanism underlying pregabalin treatment, utilizing magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS), in a population of patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy (PDN), with the overall aim to ultimately objectify the clinical effect of pregabalin.

Methods: A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted.

A survey of medication preparation and administration practices among members of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.

Purpose: Recommendations for safe medication injection practices to eliminate the risk of patient-to-patient transmission of blood-borne infections have been in place for many years. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the medication administration practices of Canadian anesthesiologists relative to current safe practice guidelines.

Methods: An anonymous 17-question online survey was sent to all members of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society (CAS) via the membership email list.

Development and Evaluation of an Epidural Analgesia Workshop for Senior Nursing Students.

Background: Most prelicensure nursing students receive little to no training in providing care for patients who receive epidural analgesia, despite exposure in clinical settings and the potential for devastating adverse effects. To develop and pilot an epidural workshop for senior nursing students using standardized patients (SPs), and to evaluate feasibility and learner outcomes.

Method: A 4-hour epidural workshop consisted of a large group lecture and demonstration, small-group practice scenarios, and individual learner evaluation with SPs.

Return to work following surgery for lumbar radiculopathy: a systematic review.

Background Context: Informing patients about postoperative return to work (RTW) expectations is of utmost importance because of the influence of realistic expectations on RTW outcomes.

Purpose: We aimed to give an overview of the duration of sick leave and RTW rates after surgery for lumbar radiculopathy and to list predictors of and factors related to RTW.

Study Design: A systematic review was carried out.

Integration of multi-omics data and deep phenotyping enables prediction of cytokine responses.

The immune response to pathogens varies substantially among people. Whereas both genetic and nongenetic factors contribute to interperson variation, their relative contributions and potential predictive power have remained largely unknown. By systematically correlating host factors in 534 healthy volunteers, including baseline immunological parameters and molecular profiles (genome, metabolome and gut microbiome), with cytokine production after stimulation with 20 pathogens, we identified distinct patterns of co-regulation.

Rapid scanning wide-field clutter elimination in epi-optoacoustic imaging using comb LOVIT.

Epi-style optoacoustic (OA) imaging provides flexibility by integrating the irradiation optics and ultrasound receiver, yet clutter generated by optical absorption near the probe obscures deep OA sources. Localised vibration tagging (LOVIT) retrieves OA signal from images that are acquired with and without a preceding ultrasonic pushing beam: Radiation force leads to a phase shift of signals coming from the focal area resulting in their visibility in a difference image, whereas clutter from outside the pushing beam is eliminated. Disadvantages of a single-focus approach are residual clutter from inside the pushing beam above the focus, and time-intensive scanning of the focus to retrieve a large field-of-view.

A novel mutation in the TG gene (G2322S) causing congenital hypothyroidism in a Sudanese family: a case report.

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has an incidence of approximately 1:3000, but only 15% have mutations in the thyroid hormone synthesis pathways. Genetic analysis allows for the precise diagnosis.

Case Presentation: A 3-week old girl presented with a large goiter, serum TSH > 100 mIU/L (reference range: 0.

A role for TLR10 in obesity and adipose tissue morphology.

Toll like receptors (TLRs) are expressed in adipose tissue and promote adipose tissue inflammation during obesity. Recently, anti-inflammatory properties have been attributed to TLR10 in myeloid cells, the only member of the TLR family with inhibitory activity. In order to assess whether TLR10-induced inhibition of inflammation may be protective during the development of obesity and metabolic abnormalities we used transgenic human TLR10 mice (hTLR10tg) and wild type (WT) controls on a C57B6J background.

[Primary fracture protheses and reverse shoulder arthroplasty in complex humeral head fractures : An alternative to joint-preserving osteosynthesis?].

Background: The surgical management of complex humeral head fractures has adapted dynamically over the course of the last decade. The primary use of reverse shoulder arthroplasty in elderly patients has gained in relevance due to promising short and middle-term results. Long-term results, however, are still pending.

Disability in adults with arthrogryposis is severe, partly invisible, and varies by genotype.

Objective: To understand the disability of adults with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), a rare disease spectrum characterized by at least 2 joint contractures at birth in different body areas.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of data for unselected persons with AMC referred to the French center for adults with AMC from 2010 to 2016. All underwent a pluriprofessional systematic and comprehensive investigation of deficits, activity limitation, and participation restriction according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and genetic analysis when indicated.

Stochastic modelling of tree architecture and biomass allocation: application to teak (Tectona grandis L. f.), a tree species with polycyclic growth and leaf neoformation.

Background And Aims: For a given genotype, the observed variability of tree forms results from the stochasticity of meristem functioning and from changing and heterogeneous environmental factors affecting biomass formation and allocation. In response to climate change, trees adapt their architecture by adjusting growth processes such as pre- and neoformation, as well as polycyclic growth. This is the case for the teak tree.

Development of an analytical method to assess the occupational health risk of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies using LC-HRMS.

Monoclonal antibodies are a group of commonly used therapeutics, whose occupational health risk is still discussed controversially. The long-term low-dose exposure side effects are insufficiently evaluated; hence, discussions are often based on a theoretical level or extrapolating side effects from therapeutic dosages. While some research groups recommend applying the precautionary principle for monoclonal antibodies, others consider the exposure risk too low for measures taken towards occupational health and safety.

Recognition of DHN-melanin by a C-type lectin receptor is required for immunity to Aspergillus.

Resistance to infection is critically dependent on the ability of pattern recognition receptors to recognize microbial invasion and induce protective immune responses. One such family of receptors are the C-type lectins, which are central to antifungal immunity. These receptors activate key effector mechanisms upon recognition of conserved fungal cell-wall carbohydrates.

Did You Listen to the Beat? Auditory Steady-State Responses in the Human Electroencephalogram at 4 and 7 Hz Modulation Rates Reflect Selective Attention.

The acoustic envelope of human speech correlates with the syllabic rate (4-8 Hz) and carries important information for intelligibility, which is typically compromised in multi-talker, noisy environments. In order to better understand the dynamics of selective auditory attention to low frequency modulated sound sources, we conducted a two-stream auditory steady-state response (ASSR) selective attention electroencephalogram (EEG) study. The two streams consisted of 4 and 7 Hz amplitude and frequency modulated sounds presented from the left and right side.