Percutaneous spinal decompression.

Symptoms arise when narrowing of the spinal canal, lateral recesses, or intervertebral foramina impinge upon the neural structures that traverse the spinal column. Pathology involving the structures that make up the spine can narrow the relevant spaces. Here a description of percutaneous procedures that address narrowing from disc disease, ligamentum Flavum hypertrophy, and devices that open and stabilize the spine at individual levels are presented.

Noncontrast MRI Surveillance of Craniopharyngiomas Using a Balanced Steady-state Free Precession (bSSFP) Sequence.

Background And Purpose: Contrast-enhanced MRI (CEMRI) is a commonly used imaging technique for craniopharyngioma surveillance; however, it carries risks such as allergic reaction and gadolinium deposition. This study evaluates the efficacy of non contrast-enhanced MRI (NCMRI) with a balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequence compared with CEMRI T1-weighted imaging for craniopharyngioma surveillance.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-nine patients with craniopharyngioma (16 females/13 males, mean age =21.

Not All Frailty Assessments Are Created Equal: Comparability of Electronic Health Data-Based Frailty Assessments in Assessing Older People in Residential Care.

To evaluate the comparability of frailty assessment tools - the electronic frailty index (eFI), retrospective electronic frailty index (reFI), and clinical frailty scale (CFS) - in older residents of care facilities. Data from 813 individuals aged 65 or older, with frailty and co-morbidities, collected between 2022 and 2023, were analysed using various statistical methods. The results showed significant differences in frailty classification among the tools: 78.

Traumatic atlantoaxial rotatory fixation in adults: a systematic review of published cases.

Atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) in adults is a rare and clinically challenging condition characterized by a spectrum of etiological factors, predominantly attributed to traumatic and inflammatory pathologies within the craniovertebral region. Trauma is the most frequently identified cause within the adult population, with the first case report published in 1907. This study aims to conduct a systematic review that addresses the clinical presentations and management strategies relating to traumatic atlantoaxial rotatory fixation in adults.

Less contrast, more clarity, innovative visualization technique for management of multiple colorectal liver metastases using microwave ablation through a portal venous access.

Colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, often results in liver metastases, with about half of patients affected. For those ineligibles for surgery, percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) offers a viable alternative. Conventionally, visualizing liver lesions prior to MWA demands significant IV contrast, often needing repeated sessions.

Ensemble machine learning model trained on a new synthesized dataset generalizes well for stress prediction using wearable devices.

Introduction: Advances in wearable sensor technology have enabled the collection of biomarkers that may correlate with levels of elevated stress. While significant research has been done in this domain, specifically in using machine learning to detect elevated levels of stress, the challenge of producing a machine learning model capable of generalizing well for use on new, unseen data remain. Acute stress response has both subjective, psychological and objectively measurable, biological components that can be expressed differently from person to person, further complicating the development of a generic stress measurement model.

Endovascular management of a pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to mucormycosis: A case report.

The development of pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP) secondary to pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) is exceedingly rare. Without immediate intervention, PAPs can result in life-threatening hemorrhage as these weakening vessels are prone to rupture. To avoid such an occurrence, procedures that restrict blood flow to the vulnerable region are typically performed.

Forecasting emergency department waiting time using a state space representation.

The provision of waiting time information in emergency departments (ED) has become an increasingly popular practice due to its positive impact on patient experience and ED demand management. However, little scientific attention has been given to the quality and quantity of waiting time information presented to patients. To improve both aspects, we propose a set of state space models with flexible error structures to forecast ED waiting time for low acuity patients.

High risk lung nodule: A multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management.

Pulmonary nodules are often discovered incidentally during CT scans performed for other reasons. While the vast majority of nodules are benign, a small percentage may represent early-stage lung cancer with the potential for curative treatments. With the growing use of CT for both clinical purposes and lung cancer screening, the number of pulmonary nodules detected is expected to increase substantially.

Role of Machine Learning-Based CT Body Composition in Risk Prediction and Prognostication: Current State and Future Directions.

CT body composition analysis has been shown to play an important role in predicting health and has the potential to improve patient outcomes if implemented clinically. Recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have led to high speed and accuracy for extracting body composition metrics from CT scans. These may inform preoperative interventions and guide treatment planning.

Generalizable machine learning for stress monitoring from wearable devices: A systematic literature review.

Introduction: Wearable sensors have shown promise as a non-intrusive method for collecting biomarkers that may correlate with levels of elevated stress. Stressors cause a variety of biological responses, and these physiological reactions can be measured using biomarkers including Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Electrodermal Activity (EDA) and Heart Rate (HR) that represent the stress response from the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), and the immune system. While Cortisol response magnitude remains the gold standard indicator for stress assessment [1], recent advances in wearable technologies have resulted in the availability of a number of consumer devices capable of recording HRV, EDA and HR sensor biomarkers, amongst other signals.

T2-fluid attenuated inversion recovery mismatch in tumefactive multiple sclerosis.

The T2-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) mismatch sign has been suggested as an imaging marker of isocitrate dehydrogenase-mutant 1p/19q non-codeleted gliomas with 100% specificity. Tumefactive demyelination is a common mimic of neoplasm that has led to unnecessary biopsies and even resections. We report a case of tumefactive multiple sclerosis in a 46-year-old male without prior symptomatic demyelinating episodes that demonstrates the T2-FLAIR mismatch sign.

Rats and the city: Implications of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk in Southeast Asia.

Urbanization is rapidly transforming much of Southeast Asia, altering the structure and function of the landscape, as well as the frequency and intensity of the interactions between people, animals, and the environment. In this study, we explored the impact of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk by simultaneously characterizing changes in the ecology of animal reservoirs (rodents), ectoparasite vectors (ticks), and pathogens across a gradient of urbanization in Kuching, a city in Malaysian Borneo. We sampled 863 rodents across rural, developing, and urban locations and found that rodent species diversity decreased with increasing urbanization-from 10 species in the rural location to 4 in the rural location.

Covalent Grafting of Polyoxometalate Hybrids onto Flat Silicon/Silicon Oxide: Insights from POMs Layers on Oxides.

Immobilization of polyoxometalates (POMs) onto oxides is relevant to many applications in the fields of catalysis, energy conversion/storage, or molecular electronics. Optimization and understanding the molecule/oxide interface is crucial to rationally improve the performance of the final molecular materials. We herein describe the synthesis and covalent grafting of POM hybrids with remote carboxylic acid functions onto flat Si/SiO substrates.