Publications by authors named "Monk S"

Problem: Poor nutrition during the antenatal period can contribute to adverse health outcomes for both mother and baby.

Background: Despite the importance of nutrition during pregnancy, there is limited research exploring the attitudes and experiences pregnant women possess towards nutrition care, particularly within the Australian context. Existing literature has indicated that pregnant women lack knowledge of and are not adhering to pregnancy related nutrition recommendations.

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Background: Cervical disc arthroplasty is a well-established alternative to anterior cervical fusion but requires precise placement for optimal outcomes. We present the case of a 2-level cervical disc arthroplasty with suboptimal implantation of the interbody devices, requiring revision corpectomy. Supplemental video, Supplemental Digital Content 1 ( http://links.

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Regulatory T cells (T) control adaptive immunity and restrain type 2 inflammation in allergic disease. Interleukin-33 promotes the expansion of tissue-resident T and group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s); however, how T locally coordinate their function within the inflammatory niche is not understood. Here, we show that ILC2s are critical orchestrators of T function.

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Objective: The impact of mental health comorbidities on outcomes after lumbar spine surgery in workers' compensation (WC) patients has not been robustly explored. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of mental health comorbidities on pain, disability, quality of life, and return to work after lumbar spine surgery in WC patients.

Methods: A nationwide, prospective surgical outcomes registry (National Neurosurgery Quality Outcomes Database [N2QOD]) was queried for all patients who underwent 1- to 4-level lumbar decompression and/or fusion from 2012 to 2021.

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Within various unstructured industrial environments, there is often the requirement to conduct remote engineering tasks, such as sampling the structure for analysis prior to decommissioning. Most existing tools are simply not dexterous enough to fulfil this task, and thus new technology is required. We describe here a simple, lightweight, and water-resistant collaborative dual-arm continuum robot system which can aid in this task.

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Background: Adequate pain control and anxiety relief during peripheral intravenous cannula (PIV) placement improves patient, parental, and staff satisfaction and reduces health care-induced stress in children. We noted a low rate of analgesic/anxiolysis use (<20%) and child life utilization (3%) in our institution. This quality improvement project was initiated to increase pain mitigation strategies in hospitalized children requiring PIV access.

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Objective: Cervical microendoscopic laminoforaminotomy (MELF) has been proven to be an effective, motion preserving procedure for the surgical treatment of cervical radiculopathy. Cervical 4 (C4) radiculopathies are often unrecognized by the initial evaluating physician and may be misdiagnosed as axial neck pain. In this study, we compare MELF to anterior cervical disk fusion (ACDF) for C4 radiculopathy in the largest series of minimally invasive foraminotomy for C4 radiculopathy to date.

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Objective: Patients with workers' compensation (WC) claims are reported to demonstrate poorer surgical outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. However, outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in WC patients remain debatable. The authors aimed to compare outcomes between a propensity score-matched population of WC and non-WC patients who underwent ACDF.

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A compact back-end interface for silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) implementing Zener diode-based temperature compensation has been developed for the remote detection of beta and gamma radiation. Remote detection is facilitated by the development of an efficient data management system utilising MySQL database storage for recording periodic spectra data for wireless access over a private Wi-Fi network. A trapezoidal peak shaping algorithm has been implemented on an FPGA for the continuous conversation of pulses from the SiPM, signifying the detection of a radiological particle, into spectra.

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 Skull base approaches are utilized to improve microsurgical treatment of cerebral aneurysms. Advantages include early proximal and distal control, increased visualization, and minimal brain retraction. Orbitozygomatic (OZ) craniotomies via pterional incision are commonly used for the treatment of anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysms.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are becoming a popular choice for surgical care to help reduce healthcare costs, but there's limited research on the safety of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF) in this setting.
  • A study compared 775 patients undergoing MIS TLIF in either an ASC or an inpatient hospital, with a focus on safety, patient outcomes, and satisfaction.
  • Results showed no significant differences in complications, readmissions, or satisfaction between the two groups, indicating that MIS TLIF can be performed safely in ASCs for well-selected patients.
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Background: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is primarily a disease of the elderly. Less invasive interventions are often offered for elderly (> 80 years) patients due to concerns for elevated surgical risk, although data suggesting a clear outcome benefit is lacking.

Methods: All patients aged 65 years or older who underwent surgical treatment for CSDH at a single institution over a 4-year period were evaluated in this retrospective analysis.

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Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) are the most common surgical approaches for medically refractory cervical radiculopathy. Rigorous cost-effectiveness studies comparing ACDF and PCF are lacking.

Objective: To assess the cost-utility of ACDF vs PCF performed in the ambulatory surgery center setting for Medicare and privately insured patients at 1-year follow-up.

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Objective: Workers' compensation (WC) and litigation have been shown to adversely impact prognoses in a vast range of health conditions. Low-back pain is currently the most frequent reason for WC claims. The objective of this study was to conduct the largest propensity-matched comparison of outcomes between patients with WC and non-WC status who underwent lumbar spinal decompression with and without fusion.

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Objective: Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have become an increasingly attractive setting for spine surgery in recent decades. Although posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) is widely performed in ASCs, there are no studies supporting the safety of this practice. We aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of microendoscopic (MED)-PCF in a large cohort of patients at a freestanding ASC.

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In situ repair and maintenance of high-value industrial equipment is critical if they are to maintain the ability to continue vital operations. Conventional single-arm continuum robots have been proven numerous times to be successful tools for use in repair operations. However, often more than one arm is needed to ensure successful operation within several scenarios; thus, the collaborative operation of multiple arms is required.

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Background: Anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) is often required to adequately decompress the spinal cord in patients with multilevel cervical spondylosis. Unfortunately, multilevel corpectomy constructs have high rates of early failure and frequently require supplemental posterior fixation. First described in 2003, skip ACCF (sACCF) is defined by corpectomies above and below an intervening vertebral body, which serves as an additional fixation point to augment biomechanical stability.

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Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Objective: Assess the cost-utility of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) performed in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) versus inpatient hospital setting for Medicare and privately insured patients at one-year follow-up.

Summary Of Background Data: Outpatient ACDF has gained popularity due to improved safety and reduced costs.

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Objective: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a multidisciplinary approach to surgical care that aims to improve outcomes and reduce costs. Its application to spine surgery has been increasing in recent years, with a notable focus on lumbar fusion. This study describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of the first ERAS pathway for ambulatory spine surgery and the largest ambulatory minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF) series to date.

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Objective: Spinal cord stimulation is an effective treatment modality for chronic pain. Although percutaneous leads are commonly placed in the outpatient setting, paddle leads are typically implanted in the inpatient setting. Given the substantial cost savings associated with the ambulatory setting, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of thoracic paddle lead implantation in a freestanding ambulatory surgery center (ASC).

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Background: The development of beta-site amyloid-beta precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE) 1 inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease requires optimization of inhibitor potency, selectivity, and brain penetration. Moreover, there is a need for low-dose compounds since liver toxicity was found with some BACE inhibitors.

Objective: To determine whether the high potency and robust pharmacodynamic effect of the BACE inhibitor LY3202626 observed in nonclinical species translated to humans.

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Background: Older adults with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) are more likely to be frail, which increases the risk for disability and mortality.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of a behavioral lifestyle intervention, enhanced with mobile health technology for self-monitoring of diet and activity, to improve frailty in overweight/obese older adults (≥65 years) diagnosed with T2D.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Single arm, 6-month study of a behavioral lifestyle intervention in 20 overweight/obese (BMI>25) older adults (≥ 65 years) with self-reported T2D diagnosis who owned a smartphone.

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Medial artery calcification results from deposition of calcium hydroxyapatite crystals on elastin layers, and osteogenic changes in vascular smooth muscle cells. It is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and peripheral artery disease (PAD), and when identified in lower extremity vessels, it is associated with increased amputation rates. This study aims to evaluate the effects of medial calcification on perfusion and functional recovery after hindlimb ischemia in rats.

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The beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1, known as BACE1, has been a widely pursued Alzheimer's disease drug target owing to its critical role in the production of amyloid-beta. We have previously reported the clinical development of LY2811376 and LY2886721. LY2811376 advanced to Phase I before development was terminated due to nonclinical retinal toxicity.

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Objective: Sport participation promotes health benefits for children. Current media and scientific coverage of sport-related head injury may influence a parent's decision on sports participation. Physicians must understand what influences these decisions to effectively counsel patients and families.

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