Description of Technique and Short-Term Outcomes of Radial Artery Access for Vascular Disease.

Objectives: Radial artery access is widely utilized in coronary angiography with reported lower rates of vascular complications and better patient comfort. There is limited data in the literature regarding radial access in peripheral endovascular procedures. We hypothesize that radial access is safe and feasible for peripheral endovascular procedures.

Group-Based Yogic Weight Loss with Ayurveda-Inspired Components: A Pilot Investigation of Female Yoga Practitioners and Novices.

Introduction: Overweight/obesity is a pressing international health concern and conventional treatments demonstrate poor long-term efficacy. Preliminary evidence suggests yoga and Ayurveda may be promising approaches, although recent NHIS estimates indicate rare utilization of Ayurveda in the US. Group-based curricula that integrate yoga and Ayurveda-inspired principles to attenuate overweight and obesity across individuals may prove a feasible, disseminable clinical adjunct to facilitate psychosocial health and weight loss and/or maintenance.

Potential self-regulatory mechanisms of yoga for psychological health.

Research suggesting the beneficial effects of yoga on myriad aspects of psychological health has proliferated in recent years, yet there is currently no overarching framework by which to understand yoga's potential beneficial effects. Here we provide a theoretical framework and systems-based network model of yoga that focuses on integration of top-down and bottom-up forms of self-regulation. We begin by contextualizing yoga in historical and contemporary settings, and then detail how specific components of yoga practice may affect cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and autonomic output under stress through an emphasis on interoception and bottom-up input, resulting in physical and psychological health.

Qualitative evaluation of a high school yoga program: feasibility and perceived benefits.

This is the first published qualitative assessment of a yoga program applied in a high school setting. This qualitative interview study was nested in a randomized, controlled trial studying the effects of a yoga program offered in place of a semester of physical education classes at a rural public high school. Student interviews were conducted after taking part in a semester of the yoga program.

Benefits of yoga for psychosocial well-being in a US high school curriculum: a preliminary randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To test feasibility of yoga within a high school curriculum and evaluate preventive efficacy for psychosocial well-being.

Methods: Grade 11 or 12 students (N = 51) who registered for physical education (PE) were cluster-randomized by class 2:1 yoga:PE-as-usual. A Kripalu-based yoga program of physical postures, breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation was taught 2 to 3 times a week for 10 weeks.

Percutaneous computed tomography fluoroscopy-guided conformal ultrasonic ablation of vertebral tumors in a rabbit tumor model. Laboratory investigation.

Object: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has proven to be effective for treatment of malignant and benign tumors in numerous anatomical sites outside the spine. The major challenge of using RFA for spinal tumors is difficulty protecting the spinal cord and nerves from damage. However, conforming ultrasound energy to match the exact anatomy of the tumor may provide successful ablation in such sensitive locations.

The evolution of intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery.

Objective: Resections of intramedullary spinal cord tumors were attempted as early as 1890. More than a century after these primitive efforts, profound advancements in imaging, instrumentation, and operative techniques have greatly improved the modern surgeon's ability to treat such lesions successfully, often with curative results.

Methods: We review the history of intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery, as well as the evolution and advancement of technologies and surgical techniques that have defined the procedure over the past 100 years.

Adjuvant treatment with locally delivered OncoGel delays the onset of paresis after surgical resection of experimental spinal column metastasis.

Objective: The optimal management of spinal column metastatic disease is controversial. Local chemotherapy delivery systems allow targeted high-dose adjuvant therapy. We evaluated whether injection of OncoGel paclitaxel-releasing biodegradable polymer (Protherics, Inc.

Radiographic and clinical evaluation of free-hand placement of C-2 pedicle screws. Clinical article.

Object: Stabilization of the cervical spine can be challenging when instrumentation involves the axis. Fixation with C1-2 transarticular screws combined with posterior wiring and bone graft placement has yielded excellent fusion rates, but the technique is technically demanding and places the vertebral arteries (VAs) at risk. Placement of screws in the pars interarticularis of C-2 as described by Harms and Melcher has allowed rigid fixation with greater ease and theoretically decreases the risk to the VA.

Evaluation of potential for mercury volatilization from natural and FGD gypsum products using flux-chamber tests.

Synthetic gypsum produced by flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) in coal-fired power plants (FGD gypsum) is put to productive use in manufacturing wallboard. FGD gypsum wallboard is widely used, accounting for nearly 30% of wallboard sold in the United States. Mercury is captured in flue gas and thus is one of the trace metals present in FGD gypsum; raising questions about the potential for mercury exposure from wallboard.

Treatment of diffuse intrinsic brainstem gliomas: failed approaches and future strategies.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas constitute ~ 60-75% of tumors found within the pediatric brainstem. These malignant lesions present with rapidly progressive symptoms such as cranial nerve, long tract, or cerebellar dysfunctions. Magnetic resonance imaging is usually sufficient to establish the diagnosis and obviates the need for surgical biopsy in most cases.

Diagnosis and management of sacral tumors.

Sacral tumors pose significant challenges to the managing physician from diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives. Although these tumors are often diagnosed at an advanced stage, patients may benefit from good clinical outcomes if an aggressive multidisciplinary approach is used. In this review, the epidemiology, clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, treatment options, and published outcomes are discussed.

Current technological advances of bipolar coagulation.

Background: Heat has been used to control bleeding for thousands of years. In the 1920s, this concept was applied to the development of electrosurgical instruments and was used to control hemorrhage during surgical procedures. In the time that has passed since its first use, electrosurgery has evolved into modern-day bipolar technology, involving a diverse group of coagulation instruments.

Effect of hyperglycemia on progressive paraparesis in a rat etastatic spinal tumor model.

Object: Hyperglycemia has been shown to potentiate ischemic injury of the spinal cord by quenching vasodilators and potentiating tissue acidosis and free radical production. Steroid-induced hyperglycemia is a common event in the surgical management of metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC). The goal in this study was to determine whether experimentally induced hyperglycemia accelerates neurological decline in an established animal model of MESCC.

Evaluation of factors associated with postoperative infection following sacral tumor resection.

Object: Resection of sacral tumors has been shown to improve survival, since the oncological prognosis is commonly correlated with the extent of local tumor control. However, extensive soft-tissue resection in close proximity to the rectum may predispose patients to wound complications and infection. To identify potential risk factors, a review of clinical outcomes for sacral tumor resections over the past 5 years at a single institution was completed, paying special attention to procedure-related complications.

Minimally invasive direct repair of lumbar spondylolysis with a pedicle screw and hook construct.

Object Lumbar spondylolysis occurs in approximately 6% of the population and presents with localized mechanical back pain, often in young athletes. Surgical treatment may involve decompression, lumbar intersegmental fusion, or direct repair of pars defects. Although such open procedures may effectively resolve symptoms, minimal-access approaches may additionally decrease collateral damage to soft tissues, allowing young, active patients to resume athletic activities sooner.

Supraciliary keyhole craniotomy for brain abscess debridement.

Object: Treatments for brain abscesses have typically involved invasive craniotomies followed by debridement. These methods often require large incisions with vast exposure and may be associated with high morbidity rates. For supraorbital lesions of the anterior and middle cranial fossa, minimally invasive craniotomies may limit exposure and decrease surgically related morbidity while allowing adequate debridement and decompression.

Laminar screw fixation of the axis.

Object: Laminar fixation of the axis with crossing bilateral screws has been shown to provide rigid fixation with a theoretically decreased risk of vertebral artery damage compared with C1-2 transarticular screw fixation and C-2 pedicle screw fixation. Some studies, however, have shown restricted rigidity of such screws compared with C-2 pedicle screws, and others note that anatomical variability exists within the posterior elements of the axis that may have an impact on successful placement. To elucidate the clinical impact of such screws, the authors report their experience in placing C-2 laminar screws in adult patients over a 2-year period, with emphasis on clinical outcome and technical placement.

Microsurgical removal of intramedullary spinal cord gliomas in a rat spinal cord decreases onset to paresis, an animal model for intramedullary tumor treatment.

Objective: Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT) pose significant challenges given their recurrence rate and limited treatment options. Using our previously described rat model of IMSCT, we describe a technique for microsurgical tumor resection and present the functional and histopathological analysis of tumor progression.

Methods: Twenty-four Fischer 344 rats were randomized into two groups.

Antibiotic-impregnated shunt catheters for the treatment of infantile hydrocephalus.

Introduction: Antibiotic-impregnated shunt (AIS) components decrease shunt infections by preventing bacterial colonization that occurs during implantation. Despite studies showing improved efficacy in preventing infection however, concern still exists regarding using AIS components in infants, especially premature ones. In this study, clinical outcomes were assessed in infants with hydrocephalus (<1 year) following AIS placement.

Spinal stenosis surgery in pediatric patients with achondroplasia.

Object: Achondroplasia is a hereditary form of dwarfism caused by a defect in endochondral bone formation, resulting in skeletal abnormalities including short stature, shortened limb bones, macrocephaly, and small vertebral bodies. In the pediatric population, symptomatic spinal stenosis occurs at all spinal levels due to the abnormally narrow bone canal. In this study, clinical outcomes were assessed in children with achondroplasia after spinal canal decompression.

Rapidly advancing pseudotumor cerebri associated with morbid obesity: an indication for gastric exclusion.

Although most cases of pseudotumor cerebri spontaneously remit or respond to brief courses of medical management, a minority will be chronic or recurrent and may be associated with progressive visual impairment. We have described a morbidly obese patient with rapidly advancing pseudotumor cerebri who had a gastric exclusion procedure, which resulted in weight loss and stabilization of the visual deficit.

Characterization of virtual coupling in the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of N,N'-diacetylchitobiose by two-dimensional J-resolved spectroscopy.

The anomeric proton of the reducing N-acetylglucosamine residue of beta-N,N'-diacetylchitobiose exhibited an unusual lineshape indicative of virtual coupling in the 250 MHz proton NMR spectrum. The two-dimensional J-resolved spectrum contained four lines associated with this proton, and this pattern can be used to distinguish virtual coupling from other effects. Anomeric protons of previously studied asparagine-linked glycopeptides which exhibited unusual lineshapes in the conventional NMR spectra did not exhibit the four line patterns indicative of virtual coupling in the two-dimensional J-resolved spectra.