During a spinal cord injury (SCI), mechanical trauma rapidly leads to a blood-spinal cord barrier (BSB) disruption, neural cell damage, axonal damage, and demyelination, followed by a cascade of secondary inflammatory reactions. These inflammatory responses spread the damage to the neural cells and impair the recovery of neurological functions. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of simvastatin and a simvastatin-ezetimibe combination therapy in managing the endothelial inflammatory response in an SCI rat model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A superior hypogastric plexus block is difficult to perform and hampered by bony structures of the iliac crest and transverse process of L5.
Objective: We report on a fluoroscopically guided posterolateral transdiscal technique for superior hypogastric plexus neurolysis using a single needle.
Study Design: A technical note describing interventional procedures.
Objective: Using a database that enabled longitudinal follow-up, we assessed the cost, outcome, complications, and readmission rate of ruptured cerebral aneurysms repaired by surgical clipping and endovascular coiling.
Methods: This study was a retrospective review of data from a series of patients who underwent surgical clipping or endovascular coiling of ruptured cerebral aneurysms between 1996 and 2013. The medical records and hospital cost data were all examined.
Background: To investigate the association between primary insomnia and dementia using a Taiwanese population-based database.
Methods: This case-control study involved a subset of Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database of reimbursement claims. We included 51,734 patients who were diagnosed with primary insomnia from 2002 to 2004 as the test group and 258,715 nonprimary insomnia participants aged 20 years or older as the reference group.
This population-based study was designed to estimate and compare the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) between patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and non-SS patients during a 10-year follow-up period. This is a retrospective cohort study. Data were obtained from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aggregation and deposition of transactivation response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) in neurons and astrocytes is characteristic in a number of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nevertheless, the exact role of TDP-43 in astrocytes is unknown. Recently, TDP-43 was identified in neurons but not astrocytes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Traumatic brain injury has been associated with an increased risk of myocardial dysfunction. Common abnormalities accompanying this pathology include electrocardiographic abnormalities, elevated creatine kinase levels, arrhythmias, and pathologic changes of the myocardium. The aim of this study was to determine if TBI patients have a higher risk of myocardial dysfunction than the general population and to identify the risk factors of myocardial dysfunction in TBI patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: When a cervical or thoracic benign intradural spinal tumor (BIST) coexists with lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD), diagnosis can be difficult. Symptoms of BIST-myelopathy can be mistaken as being related to LDD. Worse, an unnecessary lumbar surgery could be performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Medical radiation is considered a factor responsible for cataractogenesis. However, the incidence of this ophthalmologic complication resulting from gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has not yet been reported. The present study aimed to determine the risk of cataractogenesis associated with radiation exposure from GKRS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objective: Internal disk disruption (IDD), an early event of lumbar disk degeneration, is the most common cause of low back pain. Since increased intradiskal pressure (IDP) is associated with symptoms and progression of disk degeneration, unloading a painful disk with an interspinous process device (IPD) is a rational treatment option. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic stabilization with an IPD in the treatment of symptomatic IDD of the lumbar spine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive technique that is considered efficacious in alleviating lumbar disk degenerative low back pain (LBP). The efficacy of nucleoplasty and identified variables that can predict pain relief for nucleoplasty was reported.
Patients And Methods: Between December 2013 and November 2015, 47 nucleoplasty procedures on 47 lumbar disks in 31 consecutive patients were performed.
Background: C2 vertebroplasty is more challenging than transpedicular percutaneous vertebroplasty in the thoracic and lumbar spine.
Objective: We report an anterior ascending approach for C2 percutaneous vertebroplasty to avoid potential injury to vital structures surrounding the C2 vertebra.
Study Design: A technique note with 5 consecutive cases.
OBJECT Multilevel long-segment lumbar fusion poses a high risk for future development of adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD). Creating a dynamic transition zone with an interspinous process device (IPD) proximal to the fusion has recently been applied as a method to reduce the occurrence of ASD. The authors report their experience with the Device for Intervertebral Assisted Motion (DIAM) implanted proximal to multilevel posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in reducing the development of proximal ASD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Postvertebral augmentation vertebral compression fractures are common; repeated vertebral augmentation is usually performed for prompt pain relief. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of repeat vertebral augmentation.
Methods: We performed a retrospective, nationwide, population-based longitudinal observation study, using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan.
Purpose: Chronic hip pain is a common symptom experienced by many people. Often, surgery is not an option for patients with multiple comorbidities, and conventional drugs either have many side effects or are ineffective. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a new method in the treatment of pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dementia has been associated with an increased risk of hip fracture. However, little research has been conducted on the impact of dementia on wrist or vertebral fracture development. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dementia is a risk factor for different types of fracture in Taiwan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) injection can occasionally be challenging. We describe our experience in using conventional technique, and we developed an adjustment to overcome difficulties incurred.
Methods: Conventional technique required superimposition of the posterior and anterior SIJ lines.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to important and deleterious neuroinflammation, as evidenced by indicators such as edema, cytokine production, induction of nitric oxide synthase, and leukocyte infiltration. After TBI, cerebral vascular endothelial cells play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammation. In our previous study, we proved that simvastatin could attenuate cerebral vascular endothelial inflammatory response in a rat traumatic brain injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to important and deleterious inflammation, as evidenced by edema, cytokine production, induction of nitric oxide synthase, and leukocyte infiltration. After TBI, the activation of cerebral vascular endothelial cells plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammation. In this study, we hypothesized that the activation of cerebral vascular endothelial cells plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammation and outcome after TBI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) elicits acute local inflammatory responses, including up-regulation of adhesion molecules and neutrophils in the injured brain. However, in clinical experiences there were at least three types of TBI, which included mild, moderate and severe types, and there would be different neuroinflammatory responses. This study investigated the inflammatory responses after mild TBI in rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObject: The reported incidence of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia in critically ill trauma patients varies from as low as 4% to as high as 87%, with fatality rates varying from 6% to 59%. Clinical studies have identified the risk factors for pneumonia. The authors undertook this retrospective study to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia in a group of patients with severe head injuries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To elucidate the risk factors for a subsequent vertebral compression fracture following percutaneous vertebroplasty, we analyzed the potential predictors of vertebral compression fractures adjacent to or remote from fractures previously treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty.
Design: This is a retrospective cohort study.
Background: A major concern after percutaneous vertebroplasty in patients with osteoporosis is the occurrence of subsequent vertebral compression fractures in the untreated vertebral bodies.