Single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery for spindle cell oncocytoma: preliminary experience and systematic review of the literature.

Purpose: Spindle cell oncocytoma (SCO) is a rare benign pituitary tumor. No patient series regarding stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for SCO has been published. We report the clinical outcomes of SCO treated with single-fraction SRS, as well as a systematic review of the literature.

More II It than Meets the Eye: Outcomes After Single-Fraction Stereotactic Radiosurgery in a Case Series of Low-Grade Arteriovenous Malformations.

Background: Surgical resection is typically cited as the optimal treatment of patients with Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

Objective: To report our experience with single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II AVM.

Methods: A prospectively maintained registry was reviewed for patients with nonsyndromic Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II AVM having SRS from 1990 to 2011.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation: Sex-specific characteristics and effect on survival.

Background: We sought to fill important gaps in the existing evidence regarding new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) by comparing the incidence, characteristics, and effect on long-term survival between men and women.

Methods: Nine thousand two hundred three consecutive patients without preoperative AF underwent isolated CABG from 2002 to 2010 at 3 US academic medical centers and 1 high-volume specialty cardiac hospital. Detailed data on CABG AF events detected via continuous in-hospital electrocardiogram/telemetry monitoring were supplemented with Society of Thoracic Surgeons data, and survival data, censored at October 31, 2011, using a copy of the Social Security Death Master File archived before state-owned data were removed (November 1, 2011).

Non-Motor Symptoms after One Week of High Cadence Cycling in Parkinson's Disease.

The objective was to investigate if high cadence cycling altered non-motor cognition and depression symptoms in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and whether exercise responses were influenced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism. Individuals with idiopathic PD who were ≥50 years old and free of surgical procedures for PD were recruited. Participants were assigned to either a cycling ( = 20) or control ( = 15) group.

Cardiopulmonary Testing Before Lung Resection: What Are Thoracic Surgeons Doing?

Background: Cardiopulmonary assessment for lung resection is important for risk stratification, and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines provide decision support. We ascertained the cardiopulmonary assessment practices of thoracic surgeons and determined whether they are guideline concordant.

Methods: An anonymous survey was emailed to 846 thoracic surgeons who participate in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database.

Radiosurgical Management of Patients With Persistent or Recurrent Cushing Disease After Prior Transsphenoidal Surgery: A Management Algorithm Based on a 25-Year Experience.

Background: Patients with persistent or recurrent Cushing disease (CD) after prior transsphenoidal surgery require further treatment to reduce the disease's metabolic consequences.

Objective: To assess patient outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for persistent or recurrent CD from adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenomas and propose a management algorithm.

Methods: Retrospective review of 38 patients without prior radiation treatment having SRS for ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas from 1990 to 2015.

Quality of Life in Jugular Paraganglioma Following Radiosurgery.

Objective: The treatment paradigm for jugular paraganglioma (JP) has changed considerably over time with the wider adoption of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). To the best of the authors' knowledge, there are no published studies that use validated patient-reported outcome measures to ascertain quality of life (QoL) outcomes following SRS for JP when used in single or combined modality treatment regimens.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Association between Sleep Disturbances and Medial Temporal Lobe Volume in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment Free of Lifetime History of Depression.

Background: Previous studies examining the link between neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be confounded by remitted or past history of psychiatric illness, which in itself is associated with AD biomarkers such as reduced medial temporal lobe (MTL) volume.

Objective: We examined associations between mood and anxiety-related NPS and MTL in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) free of lifetime history of depression. We hypothesized an inverse relationship between NPS severity and MTL.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery of Arteriovenous Malformations: Long-Term Outcomes and Late Effects.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) is an accepted treatment option that has been performed for more than 40 years. The goal of AVM GKRS is nidus obliteration to eliminate the risk of intracranial hemorrhage while minimizing the risk of short- and long-term adverse radiation effects (ARE). Nidus obliteration typically occurs between 1 and 5 years after GKRS.

Impaired illness awareness in schizophrenia and posterior corpus callosal white matter tract integrity.

Impaired illness awareness (Imp-IA) in schizophrenia is associated with interhemispheric imbalance, resulting in left hemisphere dominance, primarily within the posterior parietal area (PPA). This may represent an interhemispheric "disconnection syndrome" between PPAs. To test this hypothesis, we aimed to determine if diffusion-based measures of white matter integrity were disrupted in the corpus callosal tracts linking PPAs (i.

Is There a Need for a 6-Month Postradiosurgery Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Treatment of Vestibular Schwannoma?

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a common treatment modality for vestibular schwannoma (VS), with a role in primary and recurrent/progressive algorithms. At our institution, routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is obtained at 6 and 12 mo following SRS for VS.

Objective: To analyze the safety and financial impact of eliminating the 6-mo post-SRS MRI in asymptomatic VS patients.

Changes in Theta but not Alpha Modulation Are Associated with Impairment in Working Memory in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

While several studies have found that neural oscillations play a key role in the functioning of working memory, the nature of aberrant oscillatory activity underlying working memory impairments in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remains largely unexplored. These individuals often display structural alterations in brain regions and pathways involved in working memory processes and therefore may also display altered oscillatory activity during memory activation. Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded during the N-back working memory task in three groups: AD (n = 29), MCI (n = 100), and healthy controls (HCs; n = 40).

Female-Authored Articles Are More Likely to Include Methods-Trained Authors.

Objective: Studies with authors trained in research methods are of higher quality than those without. We examined inclusion of authors with master's or doctoral degrees incorporating advanced research methods training on original research articles in high-impact journals, investigating differences between journals and by first-author sex.

Methods: Using all original research articles from 1 issue of (), (), (), and () every alternate month, February 1994 to October 2016, we assessed the prevalence of articles listing authors with master's/doctoral research degrees and its adjusted associations with time of publication, journal, and first-author sex via multivariable logistic regression models (accounting for number of authors, study type, specialty/topic, and continent and for interactions between journal and time of publication, study type, and continent).

Clinical outcome of brainstem arteriovenous malformations after incomplete nidus obliteration.

Purpose: Brainstem arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) present a formidable therapeutic challenge, and a variety of surgical and non-surgical treatment strategies can be used to obliterate the AVM nidus, eliminating its risk of hemorrhage. However, complete obliteration of brainstem AVMs is often not possible. We aimed to investigate the natural history of brainstem AVMs with incomplete nidus obliteration after initial treatment.

Lead (Pb) in Alzheimer's Dementia: A Systematic Review of Human Case- Control Studies.

Background: Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) has a complex pathophysiology that is incompletely understood. Chronic, low-level environmental lead (Pb) exposure is associated with cognitive impairment, hypertension and mortality, and has been proposed as a potential cause of AD.

Objective: We aimed to review the literature to clarify the potential role of Pb in AD and to guide future research.

Decreased Early Mortality in Young Adult Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated at Specialized Cancer Centers in California.

Purpose: Studies suggest that patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have superior survival when treated at specialized cancer centers (SCCs). However, the association of early mortality (< 60 days) with location of initial care, sociodemographic factors, and complications has not been evaluated in pediatric and young adult (YA) patients with ALL.

Methods: Using the California Cancer Registry linked to hospitalization data, we identified pediatric and YA patients with ALL who received inpatient leukemia treatment between 1991 and 2014.

Examining the Link Between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Major Depressive Disorder in Remission.

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) have been linked to both depression and cognitive decline but their role in neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) has yet to be clarified.

Objective: Understanding the role of CVRFs in the etiology of NPS for prospective treatments and preventive strategies to minimize these symptoms.

Methods: We examined the distribution of NPS using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) scores in three cohorts from the Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia with Cognitive Remediation Plus Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Depression (PACt-MD) study: older patients with a lifetime history of major depressive disorder (MDD) in remission, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and patients with combined MCI and MDD.

Impact of Mitral Stenosis on Survival in Patients Undergoing Isolated Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

This study was performed to investigate the prevalence and impact on survival of baseline mitral stenosis (MS) in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) due to the presence of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. This retrospective study included 928 consecutive patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI in 2 institutions, from January 2012 to August 2016. Mean follow-up was 40.

A meta-analysis of transcranial direct current stimulation for schizophrenia: "Is more better?".

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has generated interest in recent years as a potential adjunctive treatment for patients with schizophrenia. The primary objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS on positive symptoms, particularly auditory hallucinations, and negative symptoms. A literature search of randomized sham-controlled trials was conducted using the OVID database on October 9, 2018.

Thoracic Surgeons' Beliefs and Practices on Smoking Cessation Before Lung Resection.

Background: Smoking is a risk factor for complications after lung resection. Our primary aim was to ascertain thoracic surgeons' beliefs and practices on smoking cessation before lung resection.

Methods: An anonymous survey was emailed to 846 thoracic surgeons who participate in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database.

OASIS: The Obesity Awareness and Insight Scale.

Aims: Impaired illness awareness or not accepting that one has obesity is an understudied phenomenon that may negatively influence treatment adherence and clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of available measures of obesity awareness, and subsequently develop and validate a novel scale that measures the core domains of obesity awareness.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature revealed no illness specific measure of subjective obesity awareness.

Life course trajectories of cardiovascular risk: Impact on atherosclerotic and metabolic indicators.

Background And Aims: In this analysis, we estimated population-level trajectory groups of life course cardiovascular risk to explore their impact on mid-life atherosclerotic and metabolic outcomes.

Methods: This prospective study followed n = 1269 Bogalusa Heart participants, each with at least 4 study visits from childhood in 1973 through adulthood in 2016. We used discrete mixture modeling to determine trajectories of cardiovascular risk percentiles from childhood to adulthood.

Limb blood flow and tissue perfusion during exercise with blood flow restriction.

Introduction: Exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) is emerging as an effective modality for improving muscular function in clinical and athletic populations. Selection of cuff pressure is critical because it should maximize metabolic stress without completely occluding blood flow or compromising user safety. It is unknown how cuff pressures determined at rest influence blood flow hemodynamics during exercise.