Publications by authors named "Robertson F"

Unlabelled: As observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow On (GRACE-FO) missions, global terrestrial water storage (TWS), excluding ice sheets and glaciers, declined rapidly between May 2014 and March 2016. By 2023, it had not yet recovered, with the upper end of its range remaining 1 cm equivalent height of water below the upper end of the earlier range. Beginning with a record-setting drought in northeastern South America, a series of droughts on five continents helped to prevent global TWS from rebounding.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Awake craniotomy (AC) is a technique that balances maximum resection and minimal postoperative deficits in patients with intracranial tumors. To aid in the comparability of functional outcomes after awake surgery, this study investigated its international practice and aimed to define categories of postoperative deficits.

Methods: A survey was distributed via neurosurgical networks in Europe (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, EANS), the Netherlands (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Neurochirurgie, NVVN), Belgium (Belgian Society of Neurosurgery, BSN), and the United States (Congress of Neurological Surgeons, CNS) between April 2022 and April 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are linked to the loss of myelin-producing cells, and current treatments aim to reduce these lesions and associated disabilities.
  • A new genetic testing program identified risk factors for WML formation and suggested personalized lifestyle changes and nutrient optimization as possible preventive measures.
  • A 10-year pilot study found that pwMS who followed these lifestyle interventions exhibited significantly smaller WML volumes compared to those who did not, highlighting the potential of dietary and lifestyle changes in managing MS, though further research is necessary.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * These malformations can affect the embryonic vein of Galen and its tributaries located in the third ventricle of the brain.
  • * Dural sinus malformations feature enlarged brain venous sinuses that may develop multiple arteriovenous shunts, while pial arteriovenous fistulae involve high-flow connections between arteries and veins without a clear nidus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mitochondrial disorders exhibit clinical and genetic diversity. Nearly 400 distinct genes, located in both the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, harbor pathogenic variants that can produce a broad spectrum of mitochondrial diseases. This work aims to explore the genetic etiology of a cohort of Egyptian pediatric patients who were clinically suspected of having a mitochondrial disorder.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Strong performance in neurosurgical sub-internships is a vital component of a successful residency application and requires adequate familiarity with clinical knowledge and technical skills that may not be covered in standard medical school curricula. Accordingly, a need exists for immersive and comprehensive sub-internship preparation programs that respect time and resource limitations, are optimized based on longitudinal student feedback, provide opportunities for mentorship, and foster enthusiasm for neurosurgery. Therefore, residents at a single institution designed and implemented a comprehensive curriculum for a 1-day sub-internship academy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There have been tremendous strides over the past decade to institute strong policy as means to facilitate alignment on goals and strategies for global neurosurgical systems strengthening. In this chapter, we highlight key historic policy milestones in the global neurosurgery movement. We discuss the role of international organizations in neurosurgery, and the incorporation of neurosurgery into global health agendas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Wound healing involves a process called re-epithelialisation where cells help to close up a cut in the skin.
  • Scientists studied this process in fruit flies (Drosophila), using videos and deep learning technology to see how different cell behaviors like moving, changing shape, and dividing help with healing.
  • They found that certain signals in the cells, like Ca2+ and JNK, play specific roles in how cells behave during healing, showing that deep learning can help us understand how wounds heal better.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is a heterogenous disease and current classification is based on observational responses to therapies or kidney histology. The National Unified Renal Translational Research Enterprise (NURTuRE)-INS cohort aims to facilitate novel ways of stratifying INS patients to improve disease understanding, therapeutics and design of clinical trials.

Methods: NURTuRE-INS is a prospective cohort study of children and adults with INS in a linked biorepository.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical guidelines direct healthcare professionals toward evidence-based practices. Evaluating guideline impact can elucidate information penetration, relevance, effectiveness, and alignment with evolving medical knowledge and technological advancements. As the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Section on Tumors marks its 40th anniversary in 2024, this article reflects on the tumor guidelines established by the Section over the past decade and explores their impact on other publications, patents, and information dissemination.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) are methods of data analysis used to synthesize information presented in multiple publications on the same topic. A thorough understanding of the steps involved in conducting this type of research and approaches to data analysis is critical for appropriate understanding, interpretation, and application of the findings of these reviews.

Methods: We reviewed reference texts in clinical neuroepidemiology, neurostatistics and research methods and other previously related articles on meta-analyses (MAs) in surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common following liver transplantation and is associated with liver ischeamia reperfusion (IR) injury. The purpose of this study was to use a mouse model of liver IR injury and AKI to study the role of Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL), a biomarker of AKI, in liver IR injury and AKI. We demonstrate an adapted, reproducible model of liver IR injury and AKI in which remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) by repeated episodes of hindleg ischemia prior to liver IR reduced the severity of the IR injury.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) present complex challenges in neurosurgery, requiring precise pre-surgical planning. In this context, 3D printing technology has emerged as a promising tool to aid in understanding bAVM morphology and enhance surgical outcomes, particularly in pediatric patients. This study aims to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using 3D AVM models in pediatric bAVM surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to determine the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on patients with adenocarcinoma from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia after surgical resection, analyzing data from 459 patients across 18 centers between 2010 and 2020.
  • The results showed that 59.9% of patients received various chemotherapy regimens, but there was no significant difference in recurrence rates or survival outcomes between those who received chemotherapy and those who did not.
  • Overall, the study concluded that adjuvant chemotherapy does not appear to improve recurrence patterns or survival rates in this patient population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI) is a significant complication after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH), leading to high morbidity and mortality rates.
  • This study compares two treatment methods—chemical angioplasty (CA) and transluminal balloon angioplasty (TBA) combined with CA—on their effectiveness in improving brain tissue oxygenation (PbtO) in patients with DCI.
  • Results indicate that TBA plus CA leads to a more sustained increase in PbtO compared to CA alone, highlighting the value of PbtO monitoring in assessing treatment responses for vasospasm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Allelochemicals represent a class of natural products released by plants as root, leaf, and fruit exudates that interfere with the growth and survival of neighboring plants. Understanding how allelochemicals function to regulate plant responses may provide valuable new approaches to better control plant function. One such allelochemical, Myrigalone A (MyA) produced by Myrica gale, inhibits seed germination and seedling growth through an unknown mechanism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) shows diverse responses to treatment, with RNA gene sequencing revealing different tumor subtypes that influence patient survival.* -
  • A review analyzed 15 studies with over 2700 patients, identifying two main tumor subtypes: classical (better outcomes) and basal-like (poorer outcomes), along with other specific subtypes affecting survival rates.* -
  • While molecular subtyping can pinpoint high-risk patients, its clinical application is hampered by the high costs of RNA sequencing and the large amounts of data generated.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

People living with HIV are at three times greater risk for depressive symptoms. Inflammation is a notable predictor of depression, and people with HIV exhibit chronic inflammation despite antiretroviral therapy. We hypothesised that inflammatory biomarkers may mediate the association between HIV status and depressive symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The temporal evolution of HRQoL and the importance of other PROs to patients, following resection for pancreatic and peripancreatic malignancy remains unexplored.

Methods: Patients undergoing pancreatic resection between 2021 and 2022 were enrolled from 2 UK HPB centres. Patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-PAN26 tools and rated 56 PROs preoperatively (T1), at discharge (T2), 6-weeks (T3), 3-months (T4) and 6-months (T5) postoperatively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous diffusion MRI studies have reported mixed findings on white matter microstructure alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), likely due to variation in demographic and clinical characteristics, scanning methods, and underpowered samples. The OCD global study was created across five international sites to overcome these challenges by harmonizing data collection to identify consistent brain signatures of OCD that are reproducible and generalizable. Single-shell diffusion measures (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

For the past three decades, neurosurgeons have utilized cranial neuro-navigation systems, bringing millimetric accuracy to operating rooms worldwide. These systems require an operating room team, anesthesia, and, most critically, cranial fixation. As a result, treatments for acute neurosurgical conditions, performed urgently in emergency rooms or intensive care units on awake and non-immobilized patients, have not benefited from traditional neuro-navigation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Central to neurosurgical care, neurosurgical education is particularly needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where opportunities for neurosurgical training are limited due to social and economic constraints and an inadequate workforce. The present paper aims (1) to evaluate the validity and usability of a cadaver-free hybrid system in the context of LMICs and (2) to report their learning needs and whether the courses meet those needs via a comprehensive survey.

Methods: From April to November 2021, a non-profit initiative consisting of a series of innovative cadaver-free courses based on virtual and practical training was organized.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Alterations in regional neurometabolite levels as well as impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes have previously been observed in children who are HIV-exposed uninfected (CHEU). However, little is known about how neurometabolite profiles may relate to their developmental impairment. This study aimed to compare neurometabolite concentrations in school-aged CHEU and children who are HIV-unexposed (CHU) and to explore associations of neurometabolite profiles with functional neurodevelopment in the context of perinatal HIV exposure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF