Influence of preoperative embolisation on resection of brain arteriovenous malformations: cohort study.

Purpose: Preoperative endovascular embolisation is a widely used adjunct for the surgical treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). However, whether this improves completeness of AVM resection is unknown, as previous analyses have not adjusted for potential confounding factors. We aimed to determine if preoperative endovascular embolisation was associated with increased rate of complete AVM resection at first surgery, following adjustment for Spetzler-Martin grade items.

Mitigating Trunk Compensatory Movements in Post-Stroke Survivors through Visual Feedback during Robotic-Assisted Arm Reaching Exercises.

Trunk compensatory movements frequently manifest during robotic-assisted arm reaching exercises for upper limb rehabilitation following a stroke, potentially impeding functional recovery. These aberrant movements are prevalent among stroke survivors and can hinder their progress in rehabilitation, making it crucial to address this issue. This study evaluated the efficacy of visual feedback, facilitated by an RGB-D camera, in reducing trunk compensation.

Effectiveness of Visual Feedback in Reducing Trunk Compensation During Arm Reaching for Home-Based Stroke Rehabilitation.

This study investigates the effectiveness of visual feedback in reducing trunk compensation during one-arm reaching exercises using an end-effector robot. Results suggest that visual feedback is more effective than verbal feedback in suppressing trunk compensation, as evidenced by lower trunk movements. Synchronized target position with respect to trunk motion exhibited a suppressive effect on trunk motion, as observed by a reduction in trunk standard deviation, trunk root mean square, and trunk difference between the starting and ending positions.

National audit of pathways in epileptic seizure referrals (NAPIER): A national, multicentre audit of first seizure clinics throughout the UK and Ireland.

Background: Current guidelines set clinical standards for the management of suspected first seizures and epilepsy. We aimed to assess if these standards are being met across first seizure clinics nationally, to describe variations in care and identify opportunities for service delivery improvement.

Methods: Multicentre audit assessing the care of adults (≥16 years) referred to first seizure clinics from 31st December 2019 going backwards (30 consecutive patients per centre).

Management and outcomes of myelomeningocele-associated hydrocephalus in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Introduction: Hydrocephalus and myelomeningocele (MMC) place disproportionate burdens of disease on low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). MMC-associated hydrocephalus and its sequelae result in a spectrum of severely devastating clinical manifestations, for which LMICs are disproportionately unprepared in terms of human, capital and technological resources. This study aims to review and compare the management and outcomes of infant MMC-associated hydrocephalus in LMICs and high-income countries.

Improvement Effect of Soyeom Pharmacopuncture on Gout via NLRP3 Inflammasome Regulation.

Objectives: Gout is an inflammatory arthritis of the joints and soft tissues occurring due to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals, which are caused by persistent hyperuricemia. Soyeom pharmacopuncture is one treatment method that has been traditionally used for pain management in Oriental medicine. However, studies on its effect in reducing gout pain have been insufficient.

Novel conformable stent-graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms with hostile neck anatomy: A single-centre experience.

Objectives: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) demonstrating hostile neck anatomy (HNA) are associated with increased perioperative risk and mortality. A number of these patients are not suitable for standard endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and are high risk for open surgery. We present our experience with the first implantations in Scotland of a novel conformable aortic stent-graft designed to overcome some of the challenges of HNAs.

Post-stroke seizure risk prediction models: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Stroke is the commonest cause of epileptic seizures in older adults. Risk factors for post-stroke seizure (PSS) are well known, however, predicting PSS risk is clinically challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive accuracy of PSS risk prediction models developed to date.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Agreement in Suspected TIA.

Objective: To determine the interrater variability for TIA diagnostic agreement among expert clinicians (neurologists/stroke physicians), administrative data, and nonspecialists.

Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of studies from January 1984 to January 2019 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed. Two reviewers independently screened for eligible studies and extracted interrater variability measurements using Cohen's kappa scores to assess diagnostic agreement.

"The Brain Society": The First Two Years of an Undergraduate Neuroscience Society in Northern Ireland.

The Queen's University Belfast Brain Society was set up in September 2018 to promote interest in the human brain. There were three main goals: firstly to provide opportunities for medical students to learn from neurologists and neurosurgeons outside their formal curriculum; secondly the Brain Society aimed to organise events that included students from other disciplines and to members of the general public who were interested in learning about aspects of neuroscience; thirdly to tackle neurophobia. In the last two years, there have been 14 events, ranging from formal lectures, to practical sessions and to patient-focused information evenings.

Quantification of Carbohydrates and Related Materials Using Sodium Ion Adducts Produced by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization.

The utility of sodium ion adducts produced by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization for the quantification of analytes with multiple oxygen atoms was evaluated. Uses of homogeneous solid samples and temperature control allowed the acquisition of reproducible spectra. The method resulted in a direct proportionality between the ion abundance ratio I([A + Na])/I([M + Na]) and the analyte concentration, which could be used as a calibration curve.

Quantitative transfer of polar analytes on a solid surface to a liquid matrix in MALDI profiling.

In profiling of a specimen by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) using a solid matrix, the solvent of the matrix solution extracts an analyte(s). A quantitative profiling cannot be achieved if the solvent evaporates before the complete extraction of the analyte. The extraction can become more quantitative when a liquid matrix dissolved in a solvent is used, which remains a liquid even after the evaporation of the solvent.

Discovery of a solvent effect preventing quantitative profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and its treatment.

Rationale: In analyte profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), drawing a quantitative profile map is an outstanding problem. Recently, we developed a method to quantify an analyte by MALDI, which is needed to solve the problem. Another requirement for quantitative profiling is the quantitative sample-to-matrix analyte transfer, which is investigated in this work.

Acquisition of the depth profiles and reproducible mass spectra in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization of inhomogeneous samples.

Rationale: In our previous analysis of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) spectra of peptides, we treated their depth profiles in solid samples as homogeneous. Here, we wanted to determine if the reproducible MALDI spectra and linear calibration curves reported previously would be obtained even when the depth profiles were inhomogeneous.

Methods: We derived a formula relating shot-number-dependent ion abundance data in temperature-controlled MALDI with the analyte depth profile in a solid sample.

Investigations of Some Liquid Matrixes for Analyte Quantification by MALDI.

Sample inhomogeneity is one of the obstacles preventing the generation of reproducible mass spectra by MALDI and to their use for the purpose of analyte quantification. As a potential solution to this problem, we investigated MALDI with some liquid matrixes prepared by nonstoichiometric mixing of acids and bases. Out of 27 combinations of acids and bases, liquid matrixes could be produced from seven.

Quick quantification of proteins by MALDI.

Previously, we reported that the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization spectrum of a peptide became reproducible when an effective temperature was held constant. Using a calibration curve drawn by plotting the peptide-to-matrix ion abundance ratio versus the peptide concentration in a solid sample, a peptide could be quantified without the use of any internal standard. In this work, we quantified proteins by quantifying their tryptic peptides with the aforementioned method.

Dynamic stepping information process method in mobile bio-sensing computing environments.

Recently, the interest toward human longevity free from diseases is being converged as one system frame along with the development of mobile computing environment, diversification of remote medical system and aging society. Such converged system enables implementation of a bioinformatics system created as various supplementary information services by sensing and gathering health conditions and various bio-information of mobile users to set up medical information. The existing bio-information system performs static and identical process without changes after the bio-information process defined at the initial system configuration executes the system.

Depigmentation of skin and hair color in the somatic cell cloned pig.

Previously, we have successfully produced nine cloned piglets using Duroc donor cells. Among these clones, one showed distinct depigmentation of the skin and hair color during puberty. In this study, we selected a clone with depigmentation to investigate the etiology of the anomaly in somatic cell nuclear transfer.