Transscleral Pars Plana Choroid Ablation Using the Iridex Laser System Yields Improvements for Surgical Insertion of the Port Delivery Implant in a Minipig Model.

Purpose: To evaluate an alternative surgical approach for Port Delivery System with ranibizumab (PDS) implant and a novel application of Iridex laser system in Gottingen minipig model.

Methods: A total of seventeen male minipigs (Part 1: 9 animals in non-recovery and Part 2: 8 animals observed for 8-days post-surgery Part 2) received PDS implant insertion into each eye. The effect of Iridex 810 nm infrared diode laser with varying energy (power or duration) on transscleral pars plana ablation, surrounding ocular tissue and postsurgical vitreous hemorrhage (VH) was investigated.

An integrated approach to neuroscience care: An innovative model to support the new integrated care system.

Integrated care systems join up health and care services, so that people have the support they need, in the right place, at the right time. The aims include improving outcomes in healthcare, tackling inequalities in access and enhancing productivity and value for money. This is needed for neuroscience care as the traditional delivery of neuroscience care is inefficient, outdated and expensive, and can involve complex referral pathways and long waiting times.

Influence of Cooling duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (ICECAP): study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, adaptive allocation clinical trial to identify the optimal duration of induced hypothermia for neuroprotection in comatose, adult survivors of after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Cardiac arrest is a common and devastating emergency of both the heart and brain. More than 380,000 patients suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually in the USA. Induced cooling of comatose patients markedly improved neurological and functional outcomes in pivotal randomized clinical trials, but the optimal duration of therapeutic hypothermia has not yet been established.

Influence of Cooling duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (ICECAP): study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, adaptive allocation clinical trial to identify the optimal duration of induced hypothermia for neuroprotection in comatose, adult survivors of after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Cardiac arrest is a common and devastating emergency of both the heart and brain. More than 380,000 patients suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually in the United States. Induced cooling of comatose patients markedly improved neurological and functional outcomes in pivotal randomized clinical trials, but the optimal duration of therapeutic hypothermia has not yet been established.

Remdesivir increases mtDNA copy number causing mild alterations to oxidative phosphorylation.

SARS-CoV-2 causes the severe respiratory disease COVID-19. Remdesivir (RDV) was the first fast-tracked FDA approved treatment drug for COVID-19. RDV acts as an antiviral ribonucleoside (adenosine) analogue that becomes active once it accumulates intracellularly.

Inhibitory checkpoint molecule mRNA expression in canine soft tissue sarcoma.

Canine soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are common neoplasms and considered immune deserts. Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes are sparse in STS and, when present, tend to organize around blood vessels or at the periphery of the neoplasm. This pattern is associated with an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment linked to overexpression of molecules of the PD-axis.

Treatment of spasticity.

Spasticity is characterized by an enhanced size and reduced threshold for activation of stretch reflexes and is associated with "positive signs" such as clonus and spasms, as well as "negative features" such as paresis and a loss of automatic postural responses. Spasticity develops over time after a lesion and can be associated with reduced speed of movement, cocontraction, abnormal synergies, and pain. Spasticity is caused by a combination of damage to descending tracts, reductions in inhibitory activity within spinal cord circuits, and adaptive changes within motoneurons.

Prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions among adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To assess the prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions among adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and compare them to the prevalence and incidence among adults without CP.

Method: We searched MEDLINE and Embase for studies reporting the prevalence or incidence of one or more chronic conditions among adults with CP. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles.

Canine melanoma: A review of diagnostics and comparative mechanisms of disease and immunotolerance in the era of the immunotherapies.

Melanomas in humans and dogs are highly malignant and resistant to therapy. Since the first development of immunotherapies, interest in how the immune system interacts within the tumor microenvironment and plays a role in tumor development, progression, or remission has increased. Of major importance are tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) where distribution and cell frequencies correlate with survival and therapeutic outcomes.

Characterization of the Expression of Angiogenic Factors in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Domestic Cats.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is a common malignant skin cancer with a significant impact on health, and it is important to determine the degree of reliance of CSCC on angiogenesis for growth and metastasis. Major regulators of angiogenesis are the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and their associated receptors. Alternative pre-mRNA splicing produces multiple isoforms of VEGF-A and PLGF with distinct biological properties.

Intrathecal baclofen pumps: what the neurologist needs to know.

Increasing numbers of patients have an intrathecal baclofen pump implanted as part of spasticity management. Neurologists may be asked about the management of these devices when patients attend emergency departments for unrelated illnesses. Occasionally, the intrathecal baclofen system itself will directly lead to an acute presentation.

Interstitial pneumonia and diffuse alveolar damage in domestic animals.

Classification of pneumonia in animals has been controversial, and the most problematic pattern is interstitial pneumonia. This is true from the gross and histologic perspectives, and also from a mechanistic point of view. Multiple infectious and noninfectious diseases are associated with interstitial pneumonia, all of them converging in the release of inflammatory mediators that generate local damage and attract inflammatory cells that inevitably trigger a second wave of damage.

Functional electrical stimulation to aid walking in patients with adrenomyeloneuropathy: A case study and observational series.

Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) is a rare inherited condition where affected individuals develop slowly progressive spastic paraparesis with a gradual decline in walking ability. There is no cure for AMN and treatment focuses on supportive measures and aids. One treatment option is functional electrical stimulation (FES), a treatment, approved by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), for managing foot drop in upper motor neuron disorders.

European expert consensus on improving patient selection for the management of disabling spasticity with intrathecal baclofen and/or botulinum toxin type A.

Objective: To develop an algorithm for the selection of adults with disabling spasticity for treatment with intrathecal baclofen (ITB) and/or botulinum toxin type A (BoNT A).

Methods: A European Advisory Board of 4 neurologists and 4 rehabilitation specialists performed a literature review on ITB and BoNT A treatment for disabling spasticity. An online survey was sent to 125 physicians and 13 non-physician spasticity experts.

Early Convalescent Plasma for High-Risk Outpatients with Covid-19.

Background: Early administration of convalescent plasma obtained from blood donors who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) may prevent disease progression in acutely ill, high-risk patients with Covid-19.

Methods: In this randomized, multicenter, single-blind trial, we assigned patients who were being treated in an emergency department for Covid-19 symptoms to receive either one unit of convalescent plasma with a high titer of antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or placebo. All the patients were either 50 years of age or older or had one or more risk factors for disease progression.

PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 Gene Expression and Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Canine Melanoma.

Melanoma in humans and dogs is considered highly immunogenic; however, the function of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is often suppressed in the tumor microenvironment. In humans, current immunotherapies target checkpoint molecules (such as PD-L1, expressed by tumor cells), inhibiting their suppressive effect over TILs. The role of PD-L2, an alternative PD-1 ligand also overexpressed in malignant tumors and in patients with anti-PD-L1 resistance, remains poorly understood.

The effectiveness of peroneal nerve functional electrical simulation for the reduction of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease: A feasibility study for a randomised control trial.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of a multi-site randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of functional electrical stimulation on bradykinesia in people with Parkinson's disease.

Design: A two-arm assessor blinded randomised controlled trial with an 18 weeks intervention period and 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up.

Setting: Two UK hospitals; a therapy outpatient department in a district general hospital and a specialist neuroscience centre.

Evaluation of the cognitive benefits of intrathecal baclofen pump implantation in people with intractable multiple sclerosis related spasticity.

Background: Spasticity is a common problematic symptom in Multiple Sclerosis with over one third of patients failing first line therapies. Intrathecal baclofen is a safe and efficacious option for treatment resistant spasticity. Anecdotally patients report improved concentration/cognitive performance when switching to intrathecal baclofen (ITB) from systemic medications.

Fibrous osteodystrophy in a dromedary camel.

A 6-y-old female dromedary camel ( L.) was presented for assessment of firm, bilateral swellings rostral and ventral to the eyes. Serum biochemistry revealed hyperglycemia (28.

Evaluation of the impact of intrathecal baclofen on the walking ability of people with Multiple Sclerosis related spasticity.

Background: Spasticity is a frequent and disabling symptom in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) is an effective but infrequently used treatment in ambulant people.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of ITB on ambulation in people with moderate to severe MS related spasticity.

Reducing Intrathecal Baclofen Related Infections: Service Evaluation and Best Practice Guidelines.

Objectives: Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pumps are an effective treatment for spasticity; however infection rates have been reported in 3-26% of patients in the literature. The multidisciplinary ITB service has been established at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH, Queen Square, London for over 20 years. Our study was designed to clarify the rate of infection in our ITB patient cohort and secondly, to formulate and implement best practice guidelines and to determine prospectively, whether they effectively reduced infection rates.

Safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of virtual pulmonary rehabilitation in the real world.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of a VIrtual PulmonAry Rehabilitation (VIPAR) program in a real-world setting.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-one patients with stable chronic lung disease at a spoke site received (VIPAR) through live video conferencing with a hub where 24 patients were receiving 14 sessions of standard, outpatient, multi-disciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in a hospital. We studied three such consecutive PR programs with 6-10 patients at each site.