Application of Virtual Planning and 3-Dimensional Printing Guide in Surgical Management of Craniosynostosis.

Objective: This study aims to elaborate on the application of virtual surgical planning (VSP) and 3-dimensional printing (3DP) guides in the surgical management of craniosynostosis and compare their surgical outcomes with traditional surgical planning.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent cranial vault and cranio-orbital remodeling procedures for craniosynostosis was performed. VSP was accomplished by establishing a 3D model from Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine format computed tomography data.

Clinical outcomes among patients with concurrent blunt cerebrovascular injury and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage.

Background: Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) accounts for 1-3 % of patients with blunt trauma, which should be promptly diagnosed and managed due to risk of cerebral infarction and death. Antithrombotic therapy had been proven to reduce risk of stroke and mortality. However, due to concern of hematoma progression, treatment suggestion is still inconclusive for patients with concurrent traumatic intracranial hemorrhage.

Solar farm policy and farmland price - A land zoning perspective.

Photovoltaic or solar energy is recognized as a significant source of renewable energy on a global scale. The utilization of ground-mounted solar panels is closely associated with the use of farmland, as solar power generation typically requires vast expanses of farmland. While previous studies have explored the use of price incentives to regulate the adoption of solar panels, little is known about the impact of land zoning policies on farmland prices.

Is decompressive craniectomy necessary in malignant posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome with brain edema caused uncal herniation? A case report of reversible coma without surgical decompression.

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is considered a benign entity and is usually reversible with only medical management, but persistent neurologic deficits and disability or death can occur without adequate treatment. Favorable outcomes have been associated with surgical decompression in malignant-type PRES in which hemorrhagic transformation or brain stem compression has developed.

Case Description: Here we report a case of malignant PRES in a 61-year-old female of Asian descent in which the disease rapidly progressed to coma and a near-fatal condition with uncal herniation caused by severe brain edema; however, this patient achieved a dramatic recovery without surgical decompression.

Patient-Specific Three-Dimensional Printing Guide for Single-Stage Skull Bone Tumor Surgery: Novel Software Workflow with Manufacturing of Prefabricated Jigs for Bone Resection and Reconstruction.

Objective: To describe a novel system workflow to design and manufacture patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) printing jigs for single-stage skull bone tumor excision and reconstruction and to present surgical outcomes of 14 patients.

Methods: A specific computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing software and hardware system was set up, including a virtual surgical planning subsystem and a 3D printing-associated manufacturing subsystem. Computed tomography data of the patient's skull were used for 3D rendering of the skull and tumor.

Decreased Risk of Influenza in Child and Adolescent Patients with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Following Methylphenidate Treatment: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Background: Young individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have an elevated risk of influenza because of the difficulty in complying with the behavioral procedures that help protect against influenza. Moreover, the effects of sufficient methylphenidate treatment on influenza have received little attention.

Objective: This study evaluated the association between ADHD medication usage and influenza and assessed the effect of duration of ADHD treatment on the risk of influenza using a nationwide population-based database.

New Use for Old Drugs: The Protective Effect of Risperidone on Colorectal Cancer.

The potential of old drugs in novel indications is being greatly valued. We propose a triple-model study involving population-based, cell, and animal studies to investigate the effects of risperidone, a type of second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) drug, on colorectal cancer. We used data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1997 and 2013 to compare 101,989 patients with colorectal cancer and 101,989 controls.

Antipsychotic use is inversely associated with gastric cancer risk: A nationwide population-based nested case-control study.

Objective: The association between antipsychotic use and gastric cancer risk remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association between antipsychotic exposure and the incidence of gastric cancer.

Methods: Using a nested case-control design, a total of 34 470 gastric cancer patients and 163 430 nongastric cancer controls were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2013.

GLP-1 Analogue Liraglutide Attenuates Mutant Huntingtin-Induced Neurotoxicity by Restoration of Neuronal Insulin Signaling.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by CAG repeat expansion in the coding region of huntingtin (HTT) protein. The accumulation of mutant HTT (mHTT) contributes to neurotoxicity by causing autophagy defects and oxidative stress that ultimately lead to neuronal death. Interestingly, epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of type-2 diabetes, a metabolic disease mainly caused by defective insulin signaling, is higher in patients with HD than in healthy controls.

Prediction of traumatic carotid-cavernous sinus fistula via noncontrast computed tomography by fracture pattern and abnormality of venous system.

Background: Traumatic carotid-cavernous sinus fistula (tCCF) is infrequent but with high morbidity if delayed diagnosed or managed. Because of the lack of screening criteria and requirement of advanced and invasive radiological examinations, diagnosis is often delayed or underdiagnosed.

Methods: A matched case-control study with univariate and multivariate analyses was conducted to predict tCCFs.

Depression and family support in breast cancer patients.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Among the survivors, depression is one of the most common psychiatric comorbidities. This paper reports the point prevalence of major depressive disorder among breast cancer patients and the association between family support and major depressive disorder.

Bipolar disorder and the risk of fracture: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: The co-primary aims are: 1) to compare the risk of fracture between adults with bipolar disorder and those without bipolar disorder; and 2) to assess whether lithium, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics reduce risk of fracture among individuals with bipolar disorder.

Methods: The analysis herein is a population-based retrospective cohort study, utilizing the National Health Insurance (NHI) medical claims data collected between 1997 and 2013 in Taiwan. We identified 3705 cases with incident diagnoses of bipolar disorder during study period and 37,050 matched controls without bipolar diagnoses.

The association between methylphenidate treatment and the risk for fracture among young ADHD patients: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with higher risk for fracture. Whether the medical treatment for ADHD would mitigate the risk remains unclear. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of methylphenidate treatment on risk for fracture, as well the moderational role of treatment duration on the risk of fracture, in a large national sample.

Effective Steroid Treatment in Traumatic Cervical Spinal Epidural Hematoma Presenting with Delayed Tetraparesis: Two Case Reports and Literature Review.

Background: Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma (TSEH) is a rare neurosurgical condition that according to conventional treatment requires prompt surgical decompression. Recent reports, however, suggest that conservative management within the acute phase after trauma also can lead to similar long-term functional outcomes without the need for immediate neurosurgical intervention.

Case Description: In the present paper, we describe 2 cases of TSEH located in the ventral upper cervical spine, which presented with delayed neurologic deficits.

Systematic Analysis of the Risk Factors Affecting the Recurrence of Traumatic Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula.

Objective: The current therapies for traumatic carotid-cavernous sinus fistula (tCCF) yield a variable rate of recurrence and produce different results. We analyzed factors among traumatic head injury to identify the risk factors in recurrent tCCFs.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who were diagnosed with tCCFs from January 2004 to December 2014 in a tertiary referral center.

Use of barrier protection for sexual activity among women who have sex with women.

Objective: To assess the frequency and associations of barrier protection use during sexual activity in a population of women who have sex with women (WSW).

Methods: WSW were invited to participate in an international internet-based survey. Information regarding ethnodemographics, sexual health, and barrier use during sexual activities was collected.