Association Between Levodopa with Inotrope Prescription and Mechanical Ventilation Dependence in People with Parkinson's Disease upon Septic Shock.

: People with Parkinson's disease (PwP) face high risks of bacterial infections and septic shock, often requiring inotrope treatment and mechanical ventilation. The impact of levodopa on these critical care interventions remains unclear. : This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the Taipei Medical University Clinical Research Database to explore the relationship between levodopa prescription, inotrope treatment duration, and mechanical ventilation dependence in PwP who experienced septic shock.

Personalized Predictions of Therapeutic Hypothermia Outcomes in Cardiac Arrest Patients with Shockable Rhythms Using Explainable Machine Learning.

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) represents a critical therapeutic intervention for patients with cardiac arrest, although treatment efficacy and prognostic factors may vary between individuals. Precise, personalized outcome predictions can empower better clinical decisions. In this multi-center retrospective cohort study involving nine medical centers in Taiwan, we developed machine learning algorithms to predict neurological outcomes in patients who experienced cardiac arrest with shockable rhythms and underwent TH.

Identifying Risk Factors for Prolonged Length of Stay in Hospital and Developing Prediction Models for Patients with Cardiac Arrest Receiving Targeted Temperature Management.

Background: Prolonged length of stay (LOS) following targeted temperature management (TTM) administered after cardiac arrest may affect healthcare plans and expenditures. This study identified risk factors for prolonged LOS in patients with cardiac arrest receiving TTM and explored the association between LOS and neurological outcomes after TTM.

Methods: The retrospective cohort consisted of 571 non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients aged 18 years or older, treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), had a Glasgow Coma Scale score 8, or were unable to comply with commands after the restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and received TTM less than 12 hours after ROSC.

TIMECARD score: An easily operated prediction model of unfavorable neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with targeted temperature management.

Background: Targeted temperature management (TTM) is recommended for comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. Several prediction models have been proposed; however, most of these tools require data conversion and complex calculations. Early and easy predictive model of neurological prognosis in OHCA survivors with TTM warrant investigation.

Poststroke Cognitive Impairment: A Longitudinal Follow-Up and Pre/Poststroke Mini-Mental State Examination Comparison.

Background: Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a prevalent cause of disability in people with stroke. PSCI results from either lesion-dependent loss of cognitive function or augmentation of Alzheimer's pathology due to vascular insufficiency. The lack of prestroke cognitive assessments limits the clear understanding of the impact of PSCI on cognition.

Management of Refractory Status Epilepticus: An International Cohort Study (MORSE CODe) Analysis of Patients Managed in the ICU.

Background And Objectives: Status epilepticus that continues after the initial benzodiazepine and a second anticonvulsant medication is known as refractory status epilepticus (RSE). Management is highly variable because adequately powered clinical trials are missing. We aimed to determine whether propofol and midazolam were equally effective in controlling RSE in the intensive care unit, focusing on management in resource-limited settings.

Artificial neural network-boosted Cardiac Arrest Survival Post-Resuscitation In-hospital (CASPRI) score accurately predicts outcome in cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted temperature management.

Existing prognostic models to predict the neurological recovery in patients with cardiac arrest receiving targeted temperature management (TTM) either exhibit moderate accuracy or are too complicated for clinical application. This necessitates the development of a simple and generalizable prediction model to inform clinical decision-making for patients receiving TTM. The present study explores the predictive validity of the Cardiac Arrest Survival Post-resuscitation In-hospital (CASPRI) score in cardiac arrest patients receiving TTM, regardless of cardiac event location, and uses artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms to boost the prediction performance.

The Differences of CPR duration between Shockable and Nonshockable Rhythms in Predicting the Benefit of Target Temperature Management.

Background: Among cardiac arrest (CA) survivors, whether the combination of duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and shockable/nonshockable rhythms during resuscitation can help predict the benefit of targeted temperature management (TTM) remains un-investigated.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled 479 nontraumatic adult CA survivors with TTM and CPR duration < 60 min during January 2014 to June 2019 from the Taiwan network of targeted temperature ManagEment for CARDiac arrest (TIMECARD) registry. The differences of CPR duration between shockable and nonshockable rhythms in predicting outcomes in the studied population was evaluated.

Predicting the survivals and favorable neurologic outcomes after targeted temperature management by artificial neural networks.

Background: To identify the outcome-associated predictors and develop predictive models for patients receiving targeted temperature management (TTM) by artificial neural network (ANN).

Methods: The derived cohort consisted of 580 patients with cardiac arrest and ROSC treated with TTM between January 2014 and August 2019. We evaluated the predictive value of parameters associated with survival and favorable neurologic outcome.

Electrocerebral Signature of Cardiac Death.

Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) findings following cardiovascular collapse in death are uncertain. We aimed to characterize EEG changes immediately preceding and following cardiac death.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed EEGs of patients who died from cardiac arrest while undergoing standard EEG monitoring in an intensive care unit.

Identifying prognostic factors and developing accurate outcome predictions for in-hospital cardiac arrest by using artificial neural networks.

Background: Accurate estimation of neurological outcomes after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) provides crucial information for clinical management. This study used artificial neural networks (ANNs) to determine the prognostic factors and develop prediction models for IHCA based on immediate preresuscitation parameters.

Methods: The derived cohort comprised 796 patients with IHCA between 2006 and 2014.

Quantum Monte Carlo Simulations of the 2D Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Model.

Over the past several years, a new generation of quantum simulations has greatly expanded our understanding of charge density wave phase transitions in Hamiltonians with coupling between local phonon modes and the on-site charge density. A quite different, and interesting, case is one in which the phonons live on the bonds, and hence modulate the electron hopping. This situation, described by the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) Hamiltonian, has so far only been studied with quantum Monte Carlo in one dimension.

Ketamine to treat super-refractory status epilepticus.

Objective: To test ketamine infusion efficacy in the treatment of super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE), we studied patients with SRSE who were treated with ketamine retrospectively. We also studied the effect of high doses of ketamine on brain physiology as reflected by invasive multimodality monitoring (MMM).

Methods: We studied a consecutive series of 68 patients with SRSE who were admitted between 2009 and 2018, treated with ketamine, and monitored with scalp EEG.

Deep cerebral microbleeds are associated with poor cholinesterase inhibitor treatment response in people with Alzheimer disease.

Objectives: Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) are the most effective treatment for Alzheimer disease (AD), but the response to treatment varies. Vascular lesions are associated with the pathogenesis of AD, and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are an indicator of hemorrhagic vascular pathology, which can be detected through susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (SWMRI). This study investigated the association between CMBs and ChEI treatment response in patients with AD.

Cerebral Microbleeds are Associated with Postural Instability and Gait Disturbance Subtype in People with Parkinson's Disease.

Objectives: The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) vary among patients and have been categorized into 3 subtypes: tremor dominant, akinetic rigidity, and postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD). Cerebral microbleed (CMB) is prevalent in people with PD and is associated with some nonmotor symptoms. The present study investigated the association between CMB and the motor subtypes of PD.

Low-density lipoprotein level on admission is not associated with postintravenous thrombolysis intracranial hemorrhage in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Intravenous thrombolysis with the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the gold standard for acute ischemic stroke. However, its application is limited because of the concern of the post-tPA intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Low low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been speculated to increase the risk of hemorrhagic transformation after ischemic stroke.

The risk of intravenous thrombolysis-induced intracranial hemorrhage in Taiwanese patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysm.

Background: The presence of an intracranial aneurysm is contraindicated to recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) treatment for acute ischemic stroke. However, it is difficult to exclude asymptomatic intracranial aneurysms by using conventional, noncontrast head computed tomography (CT), which is the only neuroimaging suggested before r-tPA. Recent case reports and series have shown that administering r-tPA to patients with a pre-existing aneurysm does not increase the bleeding risk.