The SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin improves cardiac energy status via mitochondrial ATP production in diabetic mice.

Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor developed, has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease. Several studies have suggested that empagliflozin improves the cardiac energy state which is a partial cause of its potency. However, the detailed mechanism remains unclear.

Glycolytic System in Axons Supplement Decreased ATP Levels after Axotomy of the Peripheral Nerve.

Wallerian degeneration (WD) occurs in the early stages of numerous neurologic disorders, and clarifying WD pathology is crucial for the advancement of neurologic therapies. ATP is acknowledged as one of the key pathologic substances in WD. The ATP-related pathologic pathways that regulate WD have been defined.

Excess intracellular ATP causes neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury.

Intractable neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (NP-SCI) reduces a patient's quality of life. Excessive release of ATP into the extracellular space evokes neuroinflammation via purinergic receptor. Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the initiation and maintenance of NP.

Tentorial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Presenting with Venous Congestive Edema of the Upper Cervical Cord.

Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is an aggressive vascular lesion causing progressive neurological deficits. Venous congestive cervical edema is a rare phenomenon caused by tentorial DAVF. Obliteration of the fistula and venous drainage should be the goal of treatment.

Cortical bone trajectory fixation cause low compression force in anterior vertebral column.

Background: The cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screws follow a caudocephalad and lateral path from the pedicle to the vertebral body. The bone fusion rate of CBT fixation is equal to or lower than conventional pedicle screw fixation. It remains unclear whether or not CVT screws exert equally compressive forces across the vertebral column.

An increase in the posterior subarachnoid space accelerates the timing of syrinx resolution after foramen magnum decompression of type I Chiari malformation.

Syrinx resolution has been associated with an increase in the size of the posterior subarachnoid space (pSAS) after foramen magnum decompression (FMD) for type I Chiari malformation (CM1). The present study investigated the influence of pSAS increase on syrinx resolution and symptom improvement after FMD. 32 patients with CM1 with syrinx were analyzed retrospectively.

Rostro-caudal different energy metabolism leading to differences in degeneration in spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury gradually spreads away from the epicentre of injury. The rate of degeneration on the rostral side of the injury differs from that on the caudal side. Rostral degeneration is an immediate process, while caudal degeneration is delayed.

[Two Cases of Venous Malformation of the Orbit Treated by Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery].

Venous malformation of the orbit(VMO), previously called orbital cavernous hemangioma, has been classified as a vascular malformation according to the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies. Among various surgical approaches for VMO, endoscopic endonasal surgery(EES)has recently been developed, especially for those in the inferomedial quadrant of the orbit. Two 67-year-old and 69-year-old women presented with decreased visual acuity and visual field deficit, respectively.

Conservative and Surgical Management of Spinal Cord Cavernous Malformations.

Objectives: We present a case series of spinal cord cavernous malformations (SCCMs) to describe clinical presentation and outcomes of both surgical and conservative management.

Methods: The clinical courses of patients diagnosed with SCCMs at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Neurologic symptoms were evaluated using the Modified McCormick Scale.

A Sufficient Surgical Window for Deep-Seated Extracranial Schwannomas in the Craniocervical Junction by the Anterolateral Approach.

Care should be taken regarding surrounding anatomic structures during access to deepseated extracranial schwannomas in the craniocervical junction (CCJ). Herein, we present surgical tips for extracranial schwannomas in the CCJ using the anterolateral approach. A retrospective review was performed of 3 cases of surgical treatment of extracranial schwannomas in the CCJ by the anterolateral approach, which is a presternomastoid retrojugular route to the CCJ.

Automatic diagnosis of neurological diseases using MEG signals with a deep neural network.

The application of deep learning to neuroimaging big data will help develop computer-aided diagnosis of neurological diseases. Pattern recognition using deep learning can extract features of neuroimaging signals unique to various neurological diseases, leading to better diagnoses. In this study, we developed MNet, a novel deep neural network to classify multiple neurological diseases using resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals.

Motor evoked potential and voluntary EMG activity after olfactory mucosal autograft transplantation in a case of chronic, complete spinal cord injury: case report.

The efficacy of olfactory mucosal autografts (OMAs) for chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) has been reported, but there is no report documenting electrophysiological conductivity via the emergence of motor evoked potentials (MEPs). We report the case of a 39-year-old man with chronic, complete SCI at T8, who exhibited MEPs after OMA transplantation, and, with intensive rehabilitation, was ultimately able to ambulate with short leg braces and Lofstrand crutches. The initial injury occurred in a motor vehicle accident in November 1999 and resulted in a complete loss of sensorimotor function below T8.

Promotion of astrocytoma cell invasion by micro RNA-22 targeting of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2.

OBJECTIVE Diffuse astrocytomas (DAs) have a high recurrence rate due to diffuse infiltration into the brain and spinal cord. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by binding to complementary sequences of target messenger RNA (mRNA). It has been reported that miRNA-22 (miR-22) is involved in the invasion of some cancer cell lines.

Significance of the Pars Interarticularis in the Cortical Bone Trajectory Screw Technique: An Insertional Torque Study.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Purpose: Cortical bone trajectory (CBT), a more medial-to-lateral and shorter path than the traditional one for spinal fusion, is thought to be effective for severely degenerated vertebrae because screws are primarily stabilized at the posterior elements. We evaluated the efficacy of this approach through insertional torque measurement.

A case of T2 radiculopathy after anterior C5-6 fusion.

Thoracic radiculopathy is a rare entity. Symptomatic adjacent-segment disease after anterior cervical fusion occurs commonly in the lower cervical spine segment. We describe the clinical presentation and treatment of T2 radiculopathy after C5-6 anterior fusion.

Radiological Evaluation of the Initial Fixation between Cortical Bone Trajectory and Conventional Pedicle Screw Technique for Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Purpose: To compare initial fixation using the cortical bone trajectory (CBT) technique versus conventional pedicle screws (PS) in radiographs of postsurgical lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Overview Of Literature: Few reports have documented the holding strength of CBT technique for spondylolisthesis cases.

A Pilot Clinical Study of Olfactory Mucosa Autograft for Chronic Complete Spinal Cord Injury.

Recent studies of spinal cord axon regeneration have reported good long-term results using various types of tissue scaffolds. Olfactory tissue allows autologous transplantation and can easily be obtained by a simple biopsy that is performed through the external nares. We performed a clinical pilot study of olfactory mucosa autograft (OMA) for chronic complete spinal cord injury in eight patients according to the procedure outlined by Lima et al.

Clear Zone Formation around Screws in the Early Postoperative Stages after Posterior Lumbar Fusion Using the Cortical Bone Trajectory Technique.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Purpose: To evaluate the initial fixation using the cortical bone trajectory (CBT) technique for posterior lumbar fusion through assessment of the clear zones around the screws and the risk factors involved.

Overview Of Literature: Postoperative radiolucent zones (clear zones) are an indicator of poor conventional pedicle screw fixation.

"Do Not Follow the Tail": A Practical Approach to Remove a Sheared Lumbar Catheter Fragment Avoiding Its Migration into the Spinal Canal.

Background: Catheter shearing is one of the most common complications of various neurosurgical modalities that use an intrathecal lumbar catheter. The sheared catheter fragment often can spontaneously migrate into the spinal canal; however, in some cases, the end of the fragment will remain outside the spinal canal. In this situation, the consulting neurosurgeons may try to retrieve the catheter fragment by approaching it directly through the catheter tract.

Extramedullary Conus Ependymoma Involving a Lumbar Nerve Root with Filum Terminale Attachment.

Purpose: In the current report, we describe a case of an extramedullary ependymoma involving a lumbar nerve root near conus medullaris. Spinal ependymomas commonly present as intramedullary tumors in the cervical or thoracic cord or as tumors arising from the conus medullaris or the filum terminale. In this case, we showed an extramedullary conus ependymoma involving a lumbar nerve root with filum terminale attachment.

Isthmus-guided Cortical Bone Trajectory Reduces Postoperative Increases in Serum Creatinine Phosphokinase Concentrations.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether an isthmus-guided cortical bone trajectory (CBT) technique provides better clinical outcomes than the original cortical bone trajectory CBT technique for screw fixation.

Methods: A consecutive series of 21 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis who had undergone CBT screw fixation using the original technique from June 2012 to February 2013 and 33 who had undergone the isthmus-guided technique from March 2013 to August 2014 was retrospectively reviewed. The number of screws inserted, interbody fusion and screw misplacements, amount of blood loss, and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) ratios (postoperative day 1 CPK/preoperative CPK) were reviewed to evaluate clinical outcomes and compared between the original and isthmus-guided CBT techniques.

Cervical osteomyelitis with thoracic myelitis and meningitis in a diabetic patient.

A 45-year-old man with a history of untreated diabetes mellitus had a persisting fever, back pain, and diarrhea. The primary care physician diagnosed the patient with the flu and gastroenteritis. The patient developed paraplegia for two weeks and was admitted to another hospital.