Preoperative imaging biomarkers combined with tap test for predicting shunt surgery outcome in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: a multicenter retrospective study.

Objectives: The study aims to investigate the predictive performance of preoperative imaging features combined with tap test for the outcomes of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, 166 iNPH patients who underwent VP shunt surgery between August 2019 and November 2023 were included. Preoperative clinical characteristics and imaging features were collected.

Specific endophenotypes in EEG microstates for methamphetamine use disorder.

Background: Electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates, which reflect large-scale resting-state networks of the brain, have been proposed as potential endophenotypes for methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). However, current endophenotypes lack refinement at the frequency band level, limiting their precision in identifying key frequency bands associated with MUD.

Methods: In this study, we investigated EEG microstate dynamics across various frequency bands and different tasks, utilizing machine learning to classify MUD and healthy controls.

Effect of Cluster Nursing Based on Multidisciplinary Management Strategy on Perioperative Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Objective: To observe the effect of cluster nursing based on multidisciplinary management strategy in perioperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention and control in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Methods: A total of 263 gastrointestinal cancer patients admitted to our hospital between January 2022 and September 2023 were included in the study. The patients were stratified into a control group (n=118) and a quality improvement group (n=145).

Magnetic Resonance-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy Using Dual-Wavelength Dual-Output Laser Within Two Probe Trajectories for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy.

Objective: Magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) is a novel tool and a minimally invasive treatment to drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). The focus of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the newly developed dual-wavelength dual-output MRgLITT system LaserRO within two probe trajectories in treating DRE patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis conducted at a single center, examining patients with DRE who received treatment with the LaserRO MRgLITT system.

An Overview of MR-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (MRg-LITT) in Disrupting the Blood-Brain Barrier: Efficacy and Duration.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a selectively semi-permeable layer, crucial in shielding the brain from external pathogens and toxic substances while maintaining ionic homeostasis and sufficient nutrient supply. However, it poses a significant challenge for drugs to penetrate the BBB in order to effectively target brain tumors. Magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRg-LITT) is a minimally invasive technique that employs thermal energy to cauterize intracranial lesions with the potential to temporarily disrupt the BBB.

Speech decoding using cortical and subcortical electrophysiological signals.

Introduction: Language impairments often result from severe neurological disorders, driving the development of neural prosthetics utilizing electrophysiological signals to restore comprehensible language. Previous decoding efforts primarily focused on signals from the cerebral cortex, neglecting subcortical brain structures' potential contributions to speech decoding in brain-computer interfaces.

Methods: In this study, stereotactic electroencephalography (sEEG) was employed to investigate subcortical structures' role in speech decoding.

Reduced-Reference Learning for Target Localization in Deep Brain Stimulation.

This work proposes a supervised machine learning method for target localization in deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS is a recognized treatment for essential tremor. The effects of DBS significantly depend on the precise implantation of electrodes.

Modeling and experimental validation of 1,064 nm laser interstitial thermal therapy on brain tissue.

Introduction: Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) at 1064 nm is widely used to treat epilepsy and brain tumors; however, no numerical model exists that can predict the ablation region with careful in vivo validation.

Methods: In this study, we proposed a model with a system of finite element methods simulating heat transfer inside the brain tissue, radiative transfer from the applicator into the brain tissue, and a model for tissue damage.

Results: To speed up the computation for practical applications, we also validated P1-approximation as an efficient and fast method for calculating radiative transfer by comparing it with Monte Carlo simulation.

ChatGPT's potential role in non-English-speaking outpatient clinic settings.

Researchers recently utilized ChatGPT as a tool for composing clinic letters, highlighting its ability to generate accurate and empathetic communications. Here we demonstrated the potential application of ChatGPT as a medical assistant in Mandarin Chinese-speaking outpatient clinics, aiming to improve patient satisfaction in high-patient volume settings. ChatGPT achieved an average score of 72.

Individualized targeting is warranted in subcallosal cingulate gyrus deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: A tractography analysis.

Subcallosal cingulate gyrus (SCG) is a target of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment-resistant depression. However, previous randomized controlled trials report that approximately 42% of patients are responders to this therapy of last resort, and suboptimal targeting of SCG is a potential underlying factor to this unsatisfactory efficacy. Tractography has been proposed as a supplementary method to enhance targeting strategy.

Inhibition of TANK-binding kinase1 attenuates the astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammatory response through YAP signaling after spinal cord injury.

Aims: TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is involved in regulating the pathological process of a variety of inflammatory diseases in the central nervous system. However, its role and underlying molecular mechanisms in spinal cord injury (SCI) remain largely unknown.

Methods: We employed the TBK1 inhibitor amlexanox (ALX) to address this question.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Advanced Parkinson Disease in Developing Countries: A Cost-Effectiveness Study From China.

Background: The cost-effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is more favorable than best medical treatment (BMT) for advanced Parkinson disease (PD) in developed countries. However, it remains unclear in developing countries, where the cost of DBS may not be reimbursed by health care system.

Objective: To model and evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of DBS for advanced PD in China from a patient payer perspective.

Long Non-coding RNA H19 Promotes NLRP3-Mediated Pyroptosis After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Rats.

NLRP3 inflammasomes have been reported to be an essential mediator in the inflammatory response during early brain injury (EBI) following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Recent studies have indicated that NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 can participate in the inflammatory response. However, the roles and functions of lncRNA H19 in NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis during EBI after SAH are unknown and need to be further elucidated.

Evaluation of the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward epilepsy among nurses.

Background: The standard of care provided to patients with chronic epilepsy might be affected by clinical nurses' understanding, awareness, and attitudes toward the condition. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward chronic epilepsy among clinical nurses in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-eight nurses from the neurosurgery, neurology, epilepsy center, other internal medicine and other surgery department working at our hospital participated in this descriptive and cross-sectional study in 2022.

White Matter Tracts Associated With Deep Brain Stimulation Targets in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed as a last-resort treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) and has shown potential antidepressant effects in multiple clinical trials. However, the clinical effects of DBS for MDD are inconsistent and suboptimal, with 30-70% responder rates. The currently used DBS targets for MDD are not individualized, which may account for suboptimal effect.

The Accuracy of Imaging Guided Targeting with Microelectrode Recoding in Subthalamic Nucleus for Parkinson's Disease: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Accurate electrode targeting was essential for the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS). There is ongoing debate about the necessary of microelectrode recording (MER) in subthalamic nucleus (STN)-DBS surgery for accurate targeting.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the accuracy of imaging-guided awake DBS with MER in STN for Parkinson's disease in a single center.

On-Site Biolayer Interferometry-Based Biosensing of Carbamazepine in Whole Blood of Epileptic Patients.

On-site monitoring of carbamazepine (CBZ) that allows rapid, sensitive, automatic, and high-throughput detection directly from whole blood is of urgent demand in current clinical practice for precision medicine. Herein, we developed two types (being indirect vs. direct) of fiber-optic biolayer interferometry (FO-BLI) biosensors for on-site CBZ monitoring.

Outcomes of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in Patients With Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus 2 Years After Surgery.

To evaluate the outcomes and prognostic factors of ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VP-shunts) in patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) at 6 months and 2 years after surgery. We retrospectively analyzed 68 patients admitted to our institute and diagnosed with probable iNPH from January 2017 to March 2021. All patients underwent VP-shunt surgery with a programmable valve, and their outcomes were assessed via the Krauss index and modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 6 months and 2 years post-surgery.

Ventriculosternal Shunt for the Treatment of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Case Report.

Conventional corticospinal fluid (CSF) diversion surgery for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) includes ventriculoperitoneal shunt and ventriculoatrial shunt. Ventriculosternal (VS) shunt may be considered if both the abdominal cavity and atrium are not feasible. A 76-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with gait disturbance and urinary incontinence for 2 years, and the condition aggravated in the last 1 month.

A connectomic analysis of deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used as a treatment of last resort for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) for more than a decade. Many DBS targets have been proposed and tested clinically, but the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unclear. Uncovering white matter tracts (WMT) activated by DBS targets may provide crucial information about the circuit substrates mediating DBS efficacy in ameliorating TRD.

Sylvian Fissure Meningiomas: Case Report and Literature Review.

Meningiomas are primary intracranial tumors derived from arachnoid cap cells or meningothelial cells and usually display dural attachment. However, a small proportion of meningiomas that arise from the Sylvian fissure do not manifest dural attachment. Sylvian fissure meningiomas are relatively rare and have differential characteristics as compared with typical meningiomas.