Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Dutch Version of the Core Outcome Measures Index for the Neck in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Degenerative Disease of the Cervical Spine.

Objective: To perform the psychometric validation of the Dutch version of the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) for the neck.

Methods: A total of 178 patients, who had an indication for surgery due to degenerative cervical spinal disease, were enrolled in the study. They filled in a baseline booklet containing the Dutch version of the COMI-neck, Likert-scales for neck and arm/shoulder pain, the Neck Disability Index (NDI), the EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) and the 12-item Short Form health survey (SF-12).

Renal Dysfunction is the Strongest Prognostic Factor After Carotid Artery Stenting According to Real-World Data.

Purpose: Through the progression of devices, the adaptation of carotid artery stenting (CAS) has been expanded according to the non-inferiority of CAS for carotid endarterectomy reported by several randomized control trials. To maintain favorable outcomes, identifying prognostic factors is essential for optimizing treatment indications and periprocedural management. This study focused on the prognostic factors of CAS using real-world data.

Innovative Biological Treatment Methods for Degenerative Disc Disease.

Low back pain is the leading cause of work absences and years lived with disability, and it is often associated with degenerative disc disease. In recent years, biological treatment approaches such as the use of growth factors, cell injections, annulus fibrosus (AF) repair, nucleus pulposus replacement, and tissue-engineered discs have been explored as means for preventing or reversing degenerative disc disease. Both animal and clinical studies have shown promising results for cell-based therapy on the grounds of its regenerative potential.

Fundamentals of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

Lumbar disc degeneration is one of the leading causes of chronic low back pain. The degenerative cascade is often initiated by an imbalance between catabolic and anabolic processes in the intervertebral discs. As a consequence of extracellular matrix degradation, neoinnervation and neovascularization take place.

Benefits of an interdisciplinary stroke clinic: addressing a gap in physical therapy at post-stroke neurology follow-up.

Background And Purpose: An interdisciplinary stroke clinic (ISC) can improve communication and identify people post-stroke who have not reached their full recovery potential. We describe the characteristics of participants who underwent physical therapy (PT) evaluation in addition to their outpatient neurology evaluation and identify the association of assessment scales that predicted referral for additional rehabilitation.

Methods: Participants' post-stroke seen in the ISC were included in the study.

Neurosurgeons' opinions on discussing sexual health among brain tumor patients: Room for improvement?

Background: As sexual health is an important aspect of general quality of life, discussing and treating sexual health issues should also be part of the oncological care given to patients. It is unknown to what extent neurosurgeons discuss sexual health issues with patients suffering from brain tumors.

Methods: A 25-question survey was sent to members of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons by email.

Patient preferences for treatment of lumbar disc herniation: a discrete choice experiment.

Objective: Lumbar discectomy is a frequently performed procedure to treat sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniation. Multiple surgical techniques are available, and the popularity of minimally invasive surgical techniques is increasing worldwide. Clinical outcomes between these techniques may not show any substantial differences.

Correlation between leg pain at rest and spinal nerve edema in symptomatic lumbar foraminal stenosis.

Background: Previous studies reported that spinal nerve edema on magnetic resonance myelography (MRM) and leg pain at rest were specifically observed in symptomatic lumbar foraminal stenosis patients. However, the correlation between leg pain at rest and spinal nerve edema in symptomatic foraminal stenosis has not been reported.

Hypothesis: The purpose of this prospective study is to reveal a correlation between leg pain at rest and spinal nerve edema focusing on the pathophysiology of symptomatic foraminal stenosis.

Cervical Spine Trauma in East Africa: Presentation, Treatment, and Mortality.

Background: Cervical spine trauma (CST) leads to devastating neurologic injuries. In a cohort of CST patients from a major East Africa referral center, we sought to () describe presentation and operative treatment patterns, () report predictors of neurologic improvement, and () assess predictors of mortality.

Methods: A retrospective, cohort study of CST patients presenting to a tertiary hospital in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, was performed.

Nonsurgical treatment of cerebral ischemia associated with ACTA2 cerebral arteriopathy: a case report and literature review.

Mutations in ACTA2 gene can lead to multisystemic smooth muscle dysfunction, including cerebrovascular disease. Treatment strategies for this rare entity remain controversial, and patients are at increasing risk of neurological sequelae. We herein present the case of an 11-year-old boy previously diagnosed with an ACTA2 gene mutation who developed repetitive transient ischemic attacks and treated with bosentan, an oral endothelin receptor antagonist.

Compromised anti-tumor-immune features of myeloid cell components in chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a form of myeloproliferative neoplasm caused by the oncogenic tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors have dramatically improved the prognosis of patients with CML, several problems such as resistance and recurrence still exist. Immunological control may contribute to solving these problems, and it is important to understand why CML patients fail to spontaneously develop anti-tumor immunity.

Cerebral perfusion changes in chronic dizziness: A single-photon emission computed tomography study.

Background And Purpose: Dizziness may persist even after the causative vestibular imbalance subsides. Although the precise mechanism of chronic dizziness is unknown, various cerebral activity changes associated with it have been reported. To understand its mechanism in the absence of the causative vestibular imbalance, we compared cerebral changes in chronic dizziness with and without persistent vestibular imbalance.

An autopsied FTDP-17 case with MAPT IVS 10 + 14C > T mutation presenting with frontotemporal dementia.

•We report the immunohistochemical and biochemical features of an FTDP-17 case with MAPT IVS 10 + 14C > T mutation.•Postmortem examination of the patient with bvFTD revealed diffuse neuronal and glial 4-repeat tau pathology similar to CBD.•The structure of tau filaments associated with MAPT IVS 10 + 14C > T mutation was characterized by electron microscopy.

Leukodystrophies in Children: Diagnosis, Care, and Treatment.

Leukodystrophies are a group of genetically determined disorders that affect development or maintenance of central nervous system myelin. Leukodystrophies have an incidence of at least 1 in 4700 live births and significant morbidity and elevated risk of early death. This report includes a discussion of the types of leukodystrophies; their prevalence, clinical presentation, symptoms, and diagnosis; and current and future treatments.

Ten-Step Minimally Invasive Treatment of Lumbar Giant Disc Herniation via Unilateral Tubular Laminotomy for Bilateral Decompression: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Giant disc herniation (GDH) is generally defined as a lumbar disc herniation that obstructs 50% or more of the space in the spinal canal.1-3 Common treatment options for GDH include unilateral interlaminar approach, bilateral approach, or open full laminectomy.4,5 Surgical treatment of GDH may be challenging because severe bilateral compression of neural elements in the spinal canal increases the risk of iatrogenic injury to nerve roots and dura.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Dutch version of the Core Outcome Measures Index for the back (COMI -back) in patients undergoing surgery for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine.

Introduction: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are the preferred outcomes measured in patients with lumbar spinal degenerative diseases. As PROMs can be lengthy and therefore pose a burden to patients and researchers, short and standardized PROMs are needed, such as the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI).

Research Question: Is the Dutch version of the COMI-back a reliable and responsive PROM to measure outcomes in lumbar degenerative spinal surgery?

Methods: After translating and cross-cultural adapting the COMI-back into Dutch, patients who were on the waiting-list for lumbar decompression surgery in a secondary referral center, were enrolled in the validation study.

Pathomechanism and Biomechanics of Degenerative Disc Disease: Features of Healthy and Degenerated Discs.

The human intervertebral disc (IVD) is a complex organ composed of fibrous and cartilaginous connective tissues, and it serves as a boundary between 2 adjacent vertebrae. It provides a limited range of motion in the torso as well as stability during axial compression, rotation, and bending. Adult IVDs have poor innate healing potential due to low vascularity and cellularity.

Outcomes following upfront radiation versus monitoring in atypical meningiomas: 16-year experience at a tertiary medical center.

Background: The role of postoperative upfront radiotherapy (RT) in the management of gross totally resected atypical meningiomas remains unclear. This single-center retrospective review of newly diagnosed histologically confirmed cases of World Health Organization (WHO) Grade II atypical meningioma at Weill Cornell Medicine from 2004 to 2020 aims to compare overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of postoperative upfront RT versus observation, stratified by resection status (gross total resection [GTR] vs subtotal resection [STR]).

Methods: Ninety cases of atypical meningioma were reviewed (56% women; median age 61 years; median follow-up 41 months).

Pathogenic Effect of Gene Variants in People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Objective: To identify novel disease associated loci for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we used sequencing data and performed in vitro and in vivo experiments to demonstrate pathogenicity of mutations identified in .

Methods: We analyzed exome sequences of 87 patients with sporadic ALS and 324 controls, with confirmatory sequencing in independent ALS cohorts of >2,800 patients. For the top hit, , a regulator of apoptosis and differentiation and a binding partner and homolog of the tumor suppressor gene , we assayed mutation effects using in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome following ChAdOx1-S/nCoV-19 Vaccine.

As of April 22, 2021, around 1.5 million individuals in three districts of Kerala, India had been vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines. Over 80% of these individuals (1.

Celiac Disease in Children: An Association With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy.

Background: Neurological manifestations are commonly reported in patients with celiac disease (CD). We aimed to characterize epilepsy features in a pediatric population with CD and the effect of a gluten-free diet (GFD) on seizure burden.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on pediatric patients treated at the University of Utah and Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, with both epilepsy and CD and compared with a control group with epilepsy only.

A Retrospective Evaluation and Review of Outcomes for Single- and Multilevel ACDF With a Zero-Profile Stand-Alone Cage Device With Integrated Instrumentation.

This study aimed to assess clinical and radiological outcomes associated with zero-profile stand-alone cages with instrumentation used for single- and multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) operations. Many plate-cage ACDF systems have proven to be successful in producing high fusion rates and positive clinical outcomes. However, the anterior plating in traditional systems has been associated with complications such as dysphagia and mechanical accidents.

Elastic Image Fusion Software to Coregister Preoperatively Planned Pedicle Screws With Intraoperative Computed Tomography Data for Image-Guided Spinal Surgery.

Background: For complex spinal cases, especially when robotic guidance is used, preoperative planning of pedicle screws can be helpful. Transfer of these preoperatively planned pedicle screws to intraoperative 3-dimensional imaging is challenging because of changes in anatomic alignment between preoperative supine and intraoperative prone imaging, especially when multiple levels are involved. In the spine, where each individual vertebra is subject to independent movement from adjacent level, rigid image fusion is confined to a single vertebra and can display fusion inaccuracies on adjacent levels.

Interspinous Process (ISP) Devices in Comparison to the Use of Traditional Posterior Spinal Instrumentation.

A systematic literature review was conducted on studies comparing interspinous process (ISP) devices to traditional methods of posterior spinal instrumentation (pedicle screw-rod construct), in terms of indications of use, complications, pain assessment, estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, reoperation rates, and return to work. The objective was to analyze, evaluate and summarize the current published literature on the proposed efficacy and clinical and surgical long-term outcomes of the ISP device in comparison to the traditional posterior spinal instrumentation (pedicle screw-rod construct). The ISP device is a minimally invasive and less disruptive alternative to traditional methods of posterior spinal instrumentation (pedicle screw-rod construct).