Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of percutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation for neck pain relief in patients with cervical spondylosis.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (PNMES) for treating neck pain in patients with cervical spondylosis (CS). ⋯ The results of this study demonstrated that PNMES is more effective than Sham PNMES for neck pain relief in patients with CS.
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The assessment of pain in patients with brain injury is challenging due to impaired ability to communicate. We aimed to test the reliability and validity of the critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) and the bispectral index (BIS) for pain detection in critically brain-injured patients. This prospective observational study was conducted in a neurosurgical intensive care unit in a University-Affiliated Hospital. ⋯ Both CPOT and BIS increased significantly after suctioning (all P < .001) but remained unchanged after gentle touching (P ranging from .06 to .14). Our criterion and discriminant validity results supported the use of CPOT and BIS to detect pain in critically brain-injured patients. Combining use of CPOT and BIS in different ways might provide comprehensive pain assessment for different purposes.
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We described the treatment rationale and procedure for a phase II study of docetaxel plus ramucirumab for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastasis (RAMNITA study: University Information Network Clinical Trials Registry identification no. [UMIN]: 000024551). Combination therapy of angiogenetic inhibitor with chemotherapy improved the outcome of patients with brain metastasis in previous reports; however, the efficacy of ramucirumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 monoclonal antibody, for brain metastasis has not been shown. ⋯ The protocol was approved by the institutional review board of each study center. Written informed consent will be obtained from all patients before registration, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Case Reports
Bilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachment due to unusual retinal degeneration in Down syndrome: A case report.
The aim of this study was to report a case of Down syndrome (DS) complicated with bilateral retinal detachment (RD) due to unusual retinal degeneration. ⋯ In this case, the retinal degeneration was morphologically different from retinal lattice degeneration, thus suggesting that it might be involved in the onset of DS-related bilateral RD.
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The abrupt onset of sensorimotor deficits is a neurologic emergency that requires immediate management. Acute spontaneous spinal cord infarction (SCI) is rare, but can cause the sudden onset of quadriplegia or quadriparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential imaging modality to diagnose SCI. ⋯ MRI with DWI of the spine should be considered for an early diagnosis of SCI. A combination of DWI with ADC maps is recommended to distinguish SCI from other differential disorders.