Neurosurgery
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Observational Study
Trial Readiness in Cavernous Angiomas With Symptomatic Hemorrhage (CASH).
Brain cavernous angiomas with symptomatic hemorrhage (CASH) are uncommon but exact a heavy burden of neurological disability from recurrent bleeding, for which there is no proven therapy. Candidate drugs to stabilize the CASH lesion and prevent rebleeding will ultimately require testing of safety and efficacy in multisite clinical trials. Much progress has been made in understanding the epidemiology of CASH, and novel biomarkers have been linked to the biological mechanisms and clinical activity in lesions. Yet, the ability to enroll and risk-stratify CASH subjects has never been assessed prospectively at multiple sites. Biomarkers and other outcomes have not been evaluated for their sensitivity and reliability, nor have they been harmonized across sites. ⋯ The timing cannot be more opportune, with therapeutic targets identified, exceptional collaboration among researchers and the patient community, along with several drugs ready to benefit from development of a path to clinical testing using this network in the next 5 years.
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Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a progressive and potentially treatable neurodegenerative disease affecting elderly people, characterized by gait impairment and ventricular enlargement in brain imaging. Similar findings are seen in some patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). ⋯ SCZ seems to occur 3 times more frequently among iNPH patients compared to the general aged population in Finland. The outcome of the treatment was not affected by comorbid SCZ and therefore iNPH patients suffering from comorbid SCZ should not be left untreated. These results merit validation in other populations. In addition, further research towards the potential connection between these chronic conditions is warranted.
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Bibliometrics is defined as the study of statistical and mathematical methods used to quantitatively analyze scientific literature. The application of bibliometrics in neurosurgery continues to evolve. ⋯ This study represents the most comprehensive bibliometric assessment of neurosurgical resident academic productivity during training to date. New benchmarks for individual and department academic productivity are provided. A supportive research environment for neurosurgical residents is associated with increased academic productivity, but a scholarly activity requirement was, surprisingly, not shown to have a positive effect.
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There is controversy over the optimal treatment strategy for patients with mild degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). ⋯ Mild DCM is associated with significant impairment in quality of life. Surgery results in significant gains in functional status, level of disability, and quality of life.
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Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignancy of the brain, with a dismal prognosis. Immunomodulation via checkpoint inhibition has provided encouraging results in non-CNS malignancies, but prediction of responders has proven to be challenging in glioblastoma patients. ⋯ The failure of recent trials of immune therapies in glioblastoma underscores the need to appropriately measure response in the treated tissue. This trial may provide insight on indicators of which patients will respond to immune therapy.