World Neurosurg
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Discontinuous thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) is diagnosed according to the number and distribution of involved segments seen on magnetic resonance images. When TOLF causes thoracic myelopathy, surgical intervention for these lesions becomes unavoidable. However, there are few reports on the outcomes of surgery for discontinuous TOLF. ⋯ The surgical outcome of staged decompression for discontinuous TOLF seems to be better than that of simultaneous decompression. The complication rates of these 2 strategies are similar.
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To report clinical outcomes of temozolomide (TMZ)-based radio-chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with aggressive/high-risk low-grade glioma (LGG). ⋯ Upfront TMZ-based concurrent radio-chemotherapy and adjuvant TMZ chemotherapy provides acceptable survival outcomes in aggressive/high-risk LGG with modest toxicity.
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After the official announcement of the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, the disease impacted most aspects of health care delivery, especially postgraduate education and training. ⋯ Our study showed that educational activities significantly decreased and shifted toward virtual teaching methods. Operative volume showed a substantial reduction for both junior and senior residents. Academic and clinical teaching was the main concern for PDs, and they faced challenges interviewing newly matched residents.
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It is well-established that deep brain stimulation (DBS) can improve motor function in those with Parkinson disease (PD); however, its effects on gastrointestinal disorders remain unclear. ⋯ A delayed gastric emptying time is associated with greater PD severity. Antiparkinsonian medications did not affect gastric emptying in patients with PD. STN DBS can improve both movement function and gastrointestinal motility in patients with PD in the long term. The exact mechanism by which DBS improves gastric emptying requires further exploration.
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We evaluated the effect of the total psoas area index (TPAI = total psoas muscle area [cm2]/height squared [m2]) on neurological complications and clinical outcomes after lateral lumbar interbody fusion and identified the appropriate TPAI to achieve a substantial clinical benefit (SCB). ⋯ The TPAI had little effect on the incidence of perioperative neurological complications. However, the TPAI was identified as one of the predictors for achieving an SCB regarding back pain.