World Neurosurg
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Review
Historical Overview of the only Neuro-Psycho-Pathology Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Neuro-Psycho-Pathology Center (NPPC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a 450-bed neuropsychiatric clinic that pioneered efforts to synergize various disciplines: neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychiatry, and psychiatry. It serves the brain and behavioral health needs of Congolese patients, and at its peak, the NPPC was a major domestic neuropsychiatry center that averaged 320 admissions annually. Financial and resources shortages have curtailed its functions at 10% of its real capacity. Our report accounts the NPPC's early vision, and we also highlight the ongoing challenges faced by this institution.
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Primary spine paragangliomas are rare tumors. Surgical resection plays a role, but aggressive lesions are challenging. We reviewed the literature on primary spine paragangliomas. ⋯ Surgical resection is effective and safe in treating primary spine paragangliomas; however, adjuvant treatments may be needed for aggressive lesions.
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COVID-19 has accelerated the use of telemedicine in all aspects of health care delivery, including initial surgical evaluation. No existing literature investigates the safety and efficacy of telemedicine to preoperatively evaluate spine surgery candidates. Our objectives were: (1) Compare the change in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores between the telemedicine preoperative visit and in-person preoperative visit groups. (2) Compare the average surgical time, estimated blood loss (EBL), length of hospital stay (LOS), rates of intraoperative complications, rates of readmission, and rates of reoperation between the telemedicine preoperative visit and in-person preoperative visit groups. ⋯ Preoperative evaluation via telemedicine leads to the same short-term surgical outcomes as in-person evaluation with no increased risk of surgical complications.
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PI3K-Akt signaling has been proved to be closely related to atherosclerosis, and hypertension has been shown to be an important risk factor for atherosclerosis. Studies have shown that genetic susceptibility is important in the etiology of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS). However, few candidate genes have been identified. In the present study, we explored latent connections between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PI3K-Akt-related genes and sICAS with hypertension in Han Chinese subjects. ⋯ The variant of the INSR rs3745551 loci might be crucial to the pathogenesis of sICAS with hypertension in Chinese Han populations. Furthermore, the C allele at this locus might be a potentially harmful variant in sICAS with hypertension.
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious disease of the central nervous system, often with irreversible loss of motor or sensory functions. Failure of axon connection and inhibition of the microenvironment after SCI severely hinder the regeneration of damaged tissue and neuron function. Therefore, a new perspective in the treatment of SCI is reconstruction of the neural circuit. ⋯ They also can secrete various factors to regulate the host microenvironment and play a therapeutic role. Biomaterials can fill the cavity at the site of SCI, load therapeutic drugs, provide adsorption sites for transplanted cells, and play a bridging role. In this review, the therapeutic role of stem cells and biomaterials is discussed, together with their properties, advantages, limitations, and future perspectives, providing a reference for basic and clinical research on SCI treatment.