J Formos Med Assoc
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Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) has been shown to produce long-term symptom improvement in Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to identify the target symptoms that show the most improvement at 1 year and at 5 years after STN-DBS. ⋯ The long-term effect of STN-DBS on motor function is promising, although the magnitude of its effectiveness varied over the 5-year period.
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Mannitol is commonly used in patients with increased intracranial pressure (ICP), but its effect on cerebrovascular pressure reactivity (CVPR) is uncertain. We analyzed the changes of pressure reactivity index (PRx) during the course of mannitol treatment. ⋯ Despite lowering ICP, mannitol may have diverse effects on CVPR in patients with intracranial hypertension. Our study suggests that mannitol infusion may have a beneficial effect on CVPR, particularly in those with a low cerebral perfusion pressure at baseline.
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Tracheal intubation is a critical life-saving invasive procedure. Medical students generally obtain the skill of performing tracheal intubation in the operating theater during their anesthesiology rotation. In this study, we sought to characterize medical students' skill acquisition of tracheal intubation. ⋯ Medical students acquired the ability of tracheal intubation and overcame major challenges through cumulative clinical practice of the procedure.
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To clarify the relationship between neuroimaging findings, neuropsychiatric comorbidities, and epilepsy in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in Taiwan. ⋯ ASD is a common comorbidity in TSC. Cortical tubers in the temporal lobe and insular area were associated with ASD. The presence of cystic-like tubers on magnetic resonance imaging may also offer a structural marker for ASD in TSC.
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In order to reduce the contamination in the ventilator, bacterial filters were placed on the expiratory limb of a ventilator circuit. Aerosolized mucolytic agents may increase the resistance of the ventilator. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of aerosolized mucolytic agents on the pressure change during mechanical ventilation. ⋯ This study demonstrated the aerosolized mucolytic agents could increase the pressure drop of the bacterial filters during mechanical ventilation. The pressure drop of the bacterial filters was higher with 10% acetylcysteine. It is critical to continuously monitor the expiration resistance, auto-positive end-expiratory pressure, and ventilator output waveform when aerosolized 10% acetylcysteine was used in mechanical ventilation patients.