Frontiers in neurology
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2018
Clinical Trial of the Virtual Integration Environment to Treat Phantom Limb Pain With Upper Extremity Amputation.
Background: Phantom limb pain (PLP) is commonly seen following upper extremity (UE) amputation. Use of both mirror therapy, which utilizes limb reflection in a mirror, and virtual reality therapy, which utilizes computer limb simulation, has been used to relieve PLP. We explored whether the Virtual Integration Environment (VIE), a virtual reality UE simulator, could be used as a therapy device to effectively treat PLP in individuals with UE amputation. ⋯ The same user reported an increase in PLP and RLP across sessions. All participants who denied RLP at baseline (n = 3) continued to deny RLP at each study session. Conclusions: Success with the VIE system confirms its application as a non-invasive and low-cost therapy option for PLP and phantom limb symptoms for individuals with upper limb loss.
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2018
New or Blossoming Hemorrhagic Contusions After Decompressive Craniectomy in Traumatic Brain Injury: Analysis of Risk Factors.
Background: The development or expansion of a cerebral hemorrhagic contusion after decompressive craniectomy (DC) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs commonly and it can result in an unfavorable outcome. However, risk factors predicting contusion expansion after DC are still uncertain. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with the growth or expansion of hemorrhagic contusion after DC in TBI. ⋯ Conclusions: The presence of an acute subdural hematoma was associated with an increasing rate of new or expanded hemorrhagic contusions after DC. The total volume of hemorrhagic contusions > 20 cc before surgery was an independent and extremely accurate predictive radiological sign of contusion blossoming in decompressed patients for severe TBI. After DC, the patients who develop new or expanding contusions presented an increased risk for unfavorable outcome.
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2018
ReviewMulti-Center Pre-clinical Consortia to Enhance Translation of Therapies and Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury: Operation Brain Trauma Therapy and Beyond.
Current approaches have failed to yield success in the translation of neuroprotective therapies from the pre-clinical to the clinical arena for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Numerous explanations have been put forth in both the pre-clinical and clinical arenas. Operation Brain Trauma Therapy (OBTT), a pre-clinical therapy and biomarker screening consortium has, to date, evaluated 10 therapies and assessed three serum biomarkers in nearly 1,500 animals across three rat models and a micro pig model of TBI. ⋯ In this review, important concepts related to consortium infrastructure, modeling, therapy selection, dosing and target engagement, outcomes, analytical approaches, reproducibility, and standardization will be discussed, with a focus on strategies to embellish and improve the chances for future success. We also address issues spanning the continuum of care. Linking the findings of optimized pre-clinical consortia to novel clinical trial designs has great potential to help address the barriers in translation and produce successes in both therapy and biomarker development across the field of TBI and beyond.
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Objective: The performance of the Sudoscan technology for diagnosing diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) was evaluated against the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART). Furthermore, the association of Sudoscan with two clinical neuropathy scoring systems was evaluated. Methods: Forty-seven patients with type 2 diabetes (20 without DPN, 27 with DPN) and 16 matched controls were examined for neuropathic symptoms and for the extent of sensory deficits. ⋯ Conclusions: Sudoscan shows a good performance in detecting subjects with DPN and it correlates well with clinical signs and symptoms of neuropathy. Significance: This study provides evidence that Sudoscan has high potential to be used as screening tool for DPN and possibly also for small fiber neuropathy in diabetic patients. HIGHLIGHTS - The sudomotor function test Sudoscan shows a good performance to detect diabetes peripheral neuropathy.- Sudoscan measures significantly correlate with clinical signs and symptoms of neuropathy.- The Sudoscan technology may help to secure clinical diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy.
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2018
Automated Long-Term EEG Review: Fast and Precise Analysis in Critical Care Patients.
Background: Ongoing or recurrent seizure activity without prominent motor features is a common burden in neurological critical care patients and people with epilepsy during ICU stays. Continuous EEG (CEEG) is the gold standard for detecting ongoing ictal EEG patterns and monitoring functional brain activity. However CEEG review is very demanding and time consuming. ⋯ Two reviewers showed substantial IRA for RPP (0.68-0.72), whereas the other two showed moderate agreement (0.45-0.54), compared to the gold standard (p < 0.001). MRA showed almost perfect agreement for burst suppression (0.86) and moderate agreement for RPP (0.54) and unequivocal ictal EEG patterns (0.57). Conclusions: We demonstrated the clinical feasibility of an automatic critical care EEG pattern detection method on two levels: (1) reasonable high agreement compared to the gold standard, (2) reasonable short review times compared to previously reported EEG review times with conventional EEG analysis.