Articles: neuralgia.
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Although the association between multiple sclerosis and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is well established, little is known about TN pain characteristics and postoperative pain outcomes after microvascular decompression (MVD) in patients with TN and other autoimmune diseases. In this study, we aim to describe presenting characteristics and postoperative outcomes in patients with concomitant TN and autoimmune disease who underwent an MVD. ⋯ Patients with concomitant TN and autoimmune disease were more likely to have Type 2 TN, had worse postoperative BNI pain scores at the final follow-up after MVD, and were more likely to experience recurrent pain than patients with TN alone. These findings may influence postoperative pain management decisions for these patients and support a possible role for neuroinflammation in TN pain.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have transformed health care with applications in various specialized fields. Neurosurgery can benefit from artificial intelligence in surgical planning, predicting patient outcomes, and analyzing neuroimaging data. GPT-4, an updated language model with additional training parameters, has exhibited exceptional performance on standardized exams. This study examines GPT-4's competence on neurosurgical board-style questions, comparing its performance with medical students and residents, to explore its potential in medical education and clinical decision-making. ⋯ GPT-4 significantly outperformed medical students, neurosurgery residents, and the national average of SANS users. The mode's accuracy suggests potential applications in educational settings and clinical decision-making, enhancing provider efficiency, and improving patient care.
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This study aims to assess the incidence of neuropathic pain, vasomotor symptoms, and sympathetic skin responses (SSR) in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 infection and contrast these findings with healthy controls. The study encompassed 56 post-COVID-19 patients and 40 healthy controls (group 1: post-COVID-19 patients, and group 2: healthy controls). The presence of autonomic dysfunction symptoms (ADS) and orthostatic hypotension following COVID-19 infection was documented in group 1. ⋯ Furthermore, a positive correlation was established between the latencies of the left median nerve SSR and ADS scores (R = 0.339, P = .014). The SSR patterns were congruous between healthy individuals and post-COVID-19 patients. However, a higher prevalence of autonomic dysfunction symptoms and correlations among SSR, autonomic dysfunction scores, fatigue, and forgetfulness levels were identified among post-COVID-19 patients.
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The significance of hyperactive astrocytes in neuropathic pain is crucial. However, the association between medullary astrocytes and trigeminal neuralgia (TN)-related pain processing is unclear. Here, we examined how optogenetic inhibition of medullary astrocytes in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) regulates pain hypersensitivity in an infraorbital nerve (ION) constricted TN model. ⋯ The yellow laser-driven inhibition of TNC astrocytes markedly improved behavioral responses and regulated thalamic neuronal responses. Halorhodopsin-mediated inhibition in medullary astrocytes may modify the nociceptive input transmitted through the trigeminothalamic tract and pain perception. Taken together, these findings imply that this subpopulation in the TNC and its thalamic connections play a significant role in regulating the trigeminal pain circuitry, which might aid in the identification of new therapeutic measures in TN management.
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The treatment of neuropathic pain remains a major unmet need that the development of personalized and refined treatment strategies may contribute to address. ⋯ Recent data indicate that various new treatment strategies based on predictive biological and/or clinical markers could be helpful to better personalized and therefore improve the management of neuropathic pain.