Development of differentiated surgical technique for treating patients with multilevel degenerative diseases of cervical spine

Background. Currently, there is no uniform tactics for the differentiated use of dorsal decompressive-stabilizing techniques for multilevel degenerative diseases of the cervical spine, and the results of these technologies application are largely controversial.Aim. Analysis of the unsatisfactory outcomes of dorsal decompressive-stabilizing interventions in the treatment of patients with multilevel degenerative diseases of the cervical spine and development of a clinical-instrumental algorithm for differentiated surgical tactics.Material and Methods. A retrospective study included 112 patients with degenerative diseases of the cervical spine at two levels or more due to hernias of intervertebral discs, yellow ligament hypertrophy and arthrosis of facet joints, which in 2007–2014 underwent dorsal decompressive-stabilizing interventions in the volume of laminotomy with laminoplasty (LP) and laminectomy with fixation for lateral masses (LF). A correlation analysis of clinical parameters with anamnestic data, instrumental parameters, a feature of accepted surgical tactics and postoperative adverse effects.Results. In the analysis, it was established that "satisfactory" postoperative outcomes of LP are associated with a neutral or lordotic configuration of the cervical spine, the preservation of segmental movements without clinical and instrumental signs of instability. In addition, the use of LF is possible with mobile kyphotization of the cervical spine and the presence of translational instability of the cervical segments. The "unsatisfactory" postoperative results of the LP and LF are in direct correlation with the duration of the disease, the presence of myelopathic focus and rigid kyphosis of the cervical region.Conclusion. Differential use of dorsal decompressive-stabilizing techniques based on a comprehensive assessment of disease duration, configuration of the cervical spine, spinal cord condition and volume of segmental movements allows to reduce neurological symptoms, improve the level of pain and improve the functional status of patients, as well as significantly reduce the number of adverse outcomes associated with the progression of kyphotic deformity, deterioration of neurological symptoms and revision on-line decompressive-stabilizing interventions

Developing an Individual Neurosurgical Strategy in Patients With a Two-Level Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease

Background: Little is written about substantiated clinical and biometric indications for dynamic stabilization, rigid fixation, and their combinations in patients with two-level degenerative disease of the cervical intervertebral discs (IVD).Objective: To study the risk factors for poor outcomes of two-segment interventions (total disk arthroplasty, TDA; anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, ACDF; and their combination) in patients with two-level degenerative diseases of the cervical IVD; to develop a custom clinical and instrumental assessment strategy for future interventions.Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes in 118 patients with a two-level degenerative disease of the cervical IVD, who underwent TDA (n = 37), ACDF (n = 41), and their combination (n = 40) from 2005 to 2015. After this analysis, we built a mixed effects logistic regression model to identify and assess the impact of various risk factors on poor clinical outcomes in each intervention.Results: TDA correlated with favorable outcomes in patients with cervical lordosis over 12 °; I–III grade IVD changes according to Pfirrmann scale; I–II grade facet joints (FJ) changes according to Pathria criteria; no FJ tropism; segmental movements amplitude > 8 °; interbody space height ≤ 6 mm, and with no central spinal stenosis/spine interventions. Favorable ACDF outcomes may be achieved in patients with cervical lordosis ≥ 7 °; more than III grade IVD changes according to Pfirrmann scale; more than II grade changes in FJ according to Pathria criteria; segmental movements amplitude ≤ 8 °; interbody space height < 6 mm. FJ tropism, central spinal stenosis, and history of spine interventions do not affect ACDF outcomes.Conclusions: An individual approach to TDA, ACDF, and their combination as well as comprehensive preoperative clinical and instrumental assessment in patients with a two-level degenerative IVD disease contribute to the effective resolution of existing neurological symptoms, which reduced the pain severity in the cervical region and upper limbs, improve the patients’ functional status and quality of life in the late postoperative period, and reduce the number of postoperative complications and reinterventions

ГЕМАТОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НЕЖЕЛАТЕЛЬНЫЕ ЛЕКАРСТВЕННЫЕ РЕАКЦИИ ПРИ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИИ ИНГИБИТОРОВ ФАКТОРА РОСТА ЭНДОТЕЛИЯ СОСУДОВ И ЦИТОСТАТИЧЕСКИХ ПРЕПАРАТОВ В ЛЕЧЕНИИ ГЛИОБЛАСТОМЫ: СИСТЕМАТИЧЕСКИЙ ОБЗОР

Several studies have shown that the use of inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor (Vascular Endothelial Gowth Factor, VEGF) in the treatment of glioblastoma results in a significant increase in the rate of progression-free survival. However, administration of anti-VEGF agents is associated with the development of a wide range of adverse drug reactions (ADR), among which, hematotoxic ADR is the most common.The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review based on the results of randomized controlled clinical studies on the type and frequency of hematotoxic ADRs associated with anti-VEGF and chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of glioblastoma.Material and Methods. Pubmed, EMBASE, Cohrane Library and eLibrary databases were used to identify reports from randomized controlled clinical studies on the safety of anti-VEGF drugs as the main/auxiliary treatment for patients with glioblastoma, and published from January 2008 to August 2019. The main criteria for inclusion of studies in the systematic review were determined.Results. The combined data analysis included 13 randomized controlled clinical trials. The average incidence of hematotoxic ADRs associated with anti-VEGF agents in monotherapy for glioblastoma was 27.7 %. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were the most common types of ADR. The average incidence of hematotoxic ADRs associated with cytotoxic drugs in monotherapy for glioblastoma was 48.1 %, and lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia were the main types of hematotoxic ADRs. The average incidence of hematotoxic ADRs associated with the combined use of anti-VEGF and chemotherapeutic drugs was 46.2 %. In this case, the most common ADRs were thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and anemia. The use of a combination of anti-VEGF, chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy was associated with the development of hematotoxic ADRs with an average incidence of 12.3 %. The most common ADR was severe thrombocytopenia.Conclusion. The use of anti-VEGF drugs as monotherapy for glioblastoma was associated with a lower incidence of hematotoxic ADRs. In this case, bevacizumab was the safest anti-VEGF agent in relation to hematotoxicity. The highest incidence of hematotoxic ADRs is observed for a combination of antiVEGF and cytotoxic drugs, such as cediranib with lomustine and bevacizumab with carboplatin. Эффективность использования ингибиторов фактора роста эндотелия сосудов (Vascular Endothelial Gowth Factor, VEGF) в терапии глиобластомы за счет достоверного увеличения показателя выживаемости без прогрессирования наглядно продемонстрирована в ряде исследований. Применение анти-VEGF агентов ассоциировано с развитием ряда нежелательных лекарственных реакций (НЛР), среди которых наибольшую распространенность имеют гематологические.Цель исследования – выполнить систематический обзор, основанный на результатах рандомизированных контролируемых клинических исследований, которые изучают виды и частоту встречаемости гематологических НЛР при использовании анти-VEGF и химиотерапевтических агентов в терапии глиобластомы.Материал и методы. Выполнен поиск рандомизированных контролируемых клинических исследований в базах данных Pubmed, EMBASE, Cohrane Library и eLibrary, опубликованных в период с января 2008 г. по август 2019 г., касающихся безопасности применения анти-VEGF лекарственных средств в качестве основного/вспомогательного способа лечения пациентов с глиобластомой. Сформированы основные критерии соответствия включения исследований в настоящий систематический обзор.Результаты. В объединенный анализ данных включены 13 рандомизированных контролируемых клинических исследований. Средняя частота гематологических НЛР при использовании анти-VEGF агентов в качестве монотерапии глиобластомы составила 27,7 %, основными видами НЛР являлись нейтропения и тромбоцитопения. Средняя частота гематологических НЛР при применении цитотостатиков равнялась 48,1 %, при этом чаще всего наблюдались лимфопения и тромбоцитопения. Средняя частота гематологических НЛР при комбинированном использовании анти-VEGF и химиотерапевтических препаратов составила 46,2 %, в основном возникали тромбоцитопения, нейтропения и анемия. При сочетанном применении анти-VEGF, химиотерапевтических препаратов и лучевой терапии гематологических НЛР в среднем возникали в 12,3 % случаев, чаще всего наблюдалась тромбоцитопения тяжелой степени.Заключение. Применение анти-VEGF препаратов в виде монотерапии глиобластомы ассоциировано с меньшей частотой гематологических НЛР. При этом наиболее безопасным анти-VEGF агентом является бевацизумаб. Наибольшая частота гематологических НЛР характерна для комбинации анти-VEGF и цитостатических препаратов, таких как цедираниб с ломустином и бевацизумаб с карбоплатином.

Genes Suggest Ancestral Colour Polymorphisms Are Shared across Morphologically Cryptic Species in Arctic Bumblebees

email Suzanne orcd idCopyright: © 2015 Williams et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Bombus cullumanus—an extinct European bumblebee species?

International audienceBombus cullumanus s. str. has attracted some of the greatest conservation concerns among bumblebees in Europe because it might now be extinct. However, there has been long-standing disagreement about whether it is conspecific with other eastern pale-banded bumblebees. We investigate these relationships using new data from DNA (COI) barcodes. The results support a Nearctic rufocinctus-group (Bombus rufocinctus) and a Palaearctic cullumanus-group, the latter with just three species: Bombus semenoviellus, Bombus unicus and B. cullumanus s. l. (including several differently coloured taxa). We conclude that, although any persisting B. cullumanus cullumanus s. str. might be a regional conservation priority within Europe, nevertheless, because the species remains common elsewhere within its range in Asia, globally a higher conservation priority should be given to B. unicus, which is genetically more distinct and appears to have a much smaller population in the Russian Far East

HEMATOTOXIC ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR INHIBITORS AND CYTOTOXIC DRUGS IN THE TREATMENT OF GLIOBLASTOMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Several studies have shown that the use of inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor (Vascular Endothelial Gowth Factor, VEGF) in the treatment of glioblastoma results in a significant increase in the rate of progression-free survival. However, administration of anti-VEGF agents is associated with the development of a wide range of adverse drug reactions (ADR), among which, hematotoxic ADR is the most common.The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review based on the results of randomized controlled clinical studies on the type and frequency of hematotoxic ADRs associated with anti-VEGF and chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of glioblastoma.Material and Methods. Pubmed, EMBASE, Cohrane Library and eLibrary databases were used to identify reports from randomized controlled clinical studies on the safety of anti-VEGF drugs as the main/auxiliary treatment for patients with glioblastoma, and published from January 2008 to August 2019. The main criteria for inclusion of studies in the systematic review were determined.Results. The combined data analysis included 13 randomized controlled clinical trials. The average incidence of hematotoxic ADRs associated with anti-VEGF agents in monotherapy for glioblastoma was 27.7 %. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were the most common types of ADR. The average incidence of hematotoxic ADRs associated with cytotoxic drugs in monotherapy for glioblastoma was 48.1 %, and lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia were the main types of hematotoxic ADRs. The average incidence of hematotoxic ADRs associated with the combined use of anti-VEGF and chemotherapeutic drugs was 46.2 %. In this case, the most common ADRs were thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and anemia. The use of a combination of anti-VEGF, chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy was associated with the development of hematotoxic ADRs with an average incidence of 12.3 %. The most common ADR was severe thrombocytopenia.Conclusion. The use of anti-VEGF drugs as monotherapy for glioblastoma was associated with a lower incidence of hematotoxic ADRs. In this case, bevacizumab was the safest anti-VEGF agent in relation to hematotoxicity. The highest incidence of hematotoxic ADRs is observed for a combination of antiVEGF and cytotoxic drugs, such as cediranib with lomustine and bevacizumab with carboplatin

Retracted: Comparison Outcomes of Discover Total Disk Arthroplasty and Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion in Surgical Treatment of Cervical Disk Degenerative Disease: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

RetractedThe purpose — to compare the effectiveness of Discover cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) and anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) in the surgical treatment of cervical intervertebral disk (IVD) degenerative disease.Study design — a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Material and Methods. Randomized clinical trials were conducted in the Pubmed, EMBASE, ELibrary and Cochrane Library databases published from 2008 to October 2018, which compared the results of Discover CDA and ACDF techniques in the surgical treatment of cervical IVD degenerative disease. For dichotomous variables, the relative risk and 95% confidence interval were calculated, standardized difference of mean values and their 95% confidence interval were used for continuous variables using the random effects model.Results. This meta-analysis included 9 randomized controlled clinical trials, including the results of surgical treatment of 513 patients with degenerative disease of the cervical IVD. In the CDA group, the operation time was significantly shorter, in contrast to the group of patients who underwent ACDF (p<0.0001). The values of blood loss (p = 0.89), levels of quality of life for patients according to the Neck Disability Index (NDI) (p = 0.22), severity of pain in the cervical spine (p = 0.50) and upper limbs on a visual analogue scale (VAS) (p = 0.16), as well as the prevalence of secondary surgical procedures (p = 0.68) and adverse events (p = 0.40) between the compared groups did not have significant differences. At the same time, significantly large values of the range of motion at the operated level were noted in the CDA group (p<0.00001).Conclusion. Discover CDA in comparison with ACDF has a significantly large values of range of motion at the operated level. At the same time, there were no statistically significant differences in the NDI scores, VAS pain scores in cervical spine and upper limbs, and the prevalence of secondary surgical procedures and adverse events between the compared groups of respondents were not identified

The Impact of Smoking on Radiological Outcomes in Patients After Total Arthroplasty of the Cervical Intervertebral Discs

Objective: to investigate the impact of smoking on radiological outcomes in patients after one- and two-level total arthroplasty (ТА) of the cervical intervertebral discs.Material and methods. A single-center retrospective observational cohort study was performed. The study included 127 medical records of patients who had undergone one- or two-level TA of the cervical intervertebral discs for their degenerative disease. The medical records were divided into two groups: 32 smokers and 95 nonsmokers.Results. No statistically significant differences were found in the values of cervical lordosis and the movement amplitude of the operated segments in the postoperative period. Comparing the values of the movement amplitude of the operated segments in the group of smoking patients demonstrated significant pre- and postoperative differences in the values of the above radiological parameter (p = 0.017). Comparing the rates of loss of segmental motion of the operated segments and the incidence of heterotopic ossification did not reveal any significant differences. Analysis of Kaplan-Meier curves showed no statistically significant differences between the types of implants used in smoking patients.Conclusion. Smoking has no statistically significant impact on radiological outcomes in patients after one- or two-level ТА of the cervical intervertebral discs

Laser application in neurosurgery

BACKGROUND: Technological innovations based on light amplification created by stimulated emission of radiation (LASER) have been used extensively in the field of neurosurgery. METHODS: We reviewed the medical literature to identify current laser-based technological applications for surgical, diagnostic, and therapeutic uses in neurosurgery. RESULTS: Surgical applications of laser technology reported in the literature include percutaneous laser ablation of brain tissue, the use of surgical lasers in open and endoscopic cranial surgeries, laser-assisted microanastomosis, and photodynamic therapy for brain tumors. Laser systems are also used for intervertebral disk degeneration treatment, therapeutic applications of laser energy for transcranial laser therapy and nerve regeneration, and novel diagnostic laser-based technologies (e.g., laser scanning endomicroscopy and Raman spectroscopy) that are used for interrogation of pathological tissue. CONCLUSION: Despite controversy over the use of lasers for treatment, the surgical application of lasers for minimally invasive procedures shows promising results and merits further investigation. Laser-based microscopy imaging devices have been developed and miniaturized to be used intraoperatively for rapid pathological diagnosis. The multitude of ways that lasers are used in neurosurgery and in related neuroclinical situations is a testament to the technological advancements and practicality of laser science