Neuronavigated and Laparoscopic-Assisted Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Placement

Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain causing increased intracranial pressure, which can arise from a variety of causes, including congenital, acquired, or idiopathic pathologies. Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting is most commonly used to treat hydrocephalic patients, relieving the increased intracranial pressure by draining excess CSF from the ventricles to the peritoneal cavity. VP shunts are primarily completed using either an open or a more minimally invasive neuronavigated laparoscopic-assisted surgical technique. There is a high level of surgical complications, shunt failures and revision rates following VP shunting. It is suggested that different surgical techniques are associated with varying degrees of patient outcomes, surgical complications, and revision rates, with the less invasive laparoscopic-assisted approach producing improved results. We present our results on 14 consecutive hydrocephalic patients, analyzed retrospectively between 2017 and 2019, investigating the benefits offered by the neuronavigated laparoscopic-assisted insertion of VP shunts. Additionally, we explain our workflow and procedural technique. By investigating these differences, changes can be implemented in current routine procedures to ameliorate patient safety, surgical complications, and revision rates

Variations in caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents of coffees: what are we drinking?

The effect of roasting of coffee beans and the extraction of ground coffee with different volumes of hot pressurised water on the caffeine and the total caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) content of the resultant beverages was investigated. While caffeine was stable higher roasting temperatures resulted in a loss of CQAs so that the caffeine/CQA ratio was a good marker of the degree of roasting. The caffeine and CQA content and volume was determined for 104 espresso coffees obtained from coffee shops in Scotland, Italy and Spain, limited numbers of cappuccino coffees from commercial outlets and several instant coffees. The caffeine content ranged from 48–317 mg per serving and CQAs from 6–188 mg. It is evident that the ingestion of 200 mg of caffeine per day can be readily and unwittingly exceeded by regular coffee drinkers. This is the upper limit of caffeine intake from all sources recommended by US and UK health agencies for pregnant women. In view of the variable volume of serving sizes, it is also clear that the term “one cup of coffee” is not a reproducible measurement for consumption, yet it is the prevailing unit used in epidemiology to assess coffee consumption and to link the potential effects of the beverage and its components on the outcome of diseases. More accurate measurement of the intake of coffee and its potentially bioactive components are required if epidemiological studies are to produce more reliable information

Bioavailability of black tea theaflavins: absorption, metabolism, and colonic catabolism

Data obtained with in vitro fecal incubations and a feeding study indicate black tea theaflavin and its galloyl derivatives are not absorbed in detectable amounts in either the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract. The theaflavin skeleton is comparatively resistant to degradation by colonic bacteria with a 67% recovery being obtained after a 24 h incubation, which yielded 21 phenolic and aromatic catabolites. The theaflavin galloyl moiety was removed by the microbiota, and the released gallic acid further transformed to 3-O- and 4-O-methyl gallic acids, pyrogallol-1-sulfate and pyrogallol-2-sulfate, which were excreted in urine in amounts equivalent to 94% of intake. The main urinary product potentially derived from breakdown of the theaflavin skeleton was 3-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid. A number of the colonic catabolites originating from gallic acid and theaflavins has been reported to be bioactive in ex vivo and in vitro models with a variety of potential modes of action

Phylogenetic biodiversity assessment based on systematic nomenclature

Biodiversity assessment demands objective measures, because ultimately conservation decisions must prioritize the use of limited resources for preserving taxa. The most general framework for the objective assessment of conservation worth are those that assess evolutionary distinctiveness, e.g. Genetic (Crozier 1992) and Phylogenetic Diversity (Faith 1992), and Evolutionary History (Nee & May 1997). These measures all attempt to assess the conservation worth of any scheme based on how much of the encompassing phylogeny of organisms is preserved. However, their general applicability is limited by the small proportion of taxa that have been reliably placed in a phylogeny. Given that phylogenizaton of many interesting taxa or important is unlikely to occur soon, we present a framework for using taxonomy as a reasonable surrogate for phylogeny. Combining this framework with exhaustive searches for combinations of sites containing maximal diversity, we provide a proof-of-concept for assessing conservation schemes for systematized but un-phylogenised taxa spread over a series of sites. This is illustrated with data from four studies, on North Queensland flightless insects (Yeates et al. 2002), ants from a Florida Transect (Lubertazzi & Tschinkel 2003), New England bog ants (Gotelli & Ellison 2002) and a simulated distribution of the known New Zealand Lepidosauria (Daugherty et al. 1994). The results support this approach, indicating that species, genus and site numbers predict evolutionary history, to a degree depending on the size of the data set

Representing landslides as polygon (areal) or points? How different data types influence the accuracy of landslide susceptibility maps

In the literatures, discussions on the accuracy of different models for landslide analysis have been discussed widely. However, to date, arguments on the type of input data (landslides in the form of point or polygon) and how they affect the accuracy of these models can hardly be found. This study assesses how different types of data (point or polygon) applied to the same model influence the accuracy of the model in determining areas susceptible to landsliding. A total of 137 landslides was digitised as polygon (areal) units and then transformed into points; forming two separate datasets both representing the same landslides within the study area. These datasets were later separated into training and validation datasets. The polygon unit dataset uses the area density technique reported as percentage, while the point data uses the landslide density technique, as means of assigning weighting to landslide factor maps to generate the landslide susceptibility map that is based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model. Both data groups show striking differences in terms of mapping accuracy for both training and validation datasets. The final landslide susceptibility map using area density (polygon) as input only has 48% (training) and 35% (validation) accuracy. The accuracy for the susceptibility map using the landslide density as input data achieved 89% and 82% for both training and validation datasets, respectively. This result showed that the selection of the type of data for landslide analysis can be critical in producing an acceptable level of accuracy for the landslide susceptibility map. The authors hope that the finding of this research will assist landslide investigators to determine the appropriateness of the type of landslide data because it will influence the accuracy of the final landslide potential map

Wafer-scale metasurface for total power absorption, local field enhancement and single molecule Raman spectroscopy

The ability to detect molecules at low concentrations is highly desired for applications that range from basic science to healthcare. Considerable interest also exists for ultrathin materials with high optical absorption, e.g. for microbolometers and thermal emitters. Metal nanostructures present opportunities to achieve both purposes. Metal nanoparticles can generate gigantic field enhancements, sufficient for the Raman spectroscopy of single molecules. Thin layers containing metal nanostructures (“metasurfaces”) can achieve near-total power absorption at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Thus far, however, both aims (i.e. single molecule Raman and total power absorption) have only been achieved using metal nanostructures produced by techniques (high resolution lithography or colloidal synthesis) that are complex and/or difficult to implement over large areas. Here, we demonstrate a metasurface that achieves the near-perfect absorption of visible-wavelength light and enables the Raman spectroscopy of single molecules. Our metasurface is fabricated using thin film depositions, and is of unprecedented (wafer-scale) extent

Validity and reliability of computerized measurement of lumbar intervertebral disc height and volume from magnetic resonance images

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Magnetic resonance (MR) examinations of morphologic characteristics of intervertebral discs (IVDs) have been used extensively for biomechanical studies and clinical investigations of the lumbar spine. Traditionally, the morphologic measurements have been performed using time- and expertise-intensive manual segmentation techniques not well suited for analyses of large-scale studies.

Leading with sectoral transformation in the automotive supply chain: lessons from Brandauer

The transition to an electric vehicle (EV) production system from an internal combustion engine (ICE) production system will result in firms in the ICE supply chain gradually losing business and potentially closing with attendant job losses,unless they can secure alternative sources of revenue in or outside the automotive sector

Comparison of the prognostic value of tumour and patient related factors in patients undergoing potentially curative surgery for colon cancer

<b>Aim</b>: To comprehensively compare the prognostic value of tumour and patient-related factors in patients undergoing curative surgery for colon cancer. <b>Methods</b>: From a database of 287 patients who underwent elective resection between 1997-2005, tumour factors including stage and host factors including systemic inflammatory response (modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS)) were identified. <b>Results</b>: Median follow-up was 65 months. Over this time period 125 patients died, 80 from cancer. On multivariate analysis of all significant patient and tumour related factors, Dukes stage (P<0.01), vascular invasion (P<0.01), and the mGPS (P<0.01) were independently associated with cancer-survival. Of the patient-related factors, age (P<0.01), haemoglobin (P<0.01), white-cell (P<0.01), neutrophil (P<0.01) and platelet (P<0.01) counts and alkaline phosphatase (P<0.01) were most significantly associated with the mGPS. <b>Conclusion</b>: In addition to tumour-related factors such as Dukes stage and vascular invasion, the pre-operative mGPS should be included to guide prognosis in patients undergoing curative resection for colon cancer