The Safety and Efficacy of Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion versus Cervical Laminoplasty Surgery in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Prospective Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence of whether degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is best treated through cervical laminoplasty (CLP) or cervical laminectomy with lateral mass fusion due to the lack of prospective randomized studies that are well designed. We conducted the largest prospective randomized trial to date to determine the comparative effectiveness and safety of both approaches. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized trial, we randomly assigned patients who had symptoms or signs of DCM to undergo either cervical laminectomy and lateral mass fixation (CLF) or CLP. The primary outcome measures were the change in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), neck disability index, modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score, and Nurick’s myelopathy grading 1 year after surgery. The secondary outcome measures were the intraoperative, post-operative complications, hospital stay, C2-7 Cobb’s angle, and Odom’s criteria. The follow-up period was at least 1 year. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (mean age, 54.5 ± 5.5 years, 70% of men) underwent prospective randomization. There was a significantly greater improvement in neck pain (VAS) in the CLF group at 1 year (p < 0.05). The improvement in the mJOA and Nurick’s myelopathy grading showed insignificant improvement between both groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the patient’s post-operative satisfaction (Odom’s criteria). The mean operative time was significantly longer in the CLF group (p < 0.001), with no significant difference in the post-operative complications, however, there was a higher rate of C5 palsy, dural tear and infection in the CLF, and a higher rate of instrumentation failure in the CLP. The mean hospital stay was significantly longer in the posterior group (p < 0.05). Finally, there was a significant better improvement in the C2-7 Cobb’s angle at 1 year in the CLF group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among patients with multilevel DCM, the CLF approach was significantly better regarding the post-operative pain and Cobb’s angle while the CLP was significantly better in terms of shorter hospital stay and operative time

Spice Foods effects on Body Weight Reductions between Obese Animal Models

The aim of this study was determination and identification of phenolic and flavonoids fraction in addition to the antioxidant activities of used herbals (curcumin, black pepper and cumin) by HPLC in addition to evaluating the effects of such different spicy food consumptions on body weight reduction between obese animal models. Rats were randomly divided to ten groups fed; Black Papers, Cumin and Curcumin either alone or in different mixtures additionally to groups fed Orlistat (control body weight loss), Non-obese negative control group (C-ve) and Obese control positive group (C+ve). Blood glucose and body weight levels were measured at the beginning and end of the experimental in addition to rats’ lipid profiles (total cholesterol; triglycerides;, high dense lipoprotein cholesterol; low dense lipoprotein cholesterol; and very low dense lipoprotein cholesterol). Results presented that obese models received (Cumin)  Cu/( Curcumin ) Cur mixture have the biggest effective significant treatment (about -80% body weight reduction  ) followed by both groups fed mixtures of (Curcumin ) Cur/( Black Papers ) Bp  and (Curcumin) Cur/( Black Papers ) Bp/( Cumin ) Cu; decreased by -68.0 and -65.6g respectively. The study could be more valuable causing significant body weight reduction between obese models, however human studies are needed

Importance of Micronutrients, Organic Manure and Biofertilizer for Improving Maize Yield and its Components Grown in Desert Sandy Soil

Abstract: A field experiment was carried out on a desert sandy soil at Ismailia Agric. Res. Station during the summer season of 2008 to evaluat

Replacement Value of Urea Treated Corn with Cobs for Concentrate Feed Mixture in Pregnant Ewes Rations

Abstract: Two trials were carried out to evaluate the effect of feeding urea treated corn with cobs (UCC) as 50% (T2) or total replacement (T3) of pelleted concentrate feed mixture (CFM) compared to the conventional diets (CFM) on its production and reproduction performance. Rice straw was offered separately from the concentrate. Evaluation criteria included DM intake and utilization, ruminal fermentation characteristics, milk yield, birth, weaning and marketing weight and feed efficiency. In the first trial, 27 Ossimi, ewes beginning 45 days before expected day of lambing were assigned to the control, T2 and T3 diets. The milk was measured on day 14 post partum and once every week up to the 12 th week. The growth experimental periods were 137 day in duration using 15 weaned lambs. The selected lambs were allocated to the same three. In digestibility trial, 9 adult rams were allocated to three tested diets. In vivo digestibility, nutrients digestibility were different among diets. Feeding values (TDN) was greater for T3 followed by control diet whereas the highest DCP was recorded for T2. Feeding UCC had no effect on ruminal parameter in terms of pH, NH3 and total FVA`s across the sampling time except for NH3-N. The replacement of CFM by UCC resulted in insignificant higher (p≤0.05) lambs birth weight T3 (3.44 kg) but lower milk yield T3 (436 g /day). The lower birth weight lambs control group (p ≤ 0.05) tended to grow faster and perform higher weaning as compared to the treated group. In growth trail, feeding UCC diets reduced ADG approximately 10% compared to control. The results indicated that DM, TDN and DCP needed produce 1 kg gain almost 5 to 10% better than the corresponding items from T2 and T3. Replacement of CFM in pregnant and growing lamps rations with UCC would be cost effective as cost UCC is only at 60% less than cost of CFM

Management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: current state-of-the-art care for optimizing visual outcomes and therapies in development.

Contemporary management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has evolved significantly over the last few years. The goal of treatment is shifting from merely salvaging vision to maintaining a high quality of life. There have been significant breakthroughs in the identification of viable drug targets and gene therapies. Imaging tools with near-histological precision have enhanced our knowledge about pathophysiological mechanisms that play a role in vision loss due to AMD. Visual, social, and vocational rehabilitation are all important treatment goals. In this review, evidence from landmark clinical trials is summarized to elucidate the optimum modern-day management of neovascular AMD. Therapeutic strategies currently under development, such as gene therapy and personalized medicine, are also described

The Effectiveness of Levosimendan on Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Management and Outcome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) provides a temporary support system for patients with cardiogenic shock refractory to conventional medical therapies. It has been reported that levosimendan may facilitate VA-ECMO weaning and improve survival. The primary objective of this review was to examine the effect of levosimendan use on VA-ECMO weaning and mortality in critically ill patients on VA-ECMO. Design: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched. A pair of reviewers identified eligible clinical trials. Two reviewers extracted data and independently assessed the risk of bias. A random-effect model was used to combine data. The primary outcome was the success of weaning from VA-ECMO. Measurements and Main Results: Seven studies of observational design, including a total of 630 patients, were selected in the final analysis. The sample size ranged from ten-to-240 patients, with a mean age between 53 and 65 years, and more than half of them underwent cardiac surgeries. The VA-ECMO durations varied between four and 11.6 days. Overall, levosimendan use was significantly associated with successful weaning compared with control (odds ratio [OR] 2.89, 95% CI, 1.53-5.46; poverall effect = 0.001); I2 = 49%). For survival, six studies (n = 617) were included in the meta-analysis involving 326 patients in the levosimendan group and 291 in the comparator group. Pooled results showed a significantly higher survival rate in the levosimendan group (OR 0.46, 95% CI, 0.30-0.71; poverall effect = 0.0004; I2 = 20%). Conclusions: Levosimendan therapy was significantly associated with successful weaning and survival benefit in patients with cardiogenic or postcardiotomy shock needing VA-ECMO support for severe cardiocirculatory compromise. To date, there is limited literature and absence of evidence from randomized trials addressing the use of levosimendan in VA-ECMO weaning. This study may be considered a hypothesis-generating research for randomized controlled trials to confirm its findings

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 3-arylidene chromen-2, 4-dione derivatives

Abstract: Derivatives of 3-arylidene chromen-2, 4-dione 1 were synthesized to be used as a starting material for synthesizing some new fused heterocyclic compounds containing coumarin moiety. When compounds 1 reacted with hydrazine derivatives, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, urea, thiourea, semicarbazide and thiosemicarbazide it gave the corresponding compounds 2-5. Compound 4a, b reacted with methyl iodide in DMF and K2CO3 at room temperature to afford the corresponding 6a, b. All these compounds were screened InVitro for their antibacterial activity

Letter: The Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Neurosurgeons Worldwide

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or be any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.The aim of our study was to explore the impact of this pandemic on neurosurgeons with the hope of improving preparedness for future crisis. We created a 20-question survey designed to explore demographics (nation, duration and scope of practice, and case-burden), knowledge (source of information), clinical impact (elective clinic/surgery cancellations), hospital preparedness (availability of personal protective equipment [PPE] and cost of the supplies), and personal factors (financial burden, workload, scientific and research activities). The survey was first piloted with 10 neurosurgeons and then revised. Surveys were distributed electronically in 7 languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish) between March 20 and April 3, 2020 using Google Forms, WeChat used to obtain responses, and Excel (Microsoft) and SPSS (IBM) used to analyze results. All responses were cross-verified by 2 members of our team. After obtaining results, we analyzed our data with histograms and standard statistical methods (Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression). Participants were first informed about the objectives of our survey and assured confidentiality after they agreed to participate (Helsinki declaration). We received 187 responses from 308 invitations (60.7%), and 474 additional responses were obtained from social media-based neurosurgery groups (total responses = 661). The respondents were from 96 countries representing 6 continents (Figure ​(Figure11A-​A-11C)

Circulating levels of liver enzymes and incidence of atrial fibrillation: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort

Elevated levels of circulating liver enzymes have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Their possible association with atrial fibrillation (AF) has received little attention