Home-based cycling program tailored to older people with lumbar spinal stenosis: Barriers and facilitators

Background

Lumbar-flexion-based endurance training, namely cycling, could be effective in reducing pain and improving function and health-related quality of life in older people with chronic low back pain.

Is Going Beyond Rasch Analysis Necessary to Assess the Construct Validity of a Motor Function Scale?

Objective

To examine whether a Rasch analysis is sufficient to establish the construct validity of the Motor Function Measure (MFM) and discuss whether weighting the MFM item scores would improve the MFM construct validity.

Time to consider neuroinflammation as a booster effect of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia?

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis -     

Symptomatic isolated internal carotid artery occlusion with initial medical management: a monocentric cohort

Journal of Neurology - Symptomatic isolated carotid artery occlusions (ICAO) can lead to disability, recurrent stroke, and mortality, but natural history and best therapeutic management remain...     

Variation of the impact duration during the in vitro insertion of acetabular cup implants

The acetabular cup (AC) is an implant impacted into a bone cavity and used for hip prosthesis surgery. Initial stability of the AC is an important factor for long term surgical success. The aim of this study is to determine the variations of the impact duration during AC implant insertion.Twenty-two bone samples taken from bovine femurs were prepared ex vivo for the insertion of an acetabular cup implant, following the surgical procedure used in the clinic. For each bone sample, ten impacts were applied using reproducible mass falls (3.5 kg) in order to insert the AC implant. Each impact duration was recorded using a wide bandwidth force sensor.For all bone samples, the impact duration was shown to first decrease as a function of the impact number, then reaching a stationary value equal in average to 4.2 ± 0.7 ms after an average number of 4.1 ± 1.7 impacts. The impact duration may be related to variations of the bone–implant interface contact rigidity because of an increase the amount of bone tissue in contact with the AC implant.Measurements of impact duration have a good potentiality for clinical application to assist the surgeon during the insertion of the AC implant, providing valuable information on the bone–implant interface contact properties.     

Personalized Massive Open Online Course for Childhood Cancer Survivors: Behind the Scenes

Background  Today, in France, it is estimated that 1 in 850 people aged between 20 and 45 years has been treated for childhood cancer, which equals 40,000 to 50,000 people. As late effects of the cancer and its treatment affect a large number of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and only 30% of them benefit from an efficient long-term follow-up care for prevention, early detection, and treatment of late effects, health education of CCS represents a challenge of public health. Objectives  Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a recent innovative addition to the online learning landscape. This entertaining and practical tool could easily allow a deployment at a national level and make reliable information available for all the CCS in the country, wherever they live. Methods  The MOOC team brings together a large range of specialists involved in the long-term follow-up care, but also associations of CCS, video producers, a communication consultant, a pedagogical designer, a cartoonist and a musician. We have designed three modules addressing transversal issues (lifestyle, importance of psychological support, risks of fertility problems) and eight modules covering organ-specific problems. Detailed data on childhood cancer treatments received were used to allocate the specific modules to each participant. Results  This paper presents the design of the MOOC entitled “Childhood Cancer, Living Well, After,” and how its feasibility and its impact on CCS knowledge will be measured. The MOOC about long-term follow-up after childhood cancer, divided into 11 modules, involved 130 participants in its process, and resulted in a 170-minute film. The feasibility study included 98 CCS (31 males vs. 67 females; p  < 0.0001). Conclusion  Such personalized, free, and online courses with an online forum and a possible psychologist consultation based on unique characteristics and needs of each survivor population could improve adherence to long-term follow-up without alarming them unnecessarily.     

Broadband miniature optical ultrasound probe for high resolution vascular tissue imaging

An all-optical ultrasound probe for vascular tissue imaging was developed. Ultrasound was generated by pulsed laser illumination of a functionalized carbon nanotube composite coating on the end face of an optical fiber. Ultrasound was detected with a Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity on the end face of an adjacent optical fiber. The probe diameter was < 0.84 mm and had an ultrasound bandwidth of ~20 MHz. The probe was translated across the tissue sample to create a virtual linear array of ultrasound transmit/receive elements. At a depth of 3.5 mm, the axial resolution was 64 µm and the lateral resolution was 88 µm, as measured with a carbon fiber target. Vascular tissues from swine were imaged ex vivo and good correspondence to histology was observed.OCIS codes: (110.5125) Photoacoustics, (110.2350) Fiber optics imaging, (060.2380) Fiber optics sources and detectors, (170.7170) Ultrasound, (170.0110) Imaging systems     

Human Temporal Bone Removal: The Skull Base Block Method

Objectives To describe a technique for harvesting larger temporal bone specimens from human cadavers for the training of otolaryngology residents and fellows on the various approaches to the lateral and posterolateral skull base. Design Human cadaveric anatomical study. The calvarium was excised 6 cm above the superior aspect of the ear canal. The brain and cerebellum were carefully removed, and the cranial nerves were cut sharply. Two bony cuts were performed, one in the midsagittal plane and the other in the coronal plane at the level of the optic foramen. Setting Medical school anatomy laboratory. Participants Human cadavers. Main Outcome Measures Anatomical contents of specimens and technical effort required. Results Larger temporal bone specimens containing portions of the parietal, occipital, and sphenoidal bones were consistently obtained using this technique of two bone cuts. All specimens were inspected and contained pertinent surface and skull base landmarks. Conclusions The skull base block method allows for larger temporal bone specimens using a two bone cut technique that is efficient and reproducible. These specimens have the necessary anatomical bony landmarks for studying the complexity, utility, and limitations of lateral and posterolateral approaches to the skull base, important for the education of otolaryngology residents and fellows.