Correction to: The PET Sandwich: Using Serial FDG-PET Scans with Interval Burst Suppression to Assess Ictal Components of Disease

Neurocritical Care - In the original article, Figure 5 has incorrect EEG images and the corrected version is shown below.     

Ventral striatal and septal area hypermetabolism on FDG-PET in herpes simplex viral encephalitis

Journal of NeuroVirology - A 71-year-old man presented with sudden onset, generalized tonic-clonic seizures and altered mental status. Initial brain magnetic resonance imaging was normal but a...     

Validation and clinical application of the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP)

The Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP) is a brief, self-administered screening instrument used to assess suitability of long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain patients. This study presents preliminary data to examine the reliability and validity of the SOAPP as a measure of risk of opioid abuse for patients on opioid medication. Patients taking opioids for noncancer pain (n=396) from two pain centers completed the SOAPP prior to being placed on opioids for pain. Demographic data, SOAPP scores, and results of urine toxicology screens from the patients' medical records were examined. Patients were divided into two groups of high and low risk of opioid abuse potential based on cutoff scores of 8 and higher on the SOAPP. Results showed that patients in the high-risk group were younger, more likely to be asked to give a urine screen, and had more abnormal urine screens compared with those in the low-risk group (P<0.05). A combined factor analysis of the SOAPP revealed five factors labeled 1) history of substance abuse, 2) legal problems, 3) craving medication, 4) heavy smoking, and 5) mood swings. Preliminary support was found for the internal reliability and predictive validity of the SOAPP. Current limitations of the SOAPP and future directions for change are discussed.     

The Utility of Cerebral Blood Flow Assessment in TBI

Over the past few decades, intracranial monitoring technologies focused on treating and preempting secondary injury after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have experienced considerable growth. A physiological measure fundamental to the management of these patients is cerebral blood flow (CBF), which may be determined directly or indirectly. Direct measurement has proven difficult previously; however, invasive and non-invasive CBF monitors are now available. This article reviews the history of CBF measurements in TBI as well as the role of CBF in pathologies associated with TBI, such as cerebral autoregulation, hyperemia, and cortical spreading depression. The limitations of various CBF monitors are reviewed in order to better understand their role in TBI management.     

Myelin associated inhibitors: a link between injury-induced and experience-dependent plasticity

In the adult, both neurologic recovery and anatomical growth after a CNS injury are limited. Two classes of growth inhibitors, myelin associated inhibitors (MAIs) and extracellular matrix associated inhibitors, limit both functional recovery and anatomical rearrangements in animal models of spinal cord injury. Here we focus on how MAIs limit a wide spectrum of growth that includes regeneration, sprouting, and plasticity in both the intact and lesioned CNS. Three classic myelin associated inhibitors, Nogo-A, MAG, and OMgp, signal through their common receptors, Nogo-66 Receptor-1 (NgR1) and Paired-Immunoglobulin-like-Receptor-B (PirB), to regulate cytoskeletal dynamics and inhibit growth. Initially described as inhibitors of axonal regeneration, subsequent work has demonstrated that MAIs also limit activity and experience-dependent plasticity in the intact, adult CNS. MAIs therefore represent a point of convergence for plasticity that limits anatomical rearrangements regardless of the inciting stimulus, blurring the distinction between injury studies and more "basic" plasticity studies.     

Management of major or massive hemoptysis in active pulmonary tuberculosis by bronchial arterial embolization

Management of massive hemoptysis in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis is complicated. Transcatheter hemostatic embolization of bleeding vessels with absorbable material has been reported to be useful in controlling this problem. Twelve patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis who had major or massive hemoptysis were managed at Cook County Hospital, Chicago, from 1982 to 1986. Various methods of treatment have been evaluated. The technique of angiographic embolization and the criteria for selection of patients for its use constitute the basis of this report.