Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Improving Function In Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Design And Methods Of A Randomized Clinical Trial., Barry W Rovner, Robin J Casten, Mark T Hegel, Robert W Massof, Benjamin E Leiby, William S Tasman

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss in older adults and impairs the ability to read, drive, and live independently and increases the risk for depression, falls, and earlier mortality. Although new medical treatments have improved AMD's prognosis, vision-related disability remains a major public health problem. Improving Function in AMD (IF-AMD) is a two-group randomized, parallel design, controlled clinical trial that compares the efficacy of Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) with Supportive Therapy (ST) (an attention control treatment) to improve vision function in 240 patients with AMD. PST and ST therapists deliver 6 one-hour respective treatment sessions …

Acetate Causes Alcohol Hangover Headache In Rats, Christina R. Maxwell, Rebecca Jay Spangenberg, Jan B. Hoek, Stephen D. Silberstein, Michael L. Oshinsky

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Background

The mechanism of veisalgia cephalgia or hangover headache is unknown. Despite a lack of mechanistic studies, there are a number of theories positing congeners, dehydration, or the ethanol metabolite acetaldehyde as causes of hangover headache.

Methods

We used a chronic headache model to examine how pure ethanol produces increased sensitivity for nociceptive behaviors in normally hydrated rats.

Results

Ethanol initially decreased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli on the face (analgesia), followed 4 to 6 hours later by inflammatory pain. Inhibiting alcohol dehydrogenase extended the analgesia whereas inhibiting aldehyde dehydrogenase decreased analgesia. Neither treatment had nociceptive effects. Direct administration of acetate …

Multiport Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgery: How Many Ports Are Too Many?, Yaron A. Moshel, Theodore H. Schwartz

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Surgical access to the ventral skull base has evolved considerably over the past several years with the introduction of minimally invasive endoscopic and endoscope-assisted approaches. The accompanying manuscript by Ciporen et al. demonstrates an addition to this growing body of literature in their description of the feasibility of multiportal endoscopic approaches to the skull base, particularly the precaruncular transorbital approach, in a series of cadaver dissections. Similar to laparoscopic abdominal surgery, which utilizes multiple small ports to improve visualization and manipulation, they envision a modular combination of approaches that allows an endoscope to be placed in one port and surgery …

The Significance Of A Triple Flexion Reflex In The Acute Spinal Cord Injured Patient: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, S. K. Fetouh, S. Kolli, R. J. Marino, N. D. Martin, A. L. Schreiber

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

The TFR is a sign of upper motor neuron impairment. It does not typically appear for several days after an injury but in patients with pre-existing myelopathy, an early onset exaggerated Babinski response exhibited as a TFR may occur. It is important not to misinterpret such responses as volitional movements, particularly in patients with cognitive dysfunction where the history and physical examination may be limited. Failure to immobilize the spine and to administer adjunct steroid therapy may be detrimental to the patient. Education of initial response physicians may prevent overlooking an acute SCI.

The Significance Of Percutaneous Aspiration Of The Zygapophysial Facet Joint Synovial Cyst: A Case Series, S. Kamal Fetouh, Nicholas Kaffl, Linqiu Zhou

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

Cysts that are clearly associated with threat of progressive neurological loss or intractable, unremitting symptoms should be released by a decompression procedure.

In our case series, percutaneous aspiration has been successfully used for 3 of 4 PTs with marked decrease in size of cyst on imaging and clinical improvement.

Obstructing pathology and ultimately the location of the cyst can be major factors in determining the success of the procedure.

Our study demonstrated that a minimally invasive aspiration of a ZP SC can often achieve clinical improvement.

This may save the PT from undergoing an invasive surgical decompression.