BACKGROUND: Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) is a protein produced by astrocytes in response to brain injury, which then penetrates the cerebrospinal fluid and the blood stream. AIM: We sought to determine whether GFAP serum level in acute ischemic stroke could predict clinical outcome. METHODS: As much as 64 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke had their GFAP serum level measured at 72 hours after onset. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was assessed during the 72 hours of onset, the seventh day, and followed up 1 month after. RESULTS: There were 46 men and 18 women included in the study. Mean age was 58.3 years old, and nearly half of them (46.9%) were between 50-59 years old. More than half (58.7%) presented with moderate to a severe stroke and mean GFAP serum level was 0.113 ± 0.029 ng/mL. GFAP serum levels had a significant correlation with NIHSS after 1 month (p = 0.04, r = 0.259). CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation between GFAP serum levels with stroke severity scale after 1 month of stroke onset.

THE ROLE OF RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION AS MINIMAL INTERVENTION IN MANAGING CHRONIC PAINABSTRACTChronic pain is one of the most common complaints in everyday clinical practice. These complaints not only cause disruption to physical functioning, but also to social, mental, and economic functions. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of interventional therapy, including radiofrequency (RF) ablation in the management of chronic pain. The objective of this procedure is to cause lesions in the neural network that inhibits the transmission of pain signals to the brain. Radiofrequency ablation shows higher levels of pain control and less minimal side effects, thus may be one of the preferred therapy in the management of chronic pain.Keywords: Ablation, chronic pain, radiofrequencyABSTRAKNyeri kronik merupakan salah satu keluhan yang sering ditemui pada praktik klinis sehari-hari. Keluhan ini tidak hanya mengakibatkan gangguan pada fungsi fisik, tetapi juga terhadap fungsi sosial, mental, maupun ekonomi. Penelitian terkini menunjukkan potensi terapi intervensi, termasuk ablasi radiofrekuensi (RF) dalam mengatasi nyeri kronik. Prin- sip kerja prosedur ini adalah dengan memimbulkan lesi pada jaringan saraf sehingga menghambat transmisi sinyal nyeri menuju otak. Ablasi RF menunjukkan tingkat kontrol nyeri yang lebih tinggi dengan efek samping yang lebih minimal, sehingga dapat menjadi salah satu terapi pilihan dalam penanganan nyeri kronik.Kata kunci: Ablasi, nyeri kronik, radiofrekuensi