A BS TRACT: Background: In patients with medically refractory essential tremor, unilateral magnetic resonanceguided focused ultrasound thalamotomy can improve contralateral tremor. However, this procedure does not address ipsilateral symptoms. Objective: The objective of the current study was to determine whether bilateral thalamotomies can be performed with an acceptable safety profile where benefits outweigh adverse effects. Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-arm, single-blinded phase 2 trial of second-side magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy in patients with essential tremor. Patients were followed for 3 months. The primary outcome was the change in quality of life relative to baseline, as well as the answer to the question "Given what you know now, would you treat the second side again?". Secondary outcomes included tremor, gait, speech, and adverse effects. Results: Ten patients were analyzed. The study met both primary outcomes, with the intervention resulting in clinically significant improvement in quality of life at 3 months (mean Quality of Life in Essential Tremor score difference, 19.7; 95%CI,; P = 0.004) and all patients reporting that they would elect to receive the secondside treatment again. Tremor significantly improved in all patients. Seven experienced mild adverse effects, including 2 with transient gait impairment and a fall, 1 with dysarthria and dysphagia, and 1 with mild dysphagia persisting at 3 months.
To the Editor:The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first reported in December 2019 as a series of cases of pneumonia with an unknown etiology clustered around a food market in Wuhan City, China. 1 The infection spread quickly and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2019. 2 By March 30, more than 782 365 confirmed cases were reported and a third of the world population were living in confinement to try to contain the virus. 3 While the disease itself is often mild, approximately 11% of cases require acute medical care, and this cohort quickly overwhelmed healthcare systems around the world. 4 In anticipation of such a demand, hospitals in many countries quickly stopped all nonurgent visits, procedures, and surgeries, freeing up beds, equipment, and workforce. 5 While neurosurgeons are not on the frontline of COVID-19 management and treatment, they commonly care for critically ill patients who will continue to present with subarachnoid hemorrhages, subdural hematomas, brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and compressive myelopathies while the pandemic occurs. While public health measures such as quarantine and social distancing are proving effective at slowing the spread, 6,7 surgeons remain in direct contact with their patients throughout their operations. Protecting the surgical team from contracting COVID-19 is of utmost importance as they are both a potential vector for patient contamination and a scarce resource that cannot be easily replaced.The goal of this paper is to briefly review how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted and propose measures that could be implemented to minimize the risk of contaminating the operating room (OR) personnel during the most common neurosurgical procedures. Methods and ethical considerations are discussed in the Supplemental Digital Content.
SARS-COV-2 TRANSMISSION
Sites of EntryPhylogenetic analysis revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus probably evolved from the bat SARS-like CoV (bat-SL-
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most prescribed classes of drugs in this day and age. These may be beneficial to treat many gastrointestinal conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux or Barrett's esophagus as well as laryngopharyngeal reflux. However, many reports have emerged in the literature exposing the potential association of PPIs with various risks and complications such as bone fracture, infection, myocardial infarction, renal disease, and dementia. This review highlights many of these potential adverse side effects by exploring relevant publications and addressing the controversies associated with those findings. The diligent otolaryngologist should be aware of the current state of the literature and the risks associated with prescribing PPIs to insure proper counseling of their patients.Level of Evidence5
Videos are often employed in medical cursus, yet few guidelines are available to help with their production. Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning is the most cited evidence-based framework for improving pedagogical effectiveness of multimedia content. Based on this framework, we identified four workflow interventions to improve the effectiveness of video content in the context of medical education: (1) choosing appropriate content; (2) optimizing the voiceover; (3) optimizing the supporting visuals and (4) planning the shooting schedule in advance. Content creators should think about pedagogical effectiveness and aim to improve their work by applying evidence-based principles.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.