Levofloxacin and Intracranial Hypertension in a Patient with Spondylodiscitis

Pseudotumor cerebri or benign intracranial hypertension is characterized by increased intracranial hypertension without evidence of a mass lesion or ventricular obstruction.

Symptoms are mainly headache and papilledema. If untreated, papilledema can cause progressive irreversible visual loss and optic atrophy. Usually occurs in obese women and in the childbearing years.

It is a diagnosis of exclusion and, therefore, other causes of increased intracranial pressure must be sought with history, imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid examination before the diagnosis can be made.

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Acute Primidone-induced Suicidality: A Case Report Running Head: Acute Primidoneinduced Suicidality

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been previously linked to suicidality. Primidone, an anticonvulsant commonly used to treat essential tremor (ET), has been associated with increased suicide risk in patients with seizures, which themselves increase suicide risk.

However, an association with acute suicidality in subjects without any predisposition has not been documented. We present a case of acute suicidality following initiation of primidone for erroneously diagnosed ET in a patient with Parkinson’s disease but no past psychiatric history or risk factors.

Suicidal ideation quickly resolved after primidone was discontinued. Patients receiving primidone should, therefore, be carefully monitored after treatment initiation.

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Classification of Minimally Invasive Techniques for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Several techniques have been described for minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF), offering varying degrees ofdirect visualization versus reliance on fluoroscopy.

Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

In addition, the techniques differ with respect to the extent of neural decompression, choice of fusion substrates, and methods for pedicle screw insertion. Here we classify and contrast these techniques and highlight the features of a recently-described technique known as modified miniopen TLIF (MOTLIF).Minimally-invasive techniques for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion have been shown to reduce intra-operative blood loss, muscle injury, post-operative pain and length-ofstay and expedite recovery compared to the open technique . The main drawback has been increased intra-operative radiation exposure due to reliance on bi-planar fluoroscopy that is required to compensate for diminished surgical exposure and visualization. There are several surgical techniques for MIS-TLIF that provides a spectrum of exposures, ranging from minimal to moderate. Read more>>>>>>> 

Classification of Minimally Invasive Techniques for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Several techniques have been described for minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF), offering varying degrees of direct visualization versus reliance on fluoroscopy.

In addition, the techniques differ with respect to the extent of neural decompression, choice of fusion substrates, and methods for pedicle screw insertion. Here we classify and contrast these techniques and highlight the features of a recently-described technique known as modified miniopen TLIF (MOTLIF).

Minimally-invasive techniques for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion have been shown to reduce intra-operative blood loss, muscle injury, post-operative pain and length-ofstay and expedite recovery compared to the open technique.

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Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Chronic Pain in Spinal Cord Injured Patients

Pain is a common secondary complication following spinal cord injury (SCI) affecting the bio-psycho-social aspect of patient’s life. In addition to loss of mobility, chronic pain is oneof the most serious consequences of SCI, and the most persistent symptom associated with spinal cord injury.

Chronic Pain

Pain also directly contributes to disability by limiting participation in rehabilitation and return to work. Pain may be continuous or it can worsen following SCI, it has also been observed that patients reporting neuropathic pain 3-6 month following SCI are likely to continue experiencing it at 3-5 years; in addition, pain has a broad impact on physical, emotional, cognitive and social functioning that needs to be evaluated and addressed in any management plan. Achieving optimal pain reliefs reliant on an accurate identification of the type of pain present as it has been increasingly recognized that pain following SCI may be due to a complex combination of changes at a various nervous system levels. Read more>>>>>>>

Effect of Medicinal Cannabis Therapy (MCT) on Severity of Chronic Low Back Pain, Sciatica and Lumbar Range of Motion

Medical cannabis use has been gaining momentum recently in some countries. There is still a paucity of knowledge about the use of medical cannabis in chronic low back pain. Low backpain is a common indication for MCT in North America.

Chronic Low Back Pain

Preclinical studies have shown that endocannabinoids are involved in low back pain and are affected by certain treatments such as osteopathic manipulation. Data has shown that activation of the cannabinoid CB receptor by synthetic agonists, and pharmacological elevation of endocannabinoid levels, suppress hyperalgesia and allodynia in animal models of neuropathic pain. In fact endocannabinoids were shown to act as anti-allodynia agents through a peripheral and possibly a central mechanism. The current study was undertaken in order to assess what is the effect of addition of MCT to the treatment of chronic low back pain with a minimal 12 months follow- up of MCT therapy. Read more>>>>>>>

Role of Practice and Mental Imagery on Hand Function Improvement in Stroke Survivors

Up to 85% stroke survivors experience hemi paresis resulting in impaired movement of the arm, and hand as reported by Nakayama et al. Loss of arm function adversely affects quality oflife and functional motor recovery in affected upper extremity.

Stroke Survivors

Sensorimotor deficits in the upper limb, such as weakness, decreased speed of movement, decreased angular excursion and impaired temporal coordination of the joints impaired upper-limb and trunk coordination .Treatment interventions such as materials-based occupations constraint-induced movement therapy modified constraint-induced movement therapy and task-related or task-specific training are common training methods for remediating impairments and restoring function in the upper limb. For the improvement of upper and lower functions, physical therapy provides training for functional improvement and fine motor. For most patients such rehabilitation training has many constraints of time, place and expense, accordingly in recent studies, clinical methods such as mental practice for improvement of the upper and lower functions have been suggested. Read more>>>>>>>