Neurosurgery in times of a pandemic: a survey of neurosurgical services during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Veneto region in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and of the subsequent lockdown on the neurosurgical services of the Veneto region in Italy compared to the previous 4 years. METHODS: A survey was conducted in all 6 neurosurgical departments in the Veneto region to collect data about surgical, inpatient care and endovascular procedures during the month of March for each year from 2016 to 2020. Safety measures to avoid infection from SARS-CoV-2 and any COVID-19 cases reported among neurosurgical patients or staff members were considered. RESULTS: The mean number of neurosurgical admissions for the month of March over the 2016-2019 period was 663, whereas in March 2020 admissions decreased by 42%. Emergency admissions decreased by 23%. The average number of neurosurgical procedures was 697, and declined by 30% (range -10% to -51% in individual centers). Emergency procedures decreased in the same period by 23%. Subarachnoid hemorrhage and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage both decreased in Veneto-by 25% and 22%, respectively. Coiling for unruptured aneurysm, coiling for ruptured aneurysm, and surgery for ruptured aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation diminished by 49%, 27%, and 78%, respectively. Endovascular procedures for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) increased by 33% in 2020 (28 procedures in total). There was a slight decrease (8%) in brain tumor surgeries. Neurosurgical admissions decreased by 25% and 35% for head trauma and spinal trauma, respectively, while surgical procedures for head trauma diminished by 19% and procedures for spinal trauma declined by 26%. Admissions and surgical treatments for degenerative spine were halved. Eleven healthcare workers and 8 patients were infected in the acute phase of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter study describes the effects of a COVID-19 outbreak on neurosurgical activities in a vast region in Italy. Remodulation of neurosurgical activities has resulted in a significant reduction of elective and emergency surgeries compared to previous years. Most likely this is a combined result of cancellation of elective and postponable surgeries, increase of conservative management, increase in social restrictions, and in patients' fear of accessing hospitals. Curiously, only endovascular procedures for AIS have increased, possibly due to reduced physical activity or increased thrombosis in SARS-CoV-2. The confounding effect of thrombectomy increase over time cannot be excluded. No conclusion can be drawn on AIS incidence. Active monitoring with nasopharyngeal swabs, wearing face masks, and using separate pathways for infected patients reduce the risk of infection.

Typical NF2 and LTZR1 mutations are retained in an immortalized human schwann cell model of schwannomatosis.

Human SCs play a primary role in SWN, a rare genetic disorder in which patients develop multiple schwannomas. So that, their isolation and immortalization could represent an irreplaceable tool to investigate the disease etiopathology. Although few clones of tumoural SCs have been obtained, unfortunately they present genetic, morphological and biological characteristics that do not fully represent the original cells. Herein we isolated, characterized and immortalized primary SCs from human schwannomas. Our immortalized human SCs present typical NF2 and LTZR1 genetic mutations of SWN and retain original phenotype characteristics, representing a valuable tool for further genetic, functional and biomolecular in vitro studies.

The reanimation of the elbow functions in avulsive injuries of the upper brachial plexus using the medial cord transfer: nuances of the technique and update.

OBJECTIVES: Report on a new transfer for the reinnervation of biceps and brachialis muscles after multilevel avulsive injuries of brachial plexus provided at least T1 is viable: the Medial Cord to Musculocutaneous (MCMc) and its variant, the Medial Cord to anterior Upper Trunk (MC-aUT). The MC-aUT is indicated in agenesia of musculocutaneous nerve and when a residual function in the biceps is present. The MCMc transfer would be unfeasible in the former and contraindicated in the latter. METHODS: Three hundred and five consecutive patients, classified according to the quality of hand function, are available for a long-term follow-up after reconstructive surgery. They had multiple cervical root avulsive injuries at two (C5-C6), three (C5-C6-C7) and four (C5-C6-C7-C8) levels. The reinnervation was obtained via an end-to-end transfer from two donor fascicles located in the medial cord (MC) and aimed at the flexor carpi ulnaris or the flexor digitorum profundus. RESULTS: These transfers have no failures and no complications when the hand shows a normal function. In the case of suboptimal conditions of the hand, the technique is more challenging, but still has many satisfactory results. In the four-root avulsive injuries, on the contrary, strong limitations suggest that different strategies should be preferred. EMG shows a reinnervation in both biceps and brachialis muscles and this accounts for the quality of results. Tendon transfers for wrist and finger dorsiflexion, when required, remain unencumbered. DISCUSSION: The procedures are safe, effective and easily feasible. The ideal candidate has a C5-C6 injury and a normal hand function.

The "banana splitting DREZotomy": an atraumatic method to improve pain relief after dorsal root entry zone lesioning in brachial plexus injuries. Case series and tenets for the treatment.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of neuropathic deafferentation pain due to avulsion injuries of the brachial plexus is a major problem, albeit rare, in the neurosurgical practice. The aim of the paper is to present step-by-step the main principles of a surgical upgrade of the well-known Dorsal Root Entry Zone lesioning, that we named banana splitting DREZotomy. METHODS: A comparison is made among three groups of patients, two of which were treated following the classic techniques, while in the third no physical agent is applied to the spinal cord during surgery. RESULTS: The patients operated on following the well-established surgical procedures showed a short-term success rate around 70%, online with the data of the ongoing literature. The results with the banana-splitting technique, instead, have been astonishing both in terms of resolution of pain, absence of true complications and of unpleasant side effects. CONCLUSIONS: A purely dissective technical variant of the surgical procedure called DREZ lesioning has shown better results overcoming the 30% failures of all the reported series. The profound and permanent splitting of the posterior horn and the absence of any other component (heat propagation, radiofrequency, or dotted coagulation) are the major factors which may explain such outstanding results.

The Masseteric-Facial Anastomosis With Intratemporal Translocation of the Facial Nerve: Step-by-Step Technique and Results.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of a viable proximal nerve stump, damaged after surgical procedures around the skull base, numerous techniques for facial reanimation have been developed over time, aiming to restore baseline symmetry and active mimicry. OBJECTIVE: To report experience using the masseteric nerve as a direct transfer to the facial nerve rerouted after intratemporal translocation. This paper illustrates the main steps of the technique and the quality of results. METHODS: Eleven patients were treated with a masseteric direct transfer to the facial nerve. Its extratemporal rerouting toward the zygoma allowed tension-free coaptation between donor and recipient nerves. RESULTS: Of the 11 patients, 8 had a good to excellent recovery, showing different patterns of time and scores, according to age, surgical timing, and masseteric nerve function quality. The return of activity in the frontalis muscle, never obtained after reinnervation via the hypoglossal nerve, is of particular interest. The quality of the smile can be improved with re-education and practice but remains under volitional control. A true emotional response is still lacking. CONCLUSION: The masseteric nerve is an excellent alternative to the hypoglossal nerve and can reinnervate the whole territory of the facial nerve rerouted after intratemporal translocation. The overall results are remarkable, but the low quality of the trigeminal nerve, eventually affected by the first surgery, may be an important limitation. Even if the patients appear more at ease in re-education than with other techniques, a fully natural facial expression remains impossible to obtain.

Dorsal root entry zone lesion: nuances of the technique and long-term results.

The treatment of deafferentation pain is a primary goal of a referral center for peripheral nerve surgery. DREZ is an important asset in the neurosurgeon's armamentarium. The surgical technique and long-term results are analyzed in two series, with or without intraoperative monitoring (IOM). DREZotomy is highly effective in lumbar root avulsive injuries but is ineffective in resolving pain due to spinal cord injuries. Cervical DREZotomy for cancer pain is not superior to intrathecal morphine. In brachial plexus avulsive injuries, the largest series shows a 74% success rate, but the efficacy of the procedure is lost over time. No relevant difference has been observed since the introduction of IOM. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/uG_kkQj5m1U.

Anomalous Kv 7 channel activity in human malignant hyperthermia syndrome unmasks a key role for H2 S and persulfidation in skeletal muscle.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Human malignant hyperthermia (MH) syndrome is induced by volatile anaesthetics and involves increased levels of cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS)-derived H2 S within skeletal muscle. This increase contributes to skeletal muscle hypercontractility. Kv 7 channels, expressed in skeletal muscle, may be a molecular target for H2 S. Here, we have investigated the role of Kv 7 channels in MH. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained from MH-susceptible (MHS) and MH-negative (MHN) patients. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, Western blot, and in vitro contracture test (IVCT) were carried out. Development and characterization of primary human skeletal muscle cells (PHSKMC) and evaluation of cell membrane potential were also performed. The persulfidation state of Kv 7 channels and polysulfide levels were measured. KEY RESULTS: Kv 7 channels were similarly expressed in MHN and MHS biopsies. The IVCT revealed an anomalous contractility of MHS biopsies following exposure to the Kv 7 channel opener retigabine. Incubation of negative biopsies with NaHS, prior to retigabine addition, led to an MHS-like positive response. MHS-derived PHSKMC challenged with retigabine showed a paradoxical depolarizing effect, compared with the canonical hyperpolarizing effect. CBS expression and activity were increased in MHS biopsies, resulting in a major polysulfide bioavailability. Persulfidation of Kv 7.4 channels was significantly higher in MHS than in MHN biopsies. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In skeletal muscle of MHS patients, CBS-derived H2 S induced persulfidation of Kv 7 channels. This post-translational modification switches the hyperpolarizing activity into depolarizing. This mechanism can contribute to the pathological skeletal muscle hypercontractility typical of MH syndrome. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Hydrogen Sulfide in Biology & Medicine. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.4/issuetoc.

[Complicities and ambivalences of psychiatry: Münsterlingen and the 1954 feast of fools]. / Complicités et ambivalences de la psychiatrie - Münsterlingen et le carnaval des fous de 1954.

In March 1954, Foucault visited the psychiatric asylum of Münsterlingen (Canton Thurgau), on the Swiss side of Lake Constance. Münsterlingen was the chosen place of activity for well-known psychiatrists, including Hermann Rorschach (1910-1913), and it became famous in the history of psychiatry especially through the work of Roland Kuhn, who was active in the asylum from 1939 to 1979. Kuhn was an expert in the Rorschach psycho-diagnostic test, as well as the discoverer of the first antidepressant in the early 1950s. He was also very close to Ludwig Binswanger, whose anthropological approach to mental illness had a strong influence on his own psychiatric practice. It is precisely in order to meet Kuhn and Binswanger that the young Foucault went to Switzerland, at a time when he was interested in philosophical anthropology and "existential psychopathology". Foucault's visit took place during the Carnival at the asylum, when the patients leave the hospital wearing the masks that they have made up and created.

[On Michel Foucault's unpublished lectures on Ludwig Binswanger's existential analysis (Lille 1953-54)]. / À propos d'un cours inédit de Michel Foucault sur l'analyse existentielle de Ludwig Binswanger (Lille 1953-54) Über Michel Foucaults Unveröffentlichte Vorlesungen Zur Daseinsanalyse Ludwig Binswangers (Lille 1953-54).

This paper aims to analyze Michel Foucault's position toward phenomenological psychology and psychopathology during the 1950s, in light of the new documentary sources available today. Our investigation is especially focused on one of the courses given by Foucault at the University of Lille between 1952 and 1954, namely, the course on "Binswanger and phenomenology" (1953-54). The analysis of this course, which was conceived by Foucault within the context of a philosophical reflection on the anthropological problem of psychopathology, will finally allow us to re-ascribe Foucault the place he deserves in the field of "philosophy of psychiatry".

[Where is going philosophy of psychiatry ?]. / Où va la philosophie de la psychiatrie ? Wohin Geht Die Philosophie Der Psychiatrie ?

This contribution provides a critical outline of the current trends in the field of "philosophy of psychiatry" by following their developments in the last decade. The first part of the paper focuses on the evolution of this field from a strictly conceptual approach to a perspective more attentive to the social, practical, and clinical dimension of psychiatry. The second part of the paper points out that the need of a mutual commitment of philosophy and psychiatry is perceived according to different ways by the countries involved in this research area. The paper deals especially with the case of France, where the enthusiasm for the "new philosophy of psychiatry" has not had the same impact on the philosophical scene as in the English speaking countries. In conclusion, the paper shows that the field of philosophy of psychiatry stands as a fertile ground for new forms of interaction between the analytic, and the continental philosophical traditions. This interaction takes place, more particularly, as regards such topics as normativity, language, and interpretation.

Motor evoked potential monitoring improves outcome after surgery for intramedullary spinal cord tumors: a historical control study.

OBJECTIVE: The value of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (INM) during intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery remains debated. This historical control study tests the hypothesis that INM monitoring improves neurological outcome. METHODS: In 50 patients operated on after September 2000, we monitored somatosensory evoked potentials and transcranially elicited epidural (D-wave) and muscle motor evoked potentials (INM group). The historical control group consisted of 50 patients selected from among 301 patients who underwent intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery, previously operated on by the same team without INM. Matching by preoperative neurological status (McCormick scale), histological findings, tumor location, and extent of removal were blind to outcome. A more than 50% somatosensory evoked potential amplitude decrement influenced only myelotomy. Muscle motor evoked potential disappearance modified surgery, but more than 50% D-wave amplitude decrement was the major indication to stop surgery. The postoperative to preoperative McCormick grade variation at discharge and at a follow-up of at least 3 months was compared between the two groups (Student's t tests). RESULTS: Follow-up McCormick grade variation in the INM group (mean, +0.28) was significantly better (P = 0.0016) than that of the historical control group (mean, -0.16). At discharge, there was a trend (P = 0.1224) toward better McCormick grade variation in the INM group (mean, -0.26) than in the historical control group (mean, -0.5). CONCLUSION: The applied motor evoked potential methods seem to improve long-term motor outcome significantly. Early motor outcome is similar because of transient motor deficits in the INM group, which can be predicted at the end of surgery by the neurophysiological profile of patients.