Systematic review and meta-analysis for a Global Patient co-Owned Cloud (GPOC).

Cloud-based personal health records increase globally. The GPOC series introduces the concept of a Global Patient co-Owned Cloud (GPOC) of personal health records. Here, we present the GPOC series' Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) registered and Preferred Reporting Items Systematic and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-guided systematic review and meta-analysis. It examines cloud-based personal health records and factors such as data security, efficiency, privacy and cost-based measures. It is a meta-analysis of twelve relevant axes encompassing performance, cryptography and parameters based on efficiency (runtimes, key generation times), security (access policies, encryption, decryption) and cost (gas). This aims to generate a basis for further research, a GPOC sandbox model, and a possible construction of a global platform. This area lacks standard and shows marked heterogeneity. A consensus within this field would be beneficial to the development of a GPOC. A GPOC could spark the development and global dissemination of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Cognitive deficits and brain myo-Inositol are early biomarkers of epileptogenesis in a rat model of epilepsy.

One major unmet clinical need in epilepsy is the identification of therapies to prevent or arrest epilepsy development in patients exposed to a potential epileptogenic insult. The development of such treatments has been hampered by the lack of non-invasive biomarkers that could be used to identify the patients at-risk, thereby allowing to design affordable clinical studies. Our goal was to test the predictive value of cognitive deficits and brain astrocyte activation for the development of epilepsy following a potential epileptogenic injury. We used a model of epilepsy induced by pilocarpine-evoked status epilepticus (SE) in 21-day old rats where 60-70% of animals develop spontaneous seizures after around 70days, although SE is similar in all rats. Learning was evaluated in the Morris water-maze at days 15 and 65 post-SE, each time followed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy for measuring hippocampal myo-Inositol levels, a marker of astrocyte activation. Rats were video-EEG monitored for two weeks at seven months post-SE to detect spontaneous seizures, then brain histology was done. Behavioral and imaging data were retrospectively analysed in epileptic rats and compared with non-epileptic and control animals. Rats displayed spatial learning deficits within three weeks from SE. However, only epilepsy-prone rats showed accelerated forgetting and reduced learning rate compared to both rats not developing epilepsy and controls. These deficits were associated with reduced hippocampal neurogenesis. myo-Inositol levels increased transiently in the hippocampus of SE-rats not developing epilepsy while this increase persisted until spontaneous seizures onset in epilepsy-prone rats, being associated with a local increase in S100ß-positive astrocytes. Neuronal cell loss was similar in all SE-rats. Our data show that behavioral deficits, together with a non-invasive marker of astrocyte activation, predict which rats develop epilepsy after an acute injury. These measures have potential clinical relevance for identifying individuals at-risk for developing epilepsy following exposure to epileptogenic insults, and consequently, for designing adequately powered antiepileptogenesis trials.

Implementation of enhanced recovery programme for laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy: feasibility, safety and cost analysis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The adoption of laparoscopy for distal pancreatectomy has proven to substantially improve short-term outcomes. Stress response after major surgery can be further minimized within an enhanced recovery programme (ERP). However, data on the potential benefit of an ERP for laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy are still lacking. The aim was to assess the feasibility, safety and cost of ERP for patients undergoing laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. METHODS: This is a case-control study from a Tertiary University Hospital. Sixty-six consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy were analyzed. Twenty-two patients were enrolled for the ERP and compared with previous consecutive 44 patients managed traditionally (1:2 ratio). Operative details, post-operative outcome and cost analysis were compared in the two groups. RESULTS: Patients enrolled in the ERP had similar intraoperative blood loss (median 165 ml vs. 200 ml; p = 0.176), operation time (225 min vs. 210 min; p = 0.633), time to remove naso-gastric tube (1 vs. 1 day; p = 0.081) but significantly shorter time to mobilization (median 1 vs. 2 days; p = 0.0001), start solid diet (2 vs. 3 days; p = 0004), and pass stools (3 vs. 5 days; p = 0.002) compared to the control group. Median length of stay was significantly shorter in the ERP group (3 vs. 6 days; p < 0.0001). No significant difference in readmission or complication rate was observed. Cost analysis was significantly in favor of the ERP group (p = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of ERP optimizes outcomes for laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with significant earlier return to normal gut function, reduced length of stay and cost saving.