Systemic sclerosis-associated compressive cervical calcinosis: intersection of degenerative spine instability, lesional spinal cord compression, and traumatic spinal cord injury. Illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Tumoral calcinosis, mass-like calcium deposition into the soft tissues, is an uncommon manifestation of the systemic sclerosis subtype of scleroderma. When this process affects the spinal epidural space, it can cause canal narrowing and place the spinal cord at significant risk of injury. OBSERVATIONS: Here a 62-year-old female with systemic sclerosis and no previous evidence of spinal cord compromise who developed acute spinal cord injury and quadriparesis after a mechanical fall is described. She was found to have a large dorsal epidural calcified mass compressing her cervical spinal cord. She underwent medical management for acute spinal cord compression as well as surgical management for acute spinal cord injury and degenerative spine disease. Her case illustrates a rare etiology of simultaneous degenerative spine instability and lesional spinal cord compression with acute spinal cord injury. LESSONS: Tumor calcinosis leading to acute spinal cord injury in the setting of systemic sclerosis is an uncommon but critical entity to recognize in patients with scleroderma and may require the physician to use a combination of medical and surgical management strategies from each of these categories of spine pathology.

Detection of COVID-19 using multimodal data from a wearable device: results from the first TemPredict Study.

Early detection of diseases such as COVID-19 could be a critical tool in reducing disease transmission by helping individuals recognize when they should self-isolate, seek testing, and obtain early medical intervention. Consumer wearable devices that continuously measure physiological metrics hold promise as tools for early illness detection. We gathered daily questionnaire data and physiological data using a consumer wearable (Oura Ring) from 63,153 participants, of whom 704 self-reported possible COVID-19 disease. We selected 73 of these 704 participants with reliable confirmation of COVID-19 by PCR testing and high-quality physiological data for algorithm training to identify onset of COVID-19 using machine learning classification. The algorithm identified COVID-19 an average of 2.75 days before participants sought diagnostic testing with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 63%. The receiving operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) was 0.819 (95% CI [0.809, 0.830]). Including continuous temperature yielded an AUC 4.9% higher than without this feature. For further validation, we obtained SARS CoV-2 antibody in a subset of participants and identified 10 additional participants who self-reported COVID-19 disease with antibody confirmation. The algorithm had an overall ROC AUC of 0.819 (95% CI [0.809, 0.830]), with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 80% in these additional participants. Finally, we observed substantial variation in accuracy based on age and biological sex. Findings highlight the importance of including temperature assessment, using continuous physiological features for alignment, and including diverse populations in algorithm development to optimize accuracy in COVID-19 detection from wearables.

Mortality prediction and long-term outcomes for civilian cerebral gunshot wounds: A decision-tree algorithm based on a single trauma center.

Gunshot wounds (GSW) are one of the most lethal forms of head trauma. The lack of clear guidelines for civilian GSW complicates surgical management. We aimed to develop a decision-tree algorithm for mortality prediction and report long-term outcomes on survivors based on 15-year data from our level 1 trauma center. We retrospectively reviewed 96 consecutive patients who presented with cerebral GSWs between 2003 and 2018. Clinical information from our trauma database, EMR, and relevant imaging scans was reviewed. A decision-tree model was constructed based on variables showing significant differences between survivors and non-survivors. After excluding patients who died at arrival, 54 patients with radiologically confirmed intracranial injury were included. Compared to survivors (51.9%), non-survivors (48.1%) were significantly more likely to have perforating (entry and exit wound), as opposed to penetrating (entry wound only), injuries. Bi-hemispheric and posterior fossa involvement, cerebral herniation, and intraventricular hemorrhage were more commonly present in non-survivors. Based on the decision-tree, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) > 8 and penetrating, uni-hemispheric injury predicted survival. Among patients with GCS ≤ 8 and normal pupillary response, lack of 1) posterior fossa involvement, 2) cerebral herniation, 3) bi-hemispheric injury, and 4) intraventricular hemorrhage, were associated with survival. Favorable long-term outcomes (mean follow-up 34.4 months) were possible for survivors who required neurosurgery and stable patients who were conservatively managed. We applied clinical and radiological characteristics that predicted survival to construct a decision-tree to facilitate surgical decision-making for GSW. Further validation of the algorithm in a large patient setting is recommended.

Ipsilateral Pupillary Dilation Following Carotid Endarterectomy: A Temporary and Benign Phenomenon.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Cases of post carotid endarterectomy (CEA) Horner's syndrome have been reported, with symptoms attributed to manipulation of the sympathetic plexus situated along the carotid artery; however, these patients presented with the typical constricted pupil. We report the first 3 cases to our knowledge of mydriasis following CEA. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present 3 cases of CEA followed by immediate postoperative development of ipsilateral mydriasis. The patients were otherwise at their neurologic baseline and the mydriasis resolved over the ensuing few days. CONCLUSION: We suggest that these cases are secondary to an ischemic phenomenon, specifically to parasympathetic structures such as the ciliary ganglion and/or oculomotor nerve, resulting in autonomic dysfunction manifested by pupillary dilation. A similar finding of mydriasis occurring subsequent to other carotid pathology has been reported, with ischemia to parasympathetic structures also proposed as the underlying etiology. Although pupillary dilation often represents a worrisome neurosurgical sign indicating herniation, it should be recognized that after CEA this finding may be a transient, benign occurrence.

Th1 cytokines are upregulated by adenoviral vectors in the brains of primed mice.

A major disadvantage of first generation adenoviral vectors for gene therapy in the brain is the immune response they elicit. Human adenovirus is a common respiratory virus and earlier exposure to it has important implications for gene therapy. We show that the immune response against E1-deleted adenoviral vectors in the brain is more deleterious in animals previously exposed to the virus. Analysis of cytokine mRNA revealed enhanced and prolonged upregulation of the Th1 proinflammatory cytokines, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-12 whereas, effects on Th2 cytokines were negligible. This was associated with reduced reporter gene expression, decreased expression of the dopamine transporter protein and demyelination. This knowledge of the molecular regulation of the immune response provides insight into targets, which could be manipulated to reduce inflammation in immunologically primed animals.