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Accurate interpretation of in vivo wide-field fluorescent imaging (WFFI) data requires precise separation of raw fluorescence signals into neural and hemodynamic components. The classical Beer-Lambert law-based approach, which uses concurrent 530-nm illumination to estimate relative changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV), fails to account for the scattering and reflection of 530-nm photons from non-neuronal components leading to biased estimates of CBV changes and subsequent misrepresentation of neural activity. This study introduces a novel linear regression approach designed to overcome this limitation. This correction provides a more reliable representation of CBV changes and neural activity in fluorescence data. Our method is validated across multiple datasets, demonstrating its superiority over the classical approach., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial interests in the manuscript and no other potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Silicone-based devices have the potential to achieve an ideal interface with nervous tissue but suffer from scalability, primarily due to the mechanical mismatch between established electronic materials and soft elastomer substrates. This study presents a novel approach using conventional electrode materials through multifunctional nanomesh to achieve reliable elastic microelectrodes directly on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone with an unprecedented cellular resolution. This engineered nanomesh features an in-plane nanoscale mesh pattern, physically embodied by a stack of three thin-film materials by design, namely Parylene-C for mechanical buffering, gold (Au) for electrical conduction, and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) for improved electrochemical interfacing. Nanomesh elastic neuroelectronics are validated using single-unit recording from the small and curvilinear epidural surface of mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG) with device self-conformed and superior recording quality compared to plastic control devices requiring manual pressing is demonstrated. Electrode scaling studies from in vivo epidural recording further revealed the need for cellular resolution for high-fidelity recording of single-unit activities and compound action potentials. In addition to creating a minimally invasive device to effectively interface with DRG sensory afferents at a single-cell resolution, this study establishes nanomeshing as a practical pathway to leverage traditional electrode materials for a new class of elastic neuroelectronics., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background Context: Postoperative pain control following spine surgery can be difficult. The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs use multimodal approaches to manage postoperative pain. While an erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is commonly utilized, the ideal distance for injection from the incision, referred to as the ES (ESPB to mid-surgical level) distance, remains undetermined., Purpose: We evaluated the impact of varying ES distances for ESPB on Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) measures of postoperative pain within the ERAS protocol., Study Design/setting: Retrospective observational study., Patient Sample: Adult patients who underwent elective lumbar spine fusion surgery., Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measures include the comparative postoperative NRS scores across groups at immediate (T1), 24 (T2), 48 (T3), and 72 (T4) hours postsurgery. For secondary outcomes, a propensity matching analysis compared these outcomes between the ERAS and non-ERAS groups, with opioid-related recovery metrics also assessed., Methods: All included patients were assigned to one of three ERAS groups according to the ES distance: Group 1 (G1, ES > 3 segments), Group 2 (G2, ES = 2-3 segments), and Group 3 (G3, ES<2 segments). Each patient underwent a bilateral ultrasound-guided ESPB with 60 mL of diluted ropivacaine or bupivacaine., Results: Patients within the ERAS cohort reported mild pain (NRS < 3), with no significant NRS variation across G1 to G3 at any time. Sixty-five patients were matched across ERAS and non-ERAS groups. The ERAS group exhibited significantly lower NRS scores from T1 to T3 than the non-ERAS group. Total morphine consumption during hospitalization was 26.7 mg for ERAS and 41.5 mg for non-ERAS patients. The ERAS group resumed water and food intake sooner and had less postoperative nausea and vomiting., Conclusions: ESPBs can be effectively administered at or near the mid-surgical level to the low thoracic region for lumbar spine surgeries. Given challenges with sonovisualization, a lumbar ESPB may be preferred to minimize the risk of inadvertent pleural injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Periprosthetic femoral fractures (PPFs) around the hip are challenging complications in orthopaedic surgery, particularly Vancouver type B2 (VTB2) fractures. The surgical management of these fractures is crucial and depends on various factors. Cementless short taper stem with plate osteosynthesis is an alternative surgical technique. This study aims to compare the outcomes of this surgical technique with revision arthroplasty (RA) with long stem in the treatment of VTB2 PPFs., Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a single medical institute from February 2010 to May 2019. Patients who had received either total hip arthroplasty or bipolar hemiarthroplasty and subsequently developed a VTB2 PPF were included; patients who sustained intra-operative fractures or received a cemented stem previously were excluded from the analysis. The patients were divided into two groups: group I received RA with cementless long stem, while group II underwent RA with cementless short taper stem with plate osteosynthesis. Demographic data, radiographic and functional outcomes, and complications were analyzed between the two groups., Results: A total of 85 patients diagnosed with VTB2 PPFs were included in the study. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic data, including age, gender, mean follow-up times, estimated blood loss, and operative times. The radiographic results showed that there was no significant difference in the incidence of subsidence and implant stability between the two groups. However, group II tended to have less subsidence and periprosthetic osteolysis. Patients in group II had significantly better functional scores (mean Harris hip score: post-operative: 60.2 in group I and 66.7 in group ii; last follow-up: 77.4 in group 1 and 83.2 in group II (both p < 0.05)). There were no significant differences in the overall complication rate, including infection, dislocation, re-fracture, and revision surgery, between the two groups., Conclusions: Both surgical techniques, cementless long stem and cementless short taper stem with plate osteosynthesis, are effective in the treatment of Vancouver B2 PPFs, with no significant differences in outcomes or complications. However, patients in cementless short taper stem with plate osteosynthesis had better functional scores at both post-operative and the last follow-up., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Imaging hemodynamic responses to interictal spikes holds promise for presurgical epilepsy evaluations. Understanding the hemodynamic response function is crucial for accurate interpretation. Prior interictal neurovascular coupling data primarily come from anesthetized animals, impacting reliability. We simultaneously monitored calcium fluctuations in excitatory neurons, hemodynamics, and local field potentials (LFP) during bicuculline-induced interictal events in both isoflurane-anesthetized and awake mice. Isoflurane significantly affected LFP amplitude but had little impact on the amplitude and area of the calcium signal. Anesthesia also dramatically blunted the amplitude and latency of the hemodynamic response, although not its area of spread. Cerebral blood volume change provided the best spatial estimation of excitatory neuronal activity in both states. Targeted silencing of the thalamus in awake mice failed to recapitulate the impact of anesthesia on hemodynamic responses suggesting that isoflurane's interruption of the thalamocortical loop did not contribute either to the dissociation between the LFP and the calcium signal nor to the alterations in interictal neurovascular coupling. The blood volume increase associated with interictal spikes represents a promising mapping signal in both the awake and anesthetized states., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Proactive management of pumping stations using artificial intelligence (AI) technology is vital for effectively mitigating the impacts of flood events caused by climate change. Accurate water level forecasts are pivotal in advancing the intelligent operation of pumping stations. This study proposed a novel Transformer-LSTM model to offer accurate multi-step-ahead forecasts of the flood storage pond (FSP) and river water levels for the Zhongshan pumping station in Taipei, Taiwan. A total of 19,647 ten-minute-based datasets of pumping operation and storm sewer, FSP, and river water levels were collected between 2014 and 2020 and further divided into training (70 %), validation (10 %), and test (20 %) datasets for model construction. The results demonstrate that the proposed model dramatically outperforms benchmark models by producing more accurate and reliable water level forecasts at 10-minute (T + 1) to 60-minute (T + 6) horizons. The proposed model effectively enhances the connections between input factors through the Transformer module and increases the connectivity across consecutive time series using the LSTM module. This study reveals interconnected dynamics among pumping operation and storm sewer, FSP, and river water levels, enhancing flood management. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effective execution of management strategies and infrastructure revitalization against climate impacts. The Transformer-LSTM model's forecasts encourage water practices, resilience, and disaster risk reduction for extreme weather events., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Fi-John Chang reports financial support was provided by National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: There is an increasing incidence and prevalence of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide. Little is known the prevalence of CKD among older patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CKD and its risk factors in older adults with schizophrenia., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 240 patients with schizophrenia age 50 or older were recruited. In addition to demographic and clinical data, participants' estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation based on age, sex, ethnicity, and serum creatinine level determined from a blood sample taken from participants., Results: The overall prevalence of CKD was 11.3%. Those with CKD group were older, had a longer duration of psychiatric illness, a higher body mass index (BMI), and diagnoses of hypertension compared to those in the non-CKD group. Independent of other risk factors, older age and BMI were significantly associated with CKD., Conclusions: This study found that the overall prevalence of CKD in older patients with schizophrenia was 11.3%. Risk factors for CKD in this population were older age and higher BMI. In addition to early identification and early treatment of CKD in older patients with schizophrenia, clinicians should actively manage the risk factors identified in this study, such as higher BMI and older age., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Clinical manifestations of phlebosclerotic colitis (PC) exhibit significant variability, necessitating diverse treatment strategies depending on disease severity. However, there is limited research exploring the relationship between imaging findings and disease severity. Hence, this retrospective study aimed to analyze the correlation between computed tomography (CT) findings, colonoscopic features, and disease severity. This study compared the abdominal CT characteristics, colonoscopy findings, and treatment modalities of 45 PC patients. CT images were assessed for the severity of mesenteric venous calcification, maximum colonic wall thickness, number of involved colonic segments, and presence of pericolic inflammation. Colonoscopic images were assessed for dark purple discoloration mucosa, erosive and ulcerative lesions, mucosal edema, luminal narrowing, and the number of involved colonic segments. In addition, patients were categorized into three groups: the observation (n = 15), medical treatment (n = 19), and operation (n = 11) groups. In CT images, a significant difference in pericolic inflammation (p = 0.039) was observed among groups. Further, significant differences in dark purple discoloration mucosa (p = 0.033), erosive or ulcerative lesions (p < 0.001), mucosal edema (p < 0.001), luminal narrowing (p = 0.012), and the number of involved colonic segments (p = 0.001) were observed in colonoscopy. Moreover, we found positive correlations between CT and colonoscopy features. In conclusion, CT manifestations and colonoscopy findings exhibited correlation with disease severity in PC. When limited to one diagnostic tool, observations from that tool can infer potential manifestations of the alternative tool., (© 2023 The Authors. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Kaohsiung Medical University.)

The development of deep learning-based groundwater level forecast models can tackle the challenge of high dimensional groundwater dynamics, predict groundwater variation trends accurately, and manage groundwater resources effectively, thereby contributing to sustainable water resources management. This study proposed a novel ConvAE-LSTM model, which fused a Convolutional-based Autoencoder model (ConvAE) and a Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network model (LSTM), to provide accurate spatiotemporal groundwater level forecasts over the next three months. The HBV-light and LSTM models are chosen as benchmarks. An ensemble of point data and the corresponding derived images concerning the past (observations) and the future (forecasts from a conceptual model) of groundwater levels at 33 groundwater wells in Jhuoshuei River basin of Taiwan between 2000 and 2019 constituted the case study. The findings showcase the effectiveness of the ConvAE-LSTM model in extracting crucial features from both point and imagery datasets. This model successfully establishes spatiotemporal dependencies between regional images and groundwater level data over diverse time frames, leading to accurate multi-step-ahead forecasts of groundwater levels. Notably, the ConvAE-LSTM model exhibits a substantial improvement, with the R-squared values showing an increase of more than 18%, 22%, and 49% for the R1, R2, and R3 regions, respectively, compared to the HBV-light model. Additionally, it outperforms the LSTM model in this regard. This study represents a noteworthy milestone in environmental modeling, offering key insights for designing sustainable groundwater management strategies to ensure the long-term availability of this vital resource., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Fi-John Chang reports financial support was provided by National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Response surface models (RSMs) are a new trend in modern anesthesia. RSMs have demonstrated significant applicability in the field of anesthesia. However, the comparative analysis between RSMs and logistic regression (LR) in different surgeries remains relatively limited in the current literature. We hypothesized that using a total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) technique with the response surface model (RSM) and logistic regression (LR) would predict the emergence from anesthesia in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracotomy surgery (VATS). This study aimed to prove that LR, like the RSM, can be used to improve patient safety and achieve enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). This was a prospective, observational study with data reanalysis. Twenty-nine patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class II and III) who underwent VATS for elective pulmonary or mediastinal surgery under TIVA were enrolled. We monitored the emergence from anesthesia, and the precise time point of regained response (RR) was noted. The influence of varying concentrations was examined and incorporated into both the RSM and LR. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area for Greco and LR models was 0.979 (confidence interval: 0.987 to 0.990) and 0.989 (confidence interval: 0.989 to 0.990), respectively. The two models had no significant differences in predicting the probability of regaining response. In conclusion, the LR model was effective and can be applied to patients undergoing VATS or other procedures of similar modalities. Furthermore, the RSM is significantly more sophisticated and has an accuracy similar to that of the LR model; however, the LR model is more accessible. Therefore, the LR model is a simpler tool for predicting arousal in patients undergoing VATS under TIVA with Remifentanil and Propofol.