BackgroundIntracranial aneurysms (IAs) are vascular dilations on cerebral vessels that affect between 1%–5% of the general population, and can cause life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage when ruptured. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has emerged as a promising tool to study IAs in recent years, particularly for rupture risk assessment. However, despite dozens of studies, CFD is still far from clinical use due to large variations and frequent contradictions in hemodynamic results between studies.PurposeTo identify key gaps in the field of CFD for the study of IA rupture, and to devise a novel tool to rank parameters based on potential clinical utility.MethodsA Pubmed search identified 231 CFD studies for IAs. Forty-six studies fit our inclusion criteria, with a total of 2791 aneurysms. For included studies, study type, boundary conditions, solver resolutions, parameter definitions, geometric and hemodynamic parameters used, and results found were recorded.Data synthesisAspect ratio, aneurysm size, low wall shear stress area, average wall shear stress, and size ratio were the parameters that correlate most strongly with IA rupture.LimitationsSignificant differences in parameter definitions, solver spatial and temporal resolutions, number of cycles between studies as well as frequently missing information such as inlet flow rates were identified. A greater emphasis on prospective studies is also needed.ConclusionsOur recommendations will help increase standardization and bridge the gaps in the CFD community, and expedite the process of making CFD clinically useful in guiding the treatment of IAs.

The smile variables of anterior smile line, posterior smile line, upper lip curvature, and smile index are predominant factors of smile attractiveness, which should be given priority to consider and manage in the anterior esthetic treatment plan.

BackgroundElectronic health records (EHRs) are especially important in low-resource settings due to their potential to address unique challenges such as a high number of patients requiring long-term treatments who are lost to follow-up, the frequent shortages of essential drugs, poor maintenance and storage of records, and inefficient clinical triaging. However, there is a lack of affordable and practical EHR solutions. Stre@mline is an EHR platform that has been locally developed by Ugandan clinicians and engineers in Southwestern Uganda. It is tailored to the specific context and needs of low-resource hospitals. It operates without internet access, incorporates locally relevant standards and key patient safety features, has a medication inventory management component, has local technical support available, and is economically sustainable without funding from international donors. Stre@mline is currently used by over 60,000 patients at 2 hospitals, with plans to expand across Uganda.ObjectiveThe purpose of this article is to describe the key opportunities and challenges in EHR development in sub-Saharan Africa and to summarize the development and implementation of a “Made-for-Africa” EHR, Stre@mline, and how it has led to improved care for over 60,000 vulnerable patients in a rural region of Southwestern Uganda.MethodsA quantitative user survey consisting of a set of 33 questions on usability and performance was conducted at Kisiizi Hospital. Users responded to each question through a Likert scale with the values of strongly disagree, disagree, agree, and strongly agree. Through purposive sampling, 30 users were identified and 28 users completed the survey.ResultsWe found that users were generally very satisfied with the ease of use of Stre@mline, with 96% (27/28) finding it easy to learn and 100% (28/28) finding it easy to use. Users found that Stre@mline was helpful in improving both clinical efficiency and enhancing patient care.ConclusionsThe partnership of local clinicians and developers is crucial to the design and adoption of user-centered technologies tailored to the specific needs of low-resource settings. The EHR described here could serve as a model for the development of future technologies suitable for developing countries.

AIMTo compare the efficacy of a session of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) vs ERCP only for problematic and large common bile duct (CBD) stones.METHODSAdult patients with CBD stones for whom initial ERCP was unsuccessful because of the large size of CBD stones were identified. The patients were randomized into two groups, an “ESWL + ERCP group” and an “ERCP-only” group. For ESWL + ERCP cases, ESWL was performed prior to ERCP. Clearance of the CBD, complications related to the ESWL/ERCP procedure, frequency of mechanical lithotripsy use and duration of the ERCP procedure were evaluated in both groups.RESULTSThere was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups. A session of ESWL before ERCP compared with ERCP only resulted in similar outcomes in terms of successful stone removal within the first treatment session (74.2% vs 71.0%, P = 0.135), but a higher clearance rate within the second treatment session (84.4% vs 51.6%, P = 0.018) and total stone clearance (96.0% vs 86.0%, P = 0.029). Moreover, ESWL prior to ERCP not only reduced ERCP procedure time (43 ± 21 min vs 59 ± 28 min, P = 0.034) and the rate of mechanical lithotripsy use (20% vs 30%, P = 0.025), but also raised the clearance rate of extremely large stones (80.0% vs 40.0%, P = 0.016). Post-ERCP complications were similar for the two groups.CONCLUSIONBased on the higher rate of successful stone removal and minimal complications, ESWL prior to ERCP appears to be a safe and effective treatment for the endoscopic removal of problematic and large CBD stones.

Background: Malignancy-associated secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (MSSP) poses significant challenges due to limited survival. By assessing risk factors associated with a MSSP recurrence, there is potential to identify patients who could benefit from early intervention intended to prevent recurrence. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with MSSP. The primary outcome was time to MSSP recurrence. We used a competing risk model to identify risk factors associated with MSSP recurrence. Results: A total of 2,532 patients were diagnosed with pneumothorax, with 114 having MSSP but only 96 were evaluable for the time-to-recurrence analysis. Of the 96 patients, 9 (9.4%) patients experienced recurrent MSSP, and 58 (60.4%) patients died during the study's follow-up period. The estimated cumulative incidence (CI) of MSSP considering death as a competing risk was 10.1% at 15 months. The univariable model identified the following covariates as associated with MSSP recurrence: mediastinal shift (HR 12.30, 95% CI: 3.44-43.91, P<0.001), distance from lung apex to thoracic cupola (HR 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03, P=0.003), and distance between visceral and chest wall at the hilum (HR 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03, P=0.026). Conclusions: Although the incidence of MSSP recurrence was found to be low, clinical factors such as sarcoma, the associated mediastinal shift, greater distance from lung apex to thoracic cupola, greater distance between visceral and chest wall at the hilum were found to be risk factors for MSSP recurrence.