Rejected

Wound pain after surgery for lumbar spine disease may interfere with patients' recovery. Acupuncture is commonly used for pain management, but its efficacy for postoperative pain control is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for adjuvant pain control after surgery for degenerative lumbar spine disease.

Stroke in tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

Pelvic actinomycosis is a rare condition, usually associated with intrauterine device (IUD) use. Its clinical presentation may vary from being asymptomatic to the mimicking of pelvic malignancy; it has been described as one of the most misdiagnosed diseases. A 78-year-old woman without a history of IUD use, arrived at our clinic complaining of chronic and intermittent postmenopausal bleeding associated with lower pelvic pain. An endometrial curettage was performed, and endometritis (caused by Actinomyces) identified. Treatment with intravenous piperacillin and tazobactam for 7 days, followed by 6 weeks of oral ampicillin, daily, decreased the bleeding and the pain. Although rare, it is important to consider Actinomyces-related endometritis as a differential diagnosis in cases of elderly woman with postmenopausal bleeding and without a history of IUD use.

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome due to pituitary hemorrhage or infarction. It is characterized by the sudden onset of one or more of the following: severe headache, visual disturbance, nausea/vomiting, and or altered mental status. Most commonly, PA occurs in an underlying pituitary adenoma. The pathophysiology is not fully understood, but it is thought to involve elements of increased metabolic demand and/or compromise to the vasculature of the pituitary or pituitary tumor. Several risk factors have been described. Stabilization of the patient on presentation, replacement of hormonal deficiencies, and reversal of electrolyte abnormalities are the recommended initial steps in the management of patients with PA. Surgical decompression of the mass effect had been the recommended treatment for patients with PA; however, retrospective studies of patients with PA have demonstrated similar outcomes when a conservative approach is applied. This suggests that in highly selected clinical scenarios (mild visual deficit and improving symptoms), conservative management is possible. Further studies, however, are necessary to better stratify patients but are limited by the rarity of the condition and the acuity.

Notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a chronic sensory neuropathy that causes intense pruritus, typically affecting the upper portion of the back and lasting for months to years. The impacts of pruritus and the full symptom experience are not well documented.

 Traumatic atlantoaxial (upper cervical spine) leads to instability in weightbearing movement and neurological deficit. Presently, C1 (axial) lateral mass or pedicle screws for fixation are the most popular because of excellent mechanical performance for internal fixation. C1 pedicle screw fixation can reduce intraoperative blood loss and postoperative occipital neuralgia more than C1 lateral mass screws. However, screws cannot be inserted completely through the pedicle in some patients due to C1 size.  We aimed to determine the ideal pedicle screw entry point, angle of screw projection, and pedicle height in the Thai population.  Patient data were collected and measured using the INFINITT program at Mukdahan Hospital from September 2020 to June 2021. The C1 measurements, i.e., distance from the midline to the medial edge of the posterior arch (DPA) and medial edge transverse foramen (DTF), angle of screw projection, and length and height of the pedicle were recorded. Descriptive statistics and -test were used to analyze the data.  The mean Thai pedicle dimensions were DPA = 14.17 mm (range: 11.19-19.70 mm), DTF = 22.09 mm (range: 18.13-26.44 mm), ideal screw entry point = 18.13 mm (range: 15.19-22.00 mm), ideal angle of screw projection medial angulation = 2.67 degrees (range: 0-7 degrees), and height of posterior arch (pedicle) = 4.77 mm (range: 2.68-7.22 mm). Forty of 167 patients (24.0%) had a pedicle height less than 4.0 mm (bilateral 11 patients and unilateral 29 patients).  The ideal C1 pedicle screw entry point is approximately 18.13 mm from the midline. In the Thai samples with C1 pedicle height less than 4.0 mm, the screws cannot be inserted completely through the pedicle. Therefore, screw insertion should be partially through the pedicle (notching technique).

To reveal the relationship between smoking cessation before surgery, pre- and post-operative anxiety, and pain among chronic smokers.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that is challenging to treat due to its progressive nature and its weaning response to therapy. Safinamide, a monoamine oxidase type-B inhibitor (MAOB-I), has shown promise in managing dyskinesias caused by levodopa (L-dopa), carbidopa, and PD features such as pain and depression. This systematic review aimed to evaluate safinamide's efficacy as a monotherapy and an add-on in tackling these issues. We composed this systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Our group searched the following databases: Manchester University Library, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, PubMed Central, and MedLine for articles produced in the last ten years using various search terms and criteria, which we outlined in the search strategy and eligibility criteria sections. We excluded 722 out of the initially screened 730 records for multiple reasons, such as titles and abstracts being irrelevant to the topic, articles without free full access, articles originally not in the English language, and articles that did not score 70% or above on their respective quality assessment tools. The studies explored supported safinamide's use in managing motor fluctuations, pain, depression, and improving patients' quality of life.

Trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia has been reported to cause chronic headaches and facial pain. There are various modalities of treatment ranging from pharmacological to surgical treatment. However, these are frequently accompanied by undesirable side effects and minimal efficacy. Pulsed radiofrequency has been used to treat chronic pain but it is often seen as an unconventional treatment for postherpetic neuralgia. Nonetheless, the literature supports its use for alleviating pain with minimal complications. This case demonstrates that pulsed radiofrequency can successfully treat intractable pain secondary to postherpetic neuralgia affecting all three trigeminal dermatomes.

Brucellosis is a common zoonotic infection worldwide caused by the bacterial species Brucella. It has a wide range of presentations from asymptomatic infection to multisystem involvement. Splenomegaly is seen in around 30-60% of cases, however, atraumatic spontaneous splenic rupture is extremely rare. We present a case of a 45-year-old man who presented with acute left upper quadrant pain and fever of five days duration without a history of antecedent trauma. He was hemodynamically stable with examination revealing left upper quadrant tender palpable mass. Ultrasonography followed by computed tomography revealed subcapsular hematoma with perisplenic and perihepatic free fluid. Viral markers (hepatitis B and C, cytomegalovirus {CMV}, Epstein-Barr virus {EBV}, HIV, and dengue) were negative. The autoimmune profile was negative. Brucella serum agglutination test was positive (1: 640) and blood cultures grew . He was managed conservatively for splenic hematoma and received one unit blood transfusion and treatment with combination of antibiotics (rifampicin and doxycycline) for brucella for six weeks. On follow-up, the patient reported no further complications. Spontaneous splenic rupture is a clinical rarity and should be considered in patients presenting with acute abdomen and suspected infective, neoplastic, and inflammatory pathology. Spontaneous splenic rupture in acute brucellosis requires prompt clinical recognition and immediate anti-Brucella therapy to prevent the catastrophic progression.