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This paper investigates the effects of stochastic variations in bathymetry on the solutions of the thermal quasi-geostrophic (TQG) equations. These stochastic perturbations generate a variety of different types of ensemble spread in the solution behavior whilst also preserving the deterministic Lie–Poisson structure and Casimir conservation laws. We numerically compare the solution sensitivity to another type of structure-preserving stochastic perturbation where instead of bathymetry, the velocity is stochastically perturbed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meeting was hosted by the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh 17th–19th April 2024 at The Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh. The full abstracts of the platform presentations are followed by the titles of those submissions accepted as short orals and e-posters. The order of abstracts is that of presentation. Any papers in the programme that were not presented to the society at the meeting have not been published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents methodology and findings of an empirical study comparing local citation patterns with the holdings lists of various sources of journal articles in the United Kingdom, including the British Library. Topics include identifying data that indicates researchers' use of journals in academic libraries and identifying data to indicate journal coverage. (Contains 54 references.) (Author/LRW)

Presents a criticism of the play "Curtmantle," by Christopher Fry. Description of the play; Information on the plays by Fry; Theme of the play; Characters of the play; Structure and plot of the play.

Objective: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a serious neurological injury that can result in permanent disability. Our objective was to review the evidence for rehabilitation strategies for CES in a scoping review., Methods: A scoping review of the literature to identify rehabilitation strategies and their outcomes was performed. The search strategy used was: (Cauda equina syndrome) AND (treatment OR management OR intervention OR physio∗ OR bladder∗ OR neuro∗ OR stem cell OR repair OR rehab∗) AND ("post?operat∗ OR post?surgical OR surgery"). MEDLINE, CINHAL, Prospero, Cochrane, ClinicalTrials.gov, EMBASE, Web of Science, PEDro, and eThos were searched., Results: Eight studies of rehabilitation for CES were identified which assessed general rehabilitation, active rehabilitation in a spinal cord injury unit, multidisciplinary team involvement and follow-up, spinal manipulation, spinal cord stimulation, and sacral nerve stimulation. Outcome measures used were inconsistent, study quality was low, and it was difficult to draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies., Conclusions: Despite the risk of devastating injury and a recent Getting It Right First Time pathway recommending rehabilitation post CES surgery, there is very limited literature on rehabilitation for CES. Future high-quality rehabilitation trials following CES surgery are needed to guide treatment decisions and optimize postsurgical outcomes., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Neurosurgeons require post-graduate training to deliver safe, effective, and evidence-based care; to continually improve and adapt their methods through assessing the effect of their care and patient outcomes; and to train the future neurosurgeons of tomorrow to surpass current standards of care. We describe methods used by global collaborations to address these training needs on a worldwide scale, their risks, and their perceived benefits., Competing Interests: Disclosure R. Hartl declares consulting work for DePuy Synthes and Brainlab. R. Hartl reports a financial relationship with Zimmer Biomet and Realist. No other author declares any financial interests or personal relationships., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Traumatic spinal injury (TSI) is a disease of significant global health burden, particularly in low and middle-income countries where road traffic-related trauma is increasing. This study compared the demographics, injury patterns, and outcomes of TSI caused by road traffic accidents (RTAs) to non-traffic related TSI., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using a neurotrauma registry from the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) in Tanzania, a national referral center for spinal injuries. Patient sociodemographic characteristics, injury level, and severity were compared across mechanisms of injury. Neurological improvement, neurological deterioration, and mortality were compared between those sustaining TSI through an RTA versus non-RTA, using univariable and multivariable analyses., Results: A total of 626 patients were included, of which 302 (48%) were RTA-related. The median age was 34 years, and 532 (85%) were male. RTAs had a lower male preponderance compared to non-RTA causes (238/302, 79% vs. 294/324, 91%, p<0.001) and a higher proportion of cervical injuries (144/302, 48% vs. 122/324, 38%, p<0.001). No significant differences between RTA and non-RTA mechanisms were found in injury severity, time to admission, length of hospital stay, surgical intervention, neurological outcomes, or in-hospital mortality. Improved neurological outcomes were associated with incomplete injuries (AIS B-D), while higher mortality rates were linked to cervical injuries and complete (AIS A) injuries., Conclusion: Our study in urban Tanzania finds no significant differences in outcomes between spinal injuries from road traffic accidents (RTAs) and non-RTA causes, suggesting the need for equitable resource allocation in spine trauma programs. Highlighting the critical link between cervical injuries and increased mortality, our findings call for targeted interventions across all causes of traumatic spinal injuries (TSI). We advocate for a comprehensive trauma care system that merges efficient pre-hospital care, specialized treatment, and prevention measures, aiming to enhance outcomes and ensure equity in trauma care in low- and middle-income countries., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper. Scott L. Zuckerman is a consultant for the National Football League and Medtronic. Roger Hartl is a DePuy Synthes and Brainlab consultant and has royalties from Zimmer Biomet. He is also an advisor for 3D Bio and Real Spine. No other author declares any financial interests or personal relationships., (Copyright: © 2024 Ikwuegbuenyi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objectives: Chronic Idiopathic urinary retention is poorly understood. One small study suggests higher than expected rates of functional neurological disorder and pain comorbidity which may have implications for understanding the disorder. We investigated the frequency of functional neurological disorder, chronic pain other medical and psychiatric comorbidity, triggers of urinary retention, results of urodynamic assessment, medication history, management, and outcome in patients with chronic idiopathic urinary retention., Methods: A consecutive retrospective electronic notes analysis was undertaken of patients with chronic idiopathic urinary retention presenting to a secondary care urology clinic between Jan 2018-Jan 2021, with follow-up to their most recent urological appointment., Results: 102 patients were identified (mean age of 41.9 years, 98% female). 25% had functional neurological disorder (n = 26), most commonly limb weakness (n = 19, 19%) and functional seizures (n = 16, 16%). Chronic pain (n = 58, 57%) was a common comorbidity. Surgical and medical riggers to urinary retention were found in almost half of patients (n = 49, 48%). 81% of patients underwent urodynamic assessment (n = 83). Most frequently no specific abnormality was reported (n = 30, 29%). Hypertonic urethral sphincter was the most identified urodynamic abnormality (n = 17, 17%). We noted high levels of opioid (n = 50, 49%) and benzodiazepine (n = 27, 26%) use. Urinary retention resolved in only a small number of patients (n = 6, 6%, median follow up 54 months), in three cases spontaneously., Conclusion: This preliminary data suggests idiopathic urinary retention is commonly comorbid with functional neurological disorder, and chronic pain, suggesting shared mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Professor Jon Stone – associate editor of the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. No further interests were identified by the authors., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Neuroinflammation coupled with demyelination and neuro-axonal damage in the central nervous system (CNS) contribute to disease advancement in progressive multiple sclerosis (P-MS). Inflammasome activation accompanied by proteolytic cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD) results in cellular hyperactivation and lytic death. Using multiple experimental platforms, we investigated the actions of GSDMD within the CNS and its contributions to P-MS. Brain tissues from persons with P-MS showed significantly increased expression of GSDMD, NINJ1, IL-1β, and -18 within chronic active demyelinating lesions compared to MS normal appearing white matter and nonMS (control) white matter. Conditioned media (CM) from stimulated GSDMD +/+ human macrophages caused significantly greater cytotoxicity of oligodendroglial and neuronal cells, compared to CM from GSDMD -/- macrophages. Oligodendrocytes and CNS macrophages displayed increased Gsdmd immunoreactivity in the central corpus callosum (CCC) of cuprizone (CPZ)-exposed Gsdmd +/+ mice, associated with greater demyelination and reduced oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation, compared to CPZ-exposed Gsdmd -/- animals. CPZ-exposed Gsdmd +/+ mice exhibited significantly increased G-ratios and reduced axonal densities in the CCC compared to CPZ-exposed Gsdmd -/- mice. Proteomic analyses revealed increased brain complement C1q proteins and hexokinases in CPZ-exposed Gsdmd -/- animals. [ 18 F]FDG PET imaging showed increased glucose metabolism in the hippocampus and whole brain with intact neurobehavioral performance in Gsdmd -/- animals after CPZ exposure. GSDMD activation in CNS macrophages and oligodendrocytes contributes to inflammatory demyelination and neuroaxonal injury, offering mechanistic and potential therapeutic insights into P-MS pathogenesis., 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 © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Aims of epilepsy surgery in childhood include optimising seizure control and facilitating cognitive development. Predicting which children will improve cognitively is challenging. We investigated the association of the pre-operative structural connectome of the contralateral non-operated hemisphere with improvement in intelligence quotient (IQ) post-operatively., Methods: Consecutive children who had undergone unilateral resective procedures for epilepsy at a single centre were retrospectively identified. We included those with pre-operative volume T1-weighted non-contrast brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), no visible contralateral MRI abnormalities, and both pre-operative and two years post-operative IQ assessment. The MRI of the hemisphere contralateral to the side of resection was anatomically parcellated into 34 cortical regions and the covariance of cortical thickness between regions was used to create binary and weighted group connectomes., Results: Eleven patients with a post-operative IQ increase of at least 10 points at two years were compared with twenty-four patients with no change in IQ score. Children who gained at least 10 IQ points post-operatively had a more efficiently structured contralateral hemisphere connectome with higher global efficiency (0.74) compared to those whose IQ did not change at two years (0.58, p = 0.014). This was consistent across thresholds and both binary and weighted networks. There were no statistically significant group differences in age, sex, age at onset of epilepsy, pre-operative IQ, mean cortical thickness, side or site of procedure, two year post-operative Engel scores or use of anti-seizure medications between the two groups., Conclusions: Surgical procedures to reduce or stop seizures may allow children with an efficiently structured contralateral hemisphere to achieve their cognitive potential., 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 © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)