[Surgical treatment of traumatic brain injuries in Cotonou: Difficulties, results and prospects]. / Traitement chirurgical des traumatismes crânio-encéphaliques à Cotonou : problèmes, résultats et perspectives.

Social and economical impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is all the more important that this condition is one of the most frequent causes of death, morbidity and disability in adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of neurosurgical treatment of traumatic brain injury at the Hubert Koutoukou Maga National Teaching Hospital (CNHU-HKM) in Cotonou. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It was a descriptive and analytical retrospective study. It was carried out on data of patients admitted to the CNHU-HKM for TBI from 1st of July 2012 to 30th of June 2015. RESULTS: Among the 1777 TBI patients admitted, 80 (4.5%) had surgical treatment. The mean age of patients was 28±16 years. The sex-ratio was 5.27 male for 1 female. The injuries diagnosed were acute extra-dural hematoma (39.13%), acute subdural hematoma (15.94%), cranial cerebral wounds (21.73%), depressed fractures (14.49%), ventricular hemorrhage (5.8%), cerebellar hemorrhage (1.45%) and brain swelling (1.45%). The mean delay between diagnosis and surgical care was 120±152.32hours. Postoperative mortality rate was 13.04%. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Benin's health system does not provide optimal care management of patients with TBI. There is an emerging imperative to develop an insurance system for the management of TBI.

It's all in the parameters: a critical analysis of some well-known negative studies on low-level laser therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Scientific studies include references to historical studies on low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in general and to old studies on the specific subject in particular. Some studies are quoted often. It is fair to take a second look at these, since few people seem to have read them carefully, and others have read them only in the abstract form. This paper critically reviews the parameter pitfalls found in many of the classic "negative" studies. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: A study of 1,200 papers on LLLT has resulted in 85 positive and 35 negative double-blind studies. The negative studies have been scrutinized carefully in an effort to pinpoint possible reasons for the failures. In the following, the majority are double-blind studies, but some non-blinded and animal studies have been included to give typical examples of pitfalls.

Effect of low power laser irradiation on nociceptive cells in Hirudo medicinalis.

The effect of low power Helium-Neon (He-Ne) and Gallium-Arsenide (Ga-As) laser on the nociceptors in Hirudo medicinalis was studied. The results show that low power laser irradiation does not: affect the membrane potential or the excitability of the nociceptive neurons, affect the mechanical pressure required to activate the nociceptors or their action potentials. The results indicate that the analgesic effects reported in humans with "laser-acupuncture" with similar modes of low power laser are likely not explained by effects on nervous tissue.