Project description:ObjectiveThe idea to treat occipital neuralgia patients with a surgical procedure is relatively recent. The aim of this paper was to describe the surgical techniques and our 12-year experience in this field.Materials and methodsFrom June 2011 till February 2022 we have performed surgery over 232 patients with occipital neuralgia.ResultsThe surgical procedure elicited a positive response in 86% of the patients.ConclusionsThe described techniques allowed to obtain an high rate of positive results with a minimum percentage of complications.
Project description:Living systems exhibit an unmatched complexity, due to countless, entangled interactions across scales. Here, we aim to understand a complex system, that is, segmentation timing in mouse embryos, without a reference to these detailed interactions. To this end, we develop a coarse-grained approach, in which theory guides the experimental identification of the segmentation clock entrainment responses. We demonstrate period- and phase-locking of the segmentation clock across a wide range of entrainment parameters, including higher-order coupling. These quantifications allow to derive the phase response curve (PRC) and Arnold tongues of the segmentation clock, revealing its essential dynamical properties. Our results indicate that the somite segmentation clock has characteristics reminiscent of a highly non-linear oscillator close to an infinite period bifurcation and suggests the presence of long-term feedbacks. Combined, this coarse-grained theoretical-experimental approach reveals how we can derive simple, essential features of a highly complex dynamical system, providing precise experimental control over the pace and rhythm of the somite segmentation clock.