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The age-related degenerative pathologies of the cervical spinal column that comprise degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) cause myelopathy due spinal cord compression. Functional neurological assessment of DCM can potentially reveal the severity and pathological mechanism of DCM. However, functional assessment by conventional MRI remains difficult. This study used resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to investigate the relationship between functional connectivity (FC) strength and neurophysiological indices and examined the feasibility of functional assessment by FC for DCM. Preoperatively, 34 patients with DCM underwent rs-fMRI scans. Preoperative central motor conduction time (CMCT) reflecting motor functional disability and intraoperative somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) reflecting sensory functional disability were recorded as electrophysiological indices of severity of the cervical spinal cord impairment. We performed seed-to-voxel FC analysis and correlation analyses between FC strength and the two electrophysiological indices. We found that FC strength between the primary motor cortex and the precuneus correlated significantly positively with CMCT, and that between the lateral part of the sensorimotor cortex and the lateral occipital cortex also showed a significantly positive correlation with SEP amplitudes. These results suggest that we can evaluate neurological and electrophysiological severity in patients with DCM by analyzing FC strengths between certain brain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is useful when analysing musculoskeletal pain disorders. A handheld algometer is most commonly used for pressure pain threshold (PPT) tests. However, reference intervals for PPTs are not elucidated. We assessed reference intervals of PPTs for QST in 158 healthy adult Japanese with no history of musculoskeletal or neurological problems. A handheld algometer was used to record PPT at five different assessment sites on the body: lumbar paravertebral muscle, musculus gluteus maximus, quadriceps, tibialis anterior muscle, and anterior talofibular ligament. Multiple regression analysis was performed to explore sources of variation of PPT according to sex, age, body mass index, UCLA Activity Level Rating, and Tegner Activity Score. Reference intervals were determined parametrically by Gaussian transformation of PPT values using the two-parameter Box-Cox formula. Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that age was significantly associated with PPT of lumbar paravertebral muscle and musculus gluteus maximus. In females, body mass index showed significant positive correlation with PPT of anterior talofibular ligament, and UCLA Activity Level Rating also showed significant positive association with tibialis anterior muscle and anterior talofibular ligament. Site-specific reference intervals of PPTs for Japanese are of practical relevance in fields of pain research using a handheld algometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristic subcutaneous hemorrhage along the seat belt in motor vehicle accidents is called the seat belt sign (SBS). The risk of organ injuries is especially high when abdominal SBS is located above the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS). The purpose of this study analyzed the physical and radiographic factors of healthy volunteers sit on car seat that affect initial position of abdominal seat belt, namely "lap belt", related to the seat belt injury. This study was examined prospectively relation between physical characteristics of one hundred healthy volunteers and lap belt position sitting the car seat. Physical findings were clarified age, sex, height, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference. Radiographical findings were measured lumber lordosis (LL), sacral slope (SS), and initial lap belt position by marking with lead tape for the center and ASIS of the lap belt installed on the driver's car seat. In the lateral X-ray image, we measured the horizontal distance (X-value) and vertical distance (Z-value) from the ASIS to the central marker. The lap belt angle was determined to measure the angle between the horizontal line and the straight line connecting the upper edges of the markers. Statistical analysis of the relationships between physical characteristics and radiological findings was performed. X-value and Z-value were positively correlated with body weight, BMI, and waist circumference, while the lap belt angle was negatively correlated with body weight, BMI, and waist circumference. The relationship between physical characteristics and the initial position of seat belt was analyzed. Since the lap belt is positioned higher than the ASIS in occupants with a high BMI, it is likely to cause seat belt injury. This analysis can help to develop safer seat belts and to enlighten car occupants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging indices are related to electrophysiological dysfunction in degenerative cervical myelopathy." The original article contained an error in the spelling of one of the authors' names, Toshio Matsubara, which was incorrectly given as Toshiro Matsubara. The correction has been made to the original article. The authors of the article are Hironobu Akimoto, Hidenori Suzuki, Shigeyuki Kan, Masahiro Funaba, Norihiro Nishida, Kazuhiro Fujimoto, Hiroaki Ikeda, Teppei Yonezawa, Kojiro Ikushima, Yoichiro Shimizu, Toshio Matsubara, Kenichiro Harada, Shin Nakagawa, and Takashi Sakai. [Extracted from the article]