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Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Early detection of prognostic factors using the Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Yellow Flag (OSPRO-YF) or the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPQ-21) can predict improvement in pain and disability for patients with nonspecific LBP., Objectives: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the OSPRO-YF and the ÖMPQ-21 with their short versions into the Italian language and to test their measurement properties in patients with LBP., Design: Clinimetric study., Methods: OSPRO-YF and ÖMPQ-21 were translated and administered to LBP patients with questionnaires on pain intensity, disability, pain self-efficacy, and pain catastrophizing. We evaluated test-retest reliability, measurement error, and construct validity., Results: Eighty-three patients with LBP were included. No floor or ceiling effects were reported. Test-retest reliability of the OSPRO-YF, the ÖMPQ-21, and their short forms were excellent. The measurement error analysis revealed a Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) of 6.7 points, a Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) of 18.6 points for ÖMPQ-21, a SEM of 2.3 points, and a MDC of 6.4 points for OSPRO-YF. The construct validity of the OSPRO-YF and ÖMPQ-21 and its 10-item short version was satisfactory and moderate. OSPRO-YF performed better than ÖMPQ-21 on all three measurement properties., Conclusion: OSPRO-YF, ÖMPQ-21, and their short versions are reliable and valid for identifying 'yellow flags' in Italian patients with LBP, with the former generally performing better than the latter. Further research is needed to confirm their ability to predict outcomes in patients with LBP., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Smartphone apps for self-management are valuable tools to help manage low back pain (LBP) patients. The purposes of this systematic review were to (a) summarize the available studies on the efficacy of smartphone apps for self-management of LBP and (b) identify free applications available in Italy that offer strategies for LBP self-management and provide a qualitative assessment using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). According to the Prisma Checklist, six bibliographic databases were searched with the keywords 'low back pain', 'mobile application', 'smartphone', and 'telemedicine'. In total, 852 records were screened, and 16 were included in the systematic review. Of the six RCTs included, four reported a statistically significant decrease in pain in favor of the app group, and two RCTs did not. Only in a non-RCT was there an increase in the disability score. In the application research conducted on mobile stores, we identified and rated 25 applications through MARS. The overall scores ranged from 1.93 to 3.92 for the IOS app and 1.73 to 4.25 for the Play Store app. The findings suggest that few apps meet satisfying quality, content, and functionality criteria for LBP self-management.

Background and Objectives : To identify the most frequently reported predictive factors for the persistency of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PPGP) at 3-6 months after childbirth in women with PPGP alone or PPGP in association with pregnancy-related lower back pain (PLBP). Methods : Eligibility criteria: Two authors independently selected studies excluding PPGP determined by a specific, traumatic, gynecological/urological cause or isolated PLBP and studies that did not include the presence/absence of PPGP as the the primary outcome. We, instead, included studies with an initial assessment in pregnancy (within 1 month of delivery) and with a follow-up of at least 3 months after delivery. Data sources : The research was performed using the databases of Medline, Cochrane, Pedro, Scopus, Web of Science and Cinahl from December 2018 to January 2022, following the indications of the PRISMA statement 2021 and the MOOSE checklist. It includes observational cohort studies in which data were often collected through prospective questionnaires (all in English). Study appraisal and risk of bias : Two independent authors performed evaluations of the risk of bias (ROB) using the quality in prognostic studies (QUIPS) tool. Synthesis of results : An in-depth qualitative analysis was conducted because, due to a high degree of heterogeneity in the data collection of the included studies and a lack of raw data suitable for quantitative analysis, it was not possible to carry out the originally planned meta-analyses for the subgroups. Results : The research process led to the inclusion of 10 articles which were evaluated using the QUIPS tool: 5 studies were evaluated as low ROB and 5 were evaluated as moderate ROB. High levels of pain in pregnancy, a large number of positive provocation tests, a history of lower back pain and lumbo-pelvic pain, high levels of disability in pregnancy, neurotic behavior and high levels of fear-avoidance belief were identified as strong predictors of long-term PPGP, while there was weak or contradictory evidence regarding predictions of emotional distress, catastrophizing and sleep disturbances. Discussion : The impossibility of carrying out the meta-analysis by subgroups suggests the need for further research with greater methodological rigor in the acquisition of measures based on an already existing PPGP core predictors/outcome sets.

We invite systematic consideration of the metaphors of cycles and circulation as a long-term theme in the history of the life and environmental sciences and medicine. Ubiquitous in ancient religious and philosophical traditions, especially in representing the seasons and the motions of celestial bodies, circles once symbolized perfection. Over the centuries cyclic images in western medicine, natural philosophy, natural history and eventually biology gained independence from cosmology and theology and came to depend less on strictly circular forms. As potent 'canonical icons', cycles also interacted with representations of linear and irreversible change, including arrows, arcs, scales, series and trees, as in theories of the Earth and of evolution. In modern times life cycles and reproductive cycles have often been held to characterize life, in some cases especially female life, while human efforts selectively to foster and disrupt these cycles have harnessed their productivity in medicine and agriculture. But strong cyclic metaphors have continued to link physiology and climatology, medicine and economics, and biology and manufacturing, notably through the relations between land, food and population. From the grand nineteenth-century transformations of matter to systems ecology, the circulation of molecules through organic and inorganic compartments has posed the problem of maintaining identity in the face of flux and highlights the seductive ability of cyclic schemes to imply closure where no original state was in fact restored. More concerted attention to cycles and circulation will enrich analyses of the power of metaphors to naturalize understandings of life and their shaping by practical interests and political imaginations., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The aim of this review is to summarize, following a timeline, the current knowledge regarding the effects of the Sars-cov2 virus on male fertility, researching the pathological and clinical results of the studies published in the last year., Methods: A systematic research was performed on the major international online databases; Thirty-five articles were selected., Results: A statistically significant reduction in testosterone levels and sperm quality in subjects with COVID-19 has been highlighted in several papers; however, in many cases the tests have been conducted in patients with active disease and long-term consequences are still not known. Some studies have confirmed the presence of the virus in the testis in a low percentage of patients; viral presence in sperm has only been found in one study. Testicular discomfort, which could indicate viral orchitis, was highlighted in several works, with an incidence of up to 19% percent of patients. The presence of inflammatory lymphocytic infiltrates, IgG and inflammatory cytokines have been documented in several works; pathological signs of inflammation were found in 60.9% of testicular biopsies performed in one study. The entry of the virus into the testis cells, both stromal and seminal cells appeared to be Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) mediated, as it also occurs in other tissues. DNA fragmentation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, autoantibody production and ACE2 mediated effect have all been hypothesized as cause of cellular damage., Conclusions: The results on effects of COVID-19 infection on the male reproductive system are currently insufficient as they are based on a small number of patients and therefore are often contradictory.Certain mechanisms of testicular damage are still to be assessed, as any risk categories like age, ethnicity, or others. As for the transmission of the virus through sperm, there is insufficient evidence to ensure that this cannot happen.

Aim: The objective of this study is to present our initial experience with magnetic resonance imaging/ultrasound (MRI/US) fusion biopsy using the Koelis Trinity device after the first consecutive 59 patients., Materials and Methods: 59 consecutive patients with suspected prostate cancer (PCA) underwent prostate biopsy using Trinity Koelis® (Koelis, Grenoble, France). We divided the patients into 2 groups: patients with a previous negative mapping underwent to a MRI/US fusion re-biopsy (Group A); and biopsy-naïve patients who underwent to a first stereotactic 3-D mapping of the prostate (Group B). Group A (22 patients):mean age 64 years (CI 48-73), mean PSA = 7.7 ng/ml (CI 4.2- 9.9); mean prostate volume 55 ml(CI 45-82), Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) positive in 2/22, number of lesions detected by MRI 1.4, mean cores from each MRI target lesion 3 (CI 2-5), mean total cores 15 ( CI 12-19). Group B (37 patients): mean age 66 years (CI 49-77), mean PSA= 4.7 (3.2- 7.9); mean prostate volume 45 ml (33-67), DRE positive in 5/37, mean total cores 14 ( CI 10-16) Results: In Group A 10/22 patients were positive for PCA (overall detection rate of 45.5%): 6 PCA were detected by target biopsy and 4 cancer by random biopsy. Significant prostate cancer (defined as the presence of Gleason pattern 4) was detected in 4/10 patients (Significant PCA detection rate of 40%) and all significant PCA were detected by MRI target biopsy. All PCA detected by random biopsy had Gleason score 3 + 3 = 6. In Group B (biopsy naïve patients) 14/37 patients were positive for PCA (overall detection rate of 37.8%), Significant prostate cancer was detected in 5/14 patients (Significant PCA detection rate of 35,7%). No significant side effects were recorded., Conclusions: Our overall detection rate was 45.5% and 37.8% in Group A (patients with previous negative biopsy and persistent suspicion of PCA) and in Group B (biopsy naïve patients) respectively; clinical significant PCA detection rate was respectively 40% and 35.7%. These results are similar to current literature and promising for the future. We believe that using platforms of co-registered MRI/US fusion biopsy can potentially improve risk stratification and reduces understaging, undergrading and the need for repeat biopsies in biopsy naïve patients (using a stereotactic first mapping) and in patients with previous negative biopsy and persistent suspicion of PCA ( using a second MRI/US fusion biopsy).

Distancing himself from both Aristotelian and Epicurean models of natural change, and resisting delusions of anthropocentric grandeur, Cardano advanced a theory of teleology centred on the notion of non-human selfhood. In keeping with Plato, he argued that nature was ruled by the mind, meaning by "mind" a universal paragon of intelligibility instantiated through patterns of purposive action ("noetic" teleology). This allowed Cardano to defend a theory of natural finalism in which life was regarded as a primordial attribute of being, already in evidence in the most elementary forms of nature, whose main categories were ability to feign, self-interest, self-preservation and indefinite persistence.

This article examines the philosophical implications underlying Bacon's views on historical knowledge, paying special attention to that variety of historical knowledge described by Bacon as "natural." More specifically, this article explores the interplay of history (historia) and fable (fabula). In the sphere of thought, fabula is the equivalent to materia in nature. Both are described by Bacon as being "versatile" and "pliant." In Bacon's system of knowledge, philosophy, as the domain of reason, starts from historiae and fabulae, once memory and the imagination have fulfilled their cognitive tasks. This means that, for Bacon, there is no such thing as a pure use of reason. He advocates a kind of reason that, precisely because it is involved with matter's inner motions (its "appetites," in Bacon's characteristic language), is constitutively 'impure'. The article shows how the terms historia and fabula cover key semantic areas in defining Bacon's philosophy: historia may mean "history" as well as "story,"fabula "myth" as well "story". In both cases, we can see significant oscillations from a stronger meaning (close to those of matter and nature) to a weaker one (connected to wit and imagination), as if the power of nature decreases moving from histories and myths to stories. On the other hand, there are cases in which Bacon seems to stick to a diachronic view of the meaning of fables and histories, such that the transition from myths to history, especially natural history, is described as a collective effort towards reality and enlightenment.

This article investigates the reasons behind the disappearance of Francis Glisson's theory of irritability during the eighteenth century. At a time when natural investigations were becoming increasingly polarized between mind and matter in the attempt to save both man's consciousness and the inert nature of the res extensa, Glisson's notion of a natural perception embedded in matter did not satisfy the new science's basic injunction not to superimpose perceptions and appetites on nature. Knowledge of nature could not be based on knowledge within nature, i.e., on the very knowledge that nature has of itself; or--to look at the same question from the point of view of the human mind--man's consciousness could not be seen as participating in forms of natural selfhood. Albrecht Haller played a key role in this story. Through his experiments, Haller thought he had conclusively demonstrated that the response given by nature when irritated did not betray any natural perceptivity, any inner life, any sentiment interiéur. In doing so, he provided a less bewildering theory of irritability for the rising communities of experimental physiology.