Search

Introduction: This prospective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study in chronic low-back pain (CLBP) patients evaluated the natural course of degenerative lumbar spine changes in relation to Modic 1 type changes (M1) within 1 year.Materials and Methods: From 3,811 consecutive CLBP patients referred to lumbar spine MRI 54 patients with a large M1 were selected using strict exclusion criteria to exclude specific back disorders. Follow-up MRI was obtained within 11-18 months.Results: At baseline M1 was associated with an adjacent endplate lesion in 96% of the cases. In follow-up, an unstable M1 was associated both with an increase of endplate lesions, decrease of disc height and change in disc signal intensity, most found at L4/5 or L5/S1. In disc spaces without M1, progression of degenerative changes was rare.Conclusion: Endplate deformation, decreasing disc height and change of disc signal intensity appear essential features of accelerated degenerative process associated with M1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The use of cold treatment to limit edema, decrease pain, and induce effective muscle relaxation in soft tissue injuries is widespread. PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of a novel cold gel with that of a placebo gel in patients with a soft tissue injury. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective randomized double-blinded controlled study. METHODS: Seventy-four patients with sports-related soft tissue injury were randomly assigned to active cold gel (Ice Power) or placebo gel groups. The gel was applied four times daily on the skin for 14 days. Clinical assessment was made after 7, 14, and 28 days with use of visual analog scale ratings. RESULTS: Pain scores decreased from 59 to 30 during the first week, to 14 by the second, and to 7 by the end of study in the cold gel group. In the placebo group, pain scores decreased from 58 to 45, 26, and 13, respectively (significant difference). Patient satisfaction with treatment was 71 in the cold gel group and 44 in the placebo group (significant difference). Disability decreased significantly more rapidly in the cold gel group. CONCLUSIONS: Cold gel therapy provided an effective and safe treatment for sports-related soft tissue injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archives of Orthopaedic & Traumatic Surgery / Archiv für Orthopädie, Mechanotherapie und Unfallchirurgie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During a follow-up period of 16 weeks in 18 pigs, macroscopical and histological studies revealed inva sion of fibroblasts and mesenchymal cells around the carbon fiber prosthesis inserted to replace the ACL but scarce tissue ingrowth into the prosthesis proper. There was no adherence of the carbon ligament onto the bony channels. The peak tensile strength of the reconstructed ligament was about one third of the paired normal ACL ligament during the 16 week exper iment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mast cells in labial salivary glands obtained from patients with xerostomia with or without focal sialadenitis/Sjögren's syndrome were studied. There was no significant correlation between the intensity of local lymphocyte infiltration and the morphometrically analysed number of mast cells staining positive with toluidine blue. Histamine staining with heterologous 11C antiserum showed significantly fewer positive cells than staining with toluidine blue (mean (SD) 62 (10) v 138 (30)). This suggests heterogeneity of the mast cell population. Furthermore, there was a correlation between the focus score and the number of mast cells containing histamine. This suggests that the proliferation of mast cells containing histamine may be locally regulated by the immune inflammation, possibly through mediators from macrophages and fibroblasts. In contrast, the number of mast cells staining positive with toluidine blue could not be used as a marker of the degree of local inflammation. Although transmission electron microscopic analysis did not disclose signs of 'en masse' mast cell degranulation, mast cells may have a role in the local disease process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Type A synovial lining cells have been shown to contain lysozyme in their lysosomes. This might be phagocytosed because synovial fluid contains lysozyme originating from tissue macrophages and articular cartilage but in arthritides, in particular, from neutrophils. In situ hybridisation with 35S labelled cDNA was used to detect mRNA for lysozyme over synovial lining in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. No hybridisation was found with lactoferrin cDNA, which was used as a negative control. Computer search against the EMBL gene bank (release 14) did not show any significant cross hybridisation to a known sequence. In cytological specimens 35S-cDNA:mRNA hybrids were observed in positive but not in negative control cells. The presence of lysozyme and its mRNA suggests that type A synovial lining cells are of mononuclear phagocyte lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent animal studies indicate that vasopressin has analgetic properties. The aim of this study was to find out if lypressin, a vasopressin analogue, produces analgesia in man. The effect of i.n. lypressin (5 and 10 I.U.) on experimental pain was tested in healthy humans. The lower dose proved high enough to produce a significant antidiuretic effect. Lypressin did not have any marked analgetic effect at these doses either on ischaemic, cutaneous thermal, or dental pain. The results indicate that lypressin cannot be used for pain relief in man at doses low enough not to produce a hazardous water retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus about their disease before and after reading a patient guide was tested. The scores for incorrect answers decreased from 28 to 24% after reading the guide, showing that it increased the patients' knowledge of the disease. The patients with an academic background had the best scores before reading the guide, but they did not improve their scores as much as patients with lower educational qualifications. The differences between the groups studied were not significant in a one way analysis of variance. Forty seven questions about the psychology and coping mechanisms of the patients were factorized. These factors, together with data on the duration and severity of SLE and the age of the patient, were used in multiple linear regression analysis, but had no significant predictive value for an improvement in knowledge. The scores in psychological tests were the same before and after reading the guide. It is concluded that the patient guide for SLE increases knowledge of the disease, but does not affect the psychological response of the patient. The improvement in knowledge cannot be predicted on the basis of various psychological and clinical factors or the social background of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]