Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Context

Mobilization and manipulation therapies are widely used to benefit patients with chronic low back pain. However, questions remain about their efficacy, dosing, safety, and how these approaches compare with other therapies.

冰敷对不同血脂水平高热大鼠降温效果的实验研究

目的探索冰敷对不同血脂水平高热大鼠降温效果的影响,为不同血脂水平的高热患者实施冷疗提供参考。方法将同一批大鼠随机分为高脂组和对照组,每组10只。高脂组采用高脂饲料饲养,对照组采用普通饲料饲养。饲养3周后采用20%干酵母混悬液将其致热,致热成功后将大鼠麻醉,再使用10mL清水冰袋对其颈部和腋下冰敷30min。冰敷结束0、15、30、45、60、75、90、120、180、240、300、360min监测两组大鼠体温。体温观察结束采集两组大鼠血液检测血脂水平。结果两组大鼠血清总胆固醇和低密度脂蛋白比较,差异有统计学意义(均P<0.01)。冰敷结束45min内高脂组体温显著高于对照组(P<0.05,P<0.01)。结论使用高脂饲料喂养大鼠可在短期内改变血脂状况。血脂水平对降温效果有一定影响,血脂水平高者降温效果差。冰敷过程中针对血脂水平高者应适当增加冰袋或延长冰敷时间,以达到更好的降温效果。     

Alterations of gene profiles in Leydig-cell-regenerating adult rat testis after ethane dimethane sulfonate-treatment

Only occupying about 1%–5% of total testicular cells, the adult Leydig cell (ALC) is a unique endocrine cell that produces androgens. Rat Leydig cells regenerate after these cells in the testis are eliminated with ethane dimethane sulfonate (EDS). In this study, we have characterized Leydig cell regeneration and messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) profiles of EDS treated rat testes. Serum testosterone, testicular gene profiling and some steroidogenesis-related proteins were analyzed at 7, 21, 35 and 90 days after EDS treatment. Testicular testosterone levels declined to undetectable levels until 7 days after treatment and then started to recover. Seven days after treatment, 81 mRNAs were down-regulated greater than or equal to two-fold, with 48 becoming undetectable. These genes increased their expression 21 days and completely returned to normal levels 90 days after treatment. The undetectable genes include steroidogenic pathway proteins: steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, Scarb1, Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Hsd3b1, Cyp1b1 and Cyp2a1. Seven days after treatment, there were 89 mRNAs up-regulated two-fold or more including Pkib. These up-regulated mRNAs returned to normal 90 days after treatment. Cyp2a1 did not start to recover until 35 days after treatment, indicating that this gene is only expressed in ALCs not in the precursor cells. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and semi-quantitative immunohistochemical staining using tissue array confirmed the changes of several randomly picked genes and their proteins.     

Estimated Brain Tissue Response Following Impacts Associated With and Without Diagnosed Concussion

Kinematic measurements of head impacts are sensitive to sports concussion, but not highly specific. One potential reason is these measures reflect input conditions only and may have varying degrees of correlation to regional brain tissue deformation. In this study, previously reported head impact data recorded in the field from high school and collegiate football players were analyzed using two finite element head models (FEHM). Forty-five impacts associated with immediately diagnosed concussion were simulated along with 532 control impacts without identified concussion obtained from the same players. For each simulation, intracranial response measures (max principal strain, strain rate, von Mises stress, and pressure) were obtained for the whole brain and within four regions of interest (ROI; cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, corpus callosum). All response measures were sensitive to diagnosed concussion; however, large inter-athlete variability was observed and sensitivity strength depended on measure, ROI, and FEHM. Interestingly, peak linear acceleration was more sensitive to diagnosed concussion than all intracranial response measures except pressure. These findings suggest FEHM may provide unique and potentially important information on brain injury mechanisms, but estimations of concussion risk based on individual intracranial response measures evaluated in this study did not improve upon those derived from input kinematics alone.     

Inhibition of Complement Drives Increase in Early Growth Response Proteins and Neuroprotection Mediated by Salidroside After Cerebral Ischemia

Salidroside is neuroprotective across a wide therapeutic time-window after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Here, we investigated the role of complement in mediating effects of salidroside after cerebral IRI in rats. Rats were administrated with vehicle or salidroside 50 mg/kg, given daily for either 24 or 48 h, after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h and reperfusion for 1 h. Levels of proteins in ischemic brain were measured by immunofluorescence and western blotting. We observed early increases in the deposition of immunoglobulin M, mannose-binding lectin 2, and annexin IV on cerebral endothelial cells, induction of the complement components C3 and C3a, by 24 h after IRI, and a later significant increase in the complement component C1q by 48 h. Salidroside prevented these changes. The neuroplasticity-related early growth response proteins Egr1, Egr2, and Egr4 and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein increased transiently in the first 6 h after IRI but then decreased below baseline by 48 h after IRI. Neither salidroside nor a C3a receptor antagonist (C3aRA) affected these proteins 24 h after IRI, but both reversed their later decreases to similar and non-additive extents. Salidroside and C3aRA increased NeuN in a non-additive manner after IRI. Our results suggest that salidroside exerts neuroprotection by reducing early activation of the lectin pathway on the cerebral endothelium and inhibiting the gradual activation of the classical pathway after cerebral IRI. This prolonged neuroprotection may depend, at least in part, on increased expression of neuroplasticity-related genes driven by reduced complement activation.     

Environmental drivers of parasite load and species richness in introduced parakeets in an urban landscape

Parasitology Research - Introduced species represent a threat to native wildlife worldwide, due to predation, competition, and disease transmission. Concurrent introduction of parasites may also...