Enzymatic chemonucleolysis for lumbar disc herniation-an assessment of historical and contemporary efficacy and safety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is often managed surgically. Enzymatic chemonucleolysis emerged as a non-surgical alternative. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the efficacy and safety of chemonucleolytic enzymes for LDH. The primary objective is to evaluate efficacy through "treatment success" (i.e., pain reduction) and severe adverse events (SAEs) rates. Additionally, differences in efficacy and safety trends among chemonucleolytic enzymes are explored. Following our PROSPERO registered protocol (CRD42023451546) and PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science databases was conducted up to July 18, 2023. Inclusion criteria involved human LDH treatment with enzymatic chemonucleolysis reagents, assessing pain alleviation, imaging changes, and reporting on SAEs, with focus on allergic reactions. Quality assessment employed the Cochrane Source of Bias and MINORS tools. Meta-analysis utilized odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Among 62 included studies (12,368 patients), chemonucleolysis demonstrated an 79% treatment success rate and significantly outperformed placebo controls (OR 3.35, 95% CI 2.41-4.65) and scored similar to surgical interventions (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.20-2.10). SAEs occurred in 1.4% of cases, with slightly higher rates in chymopapain cohorts. No significant differences in "proceeding to surgery" rates were observed between chemonucleolysis and control cohorts. Limitations include dated and heterogeneous studies, emphasizing the need for higher-quality trials. Further optimization through careful patient selection and advances in therapy implementation may further enhance outcomes. The observed benefits call for wider clinical exploration and adoption. No funding was received for this review.

Maintenance of R-loop structures by phosphorylated hTERT preserves genome integrity.

As aberrant accumulation of RNA-DNA hybrids (R-loops) causes DNA damage and genome instability, cells express regulators of R-loop structures. Here we report that RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) regulates R-loop formation. We found that the phosphorylated form of hTERT (p-hTERT) exhibits RdRP activity in nuclear speckles both in telomerase-positive cells and telomerase-negative cells with alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) activity. The p-hTERT did not associate with telomerase RNA component in nuclear speckles but, instead, with TERRA RNAs to resolve R-loops. Targeting of the TERT gene in ALT cells ablated RdRP activity and impaired tumour growth. Using a genome-scale CRISPR loss-of-function screen, we identified Fanconi anaemia/BRCA genes as synthetic lethal partners of hTERT RdRP. Inactivation of RdRP and Fanconi anaemia/BRCA genes caused accumulation of R-loop structures and DNA damage. These findings indicate that RdRP activity of p-hTERT guards against genome instability by removing R-loop structures.

Intrapancreatic accessory spleen mimicking pancreatic insulinoma with intrapancreatic metastasis in a cat.

An 11-year-old neutered male Domestic Shorthair cat presented with a 3-month history of hypoglycemia, two episodes of seizure, and intermittent tick-like signs. Serum biochemistry revealed severe hypoglycemia associated with high insulin concentrations. Dynamic abdominal computed tomography (CT) indicated two pancreatic masses, which were enhanced most during the late arterial phase but had different degrees and variations of attenuation. Partial pancreatectomy was performed. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed that one mass was an insulinoma and the other was an ectopic splenic tissue, consistent with the differences in imaging findings. When an intrapancreatic lesion with hyper-attenuation on dynamic abdominal CT is detected, not only insulinoma or metastasis of malignancies but also intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS) should be considered as differential diagnoses.

Malignant Hyperthermia during Thoracoscopic Pulmorrhaphy in a 70-Year-Old Man.

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but potentially fatal complication that may develop under general anesthesia (GA) and is rarely reported in elderly patients. We encountered a case of mild-onset MH in a 70-year-old patient who was receiving an elective thoracoscopic pulmorrhaphy and had a history of several GA procedures. Anesthesia was induced with propofol, fentanyl, and rocuronium and maintained with sevoflurane and remifentanil. His body temperature (BT) was 37.9°C after induction. During the procedure, the end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) increased steadily to 47-50 mmHg, presumably in response to the single lung ventilation. At the end, BT was 38.1°C and ETCO2 was 47 mmHg under spontaneous breathing. After extubation, the patient wheezed on inspiration and expiration, and his trachea was reintubated. Sixty minutes after surgery, BT increased to 40.5°C and the arterial blood gas analysis showed severe metabolic acidosis. Based on these findings, MH was suspected and a bolus dose of dantrolene was administered. He responded to the dantrolene, and no complications or recurrence of MH was observed postoperatively. In this patient, the initial signs of MH were so subtle that making the diagnosis of MH was difficult. A high degree of suspicion is necessary to prevent a fulminant MH crisis.

Multiple genetic factors in olanzapine-induced weight gain in schizophrenia patients: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: One of the clinically significant adverse effects of olanzapine treatment is weight gain, which shows substantial inter-individual differences and may be influenced by genetic variation. The aim of this investigation was identification of genetic risk factors associated with olanzapine-induced weight gain. METHOD: Inpatients with DSM-IV-TR schizophrenia (N = 164) were administered olanzapine for 8 to 24 (mean +/- SD = 17.9 +/- 9.4) weeks. The clinical background, body mass index (BMI), and clinical response to olanzapine were investigated. Twenty-one loci of diverse candidate genes encoding dopamine, serotonin (5-HT), histamine, and adrenergic receptors, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, ghrelin, adiponectin, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-2, were analyzed. The study was conducted from June 2001 to June 2003 at 4 psychiatric hospitals in Japan. RESULTS: BMI increased by a mean +/- SD 4.3 +/- 10.7% after treatment with olanzapine (mean +/- SD dose = 15.5 +/- 5.8 mg/day). Olanzapine-induced weight gain correlated negatively with baseline BMI and positively with clinical global improvement and the length of olanzapine treatment (p < .0001), but it did not correlate with the daily dose of olanzapine, concomitant antipsychotics, sex, age, or smoking. Four genetic variants, the 102T allele of HTR2A, the 825T allele of GNB3, the 23Cys allele of HTR2C, and the 64Arg/Arg genotype of ADRB3, were significantly associated with olanzapine-induced weight gain. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the baseline BMI predicted 12.5% of the weight gain, and the 2 latter genetic factors added 6.8%. The patients with double and triple genetic risk factors showed 5.1% and 8.8% BMI increases, respectively, during olanzapine treatment, whereas the patients with a single or no risk factor showed approximately a 1% BMI increase. CONCLUSIONS: We identified genetic variants of 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors, the G-protein beta-3 subunit, and the adrenergic receptor beta-3, as genetic risk factors for olanzapine-induced weight gain, and they showed additive genetic effects on weight gain.

Influence of aging on the carcinogen-induced protein kinase activity in rat liver cell nuclei.

A carcinogen-induced increase in a protein kinase activity was found in cell nuclei of rat liver. The enzyme was extracted from isolated nuclei with a hypotonic buffer, retained to an anion-exchange column, eluted with 0.15 M NaCl containing solution and to be measured for the activity with casein as the substrate, showing a nature of a casein kinase. The change in the activity during the course of aging was studied with 5-, 10-, and 50-week old Wistar male rats. The activity was highest in 5-week-old rat but decreased in 10- and 50-week-old animal. A hepatocarcinogen, thioacetamide, induced an increase in activity in 10-week old rats but rather decreased in 5- and 50-week-old rats. Aging suppresses the activity of this unique enzyme. Thioacetamide abolishes this suppression resulting in an increase in the activity of the enzyme at a certain stage of aging.