The effect of vibration therapy on neck myofascial trigger points: A randomized controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-frequency self-administered vibration therapy into myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius and levator scapulae on patients with chronic non-specific neck pain. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with chronic non-specific neck pain were randomly assigned into a vibration group, receiving 10 self-applied sessions of vibration therapy in the upper trapezius and levator scapulae trigger points; or a control group, receiving no intervention. Self-reported neck pain and disability (Neck Disability Index) and pressure pain threshold were assessed at baseline and after the first, fifth and 10th treatment sessions. FINDINGS: Significant differences were found in the vibration group when compared to the control group after the treatment period: the vibration group reached lower Neck Disability Index scores (F = 4.74, P = .033, η2 = 0.07) and greater pressure pain threshold values (F = 7.56, P = .01, η2 = 0.10) than the control group. The vibration group reported a significant reduction in Neck Disability Index scores (χ2 = 19,35, P = .00, Kendall's W = 0.28) and an increase in pressure pain threshold (χ2 = 87,10, P = .00, Kendall's W = 0.73) between the assessment times over the course of the treatment. The mean increase in pressure pain threshold in the vibration group after the 10 sessions was 8.54 N/cm2, while the mean reduction in Neck Disability Index scores was 4.53 points. INTERPRETATION: Vibration therapy may be an effective intervention for reducing self-reported neck pain and disability and pressure pain sensitivity in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain. This tool could be recommended for people with non-specific neck pain.

[New case of intradural extramedullary capillary haemangioma]. / Nuevo caso de hemangioma capilar intradural extramedular.

TITLE: Nuevo caso de hemangioma capilar intradural extramedular.

Effect of Propionibacterium acnes (PA) injection on intervertebral disc degeneration in a rat model: Does it mimic modic changes?

INTRODUCTION: Multiple reports of bacterial isolates in human disc tissue have suggested a role of low-grade infection on intervertebral disc degeneration and modic changes (MC) generation. Animal models have been extensively used to study IDD; however, until recently, no consideration had been given to eventual infectious processes. To reproduce the phenomena by inoculating an infecting agent would support the infectious hypothesis. Therefore, we studied the effect of Propionibacterium acnes (PA) inoculation on rat-tails and determined whether it would produce MCs on the adjacent endplates. HYPOTHESIS: Disc infection with PA would accelerate IDD compared with the standard model and would also lead to MCs on the adjacent endplates. METHODS: Twelve Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to receive a needle puncture in a caudal tail disc with either saline (control) or an inoculum of 5×107 CFU of strain 1a PA. Twelve weeks later, the rats were euthanized and the tails were analyzed. The main assessment criteria were obtained from the post-mortem MRI: T2 values of punctured discs and adjacent endplates, as well as disc volumes. A histological grading score for IDD was also used, measuring the morphology and cellularity of the nucleus and annulus, as well as endplate disruption. RESULTS: The median T2 value and disc volume were smaller in PA-punctured discs [T2 value: 30ms (23-44) vs. 61ms (38-132), respectively, P=0.01; 0.01mm3 (0.01-0.05) vs. 0.5mm3 (0.01-5.35), respectively; P=0.049]. There was no change in the adjacent endplates. There was no significant difference in histological grading between the test and control [13 (10-14) vs. 10.5 (6-13); P=0.05]. DISCUSSION: Inoculation of caudal discs with PA generated increased degeneration; however, no MCs were observed on the adjacent endplates. A better understanding of low-grade disc infections is still needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V (animal study).

Estudio sobre las propiedades térmicas, la toxicidad emitida y la reinhalación de CO2 en los colchones de bebés como factores estresores externos relacionados con el lactante. Recomendaciones de diseño / No disponible

No disponible

Identification of new omeprazole metabolites in wastewaters and surface waters.

Omeprazole is one of the world-wide most consumed pharmaceuticals for treatment of gastric diseases. As opposed to other frequently used pharmaceuticals, omeprazole is scarcely detected in urban wastewaters and environmental waters. This was corroborated in a previous research, where parent omeprazole was not detected while four transformation products (TPs), mainly resulting from hydrolysis, were found in effluent wastewaters and surface waters. However, the low abundance of omeprazole TPs in the water samples together with the fact that omeprazole suffers an extensive metabolism, with a wide range of excretion rates (between 0.01 and 30%), suggests that human urinary metabolites should be investigated in the water environment. In this work, the results obtained in excretion tests after administration of a 40 mg omeprazole dose in three healthy volunteers are reported. Analysis by liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF MS) reported low concentrations of omeprazole in urine. Up to twenty-four omeprazole metabolites (OMs) were detected and tentatively elucidated. The most relevant OM was an omeprazole isomer, which obviously presented the same exact mass (m/z 346.1225), but also shared a major common fragment at m/z 198.0589. Subsequent analyses of surface water and effluent wastewater samples by both LC-QTOF MS and LC-MS/MS with triple quadrupole revealed that this metabolite (named as OM10) was the compound most frequently detected in water samples, followed by OM14a and OM14b. Up to our knowledge, OM10 had not been used before as urinary biomarker of omeprazole in waters. On the contrary, parent omeprazole was never detected in any of the water samples. After this research, it seems clear that monitoring the presence of omeprazole in the aquatic environment should be focused on the OMs suggested in this article instead of the parent compound.

Determination of tridemorph and other fungicide residues in fruit samples by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS) method for the determination of tridemorph and other pre- and post-harvest fungicides (carbendazim, thiabendazole, imazalil, propiconazole and bitertanol) in banana and orange samples has been developed and validated. The sample preparation was a simple extraction step with acetone using a high-speed blender prior to the injection of the five-fold diluted extract into the LC system with no other previous sample pre-treatment. Quantification was carried out using a matrix matched calibration curve which was linear in the range of 1-100 ng ml(-1) for all the compounds. The limit of quantification was 0.05 mg kg(-1) for all studied compounds, whereas limits of detection ranged between 0.005 and 0.025 mg kg(-1) (0.01 mg kg(-1) for tridemorph). Recoveries for tridemorph from spiked banana and orange samples at 0.05 and 1 mg kg(-1) were satisfactory, with values between 83 and 99% and relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) lower than 13% (n = 5). For the other fungicides, recoveries between 75 and 95% with R.S.D.s lower than 12% were obtained. The developed method has been applied to the determination of selected fungicides in real samples of bananas and oranges from different origin. Thiabendazole and imazalil have been detected in almost all orange samples analyzed, and in around of 30% of banana samples. Bitertanol residues exceeded the maximum residue level (0.05 mg kg(-1)) in three banana samples while tridemorph was only detected in one sample.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis related to Paget's disease.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis usually occurs in hematological diseases but may also be found as an uncommon complication of Paget's disease, probably due to bone effraction mechanism. We present a case of intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis related to Paget's disease. To our knowledge, this is the seventh case reported in the literature. We describe and correlate the conventional X-ray, CT, MR imaging, and cytological findings.

Suprasellar papillary squamous craniopharyngioma. A case report.

Papillary squamous craniopharyngioma is an unusual variant of craniopharyngioma that presents almost exclusively in adults. We report a case of a 51-year-old man, who presented with visual and mental symptoms. A CT scan showed a suprasellar and intraventricular, uncalcified mass. After craniotomy a partly solid and cystic mass was resected. Light microscopy examination of the solid part shows a well-differentiated papillary squamous epithelium arranged in anastomosing cords and papillae. Peripheral palisading of cells, "stellate reticulum" and keratoid nodules were not present. No cholesterol clefts or calcifications are seen. The differential diagnosis of this tumor is discussed.

Antibody to HTLV-I in indigenous inhabitants of the Andes and Amazon regions in Colombia.

To explore the HTLV-I-carrying groups among the indigenous inhabitants in South America, a sero-epidemiological study on HTLV-I focusing on hinterland villages isolated from others in the Andes and Amazon regions was conducted. Five (2.9%) out of 171 subjects showed positive for HTLV-I antibody in the gelatin particle agglutination (PA) test. Two out of 5 positives with high antibody titer (greater than or equal to x 1024) in the PA test also showed a positive immunofluorescence (IF) test and anti-HTLV-I-specific protein products, p19, p24, p28, gp46, and p53 in sera by the Western blotting (WB) test. One of three negatives in the IF test showed positive antibodies to p19 and p24 by the WB test. Finally, two were confirmed as HTLV-I carriers and one was suspected of being a carrier. All three are Paez Indians from the central Andes; 53- and 34-year-old women and a 35-year-old man. The results show that HTLV-I carriers exist among isolated indigenous people in South America.

Fine needle aspiration cytologic findings and differential diagnosis of solitary pseudorheumatoid nodule.

The cytologic findings in fine needle aspirates of two solitary pseudorheumatoid nodules are presented. The main characteristic of the smears was a necrotic granular and filamentous background accompanied by a granulomatous inflammatory infiltrate. The differential diagnosis is analyzed. The results in these cases indicate that the diagnosis of a solitary pseudorheumatoid nodule may be made by fine needle aspiration cytology after a critical evaluation of the cytologic and clinical data and with the help of special stains and microbial culture.

The early lethality of autosomal monosomy in the mouse.

Using male mice doubly heterozygous for pairs of Robertsonian translocation chromosomes that have one arm in common, mouse embryos monosomic for 11 of the 19 autosomes have been generated. All of these monosomies result in death prior to or during the implantation period, with only rare survivors being detected 6 days after fertilization. For some of the monosomies the onset of lethality can be detected during the third or fourth day of development, but others do not begin to die until sometime after the late blastocyst stage on day 4. Retardation of development, as revealed by decreased cell numbers, is often detectable prior to or after the onset of the lethal period. The period during which death occurs may spread over several days and does not coincide with any of the developmental landmarks of the pre- or peri-implantation period. Genetic factors that may affect the rate of cellular proliferation or other aspects of embryonic development appear to play an important role in determining exactly when individual monosomies result in death. The universal early lethality of the autosomal monosomies leads to the conclusion that a large number of loci scattered over all of the autosomes are involved in processes that are so concentration dependent that a 50% reduction is sufficient to produce very serious consequences.

Production of viable adult trisomy 17 reversible diploid mouse chimeras.

Aneuploid mouse embryos and fetuses are an important system for investigating the pathogenesis of the developmental and functional consequences of chromosome imbalance in mammals. However, the fact that almost all mouse aneuploids die in embryonic or fetal life restricts their usefulness for studies of loci and functions that are expressed only after birth. As an approach to rescuing aneuploid cells, we have prepared chimeras by aggregating aneuploid embryos with diploid embryos at the 8-16 cell stage. This technique has allowed us to produce trisomy 17 reversible diploid (Ts17 reversible 2n) chimeras containing cells of a trisomic state, which is ordinarily lethal at 10-12 days of gestation. All of the analyzed organs from the chimeras, including brain, liver, kidney, lung, muscle, heart, thymus, spleen, bone marrow, blood, and skin, contained both Ts17 and 2n cells. The proportion of Ts17 cells in each organ as estimated from coat color, enzyme markers (glucosephosphate isomerase), and karyotypes ranged from 5% to 85%, most commonly 20-40%. This is in contrast to the control 2n reversible 2n chimeras in which the 2n component on the same genetic background as the Ts17 generally comprised 60-90% of the cell population. The growth rates of the living Ts17 reversible 2n chimeras were in the lower half of the normal range, and the oldest animals are now age 14 mo. No progeny were obtained from Ts17 germ cells in the two fertile T217 reversible 2n chimeras. In comparison with analogous human situations, it is striking that, except for a kink in the tail of one living animal, none of the Ts17 reversible 2n chimeras had any discernible structural abnormalities. Our findings indicate that it is feasible to rescue cells from autosomal aneuploidies that otherwise result in early fetal death.