Kinesiophobia, self-efficacy and pain-related disability in patients with non-specific low back pain

Psychological factors like kinesiophobia and self-efficacy have been shown to be associated with pain and disability perception in patients with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). The association among extent of kinesiophobia, self efficacy, pain intensity and disability in patients presenting with NSLBP and the predictor of disability among pain intensity, self-efficacy and kinesiophobia in these patients were investigated in this study.The research design was an analytical cross sectional survey involving 275 consecutively selected individuals diagnosed with NSLBP at a tertiary hospital in southwestern Nigeria. The main outcome measures used were: Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale (QVAS), Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), Revised Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (RODQ) and Self-Efficacy in Rehabilitation Scale (SER).The mean age of the participants was 51.62±13.4 years. The extent of kinesiophobia and measure of selfefficacy were high and above average as seen in 71.7% and 94.3% of the participants respectively. The mean scores on TSK, RODQ, SER and pain intensity were 39.45±5.91, 36.98±15.97, 98.68±21.4 and 7.35±1.94 respectively. Participants with high scores on TSK had significantly high scores on RODQ and low scores on SER. There was a significant positive association between extent of kinesiophobia, disability and selfefficacy (p<0.05). Self-efficacy, pain intensity and kinesiophobia significantly predicted extent of disability (p<0.05).Patients with NSLBP exhibited fear of re-injury (kinesiophobia). Patients with high level of kinesiophobia had increased pain intensity and reduced self-efficacy. High levels of kinesiophobia accompanied by increased pain intensity and decreased self-efficacy were significant predictors of pain related disability in patients with NSLBP.Keywords: Non-specific low back pain, self-efficacy, kinesiophobia, perceived disabilit

Resonance fluorescence from a telecom-wavelength quantum dot

© 2016 Author(s).We report on resonance fluorescence from a single quantum dot emitting at telecom wavelengths. We perform high-resolution spectroscopy and observe the Mollow triplet in the Rabi regime - a hallmark of resonance fluorescence. The measured resonance-fluorescence spectra allow us to rule out pure dephasing as a significant decoherence mechanism in these quantum dots. Combined with numerical simulations, the experimental results provide robust characterisation of charge noise in the environment of the quantum dot. Resonant control of the quantum dot opens up new possibilities for the on-demand generation of indistinguishable single photons at telecom wavelengths as well as quantum optics experiments and direct manipulation of solid-state qubits in telecom-wavelength quantum dots

Bounds and optimisation of orbital angular momentum bandwidths within parametric down-conversion systems

The measurement of high-dimensional entangled states of orbital angular momentum prepared by spontaneous parametric down-conversion can be considered in two separate stages: a generation stage and a detection stage. Given a certain number of generated modes, the number of measured modes is determined by the measurement apparatus. We derive a simple relationship between the generation and detection parameters and the number of measured entangled modes.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Chromosomal abnormalities & oxidative stress in women with premature ovarian failure (POF)

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is defined as the cessation of ovarian function under the age of 40 yr and is characterized by amenorrhoea, hypoestrogenism and elevated serum gonadotrophin levels. The cause of POF remains undetermined in majority of the cases. This study was aimed to investigate the type and frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities in patients with idiopathic POF and also to study the role of oxidative stress in such cases. Seventy five women with idiopathic POF were included in this study. Chromosome analysis was done in peripheral blood lymphocytes by conventional GTG banding to identify numerical or structural abnormalities. Cytogenetically normal cases were investigated for reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in their blood by luminol-chemiluminescence assay. Eighteen chromosomal anomalies were identified in POF patients (24%). Majority of the cases were found to have X-chromosome abnormalities (28%). Overall median ROS range was found to be significantly higher (P<0.01) in POF patients [50480 (120,132966) RLU/min] compared to controls [340 (120,5094) RLU/min]. Among these, 50 per cent of the POF patients had higher ROS levels, 20 per cent had medium elevation and 30 per cent were found to have normal values comparable to controls. X-chromosome anomalies were found to be the major contributor of POF. Oxidative stress may be the underlying aetiology in idiopathic premature ovarian failure. Thus the results of this study highlight the role of cytogenetic abnormalities and supraphysiological levels of ROS in causation of idiopathic POF. But the role of oxidative stress needs to be confirmed by other studies on patients from different geographical areas and from different ethnicities