Upper Lumbar Disc Herniation Presenting as Acute Abdomen

A woman presenting with severe right lower quadrant (RLQ) abdominal pain is presented here. She was evaluated for all usual cause of such pain. Laboratory tests and abdominal and pelvic sonography was normal. MRI revealed L1-L2 disc herniation

Comparison of the analgesic effect of ibuprofen with mesalamine after discectomy surgery in patients with lumbar disc herniation: A double-blind randomized controlled trial

Background: Pain management is an important component in the postoperative period following discectomy. Aims: We hypothesized that mesalamine considering its better safety profile, is likely to be a better choice, if it would be as effective as ibuprofen in controlling post-discectomy pain. Settings and Design: A double-blind randomized controlled trial was performed on patients who underwent lumbar discectomy surgery. Materials and Methods: Of the 58 patients who had lumbar discectomy, 27 patients were randomized to oral ibuprofen 500 mg and 31 patients to mesalamine 400 mg, three times a day for nine days following surgery. There was no placebo group. Severity of pain was assessed by using 10- cm visual analogue scale (VAS), once before operation and for nine days after. Statistical Analysis: Mean ± SD pain scores were compared between groups and the statistical difference was estimated by Student′s test using SPSS (Version 13). We also calculated the power of each t-test. Repeated measure ANOVA was performed for measuring the effect of time. Results: The age range of the patients was 35 to 60 years (mean: 42.2 years). Mean ± SD preoperative pain scores for ibuprofen or mesalamine-treated groups were 7.852 ± 2.441 and 7.806 ± 2.892, respectively. At the end of day 9, mean ± SD of pain score was 2.704 ± 2.284 and 2.717 ± 2.273 for ibuprofen and mesalamine-treated groups respectively. Both drugs significantly reduced postoperative pain and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.Conclusions: Since both drugs showed almost equal analgesic effect, considering its safety profile mesalamine, seems to be the preferred choice to alleviate post-discectomy surgery pain

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) Coating on γ-TiAl Alloy: Investigation of Bioactivity and Corrosion Behavior in Simulated Body Fluid

The effect of applied voltage (400, 450, and 500 V) on the microstructure, bioactivity, and corrosion rate of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings on γ-TiAl alloy was investigated. The microstructure and chemical composition of the achieved coatings were studied, along with their corrosion and bioactivity behaviors in simulated body fluid (SBF). The results demonstrated that the higher the coating′s surface pore, the greater the number of suitable sites for the formation of hydroxyapatite with a spherical structure. The coatings applied utilizing 400, 450, and 500 V displayed 59.4, 96.6, and 145 Ω.cm2 as their inner layer electrical resistances, respectively. The findings of the biological examination revealed that Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) displayed more cytocompatibility and had a higher capacity for cell attachment in the PEO-coated sample than in γ-TiAl, as a result of better initial cell attachment made possible by the topography of the 500 V PEO coatings. The latter has significant potential to be employed in orthopedic applications