124 research outputs found
Correlations Between Individuals' Characteristics and Spinal Stiffness in Individuals With and Without Back Pain: A Combined Analysis of Multiple Data Sets.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the correlations between individual characteristics and spinal stiffness as measured with different spinal stiffness measurement devices in individuals with and without back pain. METHODS: A secondary analysis of 3 adult data sets obtained using 3 different devices, in 2 spinal regions, from a total of 5 separate cross-sectional studies was conducted. Differences in spinal stiffness between men and women and in the strength of correlations among spinal stiffness and age and anthropometric characteristics were evaluated using either the t test for independent samples, Pearson's correlation coefficient, or Kendall's τ rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: As expected, results varied between data sets; however, few factors had consistent correlations. Specifically, spinal stiffness was significantly lower in women than men in all 3 data sets. Height was positively correlated with spinal stiffness across all data sets. Although weight was correlated with thoracic stiffness, its correlation with lumbar stiffness varied. In 2 data sets, body mass index was inversely associated with lumbar spinal stiffness, whereas results from the thoracic spine region revealed a positive correlation. The results for 1 data set suggest that physiological measurement evaluating body weight distribution may also affect spinal stiffness; however, the specific correlation remains unclear. CONCLUSION: Despite data set differences, significant correlations were observed, indicating that participants' characteristics appear to affect spinal stiffness measurement
Force distribution within spinal tissues during posterior to anterior spinal manipulative therapy: a secondary analysis
Background: Previous studies observed that the intervertebral disc experiences the greatest forces during spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and that the distribution of forces among spinal tissues changes as a function of the SMT parameters. However, contextualized SMT forces, relative to the ones applied to and experienced by the whole functional spinal unit, is needed to understand SMT's underlying mechanisms. Aim: To describe the percentage force distribution between spinal tissues relative to the applied SMT forces and total force experienced by the functional unit. Methods: This secondary analysis combined data from 35 fresh porcine cadavers exposed to a simulated 300N SMT to the skin overlying the L3/L4 facet joint via servo-controlled linear motor actuator. Vertebral kinematics were tracked optically using indwelling bone pins. The functional spinal unit was then removed and mounted on a parallel robotic platform equipped with a 6-axis load cell. The kinematics of the spine during SMT were replayed by the robotic platform. By using serial dissection, peak and mean forces induced by the simulated SMT experienced by spinal structures in all three axes of motion were recorded. Forces experienced by spinal structures were analyzed descriptively and the resultant force magnitude was calculated. Results: During SMT, the functional spinal unit experienced a median peak resultant force of 36.4N (IQR: 14.1N) and a mean resultant force of 25.4N (IQR: 11.9N). Peak resultant force experienced by the spinal segment corresponded to 12.1% of the total applied SMT force (300N). When the resultant force experienced by the functional spinal unit was considered to be 100%, the supra and interspinous ligaments experienced 0.3% of the peak forces and 0.5% of the mean forces. Facet joints and ligamentum flavum experienced 0.7% of the peak forces and 3% of the mean forces. Intervertebral disc and longitudinal ligaments experienced 99% of the peak and 96.5% of the mean forces. Conclusion: In this animal model, a small percentage of the forces applied during a posterior-to-anterior SMT reached spinal structures in the lumbar spine. Most SMT forces (over 96%) are experienced by the intervertebral disc. This study provides a novel perspective on SMT force distribution within spinal tissues
Co-designing a Canadian adaptation of a lifestyle-oriented intervention aimed to improve daily functioning of individuals living with chronic pain: a multi-method study protocol of REVEAL(OT) Canada
BackgroundLiving with chronic pain (CP) often implies major lifestyle changes, including modifications of daily routines and work. Surprisingly, few validated and effective interventions specifically target functional outcomes in this population. Redesign your Everyday Activities and Lifestyle with Occupational Therapy [REVEAL(OT)] is a lifestyle-oriented intervention led by occupational therapists that directly targets the daily functional challenges of living with CP. The intervention was initially developed and studied as an add-on to standard treatment delivered by Danish multidisciplinary specialized pain clinics. Adapting, implementing, and evaluating REVEAL(OT) within the Canadian healthcare system will contribute to broadening the scope of treatments offered in specialized pain clinics that do not yet include occupational therapy.ObjectiveThe proposed study aims to define and refine REVEAL(OT)/CA with partners (authors of original intervention, people with lived experience, clinicians, managers).MethodsThis participatory action research will use a multi-method design and follow the ORBIT model for developing behavioral treatments for chronic diseases. A process of co-construction with partners and an advisory committee will take place in two Montreal specialized pain clinics. It consists of two related work packages (WPs). In WP1, a first series of focus groups with partners (n = 86) and workshops with the advisory committee will be conducted to co-develop the hypothetical pathway describing intervention components and their potential mechanisms of action on targeted outcomes, as well as the first version of the adapted intervention manual. WP2 will co-refine REVEAL(OT)/CA by exploring its acceptability, feasibility and mechanisms of action through intervention deliveries (at least twice in each of two specialized pain clinics; n ≥ 60 patients) and focus groups and/or individual interviews with participating patients and partners. At the end of this study, the intervention manual will be generated both in French and English.DiscussionThis study will set the stage for subsequent implementation and effectiveness assessment projects and be an important step towards the deployment of interventions aiming to improve engagement in meaningful daily activities among adults living with CP.RegistrationOSF Registries, osf.io/8gksa. Registered 3 August 2023, https://osf.io/8gksa
Center of rotation locations during lumbar spine movements: a scoping review protocol.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to identify and map current literature describing the center of rotation locations and migration paths during lumbar spine movements. INTRODUCTION: The importance of lumbar spine kinematics has been described and altered kinematics has been associated with pain and injury. Intervertebral segments' center of rotations, the point around which spinal segments rotate, are important for determining the lumbar spine kinematics features and the potential for increased injury risk during movements. Although many studies have investigated the center of rotations of humans' lumbar spine, no review has summarized and organized the state of the science related to center of rotation locations and migration paths of the lumbar spine during lumbar spine movements. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This review will consider studies that include human lumbar spines of any age and status condition (e.g. heathy, pathological) during lumbar spine movements. Quantitative study designs, including clinical, observational, laboratory biomechanical experimental studies, mathematical and computer modelling studies will be considered. Only studies published in English will be included, and there will be no limit on dates of publication. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library Controlled Register of Trials, CINAHL, ACM Digital Library, Compendex, Inspec, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and dissertation and theses repositories will be searched. After titles and abstracts screening of identified references, two independent reviewers will screen the full-text of identified studies and extract data. Data will be summarized and categorized, and a comprehensive narrative summary will be presented with the respective results
Potent cytotoxic effects of Calomeria amaranthoides on ovarian cancers
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy. More than 60% of the patients are presenting the disease in stage III or IV. In spite of combination of chemotherapy and surgery the prognosis stays poor for therapy regimen.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The leaves of a plant endemic to Australia, <it>Calomeria amaranthoides</it>, were extracted and then fractionated by column chromatography. <it>In vitro </it>cytotoxicity tests were performed with fractions of the plant extract and later with an isolated compound on ovarian cancer cell lines, as well as normal fibroblasts at concentrations of 1-100 μg/mL (crude extract) and 1-10 μg/mL (compound). Cytotoxicity was measured after 24, 48 and 72 hours by using a non-fluorescent substrate, Alamar blue.</p> <p><it>In vivo </it>cytotoxicity was tested on ascites, developed in the abdomen of nude mice after inoculation with human OVCAR<sub>3 </sub>cells intraperitoneally. The rate of change in abdomen size for the mice was determined by linear regression and statistically evaluated for significance by the unpaired t test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two compounds were isolated by chromatographic fractionation and identified by <sup>1</sup>H-NMR, <sup>13</sup>C-NMR and mass spectrometry analyses, EPD, an α-methylene sesquiterpene lactone of the eremophilanolide subtype, and EPA, an α-methylene carboxylic acid.</p> <p>Cytotoxicity of EPD for normal fibroblasts at all time points IC<sub>50 </sub>was greater than 10 μg/mL, whereas, for OVCAR<sub>3 </sub>cells at 48 hours IC<sub>50 </sub>was 5.3 μg/mL (95% confidence interval 4.3 to 6.5 μg/mL).</p> <p>Both, the crude plant extract as well as EPD killed the cancer cells at a final concentration of 10 μg/mL and 5 μg/mL respectively, while in normal cells only 20% cell killing effect was observed. EPA had no cytotoxic effects.</p> <p>Changes in abdomen size for control versus Cisplatin treated mice were significantly different, P = 0.023, as were control versus EPD treated mice, P = 0.025, whereas, EPD versus Cisplatin treated mice were not significantly different, P = 0.13.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For the first time both crude plant extract from <it>Calomeria amaranthoides </it>and EPD have been shown to have potent anti-cancer effects against ovarian cancer.</p
Leadership and capacity building in chiropractic research: report from the first CARL cohort.
The Chiropractic Academy for Research Leadership (CARL) was formed in 2016 in response to a need for a global network of early career researchers and leaders in the chiropractic profession. Thirteen fellows were accepted competitively and have since worked together at residentials and virtually on many research and leadership projects. In 2020, the CARL program ended for this first cohort, and it is now timely to take stock and reflect on the achievements and benefits of the program. In this paper we present the structure of CARL, the scientific and leadership outputs as well as the personal value of CARL for the participating fellows. As a result of the success of the first CARL cohort, organizations from Europe, North America, and Australia have supported a second cohort of 14 CARL fellows, who were competitively accepted into the program in early 2020
Response to Lawrence DJ: The global summit on the efficacy and effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy for the prevention and treatment of non-musculoskeletal disorders: A systematic review of the literature
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Letter to the Editor by Dana J. Lawrence. In his letter, Lawrence states that the results of our systematic review may be due to bias. However, he does not adequately substantiate his claims..
Development and Implementation of a Registry of Patients Attending Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Clinics: The Quebec Pain Registry
The Quebec Pain Registry (QPR) is a large research database of patients suffering from various chronic pain (CP) syndromes who were referred to one of five tertiary care centres in the province of Quebec (Canada). Patients were monitored using common demographics, identical clinical descriptors, and uniform validated outcomes. This paper describes the development, implementation, and research potential of the QPR. Between 2008 and 2013, 6902 patients were enrolled in the QPR, and data were collected prior to their first visit at the pain clinic and six months later. More than 90% of them (mean age ± SD: 52.76 ± 4.60, females: 59.1%) consented that their QPR data be used for research purposes. The results suggest that, compared to patients with serious chronic medical disorders, CP patients referred to tertiary care clinics are more severely impaired in multiple domains including emotional and physical functioning. The QPR is also a powerful and comprehensive tool for conducting research in a “real-world” context with 27 observational studies and satellite research projects which have been completed or are underway. It contains data on the clinical evolution of thousands of patients and provides the opportunity of answering important research questions on various aspects of CP (or specific pain syndromes) and its management
A Four-Way Comparison of Cardiac Function with Normobaric Normoxia, Normobaric Hypoxia, Hypobaric Hypoxia and Genuine High Altitude.
There has been considerable debate as to whether different modalities of simulated hypoxia induce similar cardiac responses.This was a prospective observational study of 14 healthy subjects aged 22-35 years. Echocardiography was performed at rest and at 15 and 120 minutes following two hours exercise under normobaric normoxia (NN) and under similar PiO2 following genuine high altitude (GHA) at 3,375m, normobaric hypoxia (NH) and hypobaric hypoxia (HH) to simulate the equivalent hypoxic stimulus to GHA.All 14 subjects completed the experiment at GHA, 11 at NN, 12 under NH, and 6 under HH. The four groups were similar in age, sex and baseline demographics. At baseline rest right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure (RVSP, p = 0.0002), pulmonary vascular resistance (p = 0.0002) and acute mountain sickness (AMS) scores were higher and the SpO2 lower (p<0.0001) among all three hypoxic groups (GHA, NH and HH) compared with NN. At both 15 minutes and 120 minutes post exercise, AMS scores, Cardiac output, septal S', lateral S', tricuspid S' and A' velocities and RVSP were higher and SpO2 lower with all forms of hypoxia compared with NN. On post-test analysis, among the three hypoxia groups, SpO2 was lower at baseline and 15 minutes post exercise with GHA (89.3±3.4% and 89.3±2.2%) and HH (89.0±3.1 and (89.8±5.0) compared with NH (92.9±1.7 and 93.6±2.5%). The RV Myocardial Performance (Tei) Index and RVSP were significantly higher with HH than NH at 15 and 120 minutes post exercise respectively and tricuspid A' was higher with GHA compared with NH at 15 minutes post exercise.GHA, NH and HH produce similar cardiac adaptations over short duration rest despite lower SpO2 levels with GHA and HH compared with NH. Notable differences emerge following exercise in SpO2, RVSP and RV cardiac function
Whole-Genome Sequencing of Pharmacogenetic Drug Response in Racially Diverse Children with Asthma
RATIONALE: Albuterol, a bronchodilator medication, is the first-line therapy for asthma worldwide. There are significant racial/ethnic differences in albuterol drug response.
OBJECTIVES: To identify genetic variants important for bronchodilator drug response (BDR) in racially diverse children.
METHODS: We performed the first whole-genome sequencing pharmacogenetics study from 1,441 children with asthma from the tails of the BDR distribution to identify genetic association with BDR.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified population-specific and shared genetic variants associated with BDR, including genome-wide significant (P \u3c 3.53 × 10
CONCLUSIONS: The lack of minority data, despite a collaboration of eight universities and 13 individual laboratories, highlights the urgent need for a dedicated national effort to prioritize diversity in research. Our study expands the understanding of pharmacogenetic analyses in racially/ethnically diverse populations and advances the foundation for precision medicine in at-risk and understudied minority populations
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