CTLA-4Ig Improves Hyperalgesia in a Mouse Model of Osteoporosis

This study aimed to evaluate skeletal pain associated with osteoporosis and to examine the inhibitory effects of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4Ig (CTLA-4Ig) administration in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Eight-week-old female ddY mice were assigned to three groups: sham-operated mice (SHAM) treated with vehicle, OVX mice treated with vehicle (OVX), and OVX mice treated with CTLA-4Ig (CTLA-4Ig). Vehicle or CTLA-4Ig was injected intraperitoneally, starting immediately after surgery. After 4 weeks of treatment, mechanical sensitivity was examined, and the bilateral hind limbs were removed and evaluated by micro-computed tomography, immunohistochemical analyses, and messenger RNA expression analysis. Ovariectomy induced bone loss and mechanical hyperalgesia in the hindlimbs. CTLA-4Ig treatment prevented bone loss in the hindlimbs compared to vehicle administration in the OVX group. Moreover, mechanical hyperalgesia was significantly decreased in the CTLA-4Ig treatment group in comparison to the OVX group. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and sclerostin (SOST), as well as the number of osteoclasts, were increased, and the expression level of Wnt-10b was decreased in the OVX group compared with the SHAM group, whereas these parameters were improved in the CTLA-4Ig group compared with the OVX group. The novelty of this research is that CTLA-4Ig administration prevented bone loss and mechanical hyperalgesia induced by ovariectomy in the hindlimbs

Temperature and pressure effects on the bending modulus of monolayers in a ternary microemulsion

We performed small-angle neutron scattering and neutron spin echo experiments on a ternary microemulsion composed of ionic surfactant AOT, water, and decane. Thermal fluctuations of monolayers have been investigated as a function of temperature and pressure. The amphiphilic monolayers become more flexible with increasing temperature and more rigid with increasing pressure. These results are consistent with the microscopic picture that the head-head repulsion of the AOT molecules is enhanced at high temperature while an attractive interaction between the hydrophobic tails of the AOT molecules increases at high pressure

Adult Traumatic Atlantoaxial Rotatory Fixation: A Case Report

We presented a very rare case of adult Fielding type I atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF). We performed awake manual reduction of the dislocation without need for anesthesia, achieving excellent outcomes, and no previous reports have described awake reduction without the need for anesthesia. AARF in this case was attributed to excessive extension and rotation forces applied to the cervical spine. For the management of adult Fielding type I AARF, early diagnosis and early reduction may lead to excellent outcomes