Adolescents with symptomatic laminolysis: report of two cases

Retroisthmic cleft refers to a cleft in the lamina and is rarely reported. It was first described by Brocher, and later Wick et al. proposed the term “laminolysis” to describe the retroisthmic cleft by analogy with the nomenclature of the applied stress fracture of the pars interarticularis (spondylolysis) and the pedicle (pediculolysis). In this paper, we describe two adolescent sports players with symptomatic lumbar laminolysis. Both improved significantly after adequate conservative treatment. Knowledge of laminolysis in adolescent patients with low back pain is necessary to avoid overlooking it and late diagnosis. For correct diagnosis, multidetector three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) is suggested. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) also allows detection of inflammation in the defects

Review for the generalist: evaluation of low back pain in children and adolescents

Back pain is common in children and adolescents. Most cases of back pain are non-specific and self-limiting. In children and adolescents, pain is usually related to the posterior elements of the spine and disc-related problems are rare. Serious pathology, including malignancy and infection needs to be excluded. Evaluation and management is challenging and requires a thorough history and physical exam, and understanding of the immature skeleton. Diagnostic imaging is useful in the evaluation of a child or adolescent with low back pain and can help guide management. This article will review common causes of back pain in the pediatric population

Water dynamics in Shewanella oneidensis at ambient and high pressure using quasi-elastic neutron scattering

Quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) is an ideal technique for studying water transport and relaxation dynamics at pico- to nanosecond timescales and at length scales relevant to cellular dimensions. Studies of high pressure dynamic effects in live organisms are needed to understand Earth’s deep biosphere and biotechnology applications. Here we applied QENS to study water transport in Shewanella oneidensis at ambient (0.1 MPa) and high (200 MPa) pressure using H/D isotopic contrast experiments for normal and perdeuterated bacteria and buffer solutions to distinguish intracellular and transmembrane processes. The results indicate that intracellular water dynamics are comparable with bulk diffusion rates in aqueous fluids at ambient conditions but a significant reduction occurs in high pressure mobility. We interpret this as due to enhanced interactions with macromolecules in the nanoconfined environment. Overall diffusion rates across the cell envelope also occur at similar rates but unexpected narrowing of the QENS signal appears between momentum transfer values Q = 0.7–1.1 Å−1 corresponding to real space dimensions of 6–9 Å. The relaxation time increase can be explained by correlated dynamics of molecules passing through Aquaporin water transport complexes located within the inner or outer membrane structures

A randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a universal school-based depression prevention program 'Op Volle Kracht' in the Netherlands

Contains fulltext : 102521.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Background: The incidence of depressive symptoms increases during adolescence, from 10.0% to 24.5% at age 11 to 15, respectively. Experiencing elevated levels of depressive symptoms increases the risk of a depressive disorder in adulthood. A universal school-based depression prevention program Op Volle Kracht (OVK) was developed, based on the Penn Resiliency Program, aimed at preventing the increase of depressive symptoms during adolescence and enhancing positive development. In this study the effectiveness of OVK will be tested and possible mediators of program effects will be focus of study as well. Method: The effectiveness of OVK will be tested in a randomized controlled trial with two conditions, intervention (OVK) and control condition (care as usual). Schools are randomly assigned to research conditions. OVK will be incorporated in the school curriculum, maximizing program attendance. OVK consists of 16 lessons of 50 min, given by trained psychologists to groups of 11-15 students. OVK contains Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, social skills training, problem solving and decision making. Outcomes are measured at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months follow up, to monitor long term program effects. Primary outcome is level of depressive symptoms, secondary outcomes are: anxiety, hopelessness, cognitive bias, substance use, truancy, life satisfaction, coping, self-efficacy, optimism, happiness, friendship, school performance and school attitude. The questionnaires for students will be administered in the school setting. Parents will complete a questionnaire at baseline only. Discussion: In this paper the study into the effectiveness of the depression prevention program OVK was described. It is expected that OVK will prevent the increase in depressive symptoms during adolescence and enhance positive development in the intervention condition, compared to the control condition. If OVK will be effective, it can be implemented in the school context by which numerous adolescents can be reached.9 p

The Effects of Experimentally Induced Rumination, Positive Reappraisal, Acceptance, and Distancing When Thinking About a Stressful Event on Affect States in Adolescents

The current study compares the effects of experimentally induced rumination, positive reappraisal, distancing, and acceptance on affect states in adolescents aged 13–18. Participants (N = 160) were instructed to think about a recent stressful event. Next, they received specific instructions on how to think about that event in each condition. Manipulation checks revealed that the manipulations were successful, except for acceptance. The two most reported events were “a fight” and “death of loved one”. Results showed that positive reappraisal (i.e., thinking about the benefits and personal growth) caused a significantly larger increase in positive affect and decrease in negative affect compared to rumination, distancing, and acceptance. Current findings implicate that positive reappraisal seems an adequate coping strategy in the short-term, and therefore could be applied in interventions for youth experiencing difficulties managing negative affect. Future research should focus on long-term effects of these cognitive strategies and on more intensive training of acceptance

Biomechanical evaluation of predictive parameters of progression in adolescent isthmic spondylolisthesis: a computer modeling and simulation study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pelvic incidence, sacral slope and slip percentage have been shown to be important predicting factors for assessing the risk of progression of low- and high-grade spondylolisthesis. Biomechanical factors, which affect the stress distribution and the mechanisms involved in the vertebral slippage, may also influence the risk of progression, but they are still not well known. The objective was to biomechanically evaluate how geometric sacral parameters influence shear and normal stress at the lumbosacral junction in spondylolisthesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A finite element model of a low-grade L5-S1 spondylolisthesis was constructed, including the morphology of the spine, pelvis and rib cage based on measurements from biplanar radiographs of a patient. Variations provided on this model aimed to study the effects on low grade spondylolisthesis as well as reproduce high grade spondylolisthesis. Normal and shear stresses at the lumbosacral junction were analyzed under various pelvic incidences, sacral slopes and slip percentages. Their influence on progression risk was statistically analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Stresses were mainly concentrated on the growth plate of S1, on the intervertebral disc of L5-S1, and ahead the sacral dome for low grade spondylolisthesis. For high grade spondylolisthesis, more important compression and shear stresses were seen in the anterior part of the growth plate and disc as compared to the lateral and posterior areas. Stress magnitudes over this area increased with slip percentage, sacral slope and pelvic incidence. Strong correlations were found between pelvic incidence and the resulting compression and shear stresses in the growth plate and intervertebral disc at the L5-S1 junction.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Progression of the slippage is mostly affected by a movement and an increase of stresses at the lumbosacral junction in accordance with spino-pelvic parameters. The statistical results provide evidence that pelvic incidence is a predictive parameter to determine progression in isthmic spondylolisthesis.</p

Deinococcus geothermalis: The Pool of Extreme Radiation Resistance Genes Shrinks

Bacteria of the genus Deinococcus are extremely resistant to ionizing radiation (IR), ultraviolet light (UV) and desiccation. The mesophile Deinococcus radiodurans was the first member of this group whose genome was completely sequenced. Analysis of the genome sequence of D. radiodurans, however, failed to identify unique DNA repair systems. To further delineate the genes underlying the resistance phenotypes, we report the whole-genome sequence of a second Deinococcus species, the thermophile Deinococcus geothermalis, which at its optimal growth temperature is as resistant to IR, UV and desiccation as D. radiodurans, and a comparative analysis of the two Deinococcus genomes. Many D. radiodurans genes previously implicated in resistance, but for which no sensitive phenotype was observed upon disruption, are absent in D. geothermalis. In contrast, most D. radiodurans genes whose mutants displayed a radiation-sensitive phenotype in D. radiodurans are conserved in D. geothermalis. Supporting the existence of a Deinococcus radiation response regulon, a common palindromic DNA motif was identified in a conserved set of genes associated with resistance, and a dedicated transcriptional regulator was predicted. We present the case that these two species evolved essentially the same diverse set of gene families, and that the extreme stress-resistance phenotypes of the Deinococcus lineage emerged progressively by amassing cell-cleaning systems from different sources, but not by acquisition of novel DNA repair systems. Our reconstruction of the genomic evolution of the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum indicates that the corresponding set of enzymes proliferated mainly in the common ancestor of Deinococcus. Results of the comparative analysis weaken the arguments for a role of higher-order chromosome alignment structures in resistance; more clearly define and substantially revise downward the number of uncharacterized genes that might participate in DNA repair and contribute to resistance; and strengthen the case for a role in survival of systems involved in manganese and iron homeostasis