Archive for month: December, 2016

Perry J Green A. Man Ther Dec 2008

Abstract
Physiotherapeutic management of lumbar disorders often utilises specific segmental joint mobilisation techniques; however, there is only limited evidence of any neurophysiological effects and much of this has focused on the cervical spine and upper limbs. This study used a unilaterally applied lumbar spinal mobilisation technique and explored its effects on the peripheral NS (SNS) of the lower limbs. 45 normal healthy males were assigned to one of three experimental groups (control, placebo or treatment.
A unilaterally applied P-A mobilisation to the left L4/5 zygopophyseal joint). SNS activity was determined by recording skin conductance (SC) obtained from lower limb electrodes.
Results indicated that there was a significant change in SC from baseline levels (13.5%) that was specific to the side treated for the treatment group during the intervention period (compared to placebo and control conditions). This study provides preliminary evidence that a unilaterally applied P-A mobilisation technique performed at a rate of 2 Hz, to the left L4/5 lumbar zygopophyseal joint results in side-specific peripheral SNS changes in the lower limbs.

Spine J. 2016 Dec 6.

Behrend CJ Schönbach et al

BACKGROUND CONTEXT:
Determining pain intensity is largely dependent on the patient’s report.
PURPOSE:
To test the hypothesis that patients initially reporting 10/10 pain on visual analog scales (VAS) would experience symptom improvement to a degree similar to patients reporting milder pain.
RESULTS:
The proportion of patients with identifiable secondary gain was higher (P=0.001) than among those with submaximal pain. Patients whose pain scores improved dramatically (i.e. at least 4 points on VAS), tend to be older (p=0.001), to less often have secondary gain from their disease (p=0.007), and to have a negative current smoking status (p=0.002). Patients whose pain remained 10/10 during the course of treatment smoked more frequently (p=0.016).
CONCLUSIONS:
Our analysis supports the need to consider the influence of secondary gain on the patients’ reported VAS pain scores. Maximum pain seems to be a more acute phenomenon with some likelihood to significantly improve.

J Aging Letteri-Barbora et al Nov. 2016

Abstract
In developing countries the rise of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, reflects the changes in lifestyle habits and wrong dietary choices. Dietary restriction (DR) regimens have been shown to extend health span and lifespan in many animal models including primates. Identifying biomarkers predictive of clinical benefits of treatment is one of the primary goals of precision medicine. To monitor the clinical outcomes of DR interventions in humans, several biomarkers are commonly adopted. However, a validated link between the behaviors of such biomarkers and DR effects is lacking at present time. Through a systematic analysis of human intervention studies, we evaluated the effect size of DR (i.e. calorie restriction, very low calorie diet, intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting) on health-related biomarkers. We found that DR is effective in reducing total and visceral adipose mass and improving inflammatory cytokines profile and adiponectin/leptin ratio. By analysing the levels of canonical biomarkers of healthy aging, we also validated the changes of insulin, IGF-1 and IGFBP-1,2 to monitor DR effects. Collectively, we developed a useful platform to evaluate the human responses to dietary regimens low in calories.

Zhao X1, Xu M1, 

BACKGROUND:
Low back pain is a highly prevalent health problem around the world, affecting 50% to 85% of people at some point in life. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the previous proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies on brain chemical changes in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

RESULTS:
The results showed that compared to controls, CLBP patients showed reductions of 1) N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), right primary motor cortex, left somatosensory cortex (SSC), left anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); 2) glutamate in the ACC; 3) myo-inositol in the ACC and thalamus; 4) choline in the right SSC; and 5) glucose in the DLPFC.

CONCLUSION:
This review provides evidence for alterations in the biochemical profile of the brain in patients with CLBP, which suggests that biochemical changes may play a significant role in the development and pathophysiology of CLBP and shed light on the development of new treatments for CLBP.

Man Ther Oct31 2016.

CPRs to identify people with neck pain for prognosis and treatment prescription has been a research priority for more than 20 years. This systematic review was undertaken to assess the present stage of development.

CPRs have not developed past the derivative stage. None have undergone impact analysis. Most prognostic & prescriptive CPRs for neck pain are still in the initial stage and therefore not yet supported.