Osteopathic treatment in addition to standard care in patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) - A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Background: Long-term Proton Pump Inhibitor use is associated with low response rates and the risk of adverse events.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Osteopathic Treatment in patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial with a series of osteopathic interventions and an untreated control group.

Effectiveness of 2 Osteopathic Treatment Approaches on Pain, Pressure-Pain Threshold, and Disease Severity in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of osteopathic intervention (OI) and general osteopathic treatment (GOT) in individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).

Methods: The trial was designed as a randomized controlled trial with 2 osteopathic interventions and 1 untreated control group. The patients in the two osteopathic groups received 10 osteopathic treatments (OI or GOT) within a time period of 12 weeks.

Learning Environment, Preparedness and Satisfaction in Osteopathy in Europe: The PreSS Study.

Objective: 1) to assess the preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning environment amongst new graduates from European osteopathic institutions; 2) to compare the results of preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning environment between and within countries where osteopathy is regulated and where regulation is still to be achieved; 3) to identify possible correlations between learning environment and preparedness to practice.

Method: Osteopathic education providers of full-time education located in Europe were enrolled, and their final year students were contacted to complete a survey. Measures used were: Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and a demographic questionnaire.

Complement activation by carbon nanotubes and its influence on the phagocytosis and cytokine response by macrophages.

Unlabelled: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have promised a range of applications in biomedicine. Although influenced by the dispersants used, CNTs are recognized by the innate immune system, predominantly by the classical pathway of the complement system. Here, we confirm that complement activation by the CNT used continues up to C3 and C5, indicating that the entire complement system is activated including the formation of membrane-attack complexes.

Prevention 2.0: targeting cyberbullying @ school.

Although cyberbullying is characterized by worrying prevalence rates and associated with a broad range of detrimental consequences, there is a lack of scientifically based and evaluated preventive strategies. Therefore, the present study introduces a theory-based cyberbullying prevention program (Media Heroes; German original: Medienhelden) and evaluates its effectiveness. In a pretest-posttest design (9-month interval), schools were asked to randomly assign their participating classes to either control or intervention group.

The burden and impact of severe and long-term sequelae of meningococcal disease.

This review describes current knowledge on the severity and long-term sequelae of meningococcal disease (MD) specifically. The literature databases Medline and Embase were used by combining search terms for MD and Neisseria meningitidis with terms for severity, mortality and sequelae. Case fatality for sufferers of MD remains high, typically 5-10%, despite the best medical care.

Ligands and receptors of lung surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D.

Surfactant Protein A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) are calcium-dependent collagen-containing lectins, also called collectins, which play a significant role in surfactant homeostasis and pulmonary immunity. The role of SP-A and SP-D in immune defence is well- established. They are known to bind to a range of microbial pathogens that invade the lungs and target them for phagocytic clearance by resident alveolar macrophages.

A systematic review of economic evaluations in second and later lines of therapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Surgery is generally accepted as the first-line treatment in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy as second-line treatments. Docetaxel or erlotinib are generally recommended as the first-line chemotherapy option.

A systematic review to evaluate the clinical benefits of craniosacral therapy.

Objective: Craniosacral therapy (CST) is an alternative treatment approach, aiming to release restrictions around the spinal cord and brain and subsequently restore body function. A previously conducted systematic review did not obtain valid scientific evidence that CST was beneficial to patients. The aim of this review was to identify and critically evaluate the available literature regarding CST and to determine the clinical benefit of CST in the treatment of patients with a variety of clinical conditions.

Management of patients with transient ischemic attack: insight from real-life clinical practice in Europe and the United States.

Objective: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a serious condition which should be considered on the same spectrum as other conditions involving brain ischemia. Efficient management of these patients is therefore critical. The aim of this research was to gain insights into 'real-world' global trends of the current management approaches for patients with suspected and diagnosed TIA, and highlight the unmet need and areas of improvement to ensure effective management of this patient group.

Therapeutic effects of cranial osteopathic manipulative medicine: a systematic review.

Context: Cranial osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) involves the manipulation of the primary respiratory mechanism to improve structure and function in children and adults.

Objective: To identify and critically evaluate the literature regarding the clinical efficacy of cranial OMM.

Data Sources: The clinical keywords "cranial manipulation" OR "osteopathy in the cranial field" OR "cranial osteopathy" OR "craniosacral technique" were searched in the following electronic databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and AMED (Alternative Medicine).

Surface-bound myeloperoxidase is a ligand for recognition of late apoptotic neutrophils by human lung surfactant proteins A and D.

Surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D), both members of the collectin family, play a well established role in apoptotic cell recognition and clearance. Recent in vitro data show that SP-A and SP-D interact with apoptotic neutrophils in a distinct manner. SP-A and SP-D bind in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner to viable and early apoptotic neutrophils whereas the much greater interaction with late apoptotic neutrophils is Ca(2+)-independent.

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) binds to phosphatidylserine and competes with annexin V binding on late apoptotic cells.

The role of surfactant protein A (SP-A) in the recognition and clearance of apoptotic cells is well established, but to date, it is still not clear which surface molecules of apoptotic cells are involved in the process. Here we present evidence that phosphatidylserine (PS) is a relevant binding molecule for human SP-A. The binding is Ca(2+)-dependent and is not inhibited by mannose, suggesting that the sugar-binding site of the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of SP-A is not involved.

Identification of four novel DC-SIGN ligands on Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

Dendritic-cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN; CD209) has an important role in mediating adherence of Mycobacteria species, including M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG to human dendritic cells and macrophages, in which these bacteria can survive intracellularly.

The human lung surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) interact with apoptotic target cells by different binding mechanisms.

The role of the lung surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D in immune defence is well established. They bind to foreign organisms that invade the lungs and target them for phagocytic clearance by resident alveolar macrophages. SP-A and SP-D also bind to various apoptotic cells and facilitate their phagocytic uptake.

Naturally-occurring human serum antibodies to inner core lipopolysaccharide epitopes of Neisseria meningitidis protect against invasive meningococcal disease caused by isolates displaying homologous inner core structures.

Sera from healthy infants (under 1 year old), toddlers (3-4 years) and adults (18-65 years) were assayed for their ability to bind to inner core (ic) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) epitopes of Neisseria meningitidis. Antibodies (Abs) reacting to inner core structures, including different substitutions of the first heptose (HepI) and second heptose (HepII) residues of the LPS backbone, truncated and fully extended LPS glycoforms, were detected and for each structure, these inner core antibodies showed an age-related pattern of acquisition. A novel column-based methodology was used to affinity purify IgG antibodies in which purified inner core LPS (derived from a mutant MC58) was covalently linked to Sepharose 4B.