The relationship between back pain and schoolbag use: a cross-sectional study of 5,318 Italian students.

Background Context: Back pain at a young age is considered to be predictive of chronicity. Several studies have investigated the relationship between the use of a schoolbag and back pain, although some aspects are still unclear.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate back pain due to schoolbag use in terms of (1) prevalence and intensity, (2) differences between male and female pupils, and (3) predisposing factors.

Oxygen-ozone therapy for herniated lumbar disc in patients with subacute partial motor weakness due to nerve root compression.

Intradiscal oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) chemonucleolysis is a well-known effective treatment for pain caused by protruding disc disease and nerve root compression due to bulging or herniated disc. The most widely used therapeutic combination is intradiscal injection of an O2-O3 mixture (chemonucleolysis), followed by periradicular injection of O2-O3, steroid and local anaesthetic to enhance the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. The treatment is designed to resolve pain and is administered to patients without motor weakness, whereas patients with acute paralysis caused by nerve root compression undergo surgery 24-48h after the onset of neurological deficit.

Effect of methacrylic monomers on phagocytes reactive oxygen species: a possible BDDMA modulating action.

In the last years the studies regarding the biocompatibility of dental materials investigate, in addition to the classic cytotoxic tests, the interactions between the materials and the host cells to better explain the causes of the adverse effects observed sometimes in the clinical practice. In the present study the ability of diurethane dimethacrylate (DUDMA) and 1,4-butanediol dimethacrylate (BDDMA) methacrylic monomers present in dental composite resins to alter the functionality of peripheral blood monocytes (PBMs) and polymorphonucleate cells (PMNs) was examined. These cells are involve in the biological response to materials and in the host ability to respond to bacteria.

Foot drop and plantar flexion failure determine different gait strategies in Charcot-Marie-Tooth patients.

Objective: To describe the temporal, kinetic, kinematic, electromyographic and energetic aspects of gait in Charcot-Marie-Tooth patients with foot drop and plantar flexion failure.

Methods: A sample of 21 patients fulfilling clinical, electrodiagnostic and genetic criteria for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease were evaluated by computerized gait analysis system and compared to a group of matched healthy subjects. Patients were classified as having isolate foot drop (group 1) and association of foot drop and plantar flexion failure (group 2).

Peroneus longus muscle activation pattern during gait cycle in athletes affected by functional ankle instability: a surface electromyographic study.

Background: Functional ankle instability is a clinical syndrome that may develop after acute lateral ankle sprain. Although several causes of this functional instability have been suggested, it is still unclear what the activation pattern of the peroneus longus muscle is in patients with functional ankle instability.

Hypothesis: Peroneus longus activation patterns differ in the injured side and the uninjured side in subjects with functional ankle instability.

Minimally invasive oxygen-ozone therapy for lumbar disk herniation.

Background And Purpose: Oxygen-ozone therapy is a minimally invasive treatment for lumbar disk herniation that exploits the biochemical properties of a gas mixture of oxygen and ozone. We assessed the therapeutic outcome of oxygen-ozone therapy and compared the outcome of administering medical ozone alone with the outcome of medical ozone followed by injection of a corticosteroid and an anesthetic at the same session.

Methods: Six hundred patients were treated with a single session of oxygen-ozone therapy.