Urinary TNF-α as a potential biomarker for chronic primary low back pain.

Introduction: Over two thirds of individuals with low back pain (LBP) may experience recurrent or persistent symptoms in the long term. Yet, current data do not allow to predict who will develop chronic low back pain and who will recover from an acute episode. Elevated serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) have been associated with poor recovery and persistent pain following an acute episode of LBP.

A network analysis on biopsychosocial factors and pain-related outcomes assessed during a COVID-19 lockdown.

Psychological stress, social isolation, physical inactivity, and reduced access to care during lockdowns throughout a pandemic negatively impact pain and function. In the context of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Spain, we aimed to investigate how different biopsychosocial factors influence chiropractic patients' pain-related outcomes and vice-versa. A total of 648 chiropractic patients completed online questionnaires including variables from the following categories: demographics, pain outcomes, pain beliefs, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, stress/anxiety and self-efficacy.

Presence of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Urine Samples of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain Undergoing Chiropractic Care: Preliminary Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study.

Background And Aims: Low back pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Chiropractors employ different interventions to treat low back pain, including spinal manipulative therapy, although the mechanisms through which chiropractic care improves low back pain are still unclear. Clinical research and animal models suggest that spinal manipulation might modulate plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines, which have been involved in different stages of low back pain.

Pain catastrophizing mediates rapid benefits of accessing in-person chiropractic care during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Background: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Spanish government to declare a state of emergency. A stringent lockdown was enforced, restricting access to healthcare services, including chiropractic. Reduced access to care provision in combination with psychological stress, social isolation and physical inactivity during the lockdown were shown to negatively influence pain conditions.

Bone Deleterious Effects of Different NRTIs in Treatment-naïve HIV Patients After 12 and 48 Weeks of Treatment.

Background: Bone alterations have been observed in the course of HIV infection, characterized by a marked decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and an increase in the frequency of fractures as a result of fragility. We aim to evaluate early changes in bone metabolic profile and the possible association with tenofovir and other nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in treatment-naïve HIV patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study in naïve HIV-infected adults (under 50 years), separated into three groups according to NRTI therapy: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF); tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and abacavir (ABC).

Adenosine Deaminase as a Biomarker of Tenofovir Mediated Inflammation in Naïve HIV Patients.

Plasma levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme that deaminates adenosine to inosine, are increased during inflammation. An increase in ADA activity occurs with lower human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load and higher CD4 T cell counts. We aimed to investigate the role of plasma ADA as a biomarker of inflammation in treatment-naïve HIV patients who received tenofovir or another nucleoside analog for comparison.

Tenofovir Causes Bone Loss via Decreased Bone Formation and Increased Bone Resorption, Which Can Be Counteracted by Dipyridamole in Mice.

Osteopenia and fragility fractures have been associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Tenofovir, a common antiviral in HIV treatment, also leads to increases in bone catabolism markers and decreased BMD in children and young adults. In murine models and human cell lines, tenofovir inhibits adenosine triphosphate release and decreases extracellular adenosine levels.

Microbiological and Cellular Evaluation of a Fluorine-Phosphorus-Doped Titanium Alloy, a Novel Antibacterial and Osteostimulatory Biomaterial with Potential Applications in Orthopedic Surgery.

Joint prosthesis failure is mainly related to aseptic loosening and prosthetic joint infections, both of which are associated with high morbidity and substantial costs for patients and health systems. The development of a biomaterial that is capable of stimulating bone growth while minimizing bacterial adhesion would reduce the incidence of prosthetic failure. We report antibacterial and osteostimulatory effects in a novel fluorine-phosphorus (F-P)-doped TiO oxide film grown on Ti-6Al-4V alloy with a nanostructure of bottle-shaped nanotubes (bNT) using five bacterial species (, , , , and ) and MCT3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells.