Change in Function, Pain, and Quality of Life Following Structured Nonoperative Treatment in Patients With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review to determine (1) change in function, pain, and quality of life following structured nonoperative treatment for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM); (2) variability of change in function, pain, and quality of life following different types of structured nonoperative treatment; (3) differences in outcomes observed between certain subgroups (eg, baseline severity score, duration of symptoms); and (4) negative outcomes and harms resulting from structured nonoperative treatment.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Collaboration for articles published between January 1, 1950, and February 9, 2015.

The Effectiveness and Safety of Exoskeletons as Assistive and Rehabilitation Devices in the Treatment of Neurologic Gait Disorders in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review.

 Systematic review.  (1) When used as an assistive device, do wearable exoskeletons improve lower extremity function or gait compared with knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) in patients with complete or incomplete spinal cord injury? (2) When used as a rehabilitation device, do wearable exoskeletons improve lower extremity function or gait compared with other rehabilitation strategies in patients with complete or incomplete spinal cord injury? (3) When used as an assistive or rehabilitation device, are wearable exoskeletons safe compared with KAFO for assistance or other rehabilitation strategies for rehabilitation in patients with complete or incomplete spinal cord injury?  PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases and reference lists of key articles were searched from database inception to May 2, 2016, to identify studies evaluating the effectiveness of wearable exoskeletons used as assistive or rehabilitative devices in patients with incomplete or complete spinal cord injury.  No comparison studies were found evaluating exoskeletons as an assistive device.

Catastrophic Cervical Spine Injuries in Contact Sports.

 Systematic review.  To determine the incidence of catastrophic cervical spine injuries (CCSIs) among elite athletes participating in contact team sports and whether the incidence varies depending on the use of protective gear or by player position.  Electronic databases and reference lists of key articles published from January 1, 2000, to January 29, 2016, were searched.

Return to Play in Athletes Receiving Cervical Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Study Design Systematic review. Clinical Questions Among athletes who undergo surgery of the cervical spine, (1) What proportion return to play (RTP) after their cervical surgery? (2) Does the proportion of those cleared for RTP depend on the type of surgical procedure (artificial disk replacement, fusion, nonfusion foraminotomies/laminoplasties), number of levels (1, 2, or more levels), or type of sport? (3) Among those who return to their presurgery sport, how long do they continue to play? (4) Among those who return to their presurgery sport, how does their postoperative performance compare with their preoperative performance? Objectives To evaluate the extent and quality of published literature on the topic of return to competitive athletic completion after cervical spinal surgery. Methods Electronic databases and reference lists of key articles published up to August 19, 2015, were searched to identify studies reporting the proportion of athletes who RTP after cervical spine surgery.

Drosophila PRL-1 is a growth inhibitor that counteracts the function of the Src oncogene.

Phosphatase of Regenerating Liver (PRL) family members have emerged as molecular markers that significantly correlate to the ability of many cancers to metastasize. However, contradictory cellular responses to PRL expression have been reported, including the inhibition of cell cycle progression. An obvious culprit for the discrepancy is the use of dozens of different cell lines, including many isolated from tumors or cultured cells selected for immortalization which may have missing or mutated modulators of PRL function.