Radiofrequency intradiscal biacuplasty for treatment of discogenic lower back pain: a 12-month follow-up.

Introduction: Discogenic low back pain (LBP) affects a considerable number of patients suffering from chronic LBP. Recently, a growing interest has emerged in minimally invasive treatment options for discogenic LBP. Intradiscal biacuplasty (IDB), which uses cooled radiofrequency technology to ablate nociceptors in the posterior aspect of the intervertebral disc, is one such option.

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of transdiscal radiofrequency, biacuplasty for treatment of discogenic lower back pain.

Objective: The aim was to compare the efficacy of intradiscal biacuplasty (IDB) with that of placebo treatment for discogenic low back pain.

Design: This is a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Subjects were randomized on a 1:1 basis to IDB and sham groups.

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 facilitates immune access to the CNS in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Background: Metalloproteinase inhibitors can protect mice against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been implicated, but it is not clear if other MMPs are also involved, including matrilysin/MMP-7 - an enzyme capable of cleaving proteins that are essential for blood brain barrier integrity and immune suppression.

Results: Here we report that MMP-7-deficient (mmp7-/-) mice on the C57Bl/6 background are resistant to EAE induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG).

Loss of flow induces leukocyte-mediated MMP/TIMP imbalance in dynamic in vitro blood-brain barrier model: role of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

There is substantial evidence linking blood-brain barrier (BBB) failure during cerebral ischemia to matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). BBB function may be affected by loss of shear stress under normoxia/normoglycemia, as during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. The present study used an in vitro flow-perfused BBB model to analyze the individual contributions of flow, cytokine levels, and circulating blood leukocytes on the release/activity of MMP-9, MMP-2, and their endogenous inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs), TIMP-1, and TIMP-2.

Loss of shear stress induces leukocyte-mediated cytokine release and blood-brain barrier failure in dynamic in vitro blood-brain barrier model.

Brain ischemia is associated with an acute release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, notably TNF-alpha and IL-6 and failure of the blood-brain barrier. Shear stress, hypoxia-hypoglycemia, and blood leukocytes play a significant role in blood-brain barrier failure during transient or permanent ischemia. However, these mechanisms have not been studied as independent variables for in vitro ischemia.