Adjunctive osteopathic therapy for hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A feasibility-oriented chart review study with matched controls.

Background: Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) may improve outcomes during COVID-related respiratory distress - the most common cause of death from novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Outcomes from OMT treatments of respiratory distress during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been reported.

Objective: Assess adjunctive OMT in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory distress.

Purification, Punishment, and Control: Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, and Child Sexual Abuse.

Eating disorders continue to be viewed as curable diseases, forcing people into predetermined narratives of pathology that shape how they are viewed and treated. Situated in a feminist application of Bakhtin's sociological linguistics, we were concerned with how participants understood eating disorders, the nature of their experiences, and the causes of their distress. Following a dialogical method, multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with seven women who experienced an eating disorder and who had been sexually abused previously, and participants' own drawings and poetry were obtained to gain deeper insights into meanings and emotions.

Effect of Abdominal Lymphatic Pump Treatment on Disease Activity in a Rat Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Context: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease, are chronic relapsing inflammatory diseases that affect 1.5 million people in the United States. Lymphatic pump treatment (LPT) techniques were designed to enhance the movement of lymph and can be used to relieve symptoms in patients with IBD and other gastrointestinal disorders.

Lymphatic Pump Treatment Mobilizes Bioactive Lymph That Suppresses Macrophage Activity In Vitro.

Context: By promoting the recirculation of tissue fluid, the lymphatic system preserves tissue health, aids in the absorption of gastrointestinal lipids, and supports immune surveillance. Failure of the lymphatic system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several infectious and inflammatory diseases. Thus, interventions that enhance lymphatic circulation, such as osteopathic lymphatic pump treatment (LPT), should aid in the management of these diseases.

Connecting (T)issues: How Research in Fascia Biology Can Impact Integrative Oncology.

Complementary and integrative treatments, such as massage, acupuncture, and yoga, are used by increasing numbers of cancer patients to manage symptoms and improve their quality of life. In addition, such treatments may have other important and currently overlooked benefits by reducing tissue stiffness and improving mobility. Recent advances in cancer biology are underscoring the importance of connective tissue in the local tumor environment.

Lymphatic pump treatment as an adjunct to antibiotics for pneumonia in a rat model.

Background: Lymphatic pump treatment (LPT) is a technique used by osteopathic physicians as an adjunct to antibiotics for patients with respiratory tract infections, and previous studies have demonstrated that LPT reduces bacterial load in the lungs of rats with pneumonia. Currently, it is unknown whether LPT affects drug effcacy.

Objective: To determine whether the combination of antibiotics and LPT would reduce bacterial load in the lungs of rats with acute pneumonia.

Antigen-pulsed bone marrow-derived and pulmonary dendritic cells promote Th2 cell responses and immunopathology in lungs during the pathogenesis of murine Mycoplasma pneumonia.

Mycoplasmas are a common cause of pneumonia in humans and animals, and attempts to create vaccines have not only failed to generate protective host responses, but they have exacerbated the disease. Mycoplasma pulmonis causes a chronic inflammatory lung disease resulting from a persistent infection, similar to other mycoplasma respiratory diseases. Using this model, Th1 subsets promote resistance to mycoplasma disease and infection, whereas Th2 responses contribute to immunopathology.

Effects of the selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, SCH 412348, on the parkinsonian phenotype of MitoPark mice.

Adenosine A2A receptors are predominantly localized on striatopallidal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons, where they are colocalized with dopamine D2 receptors and are involved in the regulation of movement. Adenosine A2A receptor antagonists have been evaluated as a novel treatment for Parkinson's disease and have demonstrated efficacy in a broad spectrum of pharmacological and toxicological rodent and primate models. Fewer studies have been performed to evaluate the efficacy of adenosine A2A receptor antagonists in genetic models of hypodopaminergic states.

Lymphatic pump treatment repeatedly enhances the lymphatic and immune systems.

Background: Osteopathic practitioners utilize manual therapies called lymphatic pump techniques (LPT) to treat edema and infectious diseases. While previous studies examined the effect of a single LPT treatment on the lymphatic system, the effect of repeated applications of LPT on lymphatic output and immunity has not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure the effects of repeated LPT on lymphatic flow, lymph leukocyte numbers, and inflammatory mediator concentrations in thoracic duct lymph (TDL).

Thoracic and abdominal lymphatic pump techniques inhibit the growth of S. pneumoniae bacteria in the lungs of rats.

Background: Osteopathic physicians utilize manual medicine techniques called lymphatic pump techniques (LPT) to improve lymphatic flow and enhance immunity. Clinical studies report that LPT enhances antibody responses to bacterial vaccines, shortens duration of cough in patients with respiratory disease, and shortens the duration of intravenous antibiotic therapy and hospital stay in patients with pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to identify if thoracic LPT (Th-LPT) or abdominal LPT (Ab-LPT) would reduce Streptococcus pneumoniae colony-forming units (CFU) in the lungs of rats with acute pneumonia.

Osteopathic manual treatment in patients with diabetes mellitus and comorbid chronic low back pain: subgroup results from the OSTEOPATHIC Trial.

Context: Chronic pain is often present in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To assess the effects of osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) in patients with diabetes mellitus and comorbid chronic low back pain (LBP).

Design: Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, 2×2 factorial trial, including OMT and ultrasound therapy (UST) interventions.

Associations of cytokine concentrations with key osteopathic lesions and clinical outcomes in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain: results from the OSTEOPATHIC Trial.

Context: Little is known about the role that cytokines play in osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) of patients with chronic low back pain (LBP).

Objective: To measure the baseline concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in patients with chronic LBP; the correlations of these cytokine concentrations with clinical measures, including the number of key osteopathic lesions; the changes in cytokine concentrations with OMT; and the association of such changes with clinical outcomes.

Design: Substudy nested within a randomized controlled trial of OMT for nonspecific chronic LBP.

Osteopathic lymphatic pump techniques to enhance immunity and treat pneumonia.

Pneumonia is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While antibiotics are generally effective for the treatment of infection, the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria threatens their success. The osteopathic medical profession has designed a set of manipulative techniques called lymphatic pump techniques (LPT), to enhance the flow of lymph through the lymphatic system.

A potent and selective metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 positive allosteric modulator improves movement in rodent models of Parkinson's disease.

Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) have been proposed as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, evaluation of this proposal has been limited by the availability of appropriate pharmacological tools to interrogate the target. In this study, we describe the properties of a novel mGluR4 PAM.

Lymphatic pump manipulation mobilizes inflammatory mediators into lymphatic circulation.

Lymph stasis can result in edema and the accumulation of particulate matter, exudates, toxins and bacteria in tissue interstitial fluid, leading to inflammation, impaired immune cell trafficking, tissue hypoxia, tissue fibrosis and a variety of diseases. Previously, we demonstrated that osteopathic lymphatic pump techniques (LPTs) significantly increased thoracic and intestinal duct lymph flow. The purpose of this study was to determine if LPT would mobilize inflammatory mediators into the lymphatic circulation.

Lymphatic pump treatment enhances the lymphatic and immune systems.

The osteopathic medical profession has long advocated the use of osteopathic lymphatic pump treatments (LPT) to improve lymphatic circulation, reduce edema and combat infectious disease. However, until recently, there was no scientific evidence that LPT enhances function of the lymphatic and immune systems. This review discusses the physiological functions of the lymphatic system, the ability of LPT to increase lymph flow under normal and experimental conditions, the clinical benefits of LPT, current research models for the study of LPT and the potential mechanisms by which LPT enhances lymphatic and immune function.

Lymphatic pump treatment augments lymphatic flux of lymphocytes in rats.

Background: Lymphatic pump techniques (LPT) are used by osteopathic practitioners for the treatment of edema and infection; however, the mechanisms by which LPT enhances the lymphatic and immune systems are poorly understood.

Methods And Results: To measure the effect of LPT on the rat, the cisterna chyli (CC) of 10 rats were cannulated and lymph was collected during 4 min of 1) pre-LPT baseline, 2) 4 min LPT, and 3) 10 min post-LPT recovery. LPT increased significantly (p < 0.

Pyruvate-enriched cardioplegia suppresses cardiopulmonary bypass-induced myocardial inflammation.

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass-induced oxidative stress initiates inflammation that can damage the myocardium. This study tested whether cardioplegia enriched with the intermediary metabolite and antioxidant pyruvate dampens postbypass myocardial inflammation.

Methods: Pigs were maintained on cardiopulmonary bypass while their hearts were arrested for 60 minutes with 4:1 blood:crystalloid cardioplegia, in which the crystalloid contained 188 mM glucose ± 24 mM pyruvate.

Lymphatic pump treatment mobilizes leukocytes from the gut associated lymphoid tissue into lymph.

Background: Lymphatic pump techniques (LPT) are used clinically by osteopathic practitioners for the treatment of edema and infection; however, the mechanisms by which LPT enhances lymphatic circulation and provides protection during infection are not understood. Rhythmic compressions on the abdomen during LPT compress the abdominal area, including the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), which may facilitate the release of leukocytes from these tissues into the lymphatic circulation. This study is the first to document LPT-induced mobilization of leukocytes from the GALT into the lymphatic circulation.

PISA, a novel pharmacodynamic assay for assessing poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activity in situ.

Introduction: Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) maintains genomic integrity by repairing DNA strand breaks, however over-activation of PARP following neural tissue injury is hypothesized to cause neuronal death. Therefore, PARP inhibitors have potential for limiting neural injury under certain conditions. A reliable method for assessing PARP activity in brain is critical for development of novel inhibitors with CNS activity.

Abdominal lymphatic pump treatment increases leukocyte count and flux in thoracic duct lymph.

Background: Previous studies suggest that rhythmic compression of the abdomen (abdominal lymphatic pump techniques, LPT) enhances immunity and resistance to infectious disease, but direct evidence of this has not been documented. In this study, the thoracic duct of eight anesthetized mongrel dogs was catheterized, so the immediate effects of LPT on lymph flow and leukocyte output could be measured.

Methods And Results: Lymph flow was measured by timed collection or ultrasonic flowmeter, and lymph was collected over ice under 1) resting (baseline) conditions, and 2) during application of LPT.

Cytokine and chemokine transcription profile during Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in susceptible and resistant strains of mice: macrophage inflammatory protein 1beta (CCL4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 2 (CCL8) and accumulation of CCR5+ Th cells.

The progression of murine mycoplasma pneumonia is dependent on T cells and other immune cells. The role of cytokines in immunity are complex, and identifying the network of cytokines produced after infection of mice is essential in dissecting the key cytokine cascades involved mycoplasma disease pathogenesis. In the present study, mRNA expression of 143 different cytokines, chemokines, or receptors were evaluated in lung tissues from both susceptible (BALB/c and C3H/HeN) and resistant (C57BL/6) mice after Mycoplasma pulmonis infection.

The upper and lower respiratory tracts differ in their requirement of IFN-gamma and IL-4 in controlling respiratory mycoplasma infection and disease.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the significance of IFN-gamma and IL-4 production in controlling mycoplasma infection and the pathogenesis of disease in the upper and lower respiratory tract. By using IFN-gamma knockout and IL-4 knockout BALB/c mice, we were able to study the contribution of these cytokines in the development of pathogenesis and/or protection in response to mycoplasma respiratory infection, in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts. The loss of either IFN-gamma or IL-4 does not affect disease pathogenesis or mycoplasma organism numbers in the upper respiratory tract.

Role of upper and lower respiratory tract immunity in resistance to Mycoplasma respiratory disease.

This study determined whether respiratory tract immunization protects against mycoplasma infection and compared preferential immunization of the upper respiratory tract (nasal) with upper and lower respiratory tract (nasal-pulmonary) immunization. Small volumes of inoculum preferentially deposited antigen and induced IgA responses in nasal passages. Larger inoculums deposited antigen in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts, generating corresponding IgA responses.

Co-expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor with antigen enhances humoral and tumor immunity after DNA vaccination.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was used to enhance humoral and tumor immunity resulting from DNA immunization. The genes encoding GM-CSF and antigen were cloned onto the same plasmid backbone, but separate promoters drove expression of each gene. beta-Galactosidase was used as the model antigen to generate antibody responses while the human tumor antigen, MAGE-1, was used to monitor tumor resistance.