Predictors of successful treatment after transforaminal epidural steroid injections in patients with lumbar disc herniation.

Background: Epidural steroid injections are common procedures used to treat lumbosacral radicular pain due to lumbar disc herniation (LDH). It is crucial for the clinician to anticipate which patients can benefit from interventional treatment options.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of radiological and clinical parameters on lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI)/local anesthetic injection outcomes in patients with LDH.

Resorcinol alleviates alpha-terpineol-induced cell death in Schizosaccharomyces pombe via increased activity of the antioxidant enzyme Sod2.

Alpha-terpineol, popular monoterpenoid alcohol, is known to cause cytotoxicity in a few cancer cells or to have antioxidant activity, but underlying mechanisms or apoptotic processes in yeast cell death should be understood. We used the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) as a unicellular model to monitor cellular toxicology and physiological mechanisms for the involvement of alpha-terpineol in cell death. Alpha-terpineol caused Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and following cytotoxicity and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner.

Assessment of quality of life, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in women with fibromyalgia and their spouses.

Objective: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disease that is more common in adult women and is characterized by widespread pain in the body, especially in the musculoskeletal system. Fatigue, sleep disturbance, anxiety disorder, and depression can be observed in this syndrome alongside pain. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of FMS on the quality of life, psychological condition, and sleep quality of affected female patients and their spouses compared to women without FMS and their spouses.

Activin-A Induces Fewer, but Larger Osteoclasts From Monocytes in Both Healthy Controls and Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Patients.

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) is a rare genetic disease characterized by heterotopic ossification (HO) that occurs in muscle tissue, tendons, and ligaments. The disease is caused by mutations in the Activin receptor type I (ACVR1) gene resulting in enhanced responsiveness to Activin-A. Binding of this molecule to the mutated receptor induces HO.

Assessment of sexual function and quality of life in patients with lower limb amputations.

Background: Diseases causing disabilities lead to sexual dysfunction. However, studies that evaluate sexual functions in patients with traumatic lower limb amputations (LLA) are limited and controversial.

Objective: The objective is to evaluate sexual functions in male patients with LLA and to identify factors that might contribute to sexual dysfunction.