Residue dynamics of a contact and a systemic fungicide in pollen, nectar, and other plant matrices of courgette (Cucurbita pepo L.).

Pollen and nectar can be contaminated with a range of pesticides, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Since these matrices are important food sources for pollinators and other beneficial insects, their contamination can represent a key route of exposure. However, limited knowledge exists with respect to pesticide residue levels and their dynamics in these matrices for many crops and active ingredients (AIs).

A randomized placebo-controlled trial of desipramine, cognitive behavioral therapy, and active placebo therapy for low back pain.

This clinical trial evaluated the independent and combined effects of a tricyclic antidepressant (desipramine) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic back pain relative to an active placebo treatment. Participants (n = 142) were patients experiencing daily chronic back pain at an intensity of ≥4/10 who were randomized to a single-center, double-blind, 12-week, 4-arm, parallel groups controlled clinical trial of (1) low concentration desipramine titrated to reach a serum concentration level of 15 to 65 ng/mL; (2) CBT and active placebo medication (benztropine mesylate, 0.125 mg); (3) low concentration desipramine and CBT; and (4) active benztropine placebo medication.

A review of the factors that influence pesticide residues in pollen and nectar: Future research requirements for optimising the estimation of pollinator exposure.

In recent years, the impact of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) on insect pollinator decline has stimulated significant amounts of research, as well as political and public interest. PPP residues have been found in various bee-related matrices, resulting in governmental bodies worldwide releasing guidance documents on methods for the assessment of the overall risk of PPPs to different bee species. An essential part of these risk assessments are PPP residues found in pollen and nectar, as they represent a key route of exposure.

Telehealth Therapy Effects of Nurses and Mental Health Professionals From 2 Randomized Controlled Trials for Chronic Back Pain.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of mental health professional versus primary care nurse-delivered telehealth cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and supportive care (SC) treatments for chronic low back pain, using data from 2 separate randomized controlled trials. Both trials were completed in the same hospital and used the same study design, research team, and outcome measures.

Materials And Methods: Participants from Study 1 (Mental Health Professional Study) (N=66; 2007 to 2011) and Study 2 (Nursing Study) (N=61; 2012 to 2016) were patients with chronic low back pain (≥4/10 intensity) randomized to either an 8-week CBT or an SC telehealth condition matched for contact frequency, format, and time.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Nurse-Delivered Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Versus Supportive Psychotherapy Telehealth Interventions for Chronic Back Pain.

Unlabelled: This study evaluated a nurse-delivered, telehealth intervention of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) versus supportive psychotherapy for chronic back pain. Participants (N = 61) had chronic back pain (pain "daily" ≥6 months at an intensity of ≥4 of 10 scale) and were randomized to an 8-week, 12-session, CBT or to supportive care (SC) matched for frequency, format, and time, with each treatment delivered by a primary care nurse. The primary outcome was the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ).

Randomized Controlled Trial of Telephone-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Versus Supportive Care for Chronic Back Pain.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a telephone-delivered, home-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for chronic low back pain in comparison to a matched supportive care (SC) treatment.

Methods: Participants (N=66) were patients with chronic back pain that were randomized to either an 8-week Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or a SC condition matched for contact frequency, format, and time. Participants completed validated measures of improvement in back pain disability, pain severity, and overall improvement.

A randomized controlled trial of gabapentin for chronic low back pain with and without a radiating component.

Gabapentin is prescribed for analgesia in chronic low back pain, yet there are no controlled trials supporting this practice. This randomized, 2-arm, 12-week, parallel group study compared gabapentin (forced titration up to 3600 mg daily) with inert placebo. The primary efficacy measure was change in pain intensity from baseline to the last week on treatment measured by the Descriptor Differential Scale; the secondary outcome was disability (Oswestry Disability Index).

Decarboxylative C-H arylation of benzoic acids under radical conditions.

A decarboxylative radical cyclization reaction has been developed for the synthesis of fluorenones. The reaction uses Ag(I)/K2S2O8 to oxidatively decarboxylate an aroylbenzoic acid to an aryl radical, which undergoes cyclization to afford fluorenone products in good yield.

Psychiatric disorders and risk of transition to chronicity in men with first onset low back pain.

Objective: To assess whether pre-existing psychiatric diagnoses increase the likelihood of transitioning from sub-acute to chronic back pain.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Men (N = 140) experiencing a first onset of low back pain (LBP) were examined for lifetime psychiatric disorders approximately 8 weeks post pain-onset using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-III-R), then re-evaluated at 6 months after pain onset to determine who did or did not progress to pain chronicity.

Preventing progression to chronicity in first onset, subacute low back pain: an exploratory study.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a behavioral medicine intervention, relative to an attention control, in preventing chronic pain and disability in patients with first-onset, subacute low back pain (LBP) with limitations in work-role function.

Design: A 2-group, experimental design with randomization to behavioral medicine or attention control groups.

Setting: Orthopedic clinic at a Naval Medical Center.

Is there a therapeutic window with some antidepressants for analgesic response?

Most antidepressants and anticonvulsants used in chronic pain syndromes have dose- and concentration-response curves developed for their application to treat psychiatric disorders. Because these are important clinical tools in medication management of psychiatric syndromes, it is reasonable to expect that utilizing concentration-effect relationships and known sources of pharmacokinetic variability for determining doses for analgesia may also improve treatment tolerability and outcomes. Efforts to identify dosing "therapeutic windows" or minimum "thresholds" for analgesic efficacy have provided useful guidance for initiating treatment, reducing toxicity, and assisting with decision making in the face of limited therapeutic response.

Shared and independent associations of psychosocial factors on work status among men with subacute low back pain.

Objectives: Psychosocial variables are acknowledged predictors of back disability, but multivariate studies are needed to understand their independent and overlapping effects. The objective of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate independent and shared associations of psychosocial variables on work status after first onset of low back pain (LBP) in working men.

Methods: One hundred forty male military personnel reporting subacute, first onset LBP (2 mo average duration) completed an interview-based and survey-based psychosocial assessment within the domains of job satisfaction, stress and coping, pain perceptions and beliefs, perceived functional disability, and mood disturbance.

Efficacy of noradrenergic and serotonergic antidepressants in chronic back pain: a preliminary concentration-controlled trial.

Objective: Although antidepressants are widely prescribed as analgesics in chronic back pain, their clinical pharmacology is not well established. Norepinephrine transporter blockade seems to be essential for analgesia, but optimal concentrations are unknown. Fixed-dose studies of serotonin reuptake inhibitors are generally negative, but such studies cannot be interpreted clearly because efficacy might be detected if concentration-response relationships were known.

A concise, convergent total synthesis of monocerin.

A concise and convergent eight-step synthesis of the antifungal metabolite monocerin 1 is reported. The key step involves an allylsilane metathesis/aldehyde condensation sequence to establish the core 2,3,5-trisubstituted tetrahydrofuran. End-game approaches based around intramolecular Heck chemistry revealed an interesting example of formal 6-endo cyclisation, the origin of which was probed using model substrates.

A placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of nortriptyline for chronic low back pain.

To assess the efficacy of nortriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, as an analgesic in chronic back pain without depression, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week trial in 78 men recruited from primary care and general orthopedic settings, who had chronic low back pain (pain at T-6 or below on a daily basis for 6 months or longer). Of these 57 completed the trial; of the 21 who did not complete, four were withdrawn because of adverse effects. The intervention consisted of inert placebo or nortriptyline titrated to within the therapeutic range for treating major depression (50-150 ng/ml).

One-year follow-up of first onset low back pain.

Efforts to examine the process and risk of developing chronic back pain have relied generally upon retrospective study of individuals with already established pain. In an alternative approach to understanding the clinical course and evolution of low back disorders, a cohort of 76 men experiencing their first episode of back pain was assessed prospectively at 2, 6 and 12 months following pain onset. Standard measures of pain (Descriptor Differential Scale: DDS), disability (Sickness Impact Profile: SIP), and distress (Beck Depression Inventory: BDI) were employed to classify the sample into five groups: Resolved, Pain Only, Disability/Distress Only, Pain and Mild Disability/Distress, and Clinical Range.

Psychosocial factors discriminate multidimensional clinical groups of chronic low back pain patients.

Previous studies have empirically defined clinical subgroups of chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients, based on differing patterns of pain, disability and emotional distress. Because these identified groups generally are comparable in terms of physical and demographic variables, variation in functional status cannot be adequately explained by medical or social factors. In the present study we evaluated whether other psychosocial factors (stress, coping attempts, and satisfaction with social supports) might differentiate the observed groups.

Weather changes and pain: perceived influence of local climate on pain complaint in chronic pain patients.

Patients with chronic pain frequently report that changes in the weather influence their pain. This study investigated differences in the perceived influence of weather on pain among 558 chronic pain patients living in 4 cities (San Diego, California; Nashville, Tennessee; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Boston, Massachusetts) in the United States. Local climatologic data for each city were obtained from the National Climatic Data Center.

The Descriptor Differential Scale of Pain Intensity: an evaluation of item and scale properties.

Improved methods for pain measurement have both theoretical and clinical importance. This study evaluated the Descriptor Differential Scale (DDS) of Pain Intensity, a recent methodology designed for assessing pain reports in clinical samples. Experiment 1 evaluated the sensitivity of the measure to small changes in electrocutaneous stimulation relative to a traditional visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain intensity.

An empirical evaluation of multidimensional clinical outcome in chronic low back pain patients.

Individuals with persisting pain often present a constellation of symptoms that includes pain, health-related impairment and dysphoric mood. It is now widely accepted that comprehensive assessment must address each of these dimensions. Despite recognition of the value of multidimensional assessment, no empirical efforts have validated the construct of a multidimensional clinical outcome presentation based on the dimensions of pain, impairment and dysphoric mood.

Coping activities in chronic low back pain: relationship with depression.

To help clarify the nature of coping activities in chronic pain, this study compared how depressed (n = 37) and non-depressed (n = 40) chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients attempted to cope with pain-specific and general non-pain life stressors, relative to matched healthy control subjects (n = 40). We hypothesized that depressed mood, rather than pain alone, would account for differences in coping activities between groups. Specifically, we expected that depressed CLBP patients would report a greater proportion of passive and avoidant coping responses and less active problem solving coping attempts than non-depressed patients and controls.

Prevalence, onset, and risk of psychiatric disorders in men with chronic low back pain: a controlled study.

This study used structured diagnostic interviews and DSM-III criteria to assess lifetime prevalence and pre-morbid risk of psychiatric disorder in a sample of men with long-standing chronic back pain (CLPB) attending a primary care clinic. A control group of age and demographically matched men without history of back pain was also studied. Compared to controls, men with CLBP had significantly higher lifetime rates of major depression (32% vs.