A "people-like-me" approach to predict individual recovery following lumbar microdiscectomy and physical therapy for lumbar radiculopathy.

Background Context: Lumbar microdiscectomy is an effective treatment for short-term pain relief and improvements in disability in patients with lumbar radiculopathy, however, many patients experience residual pain and long-term disability. The 'people like me' approach seeks to enhance personalized prognosis and treatment effectiveness, utilizing historical data from similar patients to forecast individual outcomes.

Purpose: The primary objective was to develop and test the 'people-like-me' approach for leg pain intensity and disability at 12-month follow-up after lumbar microdiscectomy and postoperative physical therapy.

(Cost-)effectiveness of personalised multimodal physiotherapy compared to surgery in patients with cervical radiculopathy: A systematic review.

Rationale: Cervical radiculopathy is initially typically managed conservatively. Surgery is indicated when conservative management fails or with severe/progressive neurological signs. Personalised multimodal physiotherapy could be a promising conservative strategy.

Pyrazinoic acid, the active form of the anti-tuberculosis drug pyrazinamide, and aromatic carboxylic acid analogs are protonophores.

Pyrazinoic acid is the active form of pyrazinamide, a first-line antibiotic used to treat infections. However, the mechanism of action of pyrazinoic acid remains a subject of debate, and alternatives to pyrazinamide in cases of resistance are not available. The work presented here demonstrates that pyrazinoic acid and known protonophores including salicylic acid, benzoic acid, and carbonyl cyanide -chlorophenyl hydrazone all exhibit pH-dependent inhibition of mycobacterial growth activity over a physiologically relevant range of pH values.

The impact of being overweight or obese on 12 month clinical recovery in patients following lumbar microdiscectomy for radiculopathy.

Background Context: The proportion of patients who undergo lumbar microdiscectomy due to lumbar radiculopathy who are also overweight or obese is high. However, whether high body mass index (BMI) affects clinical outcomes is not well-studied.

Purpose: To investigate the difference in the clinical course between normal weight, overweight, and obese patients with radiculopathy who underwent lumbar microdiscectomy followed by physical therapy and to evaluate whether high BMI is associated with poor recovery.