Less Pain Relief, More Depression, and Female Sex Correlate With Spinal Cord Stimulation Explants.

Background: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a known therapy for a variety of chronic pain conditions, but over time a number of patients proceed to explants.

Objectives: We compared explant rates based on degree of pain relief, diagnosis, lead location, gender, and age to determine possible predictors for SCS implant success.

Methods: First, we performed a single-center retrospective chart review of consecutive SCS-implanted subjects was to document internal explant rates.

A Drosophila KCNQ channel essential for early embryonic development.

The mammalian voltage-dependent KCNQ channels are responsible for distinct types of native potassium currents and are associated with several human diseases. We cloned a novel Drosophila KCNQ channel (dKCNQ) based on its sequence homology to the mammalian genes. When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, dKCNQ gives rise to a slowly activating and slowly deactivating current that activates in the subthreshold voltage range.