Oral cannabidiol (CBD) as add-on to paracetamol for painful chronic osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Painful knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is common, pharmacological treatment, however, is often hampered by limited tolerability. Cannabidiol, which preclinically showed anti-inflammatory, analgesic activity, could supplement established analgesics, but robust clinical trials are lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of oral high-dose CBD administered over 8 weeks on pain, function and patient global assessment as an add-on to continued paracetamol in chronic symptomatic KOA.

Effect of Regular Electrotherapy on Spinal Flexibility and Pain Sensitivity in Patients with Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain and Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Double-Blinded Pilot Trial.

: Chronic neck pain and low back pain are common conditions in high-income countries leading to social and medical problems such as invalidity and decreased quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of supra-threshold electrotherapy on pain level, subjective feeling of disability, and spinal mobility in patients with chronic pain in the spinal cord. : 11 men and 24 women with a mean age of 49 years were randomly divided into three groups: group 1, "therapy": supra-threshold electrotherapy was applied on the whole back after electrical calibration; group 2, "control": electrical calibration without successive electrotherapy; group 3, "control of control": no stimulation.

Correlation between the Neuropathic PainDETECT Screening Questionnaire and Pain Intensity in Chronic Pain Patients.

: Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon with a wide range regarding the location, intensity and quality. Patients with chronic pain, in particular those suffering from mixed pain, often present a special challenge. The PainDETECT questionnaire (PD-Q) is a screening instrument designed to classify whether a patient has neuropathic pain (NP), often rated as more distressing compared to nociceptive pain.

Brief High Oxygen Concentration Induces Oxidative Stress in Leukocytes and Platelets: A Randomized Cross-over Pilot Study in Healthy Male Volunteers.

Background: Supplemental oxygen is administered routinely in the clinical setting to relieve or prevent tissue hypoxia, but excessive exposure may induce oxidative damage or disrupt essential homeostatic functions. It is speculated that oxidative stress in leukocytes and platelets may contribute to vascular diseases by promoting inflammation and cell aggregation.

Methods: In this pilot study 30 healthy male volunteers (18-65 years) were exposed to high oxygen concentration (non-rebreather mask, 8 L/min, 100% O2) and synthetic air (non-rebreather mask, 8 L/min, 21% O2) in a cross-over design for 20 min at a 3-week interval.

Efficacy of Duloxetine in Chronic Low Back Pain with a Neuropathic Component: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Crossover Trial.

Background: Among patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), approximately 37% show signs of a neuropathic pain component (radicular pain). Treatment of this condition remains challenging. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of duloxetine in the treatment of CLBP patients with neuropathic leg pain.

Expression of telomeres in astrocytoma WHO grade 2 to 4: TERRA level correlates with telomere length, telomerase activity, and advanced clinical grade.

Cancer cells bypass replicative senescence, the major barrier to tumor progression, by using telomerase or alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) as telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs). Correlation between ALT and patient survival was demonstrated for high-grade astrocytomas. Transcription from subtelomeres produces telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA), a natural inhibitor of telomerase activity (TA).

Sex-specific prevalence of adenomas, advanced adenomas, and colorectal cancer in individuals undergoing screening colonoscopy.

Context: Although some studies have shown that men are at greater age-specific risk for advanced colorectal neoplasia than women, the age for referring patients to screening colonoscopy is independent of sex and usually recommended to be 50 years.

Objective: To determine and compare the prevalence and number needed to screen (NNS) for adenomas, advanced adenomas (AAs), and colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) for different age groups in men and women.

Design, Setting, And Patients: Cohort study of 44,350 participants in a national screening colonoscopy program over a 4-year period (2007 to 2010) in Austria.

von Willebrand factor antigen: a novel on-treatment predictor of response to antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis C genotypes 1 and 4.

Background: Levels of von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF-Ag) increase during combination antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The present study investigates the association between these changes in vWF-Ag levels and response to treatment.

Methods: Changes in levels of vWF-Ag on antiviral combination treatment in 184 patients with CHC genotype 1 or 4 infections were measured prospectively and effect on response was studied.