Introduction: Discogenic low back pain (LBP) affects a considerable number of patients suffering from chronic LBP. Recently, a growing interest has emerged in minimally invasive treatment options for discogenic LBP. Intradiscal biacuplasty (IDB), which uses cooled radiofrequency technology to ablate nociceptors in the posterior aspect of the intervertebral disc, is one such option. We previously presented 6-month results of a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled study. Now, we present the unblinded, 12-month follow-up data for treatment patients and 6-month data for cross-over subjects from the original sham group.
Methods: Physical function, pain relief, and disability were assessed using the Short Form-36, numerical rating scale, and Oswestry Disability Index, respectively. Subjects were unblinded at 6 months, and those initially randomized to sham procedure were given the option to cross over to IDB.
Results: Twenty-two out of 27 subjects in the original active treatment group were followed until 12 months and had clinically significant improvements in physical function (Δ = 22) and pain (Δ = -2.9). Out of 30 subjects originally in the sham group, 24 chose to cross over, and 20 cross-over patients completed follow-up at 6 months. In cross-over patients, improvements in physical function and pain did not differ statistically from those of patients originally randomized to IDB treatment. No complications or adverse events related to the procedure were reported.
Conclusions: Clinically significant improvements after IDB initially reported at 6 months were maintained at 9 and 12 months. The cross-over subjects had similar improvement in all outcome measures at all observed time points.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pme.12595 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Institute of Science and Technology Austria, AT-3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Biophysical constraints limit the specificity with which transcription factors (TFs) can target regulatory DNA. While individual nontarget binding events may be low affinity, the sheer number of such interactions could present a challenge for gene regulation by degrading its precision or possibly leading to an erroneous induction state. Chromatin can prevent nontarget binding by rendering DNA physically inaccessible to TFs, at the cost of energy-consuming remodeling orchestrated by pioneer factors (PFs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, China Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Introduction: Short stature is a frequent complication of DMD, and its pathomechanisms and influencing factors are specific to this disease and the idiosyncratic treatment for DMD.
Purpose: To establish the height growth curve of early DMD, and evaluate the potential influencing markers on height growth, provide further evidence for pathological mechanism, height growth management and bone health in DMD.
Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 348 participants with DMD aged 2-12 years was conducted at West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2023 to October 2023.
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Associations between variants in the FTO locus and plasma concentrations of appetite related hormones are inconsistent, and might not work in a dose dependent fashion in people with obesity. Moreover, it is relevant to report meal related plasma concentrations of these hormones in persons with obesity given the growing interest in their pharmacological potential in obesity therapy. We find it clinically relevant to examine associations between the SNP rs9939609 genotypes and homeostatic appetite regulation in individuals with BMI ≥35 kg/m2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Center of Excellence in Probiotics, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Modern treatment, a healthy diet, and physical activity routines lower the risk factors for metabolic syndrome; however, this condition is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality worldwide. This investigation involved a randomized controlled trial, double-blind, parallel study. Fifty-eight participants with risk factors of metabolic syndrome according to the inclusion criteria were randomized into two groups and given probiotics (Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MSMC39-1 and Bifidobacterium animalis TA-1) (n = 31) or a placebo (n = 27).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan.
The joint Simon effect refers to inhibitory responses to spatially competing stimuli during a complementary task. This effect has been considered to be influenced by the social factors of a partner: sharing stimulus-action representation. According to this account, virtual interactions through their avatars would produce the joint Simon effect even when the partner did not physically exist in the same space because the avatars are intentional agents.
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