The Potential Role of Matrix Rhythm Therapy in Managing Chronic Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a widespread issue, and matrix rhythm therapy (MRT), a non-invasive therapy using low-frequency vibrations, is gaining interest for CLBP. However, evidence for its effectiveness and safety remains unclear. This scoping review aimed to systematically map and synthesise the existing literature on using MRT to manage CLBP.

Optimising physiotherapist delivery fidelity of exercise and physical activity advice for achilles tendinopathy: A prospective repeated-measures observational study.

Objectives: To assess physiotherapist delivery fidelity and identify factors optimising delivery fidelity of an intervention based on recommended guidelines for Achilles tendinopathy.

Design: A prospective repeated-measures observational study of physiotherapist delivery fidelity with carefully defined exercise and physical activity advice.

Setting: An inter-disciplinary clinic in Melbourne, Australia, embedded in a randomised controlled trial.

Itching for innovation: role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists as a future therapy for atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition which affects over 200 million people worldwide, with patients commonly presenting with dry, itchy and sore skin. The challenge in finding optimal treatment for AD stems from the heterogenous nature of the disease and its multifaceted aetiology: skin barrier dysfunction, immune system dysregulation, genetic factors, environmental factors and alterations in skin microorganisms. Traditional treatments for AD such as corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors and immunosuppressants have several limitations such as reoccurrence of symptoms when discontinued, lack of targeted action and risk of adverse effects.

The Association Between Isometric Shoulder Strength and Sports Performances in University Soccer Players: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Soccer, a globally popular sport, demands a complex interplay between physical attributes, including speed, agility, power, and endurance. Although lower-body strength and power are often emphasized, the role of upper-body strength, particularly shoulder strength, remains less explored. Given the importance of upper-body movements in activities such as heading, shooting, and defending, understanding the relationship between shoulder strength and soccer performance is crucial.

Memory Phenotype Tfh Cells Develop Without Overt Infection and Support Germinal Center Formation and B Cell Responses to Viral Infection.

Pathogen-induced memory Tfh cells are important to maintain high-affinity antibodies against pathogens. We have now discovered Tfh cells with a similar memory phenotype (MP) that develop in pathogen-free conditions. These MP Tfh cells are similar to pathogen-induced memory Tfh in both phenotype and function.

Higher Prevalence of Tooth Loss in People With Abdominal Obesity but Normal Weight: Findings From the United States and Scottish Populations.

Objectives: Previous research has shown that people with obesity are at a higher risk of tooth loss; however, it is unclear whether abdominal obesity (e.g., high waist circumference) is associated with tooth loss among individuals without obesity.

Accumulating waves of random mutations before fixation.

Mutations provide variation for evolution to emerge. A quantitative analysis of how mutations arising in single individuals expand and possibly fixate in a population is essential for studying evolutionary processes. While it is intuitive to expect that a continuous influx of mutations will lead to a continuous flow of mutations fixating in a stable constant population, joint fixation of multiple mutations occur frequently in stochastic simulations even under neutral selection.

Autologous Peripheral Blood-Derived Orthobiologics for the Management of Shoulder Disorders: A Review of Current Clinical Evidence.

Introduction: A multidisciplinary approach is recommended to manage shoulder pain, the third most common musculoskeletal disorder, but traditional modalities have limitations, providing only temporary symptomatic pain relief instead of targeting the underlying pathophysiology. Recently, autologous peripheral blood-derived orthobiologics (APBOs) have become popular for the management of shoulder disorders. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the most frequently used APBO, but its efficacy remains disputable.

Deep Learning Algorithms for Breast Cancer Detection in a UK Screening Cohort: As Stand-alone Readers and Combined with Human Readers.

Background Deep learning (DL) algorithms have shown promising results in mammographic screening either compared to a single reader or, when deployed in conjunction with a human reader, compared with double reading. Purpose To externally validate the performance of three DL algorithms as mammographic screen readers in an independent UK data set. Materials and Methods Three commercial DL algorithms (DL-1, DL-2, and DL-3) were retrospectively investigated from January 2022 to June 2022 using consecutive full-field digital mammograms collected at two UK sites during 1 year (2017).

Cerebral cortical encephalitis in adults with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease: A national case series.

Background And Purpose: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a relatively recently described disease, most commonly presenting with optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis. Cerebral cortical encephalitis is a rare manifestation of MOGAD.

Methods: We identified patients presenting with cerebral cortical encephalitis with positive MOG antibodies in serum across a large specialized service.

Sodium channels Na1.7, Na1.8 and pain; two distinct mechanisms for Na1.7 null analgesia.

Genetic deletion and pharmacological inhibition are distinct approaches to unravelling pain mechanisms, identifying targets and developing new analgesics. Both approaches have been applied to the voltage-gated sodium channels Na1.7 and Na1.

Spleen tyrosine kinase: a novel pharmacological target for sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction and multi-organ failure.

Sepsis is a systemic condition caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and often associated with excessive release of proinflammatory cytokines resulting in multi-organ failure (MOF), including cardiac dysfunction. Despite a number of effective supportive treatments (e.g.

A bitter anti-inflammatory drug binds at two distinct sites of a human bitter taste GPCR.

Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs), a subfamily of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed orally and extraorally, elicit signaling in response to a large set of tastants. Among 25 functional TAS2Rs encoded in the human genome, TAS2R14 is the most promiscuous, and responds to hundreds of chemically diverse ligands. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the human TAS2R14 in complex with its signaling partner gustducin, and bound to flufenamic acid (FFA), a clinically approved nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

The Role of Active Brown Adipose Tissue in Patients With Pheochromocytoma or Paraganglioma.

Objectives: Metabolically-active brown adipose tissue (aBAT) is a common finding on fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging in patients with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma (PPGL). In addition to its clinical significance, we aimed to explore the prevalence of this finding on FDG-PET imaging in patients with PPGL.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective and retrospective studies.

MSK ultrasound imaging-assisted clinical examination.

Musculoskeletal disorders are a significant global health concern, affecting over 1.71 billion individuals worldwide, with a considerable impact on quality of life and economic burden due to healthcare costs and productivity losses. In the United Kingdom, approximately one-third of the population suffers from musculoskeletal disorders, underscoring the need for effective diagnostic and management strategies.

Ischemic Heart Disease in the Cancer Population: Trends, Outcomes, Epidemiology, and Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment.

Patients with cancer are at increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). The increased risk of IHD in these patients is due to the interaction of shared risk factors, cancer type and stage, and immuno/chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens. Management of IHD in cancer patients is challenging, due to atypical presentation, increased thrombotic and bleeding risk, and worse outcomes compared to patients without cancer.