Neurophysiological and psychosocial mechanisms of fibromyalgia: A comprehensive review and call for an integrative model.

Research into the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms involved in fibromyalgia has progressed remarkably in recent years. Despite this, current accounts of fibromyalgia fail to capture the complex, dynamic, and mutual crosstalk between neurophysiological and psychosocial domains. We conducted a comprehensive review of the existing literature in order to: a) synthesize current knowledge on fibromyalgia; b) explore and highlight multi-level links and pathways between different systems; and c) build bridges connecting disparate perspectives.

Emotion regulation and the salience network: a hypothetical integrative model of fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and other symptoms, and has a substantial socioeconomic impact. Current biomedical and psychosocial treatments are unsatisfactory for many patients, and treatment progress has been hindered by the lack of a clear understanding of the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. We present here a model of fibromyalgia that integrates current psychosocial and neurophysiological observations.

Cell stiffness predicts cancer cell sensitivity to ultrasound as a selective superficial cancer therapy.

We hypothesize that the biomechanical properties of cells can predict their viability, with Young's modulus representing the former and cell sensitivity to ultrasound representing the latter. Using atomic force microscopy, we show that the Young's modulus stiffness measure is significantly lower for superficial cancer cells (squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma) compared with noncancerous keratinocyte cells. In vitro findings reveal a significant difference between cancerous and noncancerous cell viability at the four ultrasound energy levels evaluated, with different cell lines exhibiting different sensitivities to the same ultrasound intensity.

Randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study of perifosine combined with bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed, refractory multiple myeloma previously treated with bortezomib.

Perifosine, an investigational, oral, synthetic alkylphospholipid, inhibits signal transduction pathways of relevance in multiple myeloma (MM) including PI3K/Akt. Perifosine demonstrated anti-MM activity in preclinical studies and encouraging early-phase clinical activity in combination with bortezomib. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study was conducted to evaluate addition of perifosine to bortezomib-dexamethasone in MM patients with one to four prior therapies who had relapsed following previous bortezomib-based therapy.

Early life stress induces submissive behavior in adult rats.

Maternal-deprivation of rodent pups is a relevant model of extreme early-life stress that can be relevant to the understanding of long-term effects of war, migration, parental loss and displacement. Although even mild stress during infancy affects brain development and behavior, the current study focused on the effects of six hour daily maternal-separation, a model that reflects the severe distress often experienced in those circumstances. This study emphasizes the effect of maternal separation on social behavior in the context of a variety of factors that measure cognitive and emotional behavior which were subject to principle component analysis.

Target organ damage in hypertensive patients of different ethnic groups.

Background: Hypertension is associated with involvement of target organs which varies among the different ethnic groups. The multiplicity of the population in Israel offers an opportunity for evaluating target organ damage in hypertensive patients of different ethnic origins.

Methods And Results: Data were collected from the computerized medical files of hypertensive patients in primary care clinics.