No evidence of association between either Modic change or disc degeneration and five circulating inflammatory proteins.

Introduction: Intervertebral disc degeneration and Modic change are the main spinal structural changes associated with chronic low back pain (LBP). Both conditions are thought to manifest local inflammation and if inflammatory proteins translocate to the blood circulation could be detected systemically. The work here assesses whether the presence of disc degeneration is associated with detectable blood level changes of five inflammatory markers and whether chronic LBP is associated with these changes.

Genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder.

Background: Both clinical care and genome-wide studies need to account for levels of severity in the etiology of depression. The purpose of the study is to estimate the genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder.

Methods: A genetic and environmental model analysis of depression incidence was made using the IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM).