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Trigeminal Nerve Balloon Compression (TNBC)[1-3] can provide immediate therapeutic relief to patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia (TN). This is a particularly effective treatment option for patients who are not eligible for surgical procedures (i.e. elderly patients or patients with multiple co-morbidities) or for patients who have had an insufficient response to microvascular decompression. TNBC can also be used as a bridge treatment before Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS). Use of intraoperative DYNA-CT imaging facilitates the TNBC procedure[4, 5]. Three-dimensional DYNA-CT imaging with needle guidance allows for precise needle advancement and insertion through the foramen ovale (FO). DYNA-CT enables the direct visualization and avoidance of vascular structures such as the carotid or internal maxillary arteries and results in decreased procedure times and complications.

The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) collaborates with the dorsal raphe (DR) in pain regulation and emotional response. However, the roles of vlPAG and DR γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic neurons in regulating nociception and anxiety are contradictory and poorly understood. Here, we observed that pharmacogenetic co-activation of vlPAG and DR GABAergic (vlPAG-DR) neurons enhanced sensitivity to mechanical stimulation and promoted anxiety-like behavior in naïve mice. Simultaneous inhibition of vlPAG-DR neurons showed adaptive anti-nociception and anti-anxiety effects on mice with inflammatory pain. Notably, vlPAG and DR neurons exhibited opposing effects on the sensitivity to mechanical stimulation in both naïve state and inflammatory pain. In contrast to the role of vlPAG neurons in pain processing, chemogenetic inhibition and chronic ablation of DR neurons remarkably promoted nociception while selectively activating DR neurons ameliorated inflammatory pain. Additionally, utilizing optogenetic technology, we observed that the pronociceptive effect arising from DR neuronal inhibition was reversed by the systemic administration of morphine. Our results collectively provide new insights into the modulation of pain and anxiety by specific midbrain GABAergic subpopulations, which may provide a basis for cell type-targeted or subregion-targeted therapies for pain management.

Arthritis is a common chronic disease, and is a major cause of disability and chronic pain in adults. Considering inflammatory responses is closely related with trace elements (TEs), the role of TEs in arthritis has attracted much attention. This study aimed to assess the association between TEs and arthritis.

For patients with gluteal tendinopathy, what is the cost utility from health system and societal perspectives of three management approaches: education plus exercise, ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection or wait and see?

This study aimed to analyze the microstructural features of sleep in patients with vestibular migraine and migraine, and to hypothesize the pathophysiological mechanism between vestibular migraine and sleep disorders.

Ophthalmic manifestations are common in patients with leukemia, developing in nearly 50% of cases. Intracranial hemorrhage is another potentially fatal complication of leukemia. In this case report, we aim to present a challenging case that involves both ophthalmic and intracranial manifestations in an individual with acute monocytic leukemia.

The nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) contributes to pain hypersensitivity in multiple neuropathic pain models, but the function of the NLRP3 in diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) and the regulation mechanism are still largely unknown. Epigenetic regulation plays a vital role in the controlling of gene expression. Ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2) is a DNA demethylase that contributes to transcriptional activation. TET2 is also involved in high glucose (HG)-induced pathology.

No information is available in Belgium on life expectancy adjusted for health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) captures the multidimensionality of health by accounting for losses in mortality and HRQoL linked to physical, mental, and social impairments. The objective of this study is to estimate for Belgium QALE, the changes in QALE between 2013 and 2018 and the contribution of mortality, HRQoL and its dimensions to this trend.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, immune-mediated, spondyloarthropathy characterised by musculoskeletal signs and symptoms with associated joint pain and tenderness. The average worldwide PsA prevalence is 133/100,000, while in the Italian population is 90-420/100,000. Traditionally, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoid, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs have been used in the treatment of PsA. However, for those patients who are not adequately controlled with conventional therapies, the new biologics compounds represent a valid option. Biologic therapies have been shown to be more effective but also more expensive than conventional systemic treatments. Based on the CHRONOS study, the economic analyses presented in this paper aim to assess the annualised direct costs and the cost-per-responder of biologics in a real-world context assuming the Italian National Health System perspective.

Endometriosis is a pathophysiological condition characterized by glands and stroma outside the uterus in regions such as the bladder, ureter, fallopian tubes, peritoneum, ovaries, and even in extra pelvic sites. One of the main clinical problems of endometriosis is chronic pelvic pain (CPP), which considerably affects the patients' quality of life. Patients with endometriosis may, cyclically or non-cyclically (80% of cases) experience CPP. High levels of anxiety and depression have been described in patients with endometriosis related to CPP; however, this has not been evaluated in endometriosis women with different types of CPP. Therefore, the research question of this study was whether there is a difference in the emotional dysregulation due to the type of pain experienced by women with endometriosis?