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Chronic low back pain is a common condition that imposes an enormous burden on individuals and society. Physical exercise with education is the most effective treatment, but generally results in small, albeit significant improvements. However, which type of exercise is most effective remains unknown. Core stability training is often used to improve muscle strength and spinal stability in these patients. The majority of the core stability exercises mentioned in intervention studies involve no spinal movements (static motor control exercises). It is questionable if these exercises would improve controlled movements of the spine. Sensor-based exergames controlled with spinal movements could help improve movement control of the spine. The primary aim of this study is to compare the effects of such sensor-based exergames to static motor control exercises on spinal movement control.

Teratomas are a rare subgroup of CNS germ cell tumors and are histologically classified into mature teratomas, immature teratomas, and teratomas with malignant transformation. CNS teratomas are infrequently found in the posterior fossa and pure mature teratomas of posterior fossa are rare especially in adults. We present a case of a young adult female with a mature teratoma in the cisterna magna.

In this study, we aimed to systematically determine the trend, research hotspots, and directions of the future development of acupuncture for neuropathic pain (NP) by bibliometric analysis.

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is a serious manifestation of chronic kidney inflammation that can expand to adjacent structures. Here we report a case of XGP extending beyond the diaphragm through a nephrobronchial fistula to form a lung abscess in a 70-year-old man. The patient presented to the emergency department with severe right flank colic pain, nausea, vomiting and nonspecific constitutional symptoms for the past 4 months. Although the patient did not complain of any respiratory symptoms, initial evaluations revealed severe right-sided hydroureteronephrosis with debris, as well as an area of infiltration in the right lung lower lobe (RLL). Given the patient's condition, a thorough work-up was expedited to investigate the potential association between the symptoms. Ultimately, a diagnosis of XGP with expansion to the RLL through the right hemidiaphragm was developed. A right radical nephrectomy, right lower lobectomy and right hemidiaphragm resection were carried out. XGP was confirmed on the basis of the pathological evaluation of the resected specimens.

Few randomized controlled trials evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy for overactive bladder (OAB). This network meta- analysis compares the long-term (52-week) efficacy and safety of vibegron, mirabegron and anticholinergics for the treatment of OAB.

Visceral pain is unbearable, and natural methods are needed to relieve it. Electroacupuncture is a relatively new technique that helps relieve visceral pain by improving blood circulation and providing energy to clogged parts of the body. However, its analgesic effect and mechanism in colorectal pain are still unknown. In this study, the visceral pain models of electroacupuncture in rats were compared and discussed, using nanocomponents to stimulate the expression and mechanism of the nerve growth factor in colorectal pain and electroacupuncture and to observe the expression and mechanism of nerve growth factor in visceral pain relief rats induced by nanocomponents and electroacupuncture. The results show that nanocomponents can effectively relieve visceral pain under the action of electroacupuncture. NGF can activate endogenous proliferation, migration, differentiation, and integration. NSC can promote nerve regeneration and recovery after injury.

Data from 255 Thais with chronic pain were collected at Chiang Mai Medical School Hospital. After the patients self-rated their level of pain, a smartphone camera was used to capture faces for 10 s at a one-meter distance. For those unable to self-rate, a video recording was taken immediately after the move that causes the pain. The trained assistant rated each video clip for the pain assessment in advanced dementia (PAINAD). The pain was classified into three levels: mild, moderate, and severe. OpenFace was used to convert the video clips into 18 facial action units (FAUs). Five classification models were used, including logistic regression, multilayer perception, naïve Bayes, decision tree, k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM). Out of the models that only used FAU described in the literature (FAU 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 25, 26, 27, and 45), multilayer perception is the most accurate, at 50%. The SVM model using FAU 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 20, 25, and 45, and gender had the best accuracy of 58% among the machine learning selection features. Our open-source experiment for automatically analyzing video clips for FAUs is not robust for classifying pain in the elderly. The consensus method to transform facial recognition algorithm values comparable to the human ratings, and international good practice for reciprocal sharing of data may improve the accuracy and feasibility of the machine learning's facial pain rater.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD) is a debilitating autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The relationship between harboring an infection and NMOSD is currently unclear and needs further investigation. This article reports meningoencephalitis-like manifestations, including fever, headache, neck resistance, seizures, and pleocytosis, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, in a patient with serum AQP4 antibody-positive area postrema syndrome (APS). In the presence of aseptic meningitis combined with clinical symptoms such as optic neuritis and myelitis, the possibility of NMOSD diagnosis can be considered. However, for patients with unknown causes, especially combined with aseptic meningitis, a probable differential diagnosis of NMOSD is considered.

Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a serious microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) that impacts the nervous system. Several risk factors are involved in the progression and maintenance of DN-associated pain, such as higher expression of various inflammatory mediators, e.g., tumor necrotic factor-alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2). The present research explores the neuroprotective potential of natural isolates, including berbamine, bergapten, and carveol, on the DM-induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration that cause neuropathic pain. The study utilized computerized techniques, including computational analysis (a docking assay and a molecular dynamic simulation) before moving to protocols. Diabetic neuropathy was induced by intraperitonial injection (IP) of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg), and the animal subjects (rats) were kept for 4 weeks for the development of DN. Once diabetic neuropathy was confirmed, the subjects were treated with berbamine, bergapten, and carveol until the sixth week (i.e., 2 weeks of treatment). At the sixth week, the rats were sacrificed, and the sciatic nerve and spinal cord of each was collected for further molecular investigation. Docking and a molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) delivered the information that the natural compounds (berbamine, bergapten, and carveol) were interacting with the selected target protein (i.e., mitogen-activated protein kinase). After IP, it was found that berbamine, bergapten, and carveol had ameliorated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia by the 28th day of the study (2 weeks after treatment) without affecting blood glucose levels. Berbamine, bergapten, and carveol markedly elevated the levels of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione s-transferase (GST), in both the sciatic nerve and spinal cord, and also reduced lipid peroxidase (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO). The abovementioned natural isolates reduced pathologic alterations provoked through DN, a finding confirmed through histopathological assays (hematoxylin and eosin staining and immuno-histochemical analysis). Treatment down regulated higher expressions of the inflammatory mediatorcyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), as confirmed by ELISA and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The outcomes of berbamine, bergapten, and carveol are compared with those of pregabalin as a positive control group. Compared to pregabalin, treatment with the aforementioned three natural compounds improved nociception and reduced hyperalgesic effects, and consequently reduced pain perception and inflammation. Our results suggest the mechanism for the neuro-protective impact of berbamine, bergapten, and carveol might possibly be arbitrated via COX-2, TNF-α, and NF-κB, and regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase, ultimately ameliorating STZ-provoked, DM-induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and associated neuropathic pain.