Rejected

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is an alpha-2 agonist used for sedation during various procedures. Dex activates 2-adrenoceptors, and causes the decrease of sympathetic tone, with attenuation of the neuroendocrine and hemodynamic responses to anesthesia and surgery; it reduces anesthetic and opioid requirements; and causes sedation and analgesia.

Post-COVID symptoms are the new concern in the COVID-19 pandemic, where recovered patients experience residual symptoms affecting their quality of life. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the role of complete vaccination, prescribed medication, and micronutrients during COVID episodes in the occurrence of post-COVID symptoms.

Optic neuritis associated with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis poses a novel challenge and is recognised as being part of overlapping antibody-associated demyelinating syndromes. We report a case of a 10-year-old girl who first presented with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and later developed four episodes of left optic neuritis. Blurring of vision, pain on eye movement, and headache were the striking features in all episodes of optic neuritis. For each recurrent episode of optic neuritis she was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone, following which visual acuity, colour vision, and visual field improved to normal. Neuroimaging was unremarkable. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein and aquaporin-4 antibody tests were negative. She developed a relapse of anti-NMDAR encephalitis after recurrent episodes of optic neuritis despite being on azathioprine. Intravenous immunoglobulin and cycles of cyclophosphamide were started, and she has been free from optic neuritis and encephalitis for more than one year since. Optic neuritis and anti-NMDAR encephalitis are reversible with intensive immunotherapy. Early and accurate diagnosis can lead to better management of this condition.

Non-stimulant medication therapy for children, adolescents, and young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has included alpha 2-agonists (guanfacine and clonidine) as well as a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (atomoxetine) for multiple years. Although these may be effective options for some children, they are generally considered to be less effective than stimulant medications. In addition, there has been a suicidal ideation concern in early-late adolescence with atomoxetine, emphasizing the need for continued development of other treatment options. Extended-release viloxazine (SPN-812) has been shown in phase 2 and phase 3 trials to be an effective, well-tolerated alternative for some children with ADHD. The mechanism of action of viloxazine is unique, modulating activity of both serotonin and norepinephrine. Treatment-related adverse events most commonly seen included somnolence, decreased appetite, and headache. Although continued evaluation to confirm the reduced symptoms of ADHD in children along with the safety profile is needed, extended-release viloxazine may offer a once-a-day pharmaceutical treatment option for patients in which stimulant medication is not effective or not a favorable option. It may also be beneficial for those children and adolescents with a comorbidity of depression.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) caused by trauma, chronic disease and other factors may lead to partial or complete loss of sensory, motor and autonomic functions, as well as neuropathic pain. Biological activities are always accompanied by mechanical stimulation, and biomechanical microenvironmental homeostasis plays a complicated role in tissue repair and regeneration. Recent studies have focused on the effects of biomechanical microenvironment on peripheral nervous system development and function maintenance, as well as neural regrowth following PNI. For example, biomechanical factors-induced cluster gene expression changes contribute to formation of peripheral nerve structure and maintenance of physiological function. In addition, extracellular matrix and cell responses to biomechanical microenvironment alterations after PNI directly trigger a series of cascades for the well-organized peripheral nerve regeneration (PNR) process, where cell adhesion molecules, cytoskeletons and mechanically gated ion channels serve as mechanosensitive units, mechanical effector including focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) as mechanotransduction elements. With the rapid development of tissue engineering techniques, a substantial number of PNR strategies such as aligned nerve guidance conduits, three-dimensional topological designs and piezoelectric scaffolds emerge expected to improve the neural biomechanical microenvironment in case of PNI. These tissue engineering nerve grafts display optimized mechanical properties and outstanding mechanomodulatory effects, but a few bottlenecks restrict their application scenes. In this review, the current understanding in biomechanical microenvironment homeostasis associated with peripheral nerve function and PNR is integrated, where we proposed the importance of balances of mechanosensitive elements, cytoskeletal structures, mechanotransduction cascades, and extracellular matrix components; a wide variety of promising tissue engineering strategies based on biomechanical modulation are introduced with some suggestions and prospects for future directions.

Pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) is more challenging to treat than adult UC. Qing-Dai therapy is effective in adults but reports of its efficacy in children are unavailable. We conducted a questionnaire survey on Qing-Dai use among pediatric patients with UC in Japan to determine its efficacy and safety.

Pain neuroscience education (PNE) has been shown to be effective in reducing pain in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Knowledge of pain physiology is necessary to undertake PNE, and a measure for such knowledge is necessary. The Knowledge and Attitudes of Pain (KNAP), a comprehensive assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding pain for healthcare practitioners, was developed in 2020 through the assessment of construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness in Dutch and English. This study aimed to conduct cross-cultural adaptation of the KNAP into Japanese and to verify test-retest reliability among Japanese undergraduate physical therapy and occupational therapy students.

Exercise-induced low back pain (EILBP) is induced during anterior trunk tilting when walking or prolonged standing. In some elderly with chronic LBP, the pain is induced by EILBP. The paraspinal muscles play an important role in supporting the spine; therefore, a dysfunction of back muscles and kyphotic alignment are considered to be associated with EILBP. However, few reports are showing the relationship between EILBP and degenerative muscle changes. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between EILBP, degenerative changes of paraspinal muscles, and spinal alignment in an epidemiological study.

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is an uncommon condition, occurring in ~1 in every 600-2,000 pregnancies. It is associated with various conditions, including thrombophilia, malignancy, sepsis, intra-abdominal and pelvic inflammatory conditions, pregnancy, and the postpartum period, and specific surgical interventions, particularly gynecological surgeries. Thus, this study aims to identify the associated factors for OVT and elaborate on the standard treatment strategies for its management.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a heterogenous entity with a wide range of pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical manifestations. DILI is a diagnosis of exclusion. Metamizole (dipyrone) is an analgesic increasingly used in Europe, but there is limited information on its adverse effects. We report the case of a 56-year-old man with acute fever, malaise and general deterioration. Onset of symptoms occurred 12 hours after intake of metamizole for shoulder pain. The patient's medical history was remarkable for three episodes of an inflammatory syndrome with hepatitis of unknown aetiology during the previous 3 years. However, retrospective enquiry showed each episode was preceded by metamizole intake shortly before symptom onset. Relevant differential diagnoses such as infection, vasculitis, autoimmune or metabolic diseases were excluded. Liver biopsy was compatible with DILI. Discontinuation of metamizole led to rapid clinical improvement and normalization of liver transaminases. Metamizole is a very rare and poorly known cause of DILI with only a few published case reports in the literature. Careful medical history taking is important to identify the causative agent. Prompt recognition and discontinuation of the drug is crucial. Patients must be informed to avoid this medication in future.