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Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common chronic joint diseases and is gradually becoming the main cause of disability and joint pain in the elderly worldwide. Pyroptosis is a regulated programmed cell death triggered by inflammasomes. It leads to cell swelling, lysis, and bioactive molecule secretion. Studies found that the damaged chondrocytes in OA joints had morphological characteristics of pyroptosis, and the cytokines associated with pyroptosis in synovial fluid increased, indicating that pyroptosis may have certain impacts on the pathological progression of OA. This review briefly summarizes the molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis and the epidemiology and pathogenesis of OA. Furthermore, we discussed the role of pyroptosis in articular cartilage and synovium during OA and reviewed the progress of pyroptosis-related molecules in the targeted therapy of OA joints, hoping to provide feasible directions for the diversified treatment of OA.

is an invasive parasitic mite that negatively impacts wombats, causing sarcoptic mange disease, characterized by alopecia, intense pruritus, hyperkeratosis, and eventual mortality. Evidence suggests that wombats may be unable to recovery from infection without the assistance of treatments. Transdermal drug delivery is considered the most ideal route of administration for treatment in free-ranging wombats, as it is non-invasive and avoids the need to capture affected individuals. Although there are effective antiparasitic drugs available, an essential challenge is adequate administration of drugs and sufficient drug retention and absorption when delivered. This review will describe the implications of sarcoptic mange on the physiology of wombats as well as discuss the most widely used antiparasitic drugs to treat (ivermectin, moxidectin, and fluralaner). The prospects for improved absorption of these drugs will be addressed in the context of pathophysiological and pharmaceutical considerations influencing transdermal drug delivery in wombats with sarcoptic mange.

Radiomics involves high-throughput extraction and analysis of quantitative information from medical images. Since it was proposed in 2012, there are some publications on the application of radiomics for (1) predicting recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP), clinical severity of acute pancreatitis (AP), and extrapancreatic necrosis in AP; (2) differentiating mass-forming chronic pancreatitis (MFCP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), focal autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) from PDAC, and functional abdominal pain (functional gastrointestinal diseases) from RAP and chronic pancreatitis (CP); and (3) identifying CP and normal pancreas, and CP risk factors and complications. In this review, we aim to systematically summarize the applications and progress of radiomics in pancreatitis and it associated situations, so as to provide reference for related research.

Low back pain (LBP) caused by intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is accredited to the release of inflammatory cytokines followed by biomechanical and structural deterioration. In our study, we used a plant-derived medicine, curcumenol, to treat IVDD. A cell viability test was carried out to evaluate the possibility of using curcumenol. RNA-seq was used to determine relative pathways involved with curcumenol addition. Using TNFα as a trigger of inflammation, the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and expression of the MMP family were determined by qPCR and western blotting. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and the rats' primary NP cells were cultured. The catabolism status was evaluated by an model. A lumbar instability mouse model was carried out to show the effects of curcumenol . In general, RNA-seq revealed that multiple signaling pathways changed with curcumenol addition, especially the TNFα/NF-κB pathway. So, the NP cells and primary NP cells were induced to suffer inflammation with the activated TNFα/NF-κB signaling pathway and increased expression of the MMP family, such as MMP3, MMP9, and MMP13, which would be mitigated by curcumenol. Owing to the protective effects of curcumenol, the height loss and osteophyte formation of the disc could be prevented in the lumbar instability mouse model .

Self-medication (SM) means using drugs to treat self-diagnosed diseases or symptoms. Despite its important role in reducing the load on medical services, it may bear many risks. This study aims to determine the prevalence of SM and its determinants among adult inpatients of Damascus Hospital, Syria. Cross-sectional study.

Pituitary apoplexy can occur postpartum, and subdural hematoma following epidural anesthesia is a rare complication. Cooccurrence of these two complications is extremely rare and has not been previously reported in the literature. In this article, we present a case of pituitary apoplexy along with intracranial subdural hematoma happening two days after spinal anesthesia for cesarean section. The patient presented with peripheral facial nerve paralysis accompanied by headache, eye pain, and blurred vision and was diagnosed by imaging modalities. The patient made a good recovery with conservative treatment without serious health events.

Pain is a very common symptom that often serves a protective function. It is typically treated medically. When pain becomes chronic and intractable, it no longer serves a protective function and often requires more aggressive forms of treatment. Many types of surgeries can be performed for the management of pain. These surgeries can involve ablation (destruction) or augmentation (stimulation or facilitation) of some part of the nervous system. In many of these surgeries, neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring (NIOM) is not needed, however, in others neuromonitoring serves a mapping and monitoring purpose. The prototype of pain surgery for this chapter is the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) procedure. Both mapping and monitoring can help improve lesioning precision and outcomes in this surgery. In this chapter, the DREZ procedures and other surgeries for primarily pain relief in which NIOM is used are discussed. Surgeries, such as spinal stenosis, in which pain relief is important but not the sole purpose, are not discussed here and are covered elsewhere.

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is responsible for approximately 15-25% of reported back pain. Patients with SIJ pain report some of the lowest quality of life scores of any chronic disease. Understanding of the physiology and pathology of the SI joint has changed dramatically over the years, and SI joint pain and injury can now be thought of in two broad categories: traumatic and atraumatic. Both categories of SI joint injury are thought to be caused by inflammation or injury of the joint capsule, ligaments, or subchondral bone in the SI joint. Treatment of SI joint pain usually involves a multi-pronged approach, utilizing both, multi-modal medical pain control and interventional pain/surgical techniques such as steroid injections, radiofrequency nerve ablation, and minimally invasive sacroiliac arthrodesis. Though conservative management through multi-modal pain control and physical therapy have their role as first line therapies, an increasing body of evidence supports the use of minimally invasive procedures, both as adjuvant treatments to conservative management and as second line therapies for patient's that fail first line treatment.

To develop and validate a nomogram model to predict postoperative 30-day mortality in acute type A aortic dissection patients receiving total aortic arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk technique.

Acupuncture is the practice of applying needles to target specific pressures points in the body. Since originating in China, acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years to treat numerous conditions including chronic pain and mood disorders. Alopecia is a common dermatologic condition associated with psychological distress and decreased quality of life. Although it remains underexplored in western medicine, recent evidence suggests that acupuncture may be efficacious in the treatment of alopecia. In this review, we discuss the available evidence describing the efficacy of acupuncture or moxibustion alone (ACU) and in combination with other traditional and alternative interventions (ACU + TRAD) for hair loss. Additionally, the proposed physiologic mechanisms, targeted acupuncture points, and the benefits and barriers to treatment will be further described. An exploratory search using PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus databases was performed for studies that evaluated the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on alopecia. In these studies, both ACU and ACU + TRAD were efficacious for numerous etiologies of hair loss including alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, and seborrheic alopecia. Given their ability to modulate the immune system, as well as neuronal networks associated with emotional cognition, the most frequently targeted acupoints were ST 36, GV 20, and LR 3. The proposed mechanistic effect is dependent upon disease etiology and is theorized to be twofold: reduction of inflammation and decrease in testosterone levels. The limited side effect profile of acupuncture makes it an advantageous treatment option, however, factors including cost, time, limited access, and aversion to needles may serve as barriers to treatment.