Rejected

Tendinitis is a term that is often used to describe various regional musculoskeletal conditions that are common and often occur, which are described mainly by pain and disability at the affected site. In calcareous (or calcific) tendinitis (CT) of the shoulder, a calcified deposit (hydroxyapatite) is located within 1 or more of the rotator cuff tendons (commonly the supraspinatus). CT is found in 10%-42% of chronic shoulder pain. Conservative treatment is always the first line of treatment. Acupuncture has been widely accepted by patients who experience musculoskeletal pain compared with other nonsurgical modalities and it is a minimal risk intervention. A 56-year-old woman was diagnosed with shoulder CT. Physical examination revealed limited range of motion (ROM) in abduction (78.6°) and lateral rotation (82.5°) of the right shoulder joint with a pain scale using numeric rating scale (NRS) assessment score of 5 (with diclofenac sodium 2 × 50 mg since 1 day ago). She received single session of acupuncture with balance method and distal point with a total of 10 needles, then all needles were retained for 45 minutes and the therapy was done only unilaterally. Then follow-up was made 2 days later. After the session ended, NRS assessment score reduced from 5 to 2, ROM in abduction and lateral rotation of the right shoulder was improved, respectively, to 179.2° and 150.4°. In follow-up 2 days after, ROM in abduction and lateral rotation became 168.9° and 147.8°, respectively, and NRS was still 2. Acupuncture with the use of the balance method and distal point effectively relieved the pain and improved ROM of CT even after 2 days.

It has been reported that neuropathic pain can be overcome by targeting the NR2B subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NR2B). This study aimed to investigate the effects of minocycline on phosphorylated and total expression of NR2B in the spinal cord of rats with diabetic neuropathic pain.

The advent of digital medical imaging, medical image analysis and computer vision has opened the surgeon horizons with the possibility to add virtual information to the real operative field. For oral and maxillofacial surgeons, overlaying anatomical structures to protect (such as teeth, sinus floors, inferior and superior alveolar nerves) or to remove (such as cysts, tumours, impacted teeth) presents a real clinical interest.

Migraine is a disabling disease of attacks of moderate to severe pain with associated symptoms. Every person with migraine requires treatment for acute attacks. Treatments can range from behavioral management and nonspecific medications to migraine-specific medications and neuromodulation. For many with migraine, having a combination of tools allows for effective treatment of all types of attacks.

After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Identify patients who are candidates for headache surgery. 2. Counsel the patient preoperatively with regard to success rates, recovery, and complications. 3. Develop a surgical plan for primary and secondary nerve decompression. 4. Understand the surgical anatomy at all trigger sites. 5. Select appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, and CPT codes.

The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical and economic benefits of intra-articular injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in Chinese patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). A total of 86 patients (42 treated with PRP and 44 with HA) were treated with three weekly intra-articular injections. The inclusion criteria included patients between 18 and 75 years of age, with chronic knee pain or swelling lasting >3 months and X-ray findings of degenerative joint alterations according to the Kellgren-Lawrence score grade I-III. Clinical examinations were performed before treatment, at 1- and 6-month post-injection intervals. International Knee Documentation Committee subjective, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities and visual analogue scale scores were determined at each examination. Adverse reactions, average cost, treatment time and patient satisfaction were also recorded. Compared with patients injected with HA, PRP was found to be associated with increased and more severe post-injection pain and swelling, where the duration of adverse reactions was greater in the PRP group (P=0.02). During the follow-up evaluations, both groups showed statistically significant improvements in all clinical scores from pre-injection to 1- and 6-month assessments (P<0.05). However, no significant inter-group (PRP vs. HA) differences were observed in the clinical scores between the two follow-up time points. There were also no significant differences in clinical score between the groups with regards to the Kellgren-Lawrence grade I, II or III. The average cost of PRP injections was 22.8X that of HA administration and the average treatment time was 5X that of HA, but there was no significant difference in patient satisfaction. These preliminary results indicate that although PRP injections can significantly improve clinical outcome in patients with knee OA, PRP is not any more effective compared with HA. Furthermore, PRP injections are associated with higher costs and treatment times. Therefore, additional clinical studies are required before PRP injections can be considered as a first-line treatment option for knee OA.

Post-surgical adhesion bands (PSABs) are a common complication after abdominal or pelvic surgeries for different reasons like cancer treatment. Despite improvements in surgical techniques and the administration of drugs or the use of physical barriers, there has only been limited improvement in the frequency of postoperative adhesions. Complications of PSAB are pain, infertility, intestinal obstruction, and increased mortality. The most important molecular mechanisms for the development of PSAB are inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and overexpression of pro-fibrotic molecules such as transforming growth factor β. However, questions remain about the pathogenesis of this problem, for example, the causes for individual differences or why certain tissue sites are more prone to post-surgical adhesions.

 To determine the modifiable risk factors associated with severity of plantar fasciitis and to formulate an objective scoring system for indexing plantar fasciitis in the non-athletic population.  This was a prospective observational study. The main outcome measure was the association of a modifiable risk factor, which was measured with the Pearson coefficient (R-value) and the level of significance, which was kept as  < 0.05.  In a sample size of 50 patients, the body mass index (BMI) and ill-cushioned shoes were found to be significantly associated with pain in plantar fasciitis. All the other risk factors were either non-modifiable or had no significant association.  Based on available data and further interpretation, an index was be formulated, named as Ranjeet-Kunal Index for Scoring Plantar fasciitis (RKISP), which can be successfully used for not only grading plantar fasciitis but also prognosticating the conservative management of the same, thus deciding the modality of treatment.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects up to 60% of individuals and often leads to foot ulceration and eventual amputation. When oral therapy has failed to achieve pain relief, the first line local treatment is the 5% lidocaine-medicated plaster which provides local relief. Capsaicin 8% patch is considered a promising topical treatment for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The present study investigated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of capsaicin 8% patch vs 5% lidocaine patch treatments over 24 weeks in South Asian male diabetic patients with established peripheral diabetic neuropathy.

A 7-year-old boy was admitted to the Pediatric Cardiology Department with blood pressure of 160/120 mmHg accompanied by burning pain in his hands and feet and tachycardia, followed by a seizure attack for the first time in his life, which presented shortly after admission. The child underwent a widespread diagnostic process – including laboratory tests and imaging – showing inconclusive results. Acute autonomic neuropathy was eventually diagnosed and successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin. The described case illustrates the need for a careful and open-minded approach to patients with hypertension.