Rejected

This study determined the prevalence and risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), painful DPN and diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in secondary health care (SHC) in Qatar, Kuwait and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

To investigate the available evidence and conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of physical modalities combined with eccentric exercise (PMEE) with eccentric exercise (EE) alone for improvements in pain and function in individuals with chronic Achilles tendinopathy (AT) at short-term (4 weeks) and long-term (12-16 weeks) follow-ups.

The aim of this systematic review and network meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate and compare the effectiveness of diverse therapies for disc displacement (DD) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). An electronic search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the China Academic Journals full-text database (CNKI), and Wanfang databases was performed to identify relevant studies available up to 31 July 2021. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed for all included studies, while the outcomes of interest contained post-therapeutic maximum mouth opening and pain intensity. Interventions consisted of arthrocentesis, injections with diverse drugs, occlusal splints, or a combination of two to three of the above. Controls were regarded as oral analgesics, self-exercise, massage, or health instruction. Twenty-six studies appeared to meet the inclusion criteria and were subjected to further examination. Our data of the entire network showed that the most invasive therapies performed better than non-invasive therapies, while arthrocentesis + platelet-rich plasma injection and platelet-rich plasma injection in Grade I performed well in both mouth opening improvement and pain alleviation. Platelet-rich plasma injection is probably the best treatment overall for patients with DD owing to its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and lubricating effects.

Ensuring proper placement of epidural catheters is critical to improving their reliability for pain control and maintaining confidence in their continued use. This article will seek to address the role of objective confirmation of successful epidural placement via either single view or continuous epidural contrast studies, each creating an 'epidurogram.' Furthermore, the pertinent anatomical corollaries of continuous fluoroscopy used frequently in chronic pain medicine, from which these techniques emerged, will be addressed. Technical radiographic information needed to better understand and troubleshoot these studies is also included. Image examples which highlight the patterns key for successful interpretation of epidurograms will be provided. The aim of this paper was to provide an anesthesiologist unfamiliar with fluoroscopic evaluation of epidural catheters with the tools necessary to successfully conduct and interpret such an examination.

Vertigo in children is a challenging topic. The lack of dedicated trials, guidelines and papers causes inhomogeneity in the treatment of vertigo in children. Meniere's disease, migraine equivalents, vestibular neuritis, paroxysmal positional benign vertigo (BPPV), persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) and motion sickness may affect children with various degrees of incidence and clinical severity compared to adults. Several drugs are proposed for the management of these conditions, even if their use is subordinated to the child's age. In this review, we summarize the existing evidence related to the use of drugs for this clinical condition in children as a start point for new trials, stating the urgent need for international guidelines.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants (NPs/PAs) increasingly practice in emergency departments (EDs), yet limited research has compared their practice patterns with those of physicians.

Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is a chronic pain condition, often underdiagnosed, with an important impact on patient quality of life. More recently, an association between VEGF and its receptors has been suggested in BPS/IC pathophysiology, due to their role in promoting angiogenesis and inflammation, which can enhance bladder pain. Eventually, VEGF may be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognostication of BPS/IC. To further clarify this issue, this review aims to critically summarize the available information, giving rise to a solid starting point for future studies.

A 66-year-old man was reported to have persistent chest pain for 4 hours after accidentally swallowing a fishbone. An isolated esophageal foreign body (EFB) was suspected in the community hospital. In our center, an emergency chest CT scan revealed an EFB in the upper part of the esophagus of the patient which penetrated the left esophageal wall as well as the distal aortic arch. However, the experience of the treatment strategy for this lesion is still not enough available. Considering the surgical trauma and the risk associated with advanced age of the patient, the option for open surgery was waived. In addition, there was also a risk of sudden death due to aortic rupture that could occur after direct removal of the fishbone. Therefore, emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair was performed and the fishbone was removed under an endoscope. The patient successfully pulled through without any discomfort, with no complications.

Foot problems may have a substantial negative impact on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' mobility. They affect walking and the functional capacity to perform daily tasks.