Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Low-back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent among older adults, and the cost to treat the US Medicare population is substantial. Recent US health care reform legislation focuses on improving quality of care and reducing costs. The sacroiliac (SI) joint is a recognized generator of LBP, but treatments traditionally have included either nonoperative medical management or open SI joint fusion, which has a high rate of complications. New minimally invasive technologies have been developed to treat SI joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis, so it is important to understand the current cost impact of nonoperative care to the Medicare program. The objective of this study was to evaluate the medical resource use and associated Medicare reimbursement for patients managed with nonoperative care for degenerative sacroiliitis/SI joint disruption. ⋯ In patients who suffer from LBP due to SI joint disruption or degenerative sacroiliitis, this retrospective Medicare claims data analysis demonstrates that nonoperative care is associated with substantial costs and medical resource utilization. The economic burden of SI joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis among Medicare beneficiaries in the US is substantial and highlights the need for more cost-effective therapies to treat this condition and reduce health care expenditures.
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The object of this study was to conduct a prospective, randomized, laboratory investigation of the neuroprotective effects of curcumin functionally, biochemically, and histologically in an experimental acute spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury on rabbits. ⋯ Although further studies including different dose regimens and time intervals are required, curcumin could attenuate a spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbits via reducing oxidative products and proinflammatory cytokines, as well as increasing activities of antioxidant enzymes and preventing apoptotic cell death.