Bmc Musculoskel Dis
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Jan 2014
Biomechanical testing of a unique built-in expandable anterior spinal internal fixation system.
Expandable screws have greater pullout strength than conventional screws. The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical stability provided by a new built-in expandable anterior spinal fixation system with that of 2 commonly used anterior fixation systems, the Z-Plate and the Kaneda, in a porcine partial vertebral corpectomy model. ⋯ The built-in anterior fixation system provides better axial rotational stability as compared to the other 2 systems, and greater maximum torque and pullout strength than a common fixation screw.
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Jan 2014
Rheumatologists lack confidence in their knowledge of cannabinoids pertaining to the management of rheumatic complaints.
Arthritis pain is reported as one of the most common reasons for persons using medical herbal cannabis in North America. "Severe arthritis" is the condition justifying legal use of cannabis in over half of all authorizations in Canada, where cannabis remains a controlled substance. As champions for the care of persons with arthritis, rheumatologists must be knowledgeable of treatment modalities both traditional and non-traditional, used by their patients. As study of cannabinoid molecules in medicine is recent, we have examined the confidence in the knowledge of cannabinoids expressed by Canadian rheumatologists. ⋯ Rheumatologists lacked confidence in their knowledge of cannabinoid molecules in general and in their competence to prescribe any cannabinoid for rheumatic complaints. In line with this uncertainty, there is reticence to prescribe cannabinoid preparations for rheumatology patients. Guidance is required to inform rheumatologists on the evidence regarding cannabinoids.
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Jan 2014
In vivo experimental intervertebral disc degeneration induced by bleomycin in the rhesus monkey.
Recently, biological therapies for early intervention of degenerative disc disease have been introduced and developed; however, a functional animal model that mimics slowly progressive disc degeneration of humans does not exist. The objective of this study was to establish a slowly progressive and reproducible intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration model. ⋯ Injection of bleomycin into the subchondral bone adjacent to the lumbar IVDs of rhesus monkeys can results in mild, slowly progressive disc degeneration, which mimics the onset of human disc degeneration. T1ρ MR imaging is an effective and noninvasive technique for assessment of early stage disc degeneration.
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Jan 2014
Grip strength ratio: a grip strength measurement that correlates well with DASH score in different hand/wrist conditions.
Grip strength correlates with personal factors such as gender, age and nutritional status and has a good inter-rater reliability. It reflects fairly well how much people can use their hands.The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Outcome Measure 3 is a 30-item, self-report, questionnaire that reflects the patients' opinion on their disability due to upper-limb disorders. We assessed if grip strength and grip strength ratio correlate with DASH score. ⋯ Grip strength ratio correlates well with the DASH score in different hand and wrist conditions. It is a valuable tool to assess patients that speak a different language and have problems with the non-dominant hand and probably easier to follow over time than the DASH score, which is time consuming to fill in and process.
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Jan 2014
Etanercept ameliorates inflammation and pain in a novel mono-arthritic multi-flare model of streptococcal cell wall induced arthritis.
The impact of anti-TNF, corticosteroid and analgesic therapy on inflammation and pain was evaluated in a novel mono-arthritic multi-flare rat Streptococcal Cell Wall (SCW) model using Etanercept, Dexamethasone and Buprenorphine. ⋯ We established a novel multi-flare SCW arthritis model enabling drug intervention in different stages of disease. We show for the first time the evaluation of inflammation and pain simultaneously in this model. Etanercept and Dexamethasone inhibited inflammation, pain and proinflammatory cytokines in this model. Taken together, this model facilitates the assessment of anti-rheumatic agents targeting inflammation and pain in the multiple flare paradigm and offers a powerful tool for drug discovery.