Effectiveness of neck stabilization and Contrology training in comparison to conventional therapy amongst individuals with text neck syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Cell phones are carried by 79% of people between 18 and 44 years of age for nearly the entire day. Smartphone users spend an average of three hours/per day on their devices, whereas heavy smartphone users spend 8-10 hours/per day on their devices. Text neck is a dangerous disorder that can accelerate the degeneration of the spine. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of neck stabilization training vs. Contrology or Pilates training in individuals with Text Neck Syndrome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Participants (n=75) with a history of recurrent neck pain in the previous four months, having moderate pain (at least 4/10 on the numeric pain rating scale, NPRS), and constantly using mobile phones (>4 hours/day) were randomly allocated to one of three groups: a control group (neck isometric training) and two intervention groups (neck stabilization training and Contrology). They were assessed for craniovertebral angle (CVA), NPRS, and neck disability index (NDI) at baseline and at 4 weeks post-intervention.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in the CVA, NPRS, and NDI among individuals with Text Neck Syndrome following intervention as compared to the control. Both the neck stabilization and Contrology training increased CVA and reduced neck pain and neck disability in individuals with Text Neck Syndrome. The two intervention groups showed similar effects in all the clinical outcome measures, suggesting almost equivalent effectiveness in the individuals with Text Neck Syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Neck stabilization seems to work better than Contrology training when it comes to increasing the craniovertebral angle, reducing pain intensity, and making it easier for individuals with Text Neck Syndrome to move their necks.

Generalized and localized osteoarthritis and risk of fall among older adults: the role of chronic diseases and medications using real world data from a single center

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the prevalence of falls among older adults with generalized and localized osteoarthritis (OA) and identified the association between falls and both chronic diseases and medications.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective design using the Healthcare Enterprise Repository for Ontological Narration (HERON) database was used. A cohort of 760 patients aged ≥65 years with at least two diagnosis codes for either localized or generalized OA were included. The extracted data included demographics (age, sex, and race), body mass index (BMI), fall history, comorbid health conditions (i.e., type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, neuropathy, cardiovascular diseases, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders), and medications [i.e., pain medication (opioids, non-opioids), antidiabetics (insulin or hypoglycemic), antihypertensives, antilipemic, and antidepressants].

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of falls and recurrent falls were 27.77% and 9.88%, respectively. Individuals with generalized OA had a higher prevalence of falls (33.8%) than those with localized OA (24.2%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that individuals with OA who had hypertension [odds ratio (OR):1.86, 95% CI, (1.20, 2.89), p=0.006] and used antidepressants [OR: 1.72, 95% CI, (1.04, 2.84), p=0.035] were more likely to have a fall. Individuals with OA who had hypertension [OR: 2.69, 95% CI, (1.30, 5.60), p=0.008], neuropathy [OR: 4.95, 95% CI, (2.95, 11.68), p<0.001], and insulin [OR: 2.85, 95% CI, (1.12, 7.22), p=0.035] were more likely to have a recurrent fall (two or more falls).

CONCLUSIONS

Falls are common in individuals with generalized OA. Comorbid health conditions, including hypertension and neuropathy, need to be considered in the screening of the risk of fall. Fall risk needs to be considered when discussing medication prescriptions, especially antidepressants and insulin.

Exendin-4 protects the hearts of rats from ischaemia/reperfusion injury by boosting antioxidant levels and inhibition of JNK/p66 Shc/NADPH axis

Exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, was shown to protect against cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by suppressing oxidative stress. p⁶⁶ Shc, a pro-oxidant and an apoptotic protein, is activated in the infarcted left ventricles (LVs) after induction of I/R. This study investigated if the cardiac protective effect of Exendin-4 against I/R injury in rats involves inhibition of p⁶⁶ Shc and to determine the underlying mechanisms behind this. Adult male rats (n = 12/group) were divided into four groups as a sham, a sham + Exendin-4, an I/R, and an I/R + Exendin-4. Exendin-4 was administered to rats 7 days before the induction of I/R. Ischaemia was induced by ligating the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery for 40 minutes followed by reperfusion for 10 minutes. The infarct myocardium was used for further analysis. Exendin-4 significantly reduced infarct area (by 62%), preserved LV function and lowered serum levels of LDH and CK-MB in I/R-induced rats. Also, it significantly reduced LV levels of ROS and MDA and protein levels of cytochrome-c and cleaved caspase-3 but significantly increased levels of glutathione (GSH) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in LVs of I/R rats indicating antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. Furthermore, it inhibited JNK and p⁶⁶ Shc activation and downregulated protein levels of p⁶⁶ Shc and NADPH oxidase with no effect on protein levels/activity of p53 and PKCβII. Of note, Exendin-4 also increased GSH and MnSOD in LVs of control rats. In conclusion, Exendin-4 cardioprotective effect in I/R hearts is mediated mainly by antioxidant effect and inhibition of JNK/P⁶⁶ Shc/NADPH oxidase.

Chronic consumption of a high-fat diet rich in corn oil activates intrinsic cell death pathway and induces several ultrastructural changes in the atria of healthy and type 1 diabetic rat

This study investigates the effect of chronic consumption of a high-fat diet rich in corn oil (CO-HFD) on atrial cells ultrastructure, antioxidant levels and markers of intrinsic cell death of both control and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)-induced rats. Adult male rats (10 rats/group) were divided into four groups: control fed standard diet (STD) (3.82 kcal/g, 9.4% fat), CO-HFD (5.4 kcal/g, 40% fat), T1DM fed STD, and T1DM + CO-HFD. CO-HFD and T1DM alone or in combination impaired systolic and diastolic functions of rats and significantly reduced levels of GSH and the activity of SOD, enhanced lipid peroxidation, increased protein levels of P53, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and ANF and decreased levels of Bcl-2 in their atria. Concomitantly, atrial cells exhibited fragmentation of the myofibrils, disorganized mitochondria, decreased number of atrionatriuretic factor (ANF) granules, and loss of gap junctions accompanied by changes in capillary walls. Among all treatments, the severity of all these findings was more severe in T1DM and most profound in the atria of T1DM + CO-HFD. In conclusion, chronic consumption of CO-HFD by T1DM-induced rats elicits significant biochemical and ultrastructural damage to rat atrial cells accompanied by elevated oxidative stress and mitochondria-mediated cell death.

The Role of Neurotrophin Signaling in Gliomagenesis: A Focus on the p75 Neurotrophin Receptor (p75NTR/CD271)

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75^NTR, a.k.a. CD271), a transmembrane glycoprotein and a member of the tumor necrosis family (TNF) of receptors, was originally identified as a nerve growth factor receptor in the mid-1980s. While p75^NTR is recognized to have important roles during neural development, its presence in both neural and nonneural tissues clearly supports the potential to mediate a broad range of functions depending on cellular context. Using an unbiased in vivo selection paradigm for genes underlying the invasive behavior of glioma, a critical characteristic that contributes to poor clinical outcome for glioma patients, we identified p75^NTR as a central regulator of glioma invasion. Herein we review the expanding role that p75^NTR plays in glioma progression with an emphasis on how p75^NTR may contribute to the treatment refractory nature of glioma. Based on the observation that p75^NTR is expressed and functional in two critical glioma disease reservoirs, namely, the highly infiltrative cells that evade surgical resection, and the radiation- and chemotherapy-resistant brain tumor-initiating cells (also referred to as brain tumor stem cells), we propose that p75^NTR and its myriad of downstream signaling effectors represent rationale therapeutic targets for this devastating disease. Lastly, we provide the provocative hypothesis that, in addition to the well-documented cell autonomous signaling functions, the neurotrophins, and their respective receptors, contribute in a cell nonautonomous manner to drive the complex cellular and molecular composition of the brain tumor microenvironment, an environment that fuels tumorigenesis.