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Dietary supplements for intestinal inflammation.

Intestinal inflammation leads to various chronic diseases, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD mainly affects the large intestine, but it can also affect the gastrointestinal tract as a whole. Its major symptoms are pain, diarrhea, and weight loss, and it is usually associated with deficiencies of both macro- and micronutrients. Unluckily, after some time the body develops resistance against the already available drugs: thus, many patients fail to maintain remission, which is achieved in less than 50% of cases. Diet is a major determinant of gut inflammation. An unbalanced diet can affect the gut microbiota and cause dysbiosis, which is related to a dysregulated host immune response. The Mediterranean Diet its renowned for its anti-inflammatory effects and for preventing dysbiosis. In order to improve management and treatment of intestinal inflammatory diseases, it should become common practice to integrate the patient's diet with dietary supplements with anti-inflammatory effects (probiotics, butyrate, phosphatidylcholine, lactoferrin, palmitoylethanolamide, silymarin, and omega 3), which maintain the stability of the intestinal microbial cohort and strengthen the mucosal barrier, thus preventing or soothing IBD symptoms. Dietary supplements may help fight the high costs, the adverse side effects, and the recurrent relapses typical of drug use.

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Mild inflammation persists in the glenohumeral joint of patients with shoulder instability: Cross-sectional study.

Approximately two-thirds of patients with history of shoulder dislocation may develop osteoarthritis (OA) of the glenohumeral joint. However, the biochemical mechanisms underlying the association between dislocation and OA are largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate macrophage markers and inflammatory cytokine expression associated with shoulder instability (SI) in comparison to rotator cuff tears (RCTs).

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Laparoscopic pectopexy for patients with intraabdominal adhesions, lumbar spinal procedures, and other contraindications to sacrocolpopexy: a case series.

Laparoscopic pectopexy is an alternative to sacrocolpopexy utilizing fixation points in the anterior pelvis for vaginal vault suspension; it was originally developed for an obese population. This is a retrospective case series of 7 women who underwent laparoscopic pectopexy at one academic Institution between October 2019 and December 2020. The patients had preoperative vaginal vault prolapse (pelvic organ prolapse quantification system [POP-Q], stage 2 and 3). Pectopexy was performed because of relative contraindications to sacrocolpopexy, including use of antiplatelet therapy, extensive adhesions, and chronic back pain with lumbo-spinal fusion. No intraoperative complications were documented in this cohort. Average blood loss was 32.9 mL. All the patients were discharged home within 24 hours. One patient experienced urinary retention that required release of the retropubic midurethral sling placed at the time of pectopexy. The most recent follow-up examination occurred at an average of 127 days after the procedure. All 7 patients had a resolution of their prolapse (POP-Q ≤1). This case series highlights the application of pectopexy for patients with extensive adhesions, use of antiplatelet therapy and lumbar or sacral spinal surgical history. The complication rates and operative results are comparable with sacrocolpopexy at intermediate-term follow-up in this small case series, indicating that pectopexy may be a promising alternative for patients with relative contraindications to sacrocolpopexy. This is the first report of the application of the technique in North America.

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Determination of Health Anxiety and Resilience Levels in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis During SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Case-Control Study.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis are chronic diseases associated with pain. These diseases reduce the patient's quality of life and cause psychological problems. The study aimed to determine health anxiety and resilience levels in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic.

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Self-Medication Profile of Adult Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders in Southeast Brazil.

Patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) often have orofacial pain and may use medication without professional prescription. Self-medication and inappropriate drug intake may cause serious health problems. This cross-sectional study evaluated the self-medication profile of TMD patients, the most used medications and their effect, and the relation between self-medication and socioeconomic factors.

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Auditory Mirror Therapy for Tinnitus: A Pilot Study.

 Tinnitus, the phantom perception of sound, shares many properties with phantom limb pain, in that both may arise as a consequence of sensory deprivation. Prediction errors in multisensory integration, such as induced with mirror box therapy in phantom pain, can reduce phantom percepts.

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SPINAL SUBDURAL HEMATOMA ASSOCIATED WITH LUMBAR PUNCTURE – A CASE REPORT.

Spinal subdural hematoma caused by lumbar puncture is a rare state of acute blood clot in spinal subdural space, and in some cases, it can be the cause of local compression and consecutive neurological symptoms. We present a 36-year-old female patient who was hospitalized due to persistent headache despite pharmacological therapy. Therefore, we performed lumbar puncture in order to measure intracranial pressure and evaluate cerebrospinal fluid. After lumbar puncture, the patient was complaining of pain in the lumbar region. Emergency magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbosacral (LS) region was performed to show acute subdural hematoma of up to 7.3 mm in the dorsal part of the spinal canal at the level of L1 vertebra to the inferior endplate of L4 vertebra. Repeat LS MRI after 3 hours showed unchanged finding. The patient reported gradual regression of pain in the LS region over the next few days, therefore conservative treatment was applied. Patients with a previously known blood clotting disorder and patients on anticoagulation therapy have worse outcome as compared with patients without such disorders. During treatment, it is necessary to monitor patient clinical state and consider the need of surgical treatment.

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EVALUATION OF ULTRASONOGRAPHIC ANATOMY OF TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS PLANE BEFORE AND AFTER CESAREAN SECTION.

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is used to provide analgesia after lower abdominal surgery operations. TAP block has been shown to reduce postoperative pain scores and side effects of opioids after cesarean section. Generally, TAP block was introduced after cesarean section. It is assumed that delivery affects sonographic characteristics of the abdominal wall. For this reason, ultrasonographic measurement of the anatomy of the region defined for TAP block was performed before and after cesarean section. It was aimed to determine the estimated TAP block distance in the population undergoing cesarean section. Fifty patients who underwent cesarean section in the operating room were included in the study. The inclusion criteria were ASA score I-II, age 18-45 years, gestational age ≥32 weeks, and cesarean section performed by Pfannenstiel incision. Data on patient age, weight, height, body mass index, gravidity, parity, gestational age (weeks), concomitant disease and allergy were recorded. According to the results obtained in the study, ultrasound should be performed if TAP block is accessible. Before cesarean section, the external oblique muscle and internal oblique muscle are closer to surface than after cesarean section since the TAP distance after pregnancy will be deeper. Systematic data on ultrasonographic anatomy of the abdominal wall in pregnant women have not yet been published. The obstetric anesthesiologist should be aware of these changes when planning a TAP block in the context of cesarean section. There is a need for larger prospective studies.

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Non-surgical management of hip and knee osteoarthritis; comparison of ACR/AF and OARSI 2019 and VA/DoD 2020 guidelines.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There are several available recently updated guidelines for the management of hip and knee OA. Herein, we describe the similarities and differences among the 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF), the 2019 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), and the 2020 Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) treatment guidelines.

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Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of gabapentin in chronic female pelvic pain without another diagnosis.

While widely used for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain, limited data exists on efficacy of gabapentin, especially in the subgroup of women suffering from chronic pelvic pain without a known diagnosis, such as endometriosis.

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