This study aimed to evaluate ostarine effects on blood glucose, dyslipidemia, and osteoporosis in diabetic rats. Forty-eight adult male rats were divided into six groups (Control, Ostarine: 0.4 mg/kg daily orally, diabetes mellitus (DM), DO: diabetic rats received ostarine, DI: diabetic rats received insulin, DOI: diabetic rats received ostarine and insulin for 8 weeks). Radiographic examination for bone was done. Blood samples, bone, and pancreas were taken for examination. Ostarine significantly increased body weight, muscle weight, bone weight and ashing, lowered blood glucose, TC, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides, increased Ca++, phosphorus (P), osteocalcin, RUNX2, and positive immunostained osteopontin cells compared to DM, but no significance on CTX-I or RANKL. It improved bone density in X-ray, pancreatic islet cells and bone microarchitecture in histological examinations …
Purpose:
Conventional decompression is an effective treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) but is associated with greater tissue disruption and perioperative morbidity. Microendoscopic laminotomy (MEL) is intended to reduce surgical morbidity; however, concerns persist regarding operative time and complications such as incidental durotomy. This study compares both techniques in terms of clinical outcomes, operative parameters, and complication rates.
Methods:
This is a non-randomized prospective cohort study, conducted over three years (two years for patient enrollment and one year for follow-up). A total of 68 patients with degenerative single-level LSS were included; 34 patients underwent conventional interlaminar decompression (CILD), and 34 patients underwent MEL. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) for back and leg pain and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) preoperatively and at multiple follow-up points. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and hospital length of stay were also recorded. Complication rates, including incidental durotomy and reoperation, were evaluated.
Results:
The MEL group demonstrated significantly lower intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stays compared with the CILD group, while operative time was significantly longer (p < 0.001). The MEL group showed significantly better VAS back pain scores at the immediate, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups; however, no significant difference was observed at one year. Similarly, ODI scores were significantly improved in the MEL group at the immediate and 3-month follow-ups, with no significant differences at later follow-up points. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding the incidence of dural tear or reoperation rates.
Conclusion:
MEL provides superior early postoperative recovery but requires technical expertise and is associated with a learning curve that may increase the risk of incidental durotomy during the initial experience. Both groups have similar late follow-up results.
Keywords:
Lumbar spinal stenosis; minimally invasive lumbar decompression; Microendoscopic laminotomy.
Study Design: A clinical prospective randomized controlled trial involved 75 patients suffering from isthmic and degenerative lumbar spondylolithesis diagnosed at the outpatient clinic of Department of Neurosurgery, Assuit University Hospital, Egypt.
Background:Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and posterolateral fusion (PLF) are widely used methods for treatment of lumbar spondylolithesis. Some studies showed that PLIF results in an improved outcome compared with PLF, while other studies prove the opposite.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the methods of PLIF and PLF in cases of lumbar spondylolisthesis, and to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the procedures.
Methods: 60 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis were operated between 2017 and 2019. Indications for surgery were low-back pain with or without sciatica and neurogenic claudication that had not improved after at least 6 months of conservative treatment. The study included 38 female and 22 male patients, with mean ages of 49.3±8 years in the PLIF group and 50.43±8 years in the PLF group. These patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups 30 patients each. The 2 groups had similar socioeconomic, age and sex distribution, level of pain, and disability. Inclusion criteria and outcome measurements were identical in both groups. In the PLIF group, Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages were used, and autograft material was obtained from laminectomy was used in both groups. A minimum 12 month follow-up was available in all patients. For clinical evaluation, a visual analog scale, and Oswestry Disability Index were used. Improvements in pre- and postoperative spondylolisthesis, segmental angles, occurrence of fusion, and postoperative complications were evaluated radiologically.
Results: The patients were followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Based on the etiologies, isthmic spondylolisthesis was detected in 25patients and degenerative spondylolithesis was detected in 35 patients. In PLIF patients, Oswestry disability index (ODI) improved from 29.8% to 13.2% and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for back pain from 7.5 to 1.3. The levels of ODI and VAS were similar to that of the PLF group. Fusion ratios were 100% in the PLIF group and 90% in the PLF group. There was no difference in the complication rates for each group.
Conclusions: There is no significant difference in the one year outcome of surgical treatment of adult isthmic and degenerative spondylolisthesis. we advise PLIF when discectomy is needed and PLF when there is no need for discectomy.
Key Words: lumbar spondylolisthesis, isthmic spondylolisthesis, posterolateral fusion, posterior lumbar interbody fusion and intertransverse process fusion.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with motor and nonmotor manifestations. Although auditory dysfunction has been proposed as a nonmotor feature, the extent of peripheral auditory involvement remains unclear. This study aims to explore peripheral auditory and lower brainstem function in patients with PD compared with age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls.
This pilot cross-sectional study included 25 patients with PD and 25 matched controls. Disease severity was assessed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale. All participants underwent pure-tone audiometry (250–8000 Hz), speech discrimination score, tympanometry, contralateral acoustic reflex evaluation, and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions using standardized protocols in a calibrated, sound-treated environment.
In this study, PD patients and controls were well-matched for age and sex. Pure-tone thresholds and speech discrimination scores were comparable across all frequencies. Tympanometric findings predominantly showed bilateral type A curves, contralateral acoustic reflexes were preserved, and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions responses did not differ significantly between groups (all P>0.05). Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores indicated moderate overall disease severity with predominant motor impairment.
As a pilot study, the present findings suggest that peripheral auditory structures and lower brainstem function appear preserved in early-to-moderate PD. Larger, longitudinal studies incorporating central auditory processing assessment are warranted to identify subtle central deficits and track progression over time.
Evaluating patients’ cognitive and emotional states, along with their beliefs about asthma medicine, helps identify those likely to be nonadherent to their therapy. This study aimed to assess treatment adherence in Upper Egypt and its relationship with disease beliefs and other potential influencing factors, including socioeconomic status, education, medication burden, and cognitive function.
This study is a cross-sectional patient survey conducted in a respiratory outpatient clinic. A total of 138 asthmatic patients were recruited during follow-up visits at least 4 weeks after the last exacerbation. Assessment tools included the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Asthma Control Test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire.
In the current study, 62.3% of patients showed low adherence, 29.7% showed moderate adherence, and only 7.9% showed high adherence. Illness perception is significantly higher in the low adherence group (70/100) than in the moderate adherence group and the high adherence group. The greater number of medications [odds ratio (OR=0.31)], low educational level (OR=0.124), presence of comorbidities (OR=0.287), and previous emergency room visits (OR=0.197) are associated with less treatment adherence. Conversely, later age of asthma onset (OR=2.479) and higher disease control (OR=1.784) are associated with higher adherence.
Treatment adherence among asthmatic patients in Upper Egypt is predominantly low, strongly influenced by negative medication beliefs, multiple medications, low education, comorbidities, and previous emergency visits. Later disease onset and better asthma control positively affect adherence.
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