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Biochemistry. Biokhimiia Aug 2022The development of a method for genome editing based on CRISPR-Cas9 technology was awarded The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, less than a decade after the discovery... (Review)
Review
The development of a method for genome editing based on CRISPR-Cas9 technology was awarded The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, less than a decade after the discovery of all principal molecular components of the system. For the first time in history a Nobel prize was awarded to two women, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, who made key discoveries in the field of DNA manipulation with the CRISPR-Cas9 system, so-called "genetic scissors". It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the technique as it enables one not only to manipulate genomes of model organisms in scientific experiments, and modify characteristics of important crops and animals, but also has the potential of introducing revolutionary changes in medicine, especially in treatment of genetic diseases. The original biological function of CRISPR-Cas9 system is the protection of prokaryotes from mobile genetic elements, in particular viruses. Currently, CRISPR-Cas9 and related technologies have been successfully used to cure life-threatening diseases, make coronavirus detection tests, and even to modify human embryo cells with the consequent birth of babies carrying the introduced modifications. This intervention with human germplasm cells resulted in wide disapproval in the scientific community due to ethical concerns, and calls for a moratorium on inheritable genomic manipulations. This review focuses on the history of the discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 system with some aspects of its current applications, including ethical concerns about its use in humans.
Topics: Animals; CRISPR-Cas Systems; Female; Gene Editing; Genomics; Humans; Viruses
PubMed: 36171658
DOI: 10.1134/S0006297922080090 -
Chiropractic & Manual Therapies Jun 2020According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there is strong evidence to show that vertebral mobilization and manipulation procedures can be used to improve... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there is strong evidence to show that vertebral mobilization and manipulation procedures can be used to improve spinal and hip mobility and reduce pain and incapacity in low back pain patients that fit the clinical prediction rule.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the immediate effects of high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulation on pain and postural control parameters in individuals with nonspecific low back pain.
METHODS
This study used a participant-blinded and assessor-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial involving a single session, in which 24 participants were randomly distributed into control (simulated manipulation) and intervention (HVLA lumbar manipulation) groups. The primary (pain: subjective pain intensity and pressure pain threshold) and secondary outcomes (postural control: ellipse area, center of pressure [COP] excursion, COP RMS velocity, and differences between the COP and center of projected gravity) were evaluated before and after the session using a numerical pain scale, algometer, and a force platform. For all outcomes, multiple mixed 2 (group) × 2 (time) ANOVAs were performed.
RESULTS
For the subjective pain intensity, only time was significant as a main effect, where pre-intervention presented a greater value then post-intervention (F [1.44] = 4.377; p = 0.042; r = 0.30). For the pressure pain threshold no significant effect was found. For the postural control parameters, as a main effect, only the ellipse area was significantly greater in the control group (F [1.44] = 6.760; p = 0.013; effect size = 0.36).
CONCLUSIONS
There was a reduction in subjective pain intensity, evaluated using a numerical scale, in both the intervention and control groups immediately after the intervention, suggesting that the spinal manipulation had a similar effect to the placebo procedure. No effect of HVLA lumbar manipulation was identified for postural control variables in either the intervention or control groups.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the number NCT02312778, registered at 14 September 2014.
Topics: Adult; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Low Back Pain; Male; Manipulation, Spinal; Middle Aged; Pain Measurement; Pain Threshold; Postural Balance; Young Adult
PubMed: 32487243
DOI: 10.1186/s12998-020-00316-7 -
JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan... Mar 2020To compare the effectiveness of manual therapy to the cervical spine with and without manual therapy to the upper thoracic spine in the management of non-specific neck... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of manual therapy to the cervical spine with and without manual therapy to the upper thoracic spine in the management of non-specific neck pain; a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVES
To compare the effectiveness of manual therapy to the cervical spine with and without manual therapy to the upper thoracic spine in the management of non-specific neck pain.
METHODS
The randomized controlled trial was conducted at 3 different hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan, from October 2016 to January 2017, and comprised patients suffering from non-specific neck pain aged 25-60 years. The control group received cervical manual therapy alone while the experimental group received cervical along with thoracic manual therapy for 2 weeks. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.
RESULTS
Of the 37 subjects, 20(54%) were cases and 17(46%) were controls.The overall mean age was 35.9±9.6 years. There was no significant difference between the groups at baseline in terms of the levels of pain (p=0.125) and disability (p=0.392). The experimental group showed greater reduction in pain (p=0.02) and disability (p=0.03) compared to the control group.
CONCLUSIONS
Cervical along with thoracic manual therapy reduced neck pain and associated neck disability more effectively than cervical manual therapy alone.
Topics: Adult; Cervical Vertebrae; Female; Humans; Male; Manipulation, Spinal; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Neck Pain; Pain Management; Pain Measurement; Range of Motion, Articular; Thoracic Vertebrae; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32207414
DOI: 10.5455/JPMA.300523 -
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Oct 2019Few studies have investigated the effects of mobilization with movement (MWM) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) compared to other procedures. Sham procedures are... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Few studies have investigated the effects of mobilization with movement (MWM) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) compared to other procedures. Sham procedures are generally more appropriate control than using no or usual treatments. Moreover, studies investigating the widespread hypoalgesic effects of MWM in patients with knee OA are lacking. The aim was to investigate the effect of MWM on function and pain in patients with knee OA compared to sham MWM.
METHODS
This is a randomized double-blind (patients and assessor) controlled trial. Forty adult patients with knee OA of grade II and above were recruited to receive either MWM treatment or sham MWM for the knee. The outcome measures included the following: a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, the pressure pain threshold (PPT) test, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) Index, the timed up and go (TUG) test, knee strength and knee range of motion (ROM). The measurements were taken at baseline, immediately after intervention and 2 days later.
RESULTS
Compared with sham MWM, MWM resulted in greater immediate improvement in pain [mean difference (95% CI): - 2.2 (- 2.8, - 1.6)], PPT at both the knee [176 (97, 254)] and shoulder [212 (136, 288)], TUG time [- 1.6 (- 2.1, - 1.1)], knee flexor strength [2.0 (1.3, 2.7)] and extensor strength [5.7 (4.1, 7.2)] and knee flexion ROM [12.8 (9.6, 15.9)] (all, p < 0.001) but not knee extension ROM [- 0.8 (- 1.6, 0.1)] (p = 0.067). After 2 days of intervention, patients who received MWM also demonstrated a greater improvement in pain [- 1.0 (- 1.8, - 0.1)], PPT at the shoulder [107 (40, 175)], TUG time [- 0.9 (- 1.4, - 0.4)], knee flexor strength [0.9 (0.2, 1.7)] and extensor strength [2.9 (2.1, 3.9)] and knee flexion ROM [8.3 (4.7, 11.9)] (all, p ≤ 0.026). However, WOMAC scores and knee extension ROM showed no evidence of change at any stage after intervention (p ≥ 0.067).
CONCLUSIONS
MWM provided superior benefits over sham MWM in terms of local and widespread pain, physical function (walking), knee flexion and extension muscle strength and knee flexion ROM for at least 2 days in patients with knee OA.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02865252 ), registered on August 12, 2016.
Topics: Arthralgia; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Knee Joint; Male; Manipulation, Orthopedic; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Pain Measurement; Range of Motion, Articular; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31627723
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-019-2841-4 -
Journal of Korean Medical Science Mar 2021In the era of digitization and Open Access, article-level metrics are increasingly employed to distinguish influential research works and adjust research management... (Review)
Review
In the era of digitization and Open Access, article-level metrics are increasingly employed to distinguish influential research works and adjust research management strategies. Tagging individual articles with digital object identifiers allows exposing them to numerous channels of scholarly communication and quantifying related activities. The aim of this article was to overview currently available article-level metrics and highlight their advantages and limitations. Article views and downloads, citations, and social media metrics are increasingly employed by publishers to move away from the dominance and inappropriate use of journal metrics. Quantitative article metrics are complementary to one another and often require qualitative expert evaluations. Expert evaluations may help to avoid manipulations with indiscriminate social media activities that artificially boost altmetrics. Values of article metrics should be interpreted in view of confounders such as patterns of citation and social media activities across countries and academic disciplines.
Topics: Bibliometrics; Journal Impact Factor; Publishing; Research Design; Scholarly Communication; Social Media
PubMed: 33754507
DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e74 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2021: Hallux valgus (HV) deformity is a common, potentially debilitating deformity. And evidence with high-quality for the conservative treatments of HV deformity is still... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
: Hallux valgus (HV) deformity is a common, potentially debilitating deformity. And evidence with high-quality for the conservative treatments of HV deformity is still required.; AIMS: To compare the effects of different conservative treatments for hallux valgus deformity by using the method of network meta-analysis.; : A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, OVID, and CINAHL. The included studies should have the characteristics that: (1) participants with hallux valgus deformity of any age (2) conservative treatments (3) Reported the hallux valgus (HVA), the intermetatarsal angle (IMA), the score of the Visual Analog Scale, and the score of Foot Function Index.; : 11 studies were included in this review. The agreement between reviewers reached a kappa value of 0.75. The results of the network meta-analysis showed that a combination of exercise and toe separator, night splints, and dry needling are most likely to be the best choice for reducing the hallux valgus angle (HVA) and intermetatarsal angle, and toe separators (with or without exercise), dry needling, and manipulation (with or without ice treatment) have advantages in improving the subjective feeling of patients.; : Multi-disciplinary conservative treatments have a great potential for hallux valgus deformity. More research with high-quality is needed to give a comprehensive and reasonable scheme of a holistic and long-term treatment protocol.
Topics: Conservative Treatment; Hallux Valgus; Humans; Network Meta-Analysis; Pain Measurement; Radiography; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33917568
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073841 -
Journal of Personality and Social... Sep 2019Using a novel technique known as network meta-analysis, we synthesized evidence from 492 studies (87,418 participants) to investigate the effectiveness of procedures in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Using a novel technique known as network meta-analysis, we synthesized evidence from 492 studies (87,418 participants) to investigate the effectiveness of procedures in changing implicit measures, which we define as response biases on implicit tasks. We also evaluated these procedures' effects on explicit and behavioral measures. We found that implicit measures can be changed, but effects are often relatively weak (|s| < .30). Most studies focused on producing short-term changes with brief, single-session manipulations. Procedures that associate sets of concepts, invoke goals or motivations, or tax mental resources changed implicit measures the most, whereas procedures that induced threat, affirmation, or specific moods/emotions changed implicit measures the least. Bias tests suggested that implicit effects could be inflated relative to their true population values. Procedures changed explicit measures less consistently and to a smaller degree than implicit measures and generally produced trivial changes in behavior. Finally, changes in implicit measures did not mediate changes in explicit measures or behavior. Our findings suggest that changes in implicit measures are possible, but those changes do not necessarily translate into changes in explicit measures or behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Humans; Network Meta-Analysis; Psychological Tests; Psychology, Social; Social Perception
PubMed: 31192631
DOI: 10.1037/pspa0000160 -
Medicine Jan 2020The pathogenesis of cervical spondylotic is degenerative changes of the cervical intervertebral disc, or bone hyperplasia of the posterior and hook joints, and...
BACKGROUND
The pathogenesis of cervical spondylotic is degenerative changes of the cervical intervertebral disc, or bone hyperplasia of the posterior and hook joints, and instability of the joints of the cervical vertebrae. It causes the nerve roots to be stimulated and oppressed. The clinical manifestations are the sensation, movement, and reflex disorder of the cervical spinal nerve roots that are stimulated and oppressed, especially the numbness and pain of the neck, shoulders, upper limbs, and fingers. In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and chiropractic in the treatment of cervical spondylotic.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
We will search for PubMed, Cochrane Library, AMED, Embase, WorldSciNet; Nature, Science online and China Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature CD-ROM Database (CBM), and related randomized controlled trials included in the China Resources Database. The time is limited from the construction of the library to September 2019. We will use the criteria provided by Cochrane 5.1.0 for quality assessment and risk assessment of the included studies, and use the RevMan 5.3 and Stata 13.0 software for meta-analysis of the effectiveness, recurrence rate, and symptom scores of cervical spondylotic.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
This systematic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and chiropractic for cervical spondylotic. Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis have been published, this review does not require ethical approval. Furthermore, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process trial.
Topics: Humans; Acupuncture Therapy; Manipulation, Chiropractic; Radiculopathy; Spondylosis; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Systematic Reviews as Topic
PubMed: 32000386
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000018851 -
Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical... Nov 2019Optogenetics is an emerging field, which uses light and molecular genetics to manipulate the activity of live cells by expressing light-sensitive proteins. With the... (Review)
Review
Optogenetics is an emerging field, which uses light and molecular genetics to manipulate the activity of live cells by expressing light-sensitive proteins. With the discovery of bacteriorhodopsin, a light-sensitive bacterial protein, in 1971 Oesterhelt and Stoeckenius laid the pavement of optogenetics. However, the cross-integration of different disciplines is a little more than a decade old. The toolbox contains fluorescent sensors and optogenetic actuators that enable visualization of signaling events and manipulation of cellular activities, respectively. Neuropathic pain is pain caused either by damage or disease that affects the somatosensory system. The exact mechanism for neuropathic pain is not known, however proposed mechanisms include immune reactions, ion channel expressions, and inflammation. Current regimen for the disease provides about 50% relief for only 40-60% of patients. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate the potential therapeutic applications of optogenetics by manipulating the activity of neurons. This review summarizes the basic concept, therapeutic applications for neuropathy, and potential of optogenetics to reach from bench to bedside in the near future.
Topics: Agnosia; Animals; Bacteriorhodopsins; Blood-Brain Barrier; Chronic Pain; Epigenesis, Genetic; Humans; Inflammation; Interdisciplinary Research; Ion Channels; Light; Neuralgia; Neurons; Optogenetics; Pain Management; Retinitis Pigmentosa; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 30995901
DOI: 10.17305/bjbms.2019.4114