CRAMP

BACKGROUND: Comorbid psychiatric conditions present an added layer of challenge in managing patients, as each condition and associated set of symptoms exacerbate the complexity of the overall presentation. Premenopausal women may be at particular risk for inadequate care, as their comorbid conditions may present overlapping symptoms and mask independent premenstrual symptoms. The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and associated conditions can be as high as 8% in women of reproductive age...

BACKGROUND: Bacillary dysentery (BD) is an acute bacterial infection of the intestine caused by Shigella spp., with clinical symptoms ranging from fever to bloody diarrhoea to abdominal cramps to tenesmus. In Vietnam, enteric bacterial pathogens are an important cause of diarrhoea and most cases in children under 5 years of age are due to Shigella strains. The serogroups S. flexneri and S. sonnei are considered to be the most common. The main objective of this study was to, for the first time, assess the seasonal patterns and geographic distribution of BD in Vietnam, and to determine the climate risk factors associated with the incidence of BD in Kon Tum Province, where the highest rate of bacillary dysentery was observed from 1999 to 2013...

INTRODUCTION: To examine the symptomatic burden of endometriosis on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in women in the United States (US). METHODS: A cross sectional web-based survey study was conducted among women using survey panels. The survey included study-specific questions and standardized HRQL questionnaires. Participants reviewed a list of endometriosis symptoms and selected all symptoms they had ever or were currently experiencing. For current symptoms, participants rated the severity and bothersomeness of each symptom...

It is widely hypothesized that menstrual pain is triggered by prostaglandin synthesis that evokes high-pressure uterine contractions and ischemia. However, the effects of molecules implicated in menstrual pain on uterine contractility, perfusion, and oxygenation in vivo have been rarely demonstrated. Studies in women that do not respond to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have reported elevated levels of platelet-activating factor (PAF). To establish in vivo evidence of PAF's capability to impair uterine homeostasis and to elicit visceral pain, we examined the effects of the PAF receptor agonist (carbamyl PAF [CPAF]) in comparison to other molecules hypothesized to play a role in uterine pain in mice...

The analgesic properties of myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) have been known since ancient times and depend on the presence of bioactive sesquiterpenes with furanodiene skeletons. MyrLiq is a C. myrrha extract with a standardized content of curzerene, furanoeudesma-1,3-diene, and lindestrene (12.31 ± 0.05 g kg(-1), 18.84 ± 0.02 g kg(-1), and 6.23 ± 0.01 g kg(-1), resp.) and a high total furanodiene content (40.86 ± 0.78 g kg(-1)). A balanced sample of 95 female and 89 male volunteers (with ages ranging from 18 to older than 60 years) exhibiting different pain pathologies, including headache, fever-dependent pain, joint pain, muscle aches, lower back pain, and menstrual cramps, was divided into two groups...

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is common in children. Limited data exist on the efficacy and safety of ferumoxytol in children. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of 10 mg/kg dose given over 15-60 minutes in correcting IDA and report any adverse drug reactions (ADRs). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who received ferumoxytol infusions for the management of IDA by the Pediatric Blood Management Program between October 2010 and March 2015...

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been implicated in amphibian population declines globally. Given that Bd infection is limited to the skin in post-metamorphic amphibians, routine skin sloughing may regulate infection. Skin sloughing has been shown to reduce the number of cultivatable microbes on amphibian skin, and Bd infection increases skin sloughing rates at high loads. However, it is unclear whether species specific differences in skin sloughing patterns could regulate Bd population growth on the skin, and influence subsequent infection dynamics...

A pathobiological study was conducted using Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP) strain isolated from vibriosis affected shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) farms in Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu during August 2014 to February 2015. The isolate was identified based on the morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular characters. LD50 value with intramuscular injection was determined as 2.6 × 10(4) cfu/shrimp and sequential pathology was studied giving 6.1 × 10(3) cfu/shrimp (LD25). Total plate count (TPC) and total Vibrio count (TVC) in water, pond sediment, haemolymph, muscle, HP and gut were found significantly (P < 0...

Purpose: ISG15, a di-ubiquitin-like protein, is critical for controlling certain viral and bacterial infections. We sought to determine if ISG15 plays a role in corneal innate immunity against Candida albicans (C. albicans) using a C57BL/6 (B6) mouse model of human fungal keratitis. Methods: Scarified corneas of adult B6 mice were pretreated with TLR5 ligand flagellin and then inoculated with C. albicans. The expression of ISG15 and other genes involved in ISG15 conjugation (ISGylation) was determined by real-time PCR...

BACKGROUND: Biceps tenotomy and tenodesis are frequently performed for proximal biceps lesions; however, there continues to be debate as to which method is superior. This study examined patient-reported outcomes after biceps tenotomy. HYPOTHESIS: Biceps tenotomy in the setting of concomitant shoulder pathology is a reasonable option with high satisfaction rates and a low incidence of pain and cramping in middle-aged to older individuals. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4...

INTRODUCTION: Patients with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome are known to have genetically impaired connective tissue and skeletal muscle symptoms in form of pain, fatigue and cramps, however earlier studies have not been able to link these symptoms to morphological muscle changes. METHODS: We obtained skeletal muscle biopsies in patients with classic EDS (cEDS, n=5 (Denmark)+ 8 (The Netherlands)) and vascular EDS (vEDS, n=3) and analyzed muscle fiber morphology and content (Western blotting and muscle fiber type/area distributions) and muscle mRNA expression and protein synthesis rate (RT-PCR and stable isotope technique)...

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), as characterized by painful menstrual cramps without organic causes, is associated with central sensitization and brain function changes. Previous studies showed the integrated role of the default mode network (DMN) in the pain connectome and its key contribution on how an individual perceives and copes with pain disorders. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the cingulum bundle connecting hub regions of the DMN was disrupted in young women with PD. Diffusion tensor imaging was obtained in 41 PD patients and 41 matched healthy controls (HC) during their periovulatory phase...

Nephropathy is a common and progressive complication of sickle cell anemia (SCA). In SCA mice, we found that hyperangiotensinemia in the absence of hypertension underlies nephropathy, and its downregulation by losartan, an angiotensin-II-receptor-1 blocker, reduced albuminuria and progression of nephropathy. Therefore, we performed a phase-2 trial of oral losartan, given for 6 months, to explore whether it reduced albuminuria in children and adults with SCA. Participants were allocated to groups defined by class of baseline urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR): no albuminuria (NoA), microalbuminuria (MicroA), and macroalbuminuria (MacroA)...

BACKGROUND: Nocturnal leg cramps (NLC) are common and poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of NLC and associations with cardiometabolic, sleep, and behavioral risk factors in the US population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional epidemiology. PARTICIPANTS: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 waves. MAIN OUTCOME(S) AND MEASURE(S): NLC were assessed with, "In the past month, how often did you have leg cramps while trying to sleep?" Responses were categorized as None, Mild, or Moderate-Severe...

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of different classes of antihypertensive drugs in diabetic and nondiabetic patients (NDPs) with essential hypertension. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted in Mayo Hospital, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, and National Defence Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, on 200 hypertensive patients with diabetes and 230 hypertensive patients without (Three hospitals) diabetes. Both male and female patients of age between 30 and 80 years with systolic blood pressure (SBP) above 130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) above 80 mmHg were enrolled in the study...

BACKGROUND: Anisakis and Pseudoterranova are the main genera involved in human infections caused by nematodes of the Anisakidae family. Species identification is complicated due to the lack of differential morphological characteristics at the larval stage, thus requiring molecular differentiation. Pseudoterranova larvae ingested through raw fish are spontaneously eliminated in most cases, but mechanical removal by means of endoscopy might be required. To date, only very few cases of Pseudoterranova infection have been reported in France...

We investigated recent epidemiologic trends regarding campylobacteriosis vs. nontyphoidal salmonellosis (NTS), a previously known leading cause of bacterial enterocolitis in Korean children. Among 363 hospitalized children with acute inflammatory diarrhea, Campylobacter (18.7%) was the most frequently detected pathogen using multiplex polymerase chain reaction tests followed by Salmonella (15.4%). Children with campylobacteriosis were older than children with NTS (112.6 months [interquartile range (IQR) 66...

BACKGROUND: Neonates who undergo major surgery are at risk of neurodevelopmental disability. The General Movements Assessment (GMA) is a valid and reliable method to predict neurodevelopment, however, there are minimal data on the applicability among infants post-surgery. AIM: To describe GMs trajectories following neonatal surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: 217 infants following major cardiac and non-cardiac neonatal surgery...

PURPOSE: Previous data indicate that a strong sensory input from orally administered TRPV1 and TRPA1 activators alleviates muscle cramps in foot muscles by reducing the α-motor neuron hyperexcitability. We investigated if TRP activators increase the cramp threshold frequency of the medial gastrocnemius. METHODS: We randomly assigned 22 healthy male participants to an intervention (IG) and a control group (CG). While participants of the IG ingested a mixture of TRPV1 and TRPA1 activators, the CG received a placebo...

Importance: An oral treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration would be less burdensome than repeated intravitreous injections. X-82 is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor active against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor. Objective: To undertake safety testing of oral X-82 administered for the treatment of neovascular AMD. Design, Setting, and Participants: Phase 1, open-label, uncontrolled, dose-escalation study at 5 US retinal clinics between November 2012 and March 2015 (Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group, Beverly Hills, California; Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Retina Consultants of Houston, Houston, Texas; New England Retina Associates, Guilford, Connecticut; Elman Retina Group, Baltimore, Maryland; and Retina Research Institute of Texas, Abilene)...