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Objective: The morphology of lesions in mouse models of osteoarthritis (OA) has not been comprehensively characterized, in part because current histological assessments of OA focus primarily on articular cartilage (AC). In the present study, sections of murine stifle joints with naturally occurring (aged animals) and surgically induced (destabilized medial meniscus, DMM) OA were examined using a newly developed histological grading scheme that includes quantitative measurements and semiquantitative grades to evaluate multiple joint tissues.Design: The data collected was analyzed using Principal Components Analysis (PCA); factor scores for each joint were generated. Individual parameters and factor scores were compared between surgical groups and among age groups. For comparison, the original Mankin Histological-Histochemical Grading System (HHGS) also was applied.Results: Overall, lesions were most severe in the medial tibial plateaus. Significant changes in AC and neighboring bone were identified in surgically induced models and in naturally occurring disease. Mean factor scores provided a comprehensive evaluation of joint changes. An important new finding was that chondrocyte cell death within the AC was a commonly identified lesion and its extent significantly increased with age. While the Mankin HHGS detected significant overall differences in OA severity between surgical groups, it was not sensitive in detecting age-related differences, nor did it provide information regarding changes in individual tissues.Conclusion: These results demonstrate the utility of this newly developed murine OA grading scheme in identifying lesions in AC and in other joint tissues. Surgically induced changes were similar to those occurring naturally with aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burden of chronic soft tissue inflammation and neuropathic pain on individuals and society is substantial. This study was conducted to evaluate the H-wave device--an innovative form of treatment for chronic pain and inflammation--in patients with persistent pain associated with injuries or conditions affecting the upper or lower extremities or the back. Patients with at least moderate pain despite conventional therapy were included in a systematic survey after they had been given 2 to 6 wk of treatment with the H-wave device. Measures of improvement involved the proportion of patients with diminished medication requirements, improved function, or pain relief greater than 25%. More than 60% of patients with pain in the lower extremities, upper extremities, or back experienced pain relief exceeding 25%. The proportion of patients whose function improved and who were able to perform a new activity was consistently greater than 50% across the 3 anatomic subgroups. More than 40% of patients in each group were able to reduce or completely eliminate the use of pain medications. These benefits of treatment were independent of the type of pain therapy administered previously. In each anatomic subgroup, the proportion of patients who reported improvement on more than 1 of the 3 endpoints was significantly higher than the expected response to placebo therapy (P<.001). Results suggest that the H-wave device provided important benefits to patients with chronic soft tissue inflammation and neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]