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Objective: Recently, ozone injection has been used to treat various musculoskeletal diseases. This study was performed to compare ultrasound-guided corticosteroid versus ozone injections in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome., Design: Forty patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome were enrolled and randomly placed in one of the two groups of receiving a corticosteroid or ozone injection under ultrasound guidance. To determine the effectiveness of both injection techniques and compare their outcomes, visual analog scale and scores of Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, as well as ultrasound and electrodiagnostic criteria, were followed at 0, 6, and 12 wks after the injection., Results: Both groups showed improvement in visual analog scale and Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire at week 6, and this improvement continued until the 12th week after the injections. However, electrodiagnostic values of sensory nerve action potentials and compound motor action potentials latency, and ultrasound carpal tunnel syndrome criteria showed significant improvement only among the subjects in the corticosteroid group at 6 and 12 wks after the injection (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Ozone might be as effective as corticosteroid injection in reducing pain and improving the function. Objective improvements in electrodiagnostic and ultrasound criteria of carpal tunnel syndrome were shown only among patients after corticosteroid injection., Competing Interests: Financial disclosure statements have been obtained, and no conflicts of interest have been reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content of this article., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

A sub-terahertz vortex dielectric waveguide was designed and fabricated in the cyclic olefin copolymer (TOPAS) compound. The annular index profile was engineered using a holey cladding to support operation from approximately 200-300 GHz. The vortex waveguide was tested at 280 GHz using an OAM-endowed Laguerre-Gaussian mode generated by a stepped spiral phase plate.

Aim: To develop a clinically applicable MRI technique for tracking stem cells in matrix-associated stem-cell implants, using the US FDA-approved iron supplement ferumoxytol., Materials & Methods: Ferumoxytol-labeling of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) was optimized in vitro. A total of 11 rats with osteochondral defects of both femurs were implanted with ferumoxytol- or ferumoxides-labeled or unlabeled ADSCs, and underwent MRI up to 4 weeks post matrix-associated stem-cell implant. The signal-to-noise ratio of different matrix-associated stem-cell implant was compared with t-tests and correlated with histopathology., Results: An incubation concentration of 500 µg iron/ml ferumoxytol and 10 µg/ml protamine sulfate led to significant cellular iron uptake, T2 signal effects and unimpaired ADSC viability. In vivo, ferumoxytol- and ferumoxides-labeled ADSCs demonstrated significantly lower signal-to-noise ratio values compared with unlabeled controls (p < 0.01). Histopathology confirmed engraftment of labeled ADSCs, with slow dilution of the iron label over time., Conclusion: Ferumoxytol can be used for in vivo tracking of stem cells with MRI.

Although intracellular signaling events activated through individual cell surface receptors have been characterized in detail, cells are often exposed to multiple stimuli simultaneously in physiological situations. The response elicited then is defined through the cooperative interactions between signals activated by these multiple stimuli. Examples of such instances include cooperativity between individual isoforms of G-protein-coupled receptors, between different growth factor receptors, or between growth factor and integrin receptors. Mechanisms by which the integration of signals emanating from independent receptors influences cellular responses, however, are unknown. In this report, we studied interactions between the antigen and the IL-4 receptors in immature B cells. While stimulation through the B-cell antigen receptor alone causes cell cycle arrest and subsequent apoptosis, the inclusion of IL-4 during stimulation provides a protective effect. We therefore sought to obtain a systems view on how crosstalk between the two respective cell surface receptors modulates the cellular response. We found that, in comparison to the effects of B-cell receptor activation alone, combined stimulation through both receptors enforced a marked reorientation in the 'survival vs. apoptosis' axis of the signaling machinery. The consequent modulation of transcription factor activities yielded an integrated network, spanning the signaling and the transcriptional regulatory components, that was now biased towards the recruitment of molecules with a pro-survival function. This alteration in network properties influenced early-induced gene expression, in a manner that could rationalize the antagonistic effect of the IL-4 receptor on B-cell receptor signaling. Importantly, this antagonism was achieved through an expansion in the repertoire of the genes expressed, wherein the newly generated products counteracted the effects of the B-cell receptor-specific subset. Thus the plasticity of the regulatory networks is also experienced at the level of gene expression, and is the resultant pattern obtained that then modulates cell-fate decisions.