Reliability and validity of clinical tests to assess the anatomical integrity of the cervical spine in adults with neck pain and its associated disorders: Part 1-A systematic review from the Cervical Assessment and Diagnosis Research Evaluation (CADRE) Collaboration

OBJECTIVE

To determine the reliability and validity of clinical tests to assess the anatomical integrity of the cervical spine in adults with neck pain and its associated disorders.

METHODS

We updated the systematic review of the 2000-2010 Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and its Associated Disorders. We also searched the literature to identify studies on the reliability and validity of Doppler velocimetry for the evaluation of cervical arteries. Two independent reviewers screened and critically appraised studies. We conducted a best evidence synthesis of low risk of bias studies and ranked the phases of investigations using the classification proposed by Sackett and Haynes.

RESULTS

We screened 9022 articles and critically appraised 8 studies; all 8 studies had low risk of bias (three reliability and five validity Phase II-III studies). Preliminary evidence suggests that the extension-rotation test may be reliable and has adequate validity to rule out pain arising from facet joints. The evidence suggests variable reliability and preliminary validity for the evaluation of cervical radiculopathy including neurological examination (manual motor testing, dermatomal sensory testing, deep tendon reflexes, and pathological reflex testing), Spurling's and the upper limb neurodynamic tests. No evidence was found for doppler velocimetry.

CONCLUSIONS

Little evidence exists to support the use of clinical tests to evaluate the anatomical integrity of the cervical spine in adults with neck pain and its associated disorders. We found preliminary evidence to support the use of the extension-rotation test, neurological examination, Spurling's and the upper limb neurodynamic tests.

Optimum dose of vitamin D for disease prevention in older people: BEST-D trial of vitamin D in primary care

This trial compared the effects of daily treatment with vitamin D or placebo for 1 year on blood tests of vitamin D status. The results demonstrated that daily 4000 IU vitamin D3 is required to achieve blood levels associated with lowest disease risks, and this dose should be tested in future trials for fracture prevention.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this trial was to assess the effects of daily supplementation with vitamin D3 4000 IU (100 μg), 2000 IU (50 μg) or placebo for 1 year on biochemical markers of vitamin D status in preparation for a large trial for prevention of fractures and other outcomes.

METHODS

This is a randomized placebo-controlled trial in 305 community-dwelling people aged 65 years or older in Oxfordshire, UK. Outcomes included biochemical markers of vitamin D status (plasma 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25[OH]D], parathyroid hormone [PTH], calcium and alkaline phosphatase), cardiovascular risk factors and tests of physical function.

RESULTS

Mean (SD) plasma 25(OH)D levels were 50 (18) nmol/L at baseline and increased to 137 (39), 102 (25) and 53 (16) nmol/L after 12 months in those allocated 4000 IU, 2000 IU or placebo, respectively (with 88%, 70% and 1% of these groups achieving the pre-specified level of >90 nmol/L). Neither dose of vitamin D3 was associated with significant deviation outside the normal range of PTH or albumin-corrected calcium. The additional effect on 25(OH)D levels of 4000 versus 2000 IU was similar in all subgroups except for body mass index, for which the further increase was smaller in overweight and obese participants compared with normal-weight participants. Supplementation with vitamin D had no significant effects on cardiovascular risk factors or on measures of physical function.

CONCLUSIONS

After accounting for average 70% compliance in long-term trials, doses of 4000 IU vitamin D3 daily may be required to achieve plasma 25(OH)D levels associated with lowest disease risk in observational studies.

Characterization of GSK'963: a structurally distinct, potent and selective inhibitor of RIP1 kinase

Necroptosis and signaling regulated by RIP1 kinase activity is emerging as a key driver of inflammation in a variety of disease settings. A significant amount has been learned about how RIP1 regulates necrotic cell death through the use of the RIP1 kinase inhibitor Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1). Nec-1 has been a transformational tool for exploring the function of RIP1 kinase activity; however, its utility is somewhat limited by moderate potency, off-target activity against indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), and poor pharmacokinetic properties. These limitations of Nec-1 have driven an effort to identify next-generation tools to study RIP1 function, and have led to the identification of 7-Cl-O-Nec-1 (Nec-1s), which has improved pharmacokinetic properties and lacks IDO inhibitory activity. Here we describe the characterization of GSK′963, a chiral small-molecule inhibitor of RIP1 kinase that is chemically distinct from both Nec-1 and Nec-1s. GSK′963 is significantly more potent than Nec-1 in both biochemical and cellular assays, inhibiting RIP1-dependent cell death with an IC₅₀ of between 1 and 4 nM in human and murine cells. GSK′963 is >10 000-fold selective for RIP1 over 339 other kinases, lacks measurable activity against IDO and has an inactive enantiomer, GSK′962, which can be used to confirm on-target effects. The increased in vitro potency of GSK′963 also translates in vivo, where GSK′963 provides much greater protection from hypothermia at matched doses to Nec-1, in a model of TNF-induced sterile shock. Together, we believe GSK′963 represents a next-generation tool for examining the function of RIP1 in vitro and in vivo, and should help to clarify our current understanding of the role of RIP1 in contributing to disease pathogenesis.

Opioid use and risk of liver fibrosis in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients in Canada

OBJECTIVES

Opioid use and opioid-related mortality have increased dramatically since the 1990s in North America. The effect of opioids on the liver is incompletely understood. Some studies have suggested that opioids cause liver damage and others have failed to show any harm. HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected persons may be particularly vulnerable to factors increasing liver fibrosis. We aimed to describe opioid use in an HIV/HCV-coinfected population in Canada and to estimate the association between opioid use and liver fibrosis.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of the Canadian Co-infection Cohort Study data to characterize opioid use. We then conducted a longitudinal analysis to assess the average change in aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) score associated with opioid use using a generalized estimating equation with linear regression. We assessed the progression to significant liver fibrosis (APRI ≥ 1.5) associated with opioid use with pooled logistic regression.

RESULTS

In the 6 months preceding cohort entry, 32% of the participants had received an opioid prescription, 28% had used opioids illicitly and 18% had both received a prescription and used opioids illicitly. Neither prescribed nor illicit opioid use was associated with a change in the median APRI score [exp(β) 0.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82, 1.12) and exp(β) 0.95 (95% CI 0.81, 1.10), respectively] or with faster progression to liver fibrosis [hazard odds ratio (HOR) 1.20 (95% CI 0.73, 1.67) and HOR 1.09 (95% CI 0.63, 1.55), respectively].

CONCLUSIONS

Although opioids were commonly used both legally and illegally in our cohort, we were unable to demonstrate a negative impact on liver fibrosis progression.

Factors that are associated with the risk of acquiring Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in Sabah, Malaysia: a case-control study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Plasmodium knowlesi has long been present in Malaysia, and is now an emerging cause of zoonotic human malaria. Cases have been confirmed throughout South-East Asia where the ranges of its natural macaque hosts and Anopheles leucosphyrus group vectors overlap. The majority of cases are from Eastern Malaysia, with increasing total public health notifications despite a concurrent reduction in Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria. The public health implications are concerning given P. knowlesi has the highest risk of severe and fatal disease of all Plasmodium spp in Malaysia. Current patterns of risk and disease vary based on vector type and competence, with individual exposure risks related to forest and forest-edge activities still poorly defined. Clustering of cases has not yet been systematically evaluated despite reports of peri-domestic transmission and known vector competence for human-to-human transmission.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A population-based case-control study will be conducted over a 2-year period at two adjacent districts in north-west Sabah, Malaysia. Confirmed malaria cases presenting to the district hospital sites meeting relevant inclusion criteria will be requested to enrol. Three community controls matched to the same village as the case will be selected randomly. Study procedures will include blood sampling and administration of household and individual questionnaires to evaluate potential exposure risks associated with acquisition of P. knowlesi malaria. Secondary outcomes will include differences in exposure variables between P. knowlesi and other Plasmodium spp, risk of severe P. knowlesi malaria, and evaluation of P. knowlesi case clustering. Primary analysis will be per protocol, with adjusted ORs for exposure risks between cases and controls calculated using conditional multiple logistic regression models.

ETHICS

This study has been approved by the human research ethics committees of Malaysia, the Menzies School of Health Research, Australia, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.