The relationship between obesity, low back pain, and lumbar disc degeneration when genetics and the environment are considered: a systematic review of twin studies

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The relationships between obesity and low back pain (LBP) and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) remain unclear. It is possible that familial factors, including genetics and early environment, affect these relationships.PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between obesity-related measures (eg, weight, body mass index [BMI]) and LBP and LDD using twin studies, where the effect of genetics and early environment can be controlled.STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review with meta-analysis.METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched from the earliest records to August 2014. All cross-sectional and longitudinal observational twin studies identified by the search strategy were considered for inclusion. Two investigators independently assessed the eligibility, conducted the quality assessment, and extracted the data. Metaanalyses (fixed or random effects, as appropriate) were used to pool studies'estimates of association.RESULTS: In total, 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. Five studies were included in the LBP analysis and seven in the LDD analysis. For the LBP analysis, pooling of the five studies showed that the risk of having LBP for individuals with the highest levels of BMI or weight was almost twice that of people with a lower BMI (odds ratio [OR] 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.0; I-2 = 0%). A dose-response relationship was also identified. When genetics and the effects of a shared early environment were adjusted for using a within-pair twin case-control analysis, pooling of three studies showed a reduced but statistically positive association between obesity and prevalence of LBP (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.1; I-2 = 0%). However, the association was further diminished and not significant (OR 1.4; 95% CI 0.8-2.3; I-2 = 0%) when pooling included two studies on monozygotic twin pairs only. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria for LDD. When familial factors were not controlled for, body weight was positively associated with LDD in all five cross-sectional studies. Only two cross-sectional studies investigated the relationship between obesity-related measures and LDD accounting for familial factors, and the results were conflicting. One longitudinal study in LBP and three longitudinal studies in LDD found no increase in risk in obese individuals, whether or not familial factors were controlled for.CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this review suggest that genetics and early environment are possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between obesity and LBP; however, a direct causal link between these conditions appears to be weak. Further longitudinal studies using the twin design are needed to better understand the complex mechanisms underlying the associations between obesity, LBP, and LDD.

Surgical interventions for treating pectus excavatum

Background: Pectus excavatum is characterized by a depression of the anterior chest wall (sternum and lower costal cartilages) and is the most frequently occurring chest wall deformity. The prevalence ranges from 6.28 to 12 cases per 1000 around the world. Generally pectus excavatum is present at birth or is identified after a few weeks or months; however, sometimes it becomes evident only at puberty. The consequence of the condition on a individual's life is variable, some live a normal life and others have physical and psychological symptoms such as: precordial pain after exercises; impairments of pulmonary and cardiac function; shyness and social isolation. For many years, sub-perichondrial resection of the costal cartilages, with or without transverse cuneiform osteotomy of the sternum and placement of a substernal support, called conventional surgery, was the most accepted option for surgical repair of these patients. From 1997 a new surgical repair called, minimally invasive surgery, became available. This less invasive surgical option consists of the retrosternal placement of a curved metal bar, without resections of the costal cartilages or sternum osteotomy, and is performed by videothoracoscopy. However, many aspects that relate to the benefits and harms of both techniques have not been defined. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the conventional surgery compared with minimally invasive surgery for treating people with pectus excavatum. Search methods: With the aim of increasing the sensitivity of the search strategy we used only terms related to the individual's condition (pectus excavatum); terms related to the interventions, outcomes and types of studies were not included. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Embase, LILACS, and ICTPR. Additionally we searched yet reference lists of articles and conference proceedings. All searches were done without language restriction. Date of the most recent searches: 14 January 2014. Selection criteria: We considered randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials that compared traditional surgery with minimally invasive surgery for treating pectus excavatum. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently assessed the eligibility of the trials identified and agreed trial eligibility after a consensus meeting. The authors also assessed the risk of bias of the eligible trials. Main results: Initially we located 4111 trials from the electronic searches and two further trials from other resources. All trials were added into reference management software and the duplicates were excluded, leaving 2517 studies. The titles and abstracts of these 2517 studies were independently analyzed by two authors and finally eight trials were selected for full text analysis, after which they were all excluded, as they did not fulfil the inclusion criteria. Authors' conclusions: There is no evidence from randomized controlled trials to conclude what is the best surgical option to treat people with pectus excavatum.

O brincar para conhecer o desenvolvimento de crianças com implante coclear

This research analyses the development of children presented with profound deafness and benefited by the cochlear implant, discovery of great significance in hearing health. The work is based, theoretically, on Winnicott, and methodologically, in anamnesis data and playing on a set of ludic scenes, systematically organized. Ten pre-school children with implants, selected by hospital and homogenization eligibility criteria participate in this study encompassing interviews with parents and playful observation sessions with the children, besides Lynn´s Dolls Structured Game. In the children, the results show immaturity, regression to earlier stages of their development, dependency and behavioral disorders, in particular, those related to language, interrelationship and anxiety. In the parents, family disorientation, partly overcome. The children and family participating are assisted by a multidisciplinary health team, at the hospital where they are attended.