Predictive value of S100B and brain derived neurotrophic factor for radiofrequency treatment of lumbar disc prolapse.

BACKGROUND: This work aimed to analyze serum S100B levels and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in patients with lumbar disc prolapse to test their predictive values concerning the therapeutic efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency. METHODS: This prospective interventional study was carried out on 50 patients candidates for radiofrequency for treating symptomatic lumbar disc prolapse. Pain severity and functional disability were assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Functional rating index (FRI) before as well as two weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months after the radiofrequency. Quantitative assessment of serum S100B level and BDNF was done for all the included patients one day before radiofrequency. RESULTS: The scores of NRS and FRI were significantly improved at two weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months following radiofrequency (P-value < 0.001 in all comparisons). Statistically significant positive correlations were found between duration of pain, NRS, and S100B serum level before radiofrequency, and both NRS (P-value = 0.001, 0.035, < 0.001 respectively) and FRI (P-value = < 0.001, 0.009, 0.001 respectively) 6 months following radiofrequency. Whereas there were statistically significant negative correlations between BDNF serum level before radiofrequency and both NRS and FRI 6 months following radiofrequency (P-value = 0.022, 0.041 respectively). NRS and S100B serum levels before radiofrequency were found to be independent predictors of NRS 6 months following radiofrequency (P-value = 0.040. <0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Serum level of S100B is a promising biomarker that can predict functional outcomes after pulsed radiofrequency in patients with lumbar disc prolapse.

An obesogenic refined low-fat diet disrupts attentional and behavioral control processes in a vigilance task in rats.

Diets consisting of refined foods (REF) are associated with poor physical (e.g., obesity and diabetes) and mental (e.g., depression) health and impaired cognition. Few animal studies have explored the causal links between diet processing and health. Instead, most studies focus on the role of macronutrients, especially carbohydrate and fat concurrently with how processed are the ingredients. We previously showed that a REF low fat diet (LFD) caused greater adiposity and impaired motivation compared to an unrefined control (CON) diet consisting of similar macronutrient ratios (Blaisdell et al., 2014). Here we test the hypothesis that the same REF LFD adversely affects attentional processes and behavioral control relative to the CON diet. Rats with ad libitum access to the REF diet for two months gained greater adiposity than rats consuming the CON diet. Rats then completed training on a vigilance task involving pressing the correct lever signaled by a brief visual cue whose onset varied across trials. A REF diet reduced accuracy when there was a delay between the start of the trial and cue onset. Poorer accuracy was due to increased premature responses, reflecting impulsivity, and omissions, indicating an inability to sustain attention. These results corroborate the links between consumption of refined foods, obesity, and poor cognition in humans. We discuss the possible causal models that underlie this link.