The Gut Microbiota And Chronic Pain
Emerging evidence, though much in animal models, suggests that gut health, or dysfunction (i.e., dysbiosis), may play a crucial role in modulating pain perception and contributing to development of various chronic pain conditions. A review article in the April 2024 issue of the journal Current Pain and Headache Reports aims to explore the current state of knowledge regarding the intricate relationship between the gut microbiome and pain. The paper furnishes a broad overview of the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system, the potential mechanisms by which gut microbes influence pain in select chronic pain phenomena, and the therapeutic potential of targeting the gut microbiome to alleviate pain. As the concern about opiate medications (e.g., “opioid epidemic”) grows, so does interest in other medications and interventions, such as lifestyle modification, with less perceived consequences.
COVID: Dental Utilization And Expenditures, U.S. 2019-2021
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already low utilization of oral healthcare services across the United States. In Statistical Brief #555 in March 2024 of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a comparison is made of dental service utilization and expenditures for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 2 and older from 2019 through 2021. Dental utilization and expenditures in the United States both declined in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Total dental expenditures declined by 16.1% from 2019 to 2020, the number of individuals using dental services declined by 12.5%, and the total number of dental visits decreased by 19.0%. In 2020, around 131 million persons utilized dental care (40.8% of the total U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 2 and over), 18 million fewer than the year before (149 million; 46.7%). In 2020, the monthly dental visit volume dipped substantially for three consecutive months compared to the same months in 2019.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
A Fully Integrated Wearable Ultrasound System To Monitor Deep Tissues In Moving Subjects
Recent advances in wearable ultrasound technologies have demonstrated the potential for hands-free data acquisition, but technical barriers remain as these probes require wire connections, can lose track of moving targets, and create data-interpretation challenges. The March 2024 issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology has a report on a fully integrated autonomous wearable ultrasonic-system-on-patch (USoP). A miniaturized flexible control circuit is designed to interface with an ultrasound transducer array for signal pre-conditioning and wireless data communication. Machine learning is used to track moving tissue targets and assist data interpretation. The researchers demonstrate that the USoP allows continuous tracking of physiological signals from tissues as deep as 164 mm. On mobile subjects, the USoP can monitor those signals continuously, including central blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output, for as long as 12 hours.
Noninvasive Diagnostic Tool For Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other gynecologic malignancy, with a five-year survival rate below 30% for patients diagnosed at advanced stages. Current serum-based biomarkers do not sufficiently detect all occurrences of early-stage ovarian cancer. A critical need exists for both additional detection methods and new targeted therapies that can improve patient survival. A new radiotheranostic system has the ability to detect and treat this disease noninvasively, according to new research published in the April 2024 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. A theranostic approach integrates the diagnostic and therapeutic agent into a single platform. This method offers great potential to solve the challenges presented by late-stage diagnosis and poor therapeutic response. Combining the highly specific huAR9.6 antibody with PET and therapeutic radionuclides, this theranostic platform may provide more personalized treatment to improve health outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer.