Early approaches for computing duplicate-sensitive aggregates in sensor networks (e.g., in TAG) have used a tree topology, in order to conserve energy and to avoid double-counting sensor readings. However, a tree topology is not robust against node and communication failures that are common in sensor networks. Recent research has shown that for several duplicate-sensitive aggregates (e.g., Coun...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of hyaluronidase in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) treated with interlaminar lumbar epidural injection (ILEI). METHOD Sixty patients suffering from severe low back pain and sciatica were randomly allocated into three groups. Group T received ILEI with 2 ml triamcinolone 40 mg/ml and 5 ml bupivacaine 0.25%. Group H received ILEI with 1500 IU ...

PURPOSE To estimate the prevalence of insomnia in patients with chronic back pain, and to correlate insomnia with severity of back pain and disability. METHODS 63 women and 57 men aged 24 to 83 (mean, 55) years who presented with chronic back pain for >6 months were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire to evaluate the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Oswestry Disability Index (OD...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of depression, anxiety, and optimism on postoperative satisfaction and clinical outcomes in patients who underwent less than two-level posterior instrumented fusions for lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis. METHODS Preoperative psychological status of subjects, such as depression, anxiety, and optimism, was evalu...

How do government policies and business practices affect the degree of competition in a given market? How does competition, in turn, affect market outcomes, such as prices, innovation and access to services? With funding from the UK Department for International Development, ODI has compared economic performance in four product markets – sugar, cement, beer and mobile phone services – across Ban...

BACKGROUND Chronic radicular pain can occur after disc pathology and failed back surgery. An evidence-based effective therapeutic option is not available nor does a gold standard exist. OBJECTIVES A randomized controlled trial to analyze the clinical efficacy of percutaneous epidural lysis of adhesions in chronic radicular pain. STUDY DESIGN Prospective randomized placebo controlled interve...

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) induces chronic back pain with limited nonsurgical options. In this open label pilot study, 26 patients (median age 40 years; range 18-61) received autologous bone marrow concentrate (BMC) disc injections (13 one level, 13 two levels). Pretreatment Oswestry disability index (ODI) and visual analog scale (VAS) were performed to establish baseline pain scores (aver...

We examined the differences in post-operative functional disability and patient satisfaction between 56 patients who underwent a lumbar fusion at three or more levels for degenerative disease (group I) and 69 patients, matched by age and gender, who had undergone a one or two level fusion (group II). Their mean age was 66 years (49 to 84) and the mean follow-up was 43 months (24 to 65). The mea...

BACKGROUND The associations between alcohol consumption and sleep-disordered breathing in women are uncertain. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 3113 women aged 30-69 years. The 3% oxygen desaturation index (3% ODI), based on overnight pulse oximetry findings, was selected as an indicator of sleep-disordered breathing. RESULTS 3% ODI frequencies of ≥5 were higher for drinking ...

Elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) have been reported in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and may represent an inflammatory marker of cardiovascular risk. However, the association of CRP with SBD in presumed healthy elderly subjects is unknown. In total, 851 (58.5% females) 68-yr-old subjects, who were free of any known cardiac or sleep disorders, were prospectively exami...