Posts by: Patrick van Dun

Few quality data exist on the safety of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) during pregnancy. The Pregnancy Research on Osteopathic Manipulation Optimizing Treatment Effects (PROMOTE) study was a randomized controlled clinical trial that studied the application of an OMT protocol to manage pain and dysfunction in pregnant patients during their third trimester. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of an OMT protocol applied during the third trimester of pregnancy by analyzing incidence of high-risk status and labor and delivery outcomes … ABSTRACT

In recent years, evidence has emerged regarding the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT). Despite growing evidence in this field, there is need for appropriate research designs that effectively reflect the person-centred system of care promoted in osteopathy and provide data which can inform policy decisions within the healthcare system. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify, appraise and synthesise the evidence from comparative effectiveness and economic evaluation research involving OMT … ABSTRACT

This randomized controlled trial was performed to investigate whether placebo effects in chronic low back pain could be harnessed ethically by adding open-label placebo (OLP) treatment to treatment as usual (TAU) for 3 weeks … MORE

Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, coined the original idea of lesion based on the obstruction of flow of body fluids, but primarily referring to bony structures and more precisely to the spine. Throughout the 20th century, this idea was shaped and developed into the concept of somatic dysfunction, a term that is familiar to both US-trained osteopathic physicians and foreign-trained osteopaths and has been an essential cornerstone of osteopathic practice and teaching. The present historical narrative review offers an overview of the evolution of Still’s original lesion concept, major evidence-based models of somatic dysfunction that attempt to explain the clinical findings, and a critique of the concept … ABSTRACT

All regulated health care professions have formal procedures for dealing with complaints. We often hear about the major complaints but we have few data about the everyday concerns reported, that can if not managed well, escalate into major issues. The objective of this study is to collect information about concerns and complaints made about osteopaths to encourage reflective learning and better understanding about how to avoid such incidents … ABSTRACT

Osteopathic manipulative treatment is a promising adjunctive treatment for older adults hospitalized for pneumonia. The objective of this study is to report subgroup analyses from the Multicenter Osteopathic Pneumonia Study in the Elderly (MOPSE) relating to hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilator-dependent respiratory failure rate, and in-hospital mortality rate … MORE

Hypermethylation of the promoters of tumour suppressor genes represses transcription of these genes, conferring growth advantages to cancer cells. How these changes arise is poorly understood. Here we show that the activity of oxygen-dependent ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes is reduced by tumour hypoxia in human and mouse cells. TET enzymes catalyse DNA demethylation through 5-methylcytosine oxidation. This reduction in activity occurs independently of hypoxia-associated alterations in TET expression, proliferation, metabolism, hypoxia-inducible factor activity or reactive oxygen species, and depends directly on oxygen shortage. Hypoxia-induced loss of TET activity increases hypermethylation at gene promoters in vitro. In patients, tumour suppressor gene promoters are markedly more methylated in hypoxic tumour tissue, independent of proliferation, stromal cell infiltration and tumour characteristics. Our data suggest that up to half of hypermethylation events are due to hypoxia, with these events conferring a selective advantage. Accordingly, increased hypoxia in mouse breast tumours increases hypermethylation, while restoration of tumour oxygenation abrogates this effect. Tumour hypoxia therefore acts as a novel regulator of DNA methylation … ABSTRACT

COME Note:

According to this study, tumour hypoxia contributes to the growth of cancer and the study thus shows that proliferating cells are made less susceptible for growth by improving the oxygen supply of the tumour.

Osteopathic care, improving blood and thus oxygen supply to specific organs, could therefore create a good environment for TET enzymes, preventing a more rapid proliferation of tumour cells by hypermethylation.

Spinal manipulation is an effective intervention for low back pain, yet there is little consistency in how this skill is taught. The purpose of this study was to identify what educators and clinicians believe are important characteristics of the patient and operator position prior to side-lying lumbar manipulation and the patient position and operator motion during the manipulative thrust … ABSTRACT

These guidelines update the AOA guidelines for osteopathic physicians to utilize OMT for patients with nonspecific acute or chronic LBP published in 2010 on the National Guideline Clearinghouse … ABSTRACT