COVID-19 has highlighted an opportunity for medical professionals to engage in online Public Engagement with Science (PES). Currently a popular platform for PES is Reddit. Reddit provides an Ask Me Anything (AMA) format for subject matter experts to answer questions asked by the public. On March 11, 2020, from 2:00 to 4:00pm EST, two Emergency Department physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital hosted an AMA session on coronavirus. We retroactively conducted an analysis of the questions and answers from this AMA session in order to better understand the public's concerns around coronavirus and identify future opportunities for medical experts to leverage the Reddit AMA format in communicating with the general public. Results suggested that participants sought not only to obtain information, but to engage in discussion, and did so with each other in the absence of expert responses. The majority of bi-directional discussion occurred between participants. Due to the volume of questions and ratio of experts to participants, not all questions were answered. More posts provided facts or opinions, than posts that providing resources or requesting resources.

The currently available drugs to treat neuropathic pain do not provide adequate pain management. As such, other treatments including stem cells, platelet-rich plasma and plasma-derived molecules such as alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M) are being explored because they show promising potential for neuropathic pain. The various mechanisms and immunomodulatory effects could be a desirable approach in targeting neuropathic pain. This review indicates that A2M can be highly efficacious due to its conformational change during activation and specificity of action on various cytokines. Its ability to reduce neuropathic pain can further the future of neuropathic intervention. However, there is a lack of robust clinical studies and thus further research is needed to verify and expand the understanding of its therapeutic effects.

In regenerative medicine, cells, tissues and organs are often replaced, engineered or regrown in order to restore their function after they have been damaged or lost. Local anesthetics, corticosteroids and contrast agents are commonly employed for both diagnostic and therapeutic objectives in interventional pain and musculoskeletal treatments for regenerative medicine. There is growing evidence that routine injectables promote catabolism and disease processes. Thus, understanding the effects of these compounds on regenerative medicine injectates and target tissues such as tenocytes, chondrocytes, nucleus pulposus and ligamentous tissue is critical. This review includes the current research on the effects of local anesthetics and contrast agents, as well as their use and recommendations in regenerative medicine operations.

Context Shoulder and neck pain are leading causes of disability worldwide. Rotator cuff pathology has strong associations with such pain and is extensively targeted by healthcare practitioners. A dysfunctional lower trapezius muscle has also been shown to contribute to neck and shoulder pain, yet it is often overlooked. Objectives This systematic review analyzes those with a history of, or who are currently managing, shoulder or neck pain to indicate differences in measures of lower trapezius function when compared to subjects without that pain. Methods Studies with no age restrictions were included in the study. Studies could determine lower trapezius muscle function with any quantifiable measurement tool or clinical assessment. If the study included a control group (no pain) and a comparator group (pain), and if lower trapezius muscle function was assessed in both, the study was typically included. The significance of the lower trapezius muscle function change was summarized in these pain patients. From a final total of 18 studies identified, level of muscle activity, muscle activation, time to onset, muscle strength, and muscle thickness were reported. Results The 18 included articles involved 485 participants with shoulder and/or neck pain and 455 without. Half of the shoulder pain studies (6/12), and all of the neck pain studies (6/6), demonstrated that the lower trapezius had a noticeable impact. The lower trapezius muscle in participants with shoulder and neck pain tended to show decreased muscle strength, and decreased time to onset/latency. Conclusions The findings from this systematic review should be taken into consideration when assessing and treating patients with shoulder and neck pain. Future studies that define the type and duration of shoulder and neck pain, as well as prospectively assessing lower trapezius muscle function in those with and without that pain, are needed.

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