PurposePain from osteoarthritis (OA) is generally classified as nociceptive (inflammatory). Animal models of knee OA have shown that sensory nerve fibers innervating the knee are significantly damaged with destruction of subchondral bone junction, and induce neuropathic pain (NP). Our objective was to examine NP in the knees of OA patients using painDETECT (an NP questionnaire) and to evaluate the relationship between NP, pain intensity, and stage of OA.Materials and MethodsNinety-two knee OA patients were evaluated in this study. Pain scores using Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), painDETECT, duration of symptoms, severity of OA using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) system, and amount of joint fluid were evaluated and compared using a Spearman's correlation coefficient by rank test.ResultsOur study identified at least 5.4% of our knee OA patients as likely to have NP and 15.2% as possibly having NP. The painDETECT score was significantly correlated with the VAS and WOMAC pain severity. Compared with the painDETECT score, there was a tendency for positive correlation with the KL grade, and tendency for negative correlation with the existence and amount of joint fluid, but these correlations were not significant.ConclusionPainDETECT scores classified 5.4% of pain from knee OA as NP. NP tended to be seen in patients with less joint fluid and increased KL grade, both of which corresponded to late stages of OA. It is important to consider the existence of NP in the treatment of knee OA pain.

Adsorption properties of copper ion-exchanged mordenite (CUM) for dinitrogen molecules ( N 2 ) were examined at 298 K. The intensive IR absorption band observed at 2299 cm-' was attributed to the NZ species strongly adsorbed on CUM. The interaction of NZ with CUM is explored using adsorption calorimetry, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), electron spin resonance (ESR), and photoemission spectroscopy. The differential heat and entropy of adsorption for N2 on CUM were 60 kJ mol-' and 60 J K-' mol-' at the initial stage of adsorption, respectively, and those for NZ on NaM (sodium-type mordenite) gave the values of 32 kJ mol-' and 130 J K-' mol-', revealing that the N2 molecules are in the localized state resulting from the strong interaction with CUM. The monolayer capacity is estimated to be 4.12 cm3 g-' for NZ on CUM-150, which gives a value of 0.22 for the Nz/Cu ratio. XAFS and emission data for CUM degassed at 873 K exhibit pair bands at 8.983 and 8.994 keV and 18 700 and 20 800 cm-I, respectively. The former pair band is assigned to the 1s-4p transition, and the latter pair band is assigned to the 3d94s1-3dl0 transition. It is also found that the ESR band intensity for Cu(I1) decreases with increasing pretreatment temperature. These spectral data are reasonably explained by assuming the presence of Cu(1) species in mordenite. It is proved from the emission data that the adsorption site including Cu(1) species easily formed by heat treatment at 873 K in vacuo is effective for N2 adsorption. Such easy conversion of Cu(II) to Cu(1) may be due to the spatial distribution of ion-exchanged sites on mordenite. The appearance of a strong IR band at 2299 cm-' is due to the adsorption of N2 on the Cu(1) species and to the induction of a transition moment by the strong field of this site. Although a rather high value of heat of adsorption might suggest chemisorption, it is made plausible that this type of N2 adsorption is physisorption.

BackgroundAn outcome measure to evaluate the neurological function of cervical myelopathy was proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association in 1975 (JOA score), and has been widely used in Japan. However, the JOA score does not include patients’ satisfaction, disability, handicaps, or general health, which can be affected by cervical myelopathy. The purpose of this study was to develop a new outcome measure for patients with cervical myelopathy.MethodsThis study was conducted in eight university hospitals and their affiliated hospitals from February to May 2002. The questionnaire included 77 items. Forty-one questions, which were originally listed by the authors, were for evaluation of the physical function of the cervical spine and spinal cord. The Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) was used to examine health-related quality of life (QOL). Patients with cervical myelopathy and healthy volunteers were recruited at each institution. After analysis of the answers from patients and volunteers, irrelevant questions using the following criteria were excluded: (1) a question 80% of answers for which were concentrated on one choice, (2) a question whose answer was highly correlated with that of other questions, (3) a question that could be explained by other questions, and (4) a question for which the distribution of the answers obtained from the patients was not different from that obtained from the normal volunteers.ResultsThe patients comprised 164 men and 86 women, and the healthy volunteers 96 men and 120 women. Thirteen items from the questions about the physical functions of the cervical spine and the spinal cord and 11 items from SF-36 remained as candidates that should be included in the final outcome measure questionnaire.ConclusionTwenty-four questions remained as candidates for the final questionnaire. This new self-administered questionnaire might be used to evaluate the outcomes in patients with cervical myelopathy more efficiently.

An intense IR absorption band is observed a t 298 K for dinitrogen adsorbed on copper-ion-exchanged mordenite-type zeolite, in which copper ions are exchanged in excess of the value expected from stoichiometry considerations.The interaction of dinitrogen with a solid surface is of considerable interest, in particular from the viewpoint of dinitrogen fixation catalysis . I The IR spectra of dinitrogen adsorbed on various oxide surfaces and supported metal catalysts, such as Zn0,2 A1203,3 Ti02,4 Na-zeolite-A,s Zr02,6Rh/A12037 and Ni/Si02,8 show the fundamental band , which is

BackgroundIn 2007, the Japanese orthopaedic association back pain evaluation questionnaire (JOABPEQ) was established to overcome the limitations of the original JOA scoring system developed in 1986. Although this new self-administered questionnaire is a more accurate outcome measure for evaluating patients with low back pain, physicians were unable to as certain the exact status of a patient at a single time point because of a lack of reference values. This study aimed to establish the reference values of JOABPEQ in different age and gender groups using data obtained from healthy volunteers.MethodsThis study was conducted in 21 university hospitals and affiliated hospitals from October 2012 to July 2013. The JOABPEQ includes 25 questions that yield five domains to evaluate individuals with low back pain from five different perspectives. A total of 1,456 healthy volunteers (719 men, 737 women; age range, 20–89 years) answered the questionnaire. The differences in scores according to age and gender were examined by non-parametric tests.ResultsThe JOABPEQ scores significantly decreased with age in the domains of lumbar spine dysfunction, gait disturbance, and social life dysfunction. In these three domains, the median scores approached the 100 possible points in individuals aged 20–70 for both genders. However, the median scores for lumbar spine dysfunction and social life dysfunction decreased to 83.0 and 65.0–78.0 points, respectively, in individuals in their 80 s and 70–80 s, respectively; and the scores for gait disturbance decreased to 93.0 and 71.0 points for males and females in their 80 s. Overall, the median scores for pain-related and psychological disorders were 100 and 60.0–72.0 points, respectively.ConclusionThe reference values for JOABPEQ according to age and gender were established herein. Patients with low back pain should be evaluated with this new self-administered questionnaire taking these reference values into account.