Systematic review. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of catastrophizing on treatment efficacy and outcome in patients treated for low back pain. Psychological factors including catastrophizing thoughts are thought to increase the risk for chronic low back pain. The influence of catastrophizing is debated. In September 2012, the following databases were searched: BIOSIS, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, OTseeker, PeDRO, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. For 50 of 706 references, full text was assessed. Results based on 11 studies were included in this analysis. In the 11 studies, a total of 2269 patients were included. Seven studies were of good and 4 of moderate methodological quality. Heterogeneity in study settings, treatments, outcomes, and patient populations impeded meta-analysis. Catastrophizing at baseline was predictive for disability at follow-up in 4 studies and for pain in 2 studies. Three studies found no predictive effect of catastrophizing. A mediating effect was found in all studies (n = 5) assessing the impact of a decrease in catastrophizing during treatment. A greater decrease was associated with better outcome. Most studies that investigated the moderating effects on treatment efficacy found no effect (n = 5). However, most studies did not look for a direct interaction between the treatment and catastrophizing thoughts. No study investigated the influence of catastrophizing on work-related outcomes including return to work. Catastrophizing predicted degree of pain and disability and mediated treatment efficacy in most studies. The presence of catastrophizing should be considered in patients with persisting back pain. Limited evidence was found for the moderating effects on treatment efficacy. Future research should aim to clarify the role of catastrophizing as a moderator of outcome and investigate its importance for work-related outcomes. Level of Evidence: 1

Mobile and tablet apps, ubiquitous and pervasive computing, wearable computing and domotics for health.

Vitamin B12 is often used to improve cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and fatigue. In most cases, such complaints are not associated with overt vitamin B12 deficiency or advanced neurological disorders and the effectiveness of vitamin B12 supplementation in such cases is uncertain. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is to assess the effects of vitamin B12 alone (B12 alone), in addition to vitamin B12 and folic acid with or without vitamin B6 (B complex) on cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and idiopathic fatigue in patients without advanced neurological disorders or overt vitamin B12 deficiency. Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, and Scopus were searched. A total of 16 RCTs with 6276 participants were included. Regarding cognitive function outcomes, we found no evidence for an effect of B12 alone or B complex supplementation on any subdomain of cognitive function outcomes. Further, meta-regression showed no significant associations of treatment effects with any of the potential predictors. We also found no overall effect of vitamin supplementation on measures of depression. Further, only one study reported effects on idiopathic fatigue, and therefore, no analysis was possible. Vitamin B12 supplementation is likely ineffective for improving cognitive function and depressive symptoms in patients without advanced neurological disorders.

Retrospective analysis of a prospective, multicenter cohort study. To estimate the added effect of surgical fusion as compared to decompression surgery alone in symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis patients with spondylolisthesis. The optimal surgical management of lumbar spinal stenosis patients with spondylolisthesis remains controversial. Patients of the LSOS with confirmed DLSS and spondylolisthesis were enrolled in this study. The outcomes of this study were Spinal Stenosis Measure (SSM) symptoms (score range 1–5, best-worst) and function (1–4) over time, measured at baseline, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months follow-up. In order to quantify the effect of fusion surgery as compared to decompression alone and number of decompressed levels, we used mixed effects models and accounted for the repeated observations in main outcomes (SSM symptoms and SSM function) over time. In addition to individual patients’ random effects, we also fitted random slopes for follow-up time points and compared these two approaches with Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and the chi-squared test. Confounders were adjusted with fixed effects for age, gender, BMI, diabetes, CIRS musculoskeletal disorders and duration of symptoms. One hundred and thirty-one patients undergoing decompression surgery alone (n = 85) or decompression plus fusion surgery (n = 46) were included in this study. In the multiple mixed effects model the adjusted effect of fusion versus decompression alone surgery on SSM symptoms was 0.06 (95% confidence interval, CI: −0.16 to 0.27) and −0.07 (95% CI: −0.25 to 0.10) on SSM function, respectively. Among the patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis our study confirms that in the two groups, decompression alone and decompression plus fusion, patients distinctively benefited from surgical treatment. When adjusted for confounders, fusion surgery was not associated with a more favorable outcome in both SSM scores as compared to decompression alone surgery. Level of Evidence: 3

Study Design.: A prospective multicenter cohort study.Objective.: The aim of this study was to identify an association between pain and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).Summary of Background Data.: At present, the relationship between abnormal MRI findings and pain in patients with LSS is still unclear.Methods.: First, we conducted a systematic literature search. We identified relationships of relevant MRI parameters and pain in patients with LSS. Second, we addressed the study question with a thorough descriptive and graphical analysis to establish a relationship between MRI parameters and pain using data of the LSS outcome study (LSOS).Results.: In the systematic review including four papers about the associations between radiological findings in the MRI and pain, the authors of two articles reported no association and two of them did. Of the latters, only one study found a moderate correlation between leg pain measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the degree of stenosis assessed by spine surgeons. In the data of the LSOS study, we could not identify a relevant association between any of the MRI parameters and buttock, leg, and back pain, quantified by the Spinal Stenosis Measure (SSM) and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Even by restricting the analysis to the level of the lumbar spine with the most prominent radiological “stenosis,” no relevant association could be shown.Conclusion.: Despite a thorough analysis of the data, we were not able to prove any correlation between radiological findings (MRI) and the severity of pain. There is a need for innovative “methods/techniques” to learn more about the causal relationship between radiological findings and the patients’ pain-related complaints.Level of Evidence:2

In Europe, scant information is available about prescription practices for pain medications. The aim of this research was to assess changes in prescription rates of non-opioid, weak opioid, and strong opioid medications between 2006 and 2013 in the Swiss population. Using insurance claims data covering one-sixth of the Swiss population, we analyzed the numbers of reimbursed pain medications, the number of reimbursements per persons, and the cumulative dose in milligrams. For opioids, the morphine equivalent dose and treatment days were calculated. Data were extrapolated to the dose per day per 100’000 population stratified by age, gender, and canton. In total, 4’746’942 paracetamol, 2’156’620 NSAIDs or Coxibs, 931’129 metamizole, 1’322’272 weak opioid, and 807’835 strong opioid claims were analyzed. Between 2006 and 2013, the increase in claims per 100’000 persons was 32% for paracetamol, 242% for metamizole, 107% for NSAIDS, 86% for Coxibs, 13% for weak opioids, and 121% for strong opioids. For strong opioids the total MED in mg /100’000 increased by 117%, the treatment days /100’000 by 101%. For strong opioids, fentanyl was most frequently used (increase between 2006 and 2013 by 91% for MED/100’000 persons and 94% treatment days / 100’000) followed by buprenorphine and oxycodone. The highest proportional increase in MED / 100’000 was observed for methadone (+1414%) and oxycodone (+313%). Marked geographical variation was detected in the use of metamizole, paracetamole, and strong opioids in different cantons. The analysis of insurance claims data provides evidence that the prescription rates for pain medications increased in Switzerland within the last ten years, in particular for metamizole and strong opioids. Furthermore, the prescription rates for metamizole, paracetamol, and strong opioids varied substantially between different cantons in Switzerland.