Microdialysis/Acupuncture Needle to Assess Local Tissue

本研究的目的是探索一种由研究者设计、制造和测试的新型“微透析/针刺”针的使用，以确定该设备和技术是否可以成功地对软组织的化学环境进行采样。具体来说，它将被用来测量和比较三组受试者的小物质（电解质、肌肉代谢物、炎症介质、神经递质、细胞因子和花生四烯酸衍生物）的数量，使用标准的上斜方肌解剖位置（触发点1），该区域被认为是肌筋膜触发点（MTrPs）最常见的位置。这些物质被认为在软组织疼痛的生物化学和病理生理中起着关键作用。研究对象将从不同的年龄和性别中选取。触发点1的选择是为了在三个精心挑选的组中标准化采样点的位置：

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of a novel 'microdialysis/acupuncture' needle, designed, fabricated, and tested by the investigators, to determine if this device and technique can successfully sample the chemical milieu of the soft tissue. Specifically, it will be used to measure and compare the quantity of small substances (electrolytes, muscle metabolites, inflammatory mediators, neurotransmitters, cytokines, and arachidonic acid derivatives) in three groups of subjects using a standardized anatomical location (trigger point 1) of the upper trapezius muscle, an area that is recognized as the most common location of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in that muscle. These substances are believed to play a critical role in the biochemistry and pathophysiology of soft tissue pain. Subjects will be drawn from a range of ages and both sexes. Trigger point 1is selected specifically to standardize the location of a sampling point in three carefully selected groups: 1) healthy subjects without neck pain who have no MTrPs identified by palpation bilaterally in triggr point 1(no pathological process, no symptoms) 2) healthy subjects without neck pain in whom latent MTrPs are identified by palpation in trigger point 1 in one of the upper trapezius muscles (pathological process, no symptoms) 3) healthy subjects complaining of neck pain of less than 3 months duration with active MTrPs identified by palpation in trigger point 1 in one of the upper trapezius muscles (pathological process with symptoms) This is not a treatment study. Rather, the primary goal of this study is to learn whether this device and technique can successfully sample the chemical milieu in healthy subjects who 1) have pain and those who don't 2) have MTrPs and those who don?t and 3) have active MTrPs versus those who have latent MTrPs. Description of protocol progress: We have thus far recruited 18 subjects (8 women and 10 men), ranging in age from 23 to 66 years old. With our microanalytical sampling technique, we have successfully collected samples at trigger point 1 in the upper trapezius muscle from each subject without any untoward events. We have successfully measured 8 of the 21 analytes in 9 (with 3 in each group) subjects, demonstrating that this technique is able to recover extremely small quantities (<0.5 microliters) of very small substances (<100 kilodaltons molecular weight) directly from soft tissue.