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ACS Appl Bio Mater 2022 May 16. Epub 2022 May 16.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States.

Low back pain is the most common health problem with a prevalence of over 80% worldwide and an estimated annual cost of $100 billion in the United States. Intervertebral disc degeneration accounts for a major cause of low back pain. However, there is still a lack of safe and effective treatment to tackle this devastating condition. Read More

Spine J 2022 May 12. Epub 2022 May 12.

Department of Spine Surgery, Ganga Hospital, 313, Mettupalayam Road, Coimbatore, India.

Background: The accumulating evidence associating sub-clinical infection with disc degeneration (DD) and the controversy of contamination versus infection mandates a further understanding of the microbial activity in the disc and host-microbiome interaction.

Purpose: To utilize a novel approach of metabolomics to probe the presence of bacterial metabolites involved in colonization, survival, and replication in human lumbar intervertebral discs (LIVD).

Study Design: An observational case-control study. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2022 May 15:e15585. Epub 2022 May 15.

Department of Dermatology, University of Health Sciences, İstanbul Traihing and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.

Behçet's disease is a chronic systemic vasculitis with a wide range of clinical findings. It has both autoinflammatory and autoimmune features and manifests with recurrent inflammatory attacks involving the innate immune system. Recently, autoinflammation has started to take place in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration. Read More

Orv Hetil 2022 May 15;163(20):789-796. Epub 2022 May 15.

1 Service d'Orthopédie et Traumatologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire - Brugmann, Université Libre de Bruxelles Place Van Gehuchten 4., Bruxelles 1020 Belgique.

Introduction: Segmental instability of the spine caused by the decreased height of intervertebral discs is one of the major causes of chronic low back pain affecting 70-80% of the adult population. The decrease in height is due to degenerative lesions induced by vertical compression overload of the disc.

Objective: A preliminary study was performed to determine if disc degeneration due to overload could be stopped. Read More

PLoS One 2022 13;17(5):e0267384. Epub 2022 May 13.

Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.

Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (DD) disease is one of the main risk factors for low back pain and a leading cause of population absenteeism and disability worldwide. Despite a variety of biological studies, lumbar DD is not yet fully understood, partially because there are only few studies that use systematic and integrative approaches. This urges the need for studies that integrate different omics (including genomics and transcriptomics) measured on samples within a single cohort. Read More

Aerosp Med Hum Perform 2022 May;93(5):415-420

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition characterized by disrupted sleep and excessive daytime fatigue. Associated cognitive and psychomotor decrements pose a threat to aviators' performance and flight safety. Additionally, the longer term health effects associated with the disease can jeopardize an aviator's career and negatively impact operational outputs. Read More

Zhongguo Gu Shang 2022 May;35(5):448-53

Department of Orthopaedics, Lishui Central Hospital, Lishui 323000, Zhejiang, China.

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy in the treatment of adjacent segment lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fusion.

Methods: From February 2010 to June 2018, 64 patients with adjacent segment lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fusion were retrospectively analyzed and divided into observation group and control group. In observation group, there were 23 males and 10 females performed with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy, including 27 cases of single segment fusion and 6 cases of double segment fusion, aged from 55 to 83 years old with an average of (65. Read More

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 2022 May;47(9):2400-2408

Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing 100102, China.

Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of degenerative bone and joint diseases, and its widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, many scholars have conducted a large number of basic studies on the delay of intervertebral disc degeneration by herbal compound and monomeric components from different perspectives. In order to further elucidate its mechanism of action, this paper summarizes the in vivo and in vitro experimental studies conducted at the level of both herbal compound and single components, respectively, in order to provide references for the basic research on the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration by Chinese medicine. Read More

Eur Spine J 2022 May 6;31(5):1088-1098. Epub 2022 May 6.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1108 th Street, JEC 7044, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.

Background: The intervertebral disc degenerates with age and has a poor propensity for regeneration. Small molecule transport plays a key role in long-term degradation and repair. Convection (bulk flow), induced by low rate cyclic loading of the intervertebral disc, has been shown to increase transport of small molecules. Read More

Global Spine J 2022 May 2:21925682221099471. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 21611Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

Study Design: Cadaveric specimens.

Objective: To perform a pathomorphological analysis of the degree of facet joint (FJ) degeneration utilizing fresh cadaveric models and correlating these structural changes with imaging findings.

Methods: L1-L5 FSU including all tissue between the anterior longitudinal ligament to the posterior spinal structures were obtained on 28 patients at a mean of 5. Read More

J Biomech Eng 2022 Apr 29. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Advanced Technology and Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721 302, West Bengal, India; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721 302, West Bengal, India.

Spinal fusion is an effective surgical treatment for intervertebral disc degeneration. However, the consequences of implantation with interbody cages on load transfer and bone remodelling in the vertebral bodies has scarcely been investigated. Using detailed 3D models of an intact and implanted lumbar spine and the strain energy density based bone remodelling algorithm, this study investigated the evolutionary changes in bone density distributions around porous and solid interbody cages. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2022 Apr 27;23:e935208. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Continuing Medical Education, Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud (FUCS), Bogotá, Colombia.

BACKGROUND The intervertebral disc extrusion resorption has been described in the literature by various authors. It occurs in up to 75% of patients with symptomatic extruded lumbar discs. The Atlasprofilax method favors osteo-musculo-articular rehabilitation processes, mainly impacting on 2 levels: the first is the bone anatomy of the atlanto-occipital joint, and the second is the fasciae located in the cervical region. Read More

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2022 Apr 14;131:105234. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, Box 1188, New York, NY, 10029-6574, USA. Electronic address:

Back pain is often associated with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, and IVD degeneration phenotypes are commonly characterized by annulus fibrosus (AF)-driven and endplate (EP)-driven phenotypes. Few studies of EP injury exist in animal models, even though clinical studies show EP lesions are strongly associated with IVD pathology and pain. This project established an ex-vivo rat lumbar EP injury model and characterized effects of EP injury on motion segment biomechanical properties, as compared to AF injury, a common way of inducing IVD degeneration. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022 Apr 23;23(1):382. Epub 2022 Apr 23.

Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.

Background Context: Lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) is an alternative to lumbar fusion in the treatment of lower back pain and reduces the risk of adjacent segment degeneration. Heterotopic ossification (HO) has been identified as a common complication following lumbar TDR.

Purpose: This systematic review aims to determine the prevalence, risk factors and clinical and radiological impact of HO following lumbar TDR. Read More

J Orthop Surg Res 2022 Apr 22;17(1):247. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Department of Orthopaedics, The 7th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, No. 5 Nanmen Cang, Beijing, 100700, China.

Background: Patients who do not respond to conservative treatment of the isthmus are often treated with surgery. We used direct repair plus intersegment pedicle screw fixation for the treatment of lumbar spondylolysis. The aim of this observational study was to assess the effects of this technique and evaluate various risk factors potentially predicting the probability of disc and facet joint degeneration after instrumentation. Read More

Bioengineering (Basel) 2022 Mar 25;9(4). Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia.

Background: Degenerative disc disease is a progressive and chronic disorder with many open questions regarding its pathomorphological mechanisms. In related studies, in vitro organ culture systems are becoming increasingly essential as a replacement option for laboratory animals. Live disc cells are highly appealing to study the possible mechanisms of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. Read More

J Spine Surg 2022 Mar;8(1):29-43

Ortho Northeast, Fort Wayne, IN, USA.

Background: Degeneration of the lumbar spine is common in aging adults and reflects a significant morbidity burden in this population. In selected patients that prove unresponsive to non-surgical treatment, posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) surgery, with or without adjunctive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) can relieve pain and improve function. We describe here the radiographic fusion rates for PLF versus TLIF, using an intervertebral spinal cage made of silicon nitride ceramic (chemical formula SiN). Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022 Apr 15;23(1):359. Epub 2022 Apr 15.

Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.

Background: Although it has been suggested that lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) is a significant risk factor for low back pain (LBP), its role remains uncertain. Our objective was to clarify the association between LDD and LBP and whether mental distress modifies the association.

Methods: Participants of a birth cohort underwent 1. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2022 Jun 12;100:66-74. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Bahçeşehir University, School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey.

Schmorl's nodes (SNs) have increasingly been recognized on vertebral end-plates using advanced imaging techniques. Even though vertebral end-plates are the closest structures to discs, their pathologies are underestimated in the etiology of low back pain (LBP). We aimed to detect the prevalence of SNs and other end-plate defects in subjects with/without LBP and to understand whether SNs were associated with LBP and spinal degeneration. Read More

World Neurosurg 2022 Apr 12. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Department of Orthopedics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:

Objective: Different sagittal morphologies are associated with various lumbar degenerative diseases. In this paper, we aim to investigate the association between Roussouly classification and the characteristics of lumbar degeneration.

Methods: A total of 273 patients with lumbar degeneration diseases were included in this cross-sectional study. Read More

Stem Cells Transl Med 2022 Apr 15. Epub 2022 Apr 15.

The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.

The treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is still a huge challenge for clinical updated surgical techniques and basic strategies of intervertebral disc regeneration. Few studies have ever tried to combine surgery and cell therapy to bridge the gap between clinical and basic research. A prospective clinical study with a 72-month follow-up was conducted to assess the safety and feasibility of autologous discogenic cells transplantation combined with discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and to evaluate the regenerative ability of discogenic cells in IVDD. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2022 Apr;101(13):e28947

Department of Orthopaedics, ShuGuang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Abstract: Osteoporosis and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) have been common causes that make increasing patients suffer from different degrees of low back pain. At present, whether osteoporosis degenerates or protects disc is still controversial, and the correlation between hip bone mineral density (BMD) and LDD still remains unclear. Our study aims to analyze the correlation between BMD of different sites and LDD in postmenopausal women, and explore the potential pathophysiological mechanism of them. Read More

Turk Neurosurg 2021 Oct 4. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

Dr. Vefa Tanir State Hospital, Department of Radiology, Konya, Turkey.

Aim: Vertebral body hypoplasia is characterized by a significantly smaller lower segment than the upper level. In the present study we explain the association between vertebral body hypoplasia and degenerative changes in the disco-vertebral complex and facet joints,and assess the incidence of hypoplasia of the vertebral body at the L5 level.

Material And Methods: A retrospective analysis was made of 3,100 patients aged 20-50 years who underwent lumbar MRI with a complaint of back pain, of which 55 were identified with vertebral body hypoplasia. Read More

J Orthop Surg Res 2022 Apr 10;17(1):224. Epub 2022 Apr 10.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.

Background: Lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) is an established surgical intervention for patients with leg and back pain secondary to disc herniation or degeneration. Interbody fusion involves removal of the herniated or degenerated disc and insertion of interbody devices with bone grafts into the remaining cavity. Extensive research has been conducted on operative complications such as a failure of fusion or non-union of the vertebral bodies. Read More

PLoS One 2022 7;17(4):e0265926. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Interspinous spacer devices used in interspinous fixation surgery remove soft tissues in the lumbar spine, such as ligaments and muscles and may cause degenerative diseases in adjacent segments its stiffness is higher than that of the lumbar spine. Therefore, this study aimed to structurally and kinematically optimize a lumbar interspinous fixation device (LIFD) using a full lumbar finite element model that allows for minimally invasive surgery, after which the normal behavior of the lumbar spine is not affected. The proposed healthy and degenerative lumbar spine models reflect the physiological characteristics of the lumbar spine in the human body. Read More

JOR Spine 2022 Mar 1;5(1):e1183. Epub 2022 Jan 1.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen China.

Background: The motor behavior in patients with lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) and animal models should be changed due to pain. However, there does not seem to be a strong correlation between IDD and motor behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the correlation between motor behavior and age-related IDD. Read More

Clin Anat 2022 Apr 6. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Department of Histology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a multifaceted pathology that is the main morphological cause of lower back pain. This study aimed to determine the link between the vitamin D receptor gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and degenerative processes of the lumbar spine. The complete lumbar spinal columns were collected from 100 Caucasian cadavers via ventral dissection. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2022 Apr 4;37(13):e105. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Background: Many studies have reported that minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) provides satisfactory treatment comparable to other fusion methods. However, in the case of MI-TLIF, there are concerns about the long-term outcome compared to conventional bilateral PLIF due to the small amount of disc removal and the lack of autogenous bone graft. Long-term follow-up studies are still lacking as most of the previous reports have follow-up periods of up to 5 years. Read More

J Orthop Surg Res 2022 Apr 4;17(1):203. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Spine Surgery Department 1, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.

Background: The fusion of the lumbar spine may lead to the degeneration of the adjacent segments. In this study, the effects of OLIF and TLIF on adjacent segments after treatment of L4 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) were compared and analysed.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the medical records of consecutive patients treated with OLIF or TLIF for L4DLS. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2022 24;2022:5161503. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Department of Orthopaedics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.

Purpose: To investigate the influence on the adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) of short-segment lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) at 2 years postoperatively.

Methods: Ninety-seven consecutive patients who underwent one- or two-level LLIF were included from two institutions. We diagnosed radiographical adjacent segment degeneration with the appearance of adjacent spondylolisthesis (>3 mm) or deterioration of adjacent disk height (>3 mm) on plain radiographs or decrease of the intervertebral angle (>5 degrees). Read More