Hangman's Fractures: A Review of Current Concepts in Evaluation and Management.

Study Design: Review article.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive review and update on the evaluation and management of Hangman's fractures.

Summary Of Background Data: Hangman's fractures are the second most common fracture of the C2 vertebrae, and the prevalence is increasing with our aging population.

Therapeutic CRISPR epigenome editing of inflammatory receptors in the intervertebral disc.

Low back pain (LBP) ranks among the leading causes of disability worldwide and generates a tremendous socioeconomic cost. Disc degeneration, a leading contributor to LBP, can be characterized by the breakdown of the extracellular matrix of the intervertebral disc (IVD), disc height loss, and inflammation. The inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) has multiple signaling pathways, including proinflammatory signaling through tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 superfamily, member 1a (TNFR1 or TNFRSF1A), and has been implicated as a primary mediator of disc degeneration.

The effect of lumbar medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy on cobb angle progression in individuals with adult scoliosis compared to natural history: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy (LRFN) effectively alleviates zygapophyseal joint-mediated pain by coagulating medial branch nerves to disrupt nociceptive signaling pathways. The concomitant denervation of multifidus fibers has led to concern that LRFN may increase segmental instability and accelerate degenerative changes in patients with certain pre-existing spinal pathologies. There is a paucity of literature evaluating whether LRFN increases the progression of spinal curvature in patients with adult scoliosis.

Transthyretin amyloidosis in spinal canal stenosis: A systematic review.

We systematically review literature regarding the contribution of transthyretin amyloidosis to spinal stenosis. Amyloidosis is a protein misfolding condition that causes systemic deposition of amyloid and commonly leads to heart failure and nephropathy. A growing body of literature suggests that amyloid deposits within the ligamentum flavum are frequently associated with spinal stenosis with subsequent myelopathy.

Factors Related to Clinical Performance in Spine Surgery Fellowship: Can We Predict Success.

Introduction: The factors most important in the spine fellowship match may not ultimately correlate with quality of performance during fellowship. This study examined the spine fellow applicant metrics correlated with high application rank compared with the metrics associated with the strongest clinical performance during fellowship.

Methods: Spine fellow applications at three academic institutions were retrieved from the San Francisco Match database (first available to 2021) and deidentified for application review.

Toward the Development of a Tissue Engineered Gradient Utilizing CRISPR-Guided Gene Modulation.

Cellular, compositional, and mechanical gradients are found throughout biological tissues, especially in transition zones between tissue types. Yet, strategies to engineer such gradients have proven difficult due to the complex nature of these tissues. Current strategies for tissue engineering complex gradients often utilize stem cells; however, these multipotent cells require direction from environmental cues, which can be difficult to control both and .

Therapeutic TNF-alpha Delivery After CRISPR Receptor Modulation in the Intervertebral Disc.

Low back pain (LBP) ranks among the leading causes of disability worldwide and generates a tremendous socioeconomic cost. Disc degeneration, a leading contributor to LBP, can be characterized by the breakdown of the extracellular matrix of the intervertebral disc (IVD), disc height loss, and inflammation. The inflammatory cytokine TNF-α has multiple pathways and has been implicated as a primary mediator of disc degeneration.

Multiplex epigenome editing of ion channel expression in nociceptive neurons abolished degenerative IVD-conditioned media-induced mechanical sensitivity.

Background: Low back pain is a major contributor to disability worldwide and generates a tremendous socioeconomic impact. The degenerative intervertebral disc (IVD) has been hypothesized to contribute to discogenic pain by sensitizing nociceptive neurons innervating the disc to stimuli that is nonpainful in healthy patients. Previously, we demonstrated the ability of degenerative IVDs to sensitize neurons to mechanical stimuli; however, elucidation of degenerative IVDs discogenic pain mechanisms is required to develop therapeutic strategies that directly target these mechanisms.

Multiplex gene editing to promote cell survival using low-pH clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats activation (CRISPRa) gene perturbation.

Background Aims: Lower back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is often linked to degenerative disc disease (DDD), the breakdown of intervertebral discs. The majority of treatment options for DDD are palliative, with clinicians prescribing medication or physical therapy to return the patient to work. Cell therapies are promising treatment options with the potential to restore functional physiological tissue and treat the underlying causes of DDD.

Response to Preoperative Steroid Injections Predicts Surgical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Fusion for Isthmic Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The decision to pursue operative intervention for patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis is complex. Although steroid injections are a well-accepted therapeutic modality that may delay or obviate surgery, little is known regarding their ability to predict surgical outcomes.

Hypoalbuminemia as a Predictor of Mortality, Disability, and Readmission in Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery: A Retrospective Analysis.

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to clarify the association between preoperative albumin status and mortality and morbidity in lumbar spine surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Hypoalbuminemia is a known marker of inflammation and is associated with frailty.

Risk Factors for Postoperative Ileus in Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: Postoperative ileus (POI) is a common complication following elective spinal surgeries. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of POI and identify demographic and surgical risk factors for developing POI after elective instrumented fusion of the thoracolumbar spine.

What Does Your PROMIS Score Mean? Improving the Utility of Patient-Reported Outcomes at the Point of Care.

Study Design: Prospective cohort.

Objectives: Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) has been validated for lumbar spine. Use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures can improve clinical decision making and health literacy at the point of care.

Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic by the Spine Division at a Level-I Academic Referral Center.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a ubiquitous health concern and a global pandemic. In an effort to slow the disease spread and protect valuable healthcare resources, cessation of nonessential surgery, including many orthopaedic procedures, has become commonplace. This crisis has created a unique situation in the care of spine patients as we must balance the urgency of patient evaluation, surgical intervention, and continued training against the risk of disease exposure and resource management.

Hangman's Fracture.

Study Design: Review article.

Objective: A review and update of the treatment of Hangman's fractures including the indications for both nonoperative and operative treatment of typical and atypical fractures.

Summary Of Background Data: Hangman's fractures are the second most common fracture pattern of the C2 vertebrae following odontoid fractures.

The Impact of Preoperative Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Postoperative Outcomes in Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disease: 3-Month and 12-Month Results of a Pilot Study.

Background: We previously reported inpatient and 30-day postoperative patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of a controlled, noncrossover pilot study using preoperative mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training for lumbar spine surgery. Our goal here was to assess 3-month and 12-month postoperative PROs of preoperative MBSR in lumbar spine surgery for degenerative disease.

Methods: Intervention group participants were prospectively enrolled in a preoperative online MBSR course.

Degenerative IVD conditioned media and acidic pH sensitize sensory neurons to cyclic tensile strain.

Low back pain is among the leading causes of disability worldwide. The degenerative intervertebral disc (IVD) environment contains pathologically high levels of inflammatory cytokines and acidic pH hypothesized to contribute to back pain by sensitizing nociceptive neurons to stimuli that would not be painful in healthy patients. We hypothesized that the degenerative IVD environment drives discogenic pain by sensitizing nociceptive neurons to mechanical loading.

The impact of the lordosis distribution index on failure after surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity.

Background Context: Proximal junctional failure (PFJ) is a common and dreaded complication of adult spinal deformity. Previous research has identified parameters associated with the development of PJF and the search for radiographic and clinical variables continues in an effort to decrease the incidence of PFJ. The lordosis distribution index (LDI) is a parameter not based on pelvic incidence.

Potential Selection Bias in Observational Studies Comparing Cervical Disc Arthroplasty to Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective study using a national administrative database.

Objective: To define the cohort differences in patient characteristics between patients undergoing cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in a large national sample, and to describe the impact of those baseline patient characteristics on analyses of costs and complications.

Summary Of Background Data: CDA was initially studied in high quality, randomized trials with strict inclusion criteria.

Defining Instability in Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Surgeon Views.

Study Design: Surgeon survey.

Objective: To examine factors influencing surgeons' definition of instability in grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) and assess treatment preferences for both stable and unstable DS.

Summary Of Background Data: DS treatment options are broadly classified as decompression with or without fusion.

Lentiviral CRISPR Epigenome Editing of Inflammatory Receptors as a Gene Therapy Strategy for Disc Degeneration.

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a primary contributor to low-back pain, a leading cause of disability. Progression of DDD is aided by inflammatory cytokines in the intervertebral disc (IVD), particularly TNF-α and IL-1β, but current treatments fail to effectively target this mechanism. The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) epigenome editing-based therapy for DDD, by modulation of TNFR1/IL1R1 signaling in pathological human IVD cells.