Inflammation in the intervertebral disc herniation.

Up until fairly recently, it was thought that sciatic pain in the lumbar herniated disc was caused by compression on the nerve root. However, the lumbar herniated disc shows mixed pictures which are difficult to explain by simple mechanical compromise. In recent years various immunology, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology studies have shown that the herniated tissue is not an inert material, but rather it Is biologically very active with the capability of expressing a series of inflammatory mediators: cytokines such as interleukin-1, interleukin-6, interleuquin-8 and tumor necrosis factor being the ones which stand out.

Immunomodulation of mesenchymal stem cells in discogenic pain.

Background Context: Back pain is a highly prevalent health problem in the world today and has a great economic impact on health-care budgets. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration has been identified as a main cause of back pain. Inflammatory cytokines produced by macrophages or disc cells in an inflammatory environment play an important role in painful progressive degeneration of IVD.

[Biology and mechanobiology of the intervertebral disc].

The intervertebral disc (IVD) is noted for its low cell content, and being the largest avascular structure of human body. The low amount of cells in the disc have to adapt to an anaerobic metabolism with low oxygen pressure and acidic pH. Apart from surviving in an adverse microenvironment, they are exposed to a high level of mechanical stress.

Acid-sensing ion channel 2 (asic 2) and trkb interrelationships within the intervertebral disc.

The cells of the intervertebral disc (IVD) have an unusual acidic and hyperosmotic microenvironment. They express acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), gated by extracellular protons and mechanical forces, as well as neurotrophins and their signalling receptors. In the nervous tissues some neurotrophins regulate the expression of ASICs.

Acid-sensing ion channels in healthy and degenerated human intervertebral disc.

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are a family of H(+)-gated voltage-insensitive ion channels that respond to extracellular acidification by regulating transmembrane Ca(2+) flux. Moreover, ASICs can also be gated by mechanical forces and may function as mechanosensors. The cells of the intervertebral disc (IVD) have an unusual acidic and hyperosmotic microenvironment.

[Innervation of the intervertebral disc].

Until very recently, intervertebral disc innervation was a subject of considerable debate. Nowadays, the introduction of inmunohistochemical techniques associated to specific antibodies and studies with retrograde tracers in nerves have allowed greater understanding of disc innervation in physiological and pathological conditions and also endings characteristics and their patterns of distribution in both situations. The existing controversies regarding structural basis of discogenic pain, have raised the interest of knowing the influence of innervation in back pain from discal origin and its characteristics.

[Orbital leiomyoma. Case report and review of the literature].

Leiomyoma are slowly growing lesions arising from smooth muscle. Orbital location has been reported in 25 cases. Histological findings and no recurrence after total resection support their benign behaviour.

[Nerve reconstruction techniques in traumatic brachial plexus surgery. Part 2: intraplexal nerve transfers].

After the great enthusiasm generated in the '70s and '80s in brachial plexus surgery as a result of the incorporation of microsurgical techniques and other advances, brachial plexus surgery has been shaken in the last two decades by the emergence of nerve transfer techniques or neurotizations. This technique consists in sectioning a donor nerve, sacrificing its original function, to connect it with the distal stump of a receptor nerve, whose function was lost during the trauma. Neurotizations are indicated when direct repair is not possible, i.

[Nerve reconstruction techniques in traumatic brachial plexus surgery. Part 1: extraplexal nerve transfers].

After the great enthusiasm generated in the '70s and '80s in brachial plexus surgery as a result of the incorporation of microsurgical techniques and other advances, brachial plexus surgery has been shaken in the last two decades by the emergence of nerve transfer techniques or neurotizations. This technique consists in sectioning a donor nerve, sacrificing its original function, to connect it with the distal stump of a receptor nerve, whose function was lost during the trauma. Neurotizations are indicated when direct repair is not possible, i.

Giant-cell granuloma of the axis.

Giant-cell granuloma is a benign and nonneoplastic lesion with an expansive and locally destructive behavior. It typically involves the mandible and the maxilla. Only 1 case arising from the odontoid process of the axis has been reported previously.

[Intraneural cysts of the peroneal nerve in childhood: report of 2 cases and literature review].

Intraneural cysts are benign lesions filled with mucinous content and located inside the epineurum of the peripheral nerves. Peroneal nerve is the most affected nerve. The entity is rare and its ethiopathology still remains to be definitely elucidated.

Brown tumor of the orbital roof as an initial and isolated manifestation of secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Brown tumors appear in advanced stages of hyperparathyroidism. Only 17 cases have been documented in the orbit. We report a case of a young woman with a brown tumor in the orbital roof.

Complexity analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid pulse waveform during infusion studies.

Purpose: Nonlinear dynamics has enhanced the diagnostic abilities of some physiological signals. Recent studies have shown that the complexity of the intracranial pressure waveform decreases during periods of intracranial hypertension in paediatric patients with acute brain injury. We wanted to assess changes in the complexity of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure signal over the large range covered during the study of CSF circulation with infusion studies.

Intervertebral disc, sensory nerves and neurotrophins: who is who in discogenic pain?

The normal intervertebral disc (IVD) is a poorly innervated organ supplied only by sensory (mainly nociceptive) and postganglionic sympathetic (vasomotor efferents) nerve fibers. Interestingly, upon degeneration, the IVD becomes densely innervated even in regions that in normal conditions lack innervation. This increased innervation has been associated with pain of IVD origin.