Ten-Year Risk of Recall of Novel Spine Devices.

Study Design: Observational epidemiological study.

Objective: This study's primary objective was to examine the risk of recall for novel spine devices over time. Secondarily, we sought to analyze interbody fusion and vertebral body replacement (VBR) devices (corpectomy cages) as a risk factor for recall.

Prospective, randomized, multicenter study of intraosseous basivertebral nerve ablation for the treatment of chronic low back pain: 24-Month treatment arm results.

Background: Vertebral endplates, innervated by the basivertebral nerve, can be a source of vertebrogenic low back pain when damaged with inflammation, visible as types 1 or 2 Modic changes. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) compared basivertebral nerve ablation (BVNA) to standard care (SC) showed significant differences between arms at 3 and 6-months. At 12-months, significant improvements were sustained for BVNA.

Prospective, randomized, multicenter study of intraosseous basivertebral nerve ablation for the treatment of chronic low back pain: 12-month results.

Introduction: Vertebral endplates, innervated by the basivertebral nerve (BVN), are a source of chronic low back pain correlated with Modic changes. A randomized trial comparing BVN ablation to standard care (SC) recently reported results of an interim analysis. Here, we report the results of the full randomized trial, including the 3-month and 6-month between-arm comparisons, 12-month treatment arm results, and 6-month outcomes of BVN ablation in the former SC arm.

A prospective, randomized, multicenter study of intraosseous basivertebral nerve ablation for the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Background Context: Current literature suggests that degenerated or damaged vertebral endplates are a significant cause of chronic low back pain (LBP) that is not adequately addressed by standard care. Prior 2-year data from the treatment arm of a sham-controlled randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed maintenance of clinical improvements at 2 years following radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the basivertebral nerve (BVN).

Purpose: The purpose of this RCT was to compare the effectiveness of intraosseous RF ablation of the BVN to standard care for the treatment of chronic LBP in a specific subgroup of patients suspected to have vertebrogenic related symptomatology.

Cervical Disk Arthroplasty.

Anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion has been and remains the benchmark surgical management of cervical degenerative disk disease. However, an increased use of cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) has been found in the past few years. The purported benefits of CDA included preserved motion, less adjacent-level degeneration, and less morbidity.

Retropharyngeal Steroids and Dysphagia Following Multilevel Anterior Cervical Surgery.

Study Design: A retrospective case-control study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of retropharyngeal steroids on postoperative dysphagia scores and clinical outcomes following multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

Summary Of Background Data: Dysphagia is a well-known complication following ACDF surgery and increased rates of dysphagia are seen with increased levels of surgery.

Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) is one of the more commonly encountered spine conditions. The diagnosis of DS has changed little in the last 30 years. However, there has been an evolution in the treatment of this disease entity.

Minimally invasive spine surgery in the treatment of thoracolumbar and lumbar spine trauma.

Thoracolumbar and lumbar trauma account for the majority of traumatic spinal injuries. The mainstay of current treatments is still nonoperative therapy with bracing. Classic treatment algorithms reserved absolute surgical intervention for spinal trauma patients with neurological compromise or instability.

Unicompartmental knee replacement after high tibial osteotomy: Invalidating a contraindication.

The outcome of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) deteriorates with time, and additional procedures may be required. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) and total knee replacement (TKR) after HTO as well as after primary UKR. A total of 63 patients (63 knees) were studied retrospectively and divided into three groups: UKR after HTO (group A; n = 22), TKR after HTO (group B; n = 18) and primary UKR (group C; n = 22).

Inhibition of CCL2 signaling in combination with docetaxel treatment has profound inhibitory effects on prostate cancer growth in bone.

The C-C chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) stimulates migration, proliferation, and invasion of prostate cancer (PCa) cells, and its signaling also plays a role in the activation of osteoclasts. Therefore targeting CCL2 signaling in regulation of tumor progression in bone metastases is an area of intense research. The objective of our study was to investigate the efficacy of CCL2 blockade by neutralizing antibodies to inhibit the growth of PCa in bone.

Molecular assays for the detection of prostate tumor derived nucleic acids in peripheral blood.

Background: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in American men. Although serum PSA testing is widely used for early detection, more specific prognostic tests are needed to guide treatment decisions. Recently, the enumeration of circulating prostate epithelial cells has been shown to correlate with disease recurrence and metastasis following definitive treatment.

Inhibition of angiopoietin-2 in LuCaP 23.1 prostate cancer tumors decreases tumor growth and viability.

Background: Angiopoietin-2 is expressed in prostate cancer (PCa) bone, liver, and lymph node metastases, whereas, its competitor angiopoietin-1 has limited expression in these tissues. Therefore, we hypothesized that the inhibition of angiopoietin-2 activity in PCa will impede angiogenesis, tumor growth, and alter bone response in vivo.

Methods: To test our hypothesis we used L1-10, a peptide-Fc fusion that inhibits interactions between angiopoietin-2 and its receptor tie2.

Low dose, alternating electric current inhibits growth of prostate cancer.

Background: A number of minimally invasive technologies exist for the treatment of prostate cancer (CaP), each with their associated morbidities. We sought to test the efficacy of low dose alternating electric current (LDAEC) to inhibit CaP growth in a preclinical setting and determine its effect on normal tissue.

Methods: In the first study, two power settings, 15 or 25 mA of current, and two treatment times, 15 or 60 min, were evaluated in C4-2B CaP xenografts.

HE3235 inhibits growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Treatments for advanced prostate cancer (CaP) typically involve androgen deprivation therapy. However, most patients eventually develop castration-resistant CaP (CRPC) for which highly effective therapies are limited. We explored the efficacy of a novel agent, HE3235, in inhibiting growth of CRPC in preclinical models.

Dasatinib inhibits the growth of prostate cancer in bone and provides additional protection from osteolysis.

Background: Dasatinib is a small molecule kinase inhibitor that has recently been shown to inhibit Src family kinases (SFK) and also has activity against CaP. Of importance to metastatic CaP, which frequently metastasises to bone, SFK are also vital to the regulation of bone remodelling. We sought to determine the ability of dasatinib to inhibit growth of CaP in bone.

Targeted therapy for advanced prostate cancer: inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

A large number of novel therapeutics is currently undergoing clinical evaluation for the treatment of prostate cancer, and small molecule signal transduction inhibitors are a promising class of agents. These inhibitors have recently become a standard therapy in renal cell carcinoma and offer significant promise in prostate cancer. Through an understanding of the key pathways involved in prostate cancer progression, a rational drug design can be aimed at the molecules critical to cellular signaling.