Integrated multi-omics analysis reveals molecular changes associated with chronic lipid accumulation following contusive spinal cord injury.

Functional and pathological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) is often incomplete due to the limited regenerative capacity of the central nervous system (CNS), which is further impaired by several mechanisms that sustain tissue damage. Among these, the chronic activation of immune cells can cause a persistent state of local CNS inflammation and damage. However, the mechanisms that sustain this persistent maladaptive immune response in SCI have not been fully clarified yet.

MiR-223 enhances lipophagy by suppressing CTSB in microglia following lysolecithin-induced demyelination in mice.

Background: Lipid droplet (LD)-laden microglia is a key pathological hallmark of multiple sclerosis. The recent discovery of this novel microglial subtype, lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia (LDAM), is notable for increased inflammatory factor secretion and diminished phagocytic capability. Lipophagy, the autophagy-mediated selective degradation of LDs, plays a critical role in this context.

A Retrospective Study of the Effect of Spinopelvic Parameters on Fatty Infiltration in Paraspinal Muscles in Patients With Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

Objective: The effect on fat infiltration (FI) of paraspinal muscles in degenerative lumbar spinal diseases has been demonstrated except for spinopelvic parameters. The present study is to identify the effect of spinopelvic parameters on FI of paraspinal muscle (PSM) and psoas major muscle (PMM) in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective cross-sectional study of 160 patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) and lumbar stenosis (LSS) who had lateral full-spine x-ray and lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging was conducted.

Ipsilateral Fixation and Reconstruction of the Cervical Spine after Resection of a Dumbbell Tumor Via a Unilateral Posterior Approach: A Case Report and Biomechanical Study.

Objective: There is lack of an internal fixation following resection of a dumbbell tumor by hemi-laminectomy and facetectomy that achieves adequate stability with less trauma. Unilateral fixation and reconstruction (unilateral pedicle screw and contralateral lamina screw fixation combined with lateral mass reconstruction, UPS + CLS + LM) may be an ideal technique to address this problem. A biomechanical comparison and a case report were designed to evaluate its spinal stability and clinical effect.

Disc degeneration contributes to the denser bone in the subendplate but not in the vertebral body in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis or disc herniation.

Background Context: It is commonly believed that decreased bone quality would lead to endplate degeneration and arthritic changes in the facet joints, and thus accelerated disc degeneration (DD). However, some more detailed studies of vertebral bone structure have found that bone mineral density (BMD) in the vertebral body is increased rather than decreased in moderate or greater disc degeneration. The relationship between BMD and DD still needs further study.

Bioinformatics analysis identified apolipoprotein E as a hub gene regulating neuroinflammation in macrophages and microglia following spinal cord injury.

Macrophages and microglia play important roles in chronic neuroinflammation following spinal cord injury (SCI). Although macrophages and microglia have similar functions, their phagocytic and homeostatic abilities differ. It is difficult to distinguish between these two populations , but single-cell analysis can improve our understanding of their identity and heterogeneity.

Medial Buttress Plate and Allograft Bone-Assisted Cannulated Screw Fixation for Unstable Femoral Neck Fracture with Posteromedial Comminution: A Retrospective Controlled Study.

Objective: To investigate the outcomes of open reduction and internal fixation combined with medial buttress plate (MBP) and allograft bone-assisted cannulated screw (CS) fixation for patients with unstable femoral neck fracture with comminuted posteromedial cortex.

Methods: In a retrospective study of patients operated on for unstable femoral neck fractures with comminuted posteromedial cortex from March 2016 to August 2020, the clinical and radiographic outcomes of 48 patients treated with CS + MBP were compared with the outcomes of 54 patients treated with CS only. All patients in the CS + MBP group were fixed by three CS and MBP (one-third tubular plates or reconstructive plates) with bone allografts.

Cervical Alignment of Patients with Basilar Invagination: A Radiological Study.

Objective: To investigate the cervical alignment and the relative range of motion (ROM) in patients with basilar invagination (BI).

Methods: A total of 40 BI cases (38.1 years old ± 17.

Genome-Wide Expression Difference of MicroRNAs in Basal Cell Carcinoma.

Distinct expression of the miRNAs has rarely been explored in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of skin, and the regulatory role of miRNAs in BCC development remains quite opaque. Here, we collected control tissues from adjacent noncancerous skin ( = 15; control group) and tissues at tumor centers from patients with cheek BCC ( = 15; BCC group) using punch biopsies. After six small RNA sequencing- (sRNA-seq-) based miRNA expression profiles were generated for both BCC and controls, including three biological replicates, we conducted comparative analysis on the sRNA-seq dataset, discovering 181 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) out of the 1,873 miRNAs in BCCs.

Proteomics and bioinformatics reveal insights into neuroinflammation in the acute to subacute phases in rat models of spinal cord contusion injury.

Neuroinflammation is recognized as a hallmark of spinal cord injury (SCI). Although neuroinflammation is an important pathogenic factor that leads to secondary injuries after SCI, neuroprotective anti-inflammatory treatments remain ineffective in the management of SCI. Moreover, the molecular signatures involved in the pathophysiological changes that occur during the course of SCI remain ambiguous.

Utility of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials in reflecting gross and fine motor functions after unilateral cervical spinal cord contusion injury.

Fine motor skills are thought to rely on the integrity of ascending sensory pathways in the spinal dorsal column as well as descending motor pathways that have a neocortical origin. However, the neurophysiological processes underlying communication between the somatosensory and motor pathways that regulate fine motor skills during spontaneous recovery after spinal cord contusion injury remain unclear. Here, we established a rat model of cervical hemicontusive injury using C5 laminectomy followed by contusional displacement of 1.

A preliminary study of a novel robotic system for pedicle screw fixation: A randomised controlled trial.

Background And Objective: Existing orthopaedic robotic systems are almost restricted to provide guidance for trajectory direction. In the present study, a novel spinal robotic system with automatic drilling power was introduced. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety in pedicle screw ​insertion of posterior lumbar interbody fusion assisted by this novel robotic system.

Cortical bone trajectory screws for the middle-upper thorax: An anatomico-radiological study.

To quantify the reference data concerning the morphometrics of the middle-upper thorax to guide the placement of cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screws.Eighty patients were studied on computed tomography (CT) scans. The reference anatomical parameters were measured.

Comparison of Cervical Spine Anatomy in Calves, Pigs and Humans.

Background Context: Animals are commonly used to model the human spine for in vitro and in vivo experiments. Many studies have investigated similarities and differences between animals and humans in the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. However, a quantitative anatomic comparison of calf, pig, and human cervical spines has not been reported.

[Establishment of a rabbit model of scoliosis induced by asymmetric load using springs].

Objective: To establish rabbit model of scoliosis induced with stable asymmetric lumbar loads.

Methods: Scoliosis was induced in 10 two-month-old New Zealand rabbits using 316L stainless steel springs placed between the unilateral transverse processes of L2 and L5. Serial radiographs were documented before and at 1, 4, 8, 9 and 12 weeks after the operation.

Computed tomographic morphometric analysis of pediatric clival screw placement at the craniovertebral junction.

Study Design: A computed tomography-based morphometric measurement of the pediatric craniovertebral junction for clival screw placement.

Objective: To identify morphometric differences of the pediatric clivus at different ages and establish guidelines for pediatric clival screw fixation.

Summary Of Background Data: Anterior fixation of the pediatric craniovertebral junction, a viable alternative to posterior occipital-cervical fixation, requires clival screw placement.

[Balloon inflating and cement filling for treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head: a three-dimensional infinite-element study].

Objective: To evaluate the biomechanical changes of balloon inflating and cement filling in avascular necrosis of the femoral head using finite-element analysis.

Methods: The procedure of percutaneous balloon inflating and cement filling was simulated in fresh specimen of human femoral head. CT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction were used to establish the three-dimensional model of the femoral head.

[Histology and proliferative capability of thoracic vertebral body growth plates of rats at different ages].

Objective: To compare the histological features of the thoracic vertebral body growth plates (VBGPs) of rats at different ages and assess their proliferative capability.

Methods: The thoracic VBGPs obtained from rats aged 1 day and 1, 4, 8, 16 and 28 weeks were identified using safranin O-fast green staining, and the height of the hypertrophic zone, proliferative zone, and resting zone were measured. The chondrocytes were isolated from these VBGPs with a modified trypsin-collagenase type II digestion method for primary culture in vitro.

[Effects of bioactive modification of poly-D,L-lactide acid scaffolds on the biological behaviors of the seed cells].

Objective: To study the changes in the biological behavior of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transfected with red fluorescent protein by lentivirus (RFP-BMSCs) seeded on in poly-D, L-lactide acid (PDLLA) scaffolds with bioactive modification by ammonia plasma and Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) in vitro.

Methods: Circular sheets of PDLLA scaffolds (8 mm in diameter and 1 mm in thickness) were prepared and aminated with PDLLA (group A) or modified with the peptide conjugate A/PDLLA (group PA), with untreated PDLLA as the control (group P). The RFP-BMSCs were seeded on the scaffold materials and their proliferation and metabolic activity were detected using CyQuant NF and Alamar blue staining.

Does whole-body vibration with alternative tilting increase bone mineral density and change bone metabolism in senior people?

Background And Aims: Whole-body vibration (WBV) presents as osteogenic in animal models and young patients, but the effect remains unclear in senior people. The use of alternative tilting during WBV to ameliorate bone mass and bone metabolism, particularly in senior people, has not previously been reported. This study assessed changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism in senior people after six-month treatment of whole-body vibration with alternative tilting (WBVAT).

[Studies on poly-D, L-lactide acid scaffolds modified by conjugation of bioactive peptides via ammonia plasma treatment].

Objective: To study the feasibility of preparation of the poly-D, L-lactide acid (PDLLA) scaffolds treated by ammonia plasma and subsequent conjugation of Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) peptides via amide linkage formation.

Methods: PDLLA scaffolds (8 mm diameter, 1 mm thickness) were prepared by solvent casting/particulate leaching procedure and then treated by ammonia plasma. The consequent scaffolds were labeled as aminated PDLLA (A/PDLLA).

The effect of cement augmentation and extension of posterior instrumentation on stabilization and adjacent level effects in the elderly spine.

Study Design: An in vitro cadaveric study comparing different implant fixation techniques using a repeated measures design.

Objective: To compare the effects of cement augmentation of pedicle screws and extension of posterior fixation on (i) 3-dimensional stabilization, and (ii) adjacent level effects in the aging spine.

Summary Of Background Data: Device loosening and adjacent level effects are concerns in implant fixation in the elderly spine.

Biomechanical evaluation of a dynamic pedicle screw fixation device.

Background: Recent innovations in dynamic devices have promised a reduction in stress shielding, protection of adjacent segment degeneration, and decreased implant failure. However, there have been few studies comparing the biomechanical properties of a rigid device in comparison to a dynamic posterior fixation device. The purpose of this study was to compare the immediate stability of a new dynamic pedicle screw fixation device with an equivalent rigid device.

[The effect of disc degeneration on the structural property distributions in the cervical vertebral endplates].

Objective: To study the effect of disc degeneration on the structural property distributions in the cervical vertebral endplates.

Methods: A 2 mm-diameter hemispherical indenter was used to perform indentation tests at 0.03 mm/s to the depth of 2 mm at 20 normalized locations in 50 bony endplates of intact human cervical vertebrae (C2 approximately C7).