Is It Meaningful and Necessary to Avoid the Seventh Cervical Vertebra in Long Level Cervical Fusion?

Aim: To compare the clinical and radiological results of patients who underwent multilevel posterior cervical fusion (PCF) with different end levels (C6 or C7).

Material And Methods: We collected radiographs and clinical results of all subjects who underwent 3 level or more PCF for degenerative disease from May 2012 to December 2020. Based on the location of the end of fusion during surgery, patients were divided into C6 (group 1) and C7 patients (group 2).

Comparison of the Efficacy of an Anchored Cage with Unidirectional and Bidirectional Screw Fixation in Single-Level Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Surgery.

Aim: To compare, and to analyze the clinical and radiological signs between bidirectional and unidirectional screw fixation in single level cervical discectomy and fusion surgery.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data collected from 90 patients and divided them into the upper or lower spine fixation group (unidirectional) and the normal upper and lower spine fixation group (bidirectional). The patients' demographic data and preoperative and postoperative (24 months) clinical outcomes were collected.

Posterior Facetectomy with Fusion Using a Pedicle Screw for Parallel-shaped Cervical Foraminal Stenosis.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of posterior facetectomy with fusion using pedicle screw (PF using FPS) for severe cervical foraminal stenosis of parallel shape.

Methods: Patients (n=8) with 1- or 2-level parallel-shaped cervical foraminal stenosis who underwent posterior facetectomy with fusion using cervical pedicle screw between March 2012 and August 2016 were enrolled. Patients were followed up immediately postoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively.

The Learning Curve of Subaxial Cervical Pedicle Screw Placement: How Can We Avoid Neurovascular Complications in the Initial Period?

Background: Despite the biomechanical benefits of subaxial cervical pedicle screw (CPS) placement, possible neurovascular complications, including vertebral artery and nerve root injury, are of great concern. We have demonstrated many times the safety and efficacy of CPS deployments, even when using freehand technology.

Objective: To analyze the learning curve of CPS placement to determine the number of cases necessary for assuring safe CPS placement and to identify a reasonable accuracy rate.

Cervical Spondyloptosis Successfully Treated with Only Posterior Short Segment Fusion Using Cervical Pedicle Screw Fixation.

This paper describes two patients with cervical spondyloptosis with severe spinal cord injury treated with cervical pedicle screw (CPS) through a single-stage operation, posterior approach. A 60-year-old male patient with quadriparesis due to trauma 1 day before visited the emergency room. Cervical spine computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging showed complete dislocation of the C7 and T1 vertebrae with severe spinal cord compression, disc injury, and disc herniation at the C7-T1 level.

Vertebral Artery Injury in C2-3 Epidural Schwannoma Resection: A Case Report and Literature Review.

The incidence of vertebral artery (VA) injury (VAI) in posterior approach tumor resection surgery is extremely rare, but it can lead to serious complication. In this case, a 57-year-old man underwent surgery for resection of the tumor involving left epidural space and neural foramen at C2-3 level. Iatrogenic VAI occurred suddenly during tumor resection procedure using pituitary forceps.

Alkaline phosphatases and aminopeptidases are altered in a Cry11Aa resistant strain of Aedes aegypti.

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) is widely used for the biological control of mosquito populations. However, the mechanism of Bti toxins is still not fully understood.

Aedes cadherin mediates the in vivo toxicity of the Cry11Aa toxin to Aedes aegypti.

Cadherin plays an important role in the toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins. We previously cloned a full-length cadherin from Aedes aegypti larvae and reported this protein binds Cry11Aa toxin from B. thuringiensis subsp.

Osseous microarchitecture of the scaphoid: Cadaveric study of regional variations and clinical implications.

Bone strength and structure are closely associated with fracture and screw fixation, however osseous micro architecture on scaphoid has not been clearly addressed. We conducted histomorphometric study of the scaphoid using micro CT to find regional variations and differences in the scaphoid to provide better understanding of fracture mechanism and suggest optimal screw position. We divided scaphoid into eight regions and collected regional data from eleven different cadaveric scaphoids.