Improvements in Intractable Lumbar and LowerExtremity Symptoms after Systemic Administration of Tocilizumab, an Anti-interleukin-6 Receptor Antibody.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study (open-label, single-arm, and non-blinded).

Purpose: This study aims to determine the effects of systemic administration of tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antibody on refractory low back pain and leg symptoms.

Overview Of Literature: IL-6 overexpression is associated with neuropathic pain pathogenesis, which is potentially followed by chronic low back pain, including leg pain and numbness.

Longitudinal Evaluation of the Histological Changes in a Rat Model of Paravertebral Muscle Injury.

Introduction: Thus far, few reports have described the time series histological variations in injured paravertebral muscle tissues for long durations, considering the type of pain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate histological changes in injured paravertebral muscles and dominant nerves considering the type of pain.

Methods: We used 59 eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Vascular endothelial growth factor in degenerating intervertebral discs of rat caudal vertebrae.

Introduction: Discogenic back pain remains poorly understood with respect to etiopathogenesis, despite being a considerable burden. We sought to examine the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in injured intervertebral discs in rat caudal vertebrae.

Methods: Forty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to 2 groups according to disc puncture injury: puncture (n = 32) or non-puncture (n = 16).

Efficacy of nerve growth factor antibody in a knee osteoarthritis pain model in mice.

Background: Nerve growth factor (NGF) is not only an important factor in nerve growth but also a major contributor to the production of inflammation. It has been reported that inhibiting NGF could reduce several types of pain in several animal models. Here, we aimed to clarify the efficacy of NGF antibody in a knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain model in mice.

Inhibiting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Injured Intervertebral Discs Attenuates Pain-Related Neuropeptide Expression in Dorsal Root Ganglia in Rats.

Study Design: An experimental animal study.

Purpose: To evaluate effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the content and distribution of the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the dorsal ganglia in a rat model.

Overview Of Literature: Increased expression of VEGF in degenerative disc disease increases the levels of inflammatory cytokines and nerve ingrowth into the damaged discs.

Platelet-rich plasma enhances bone union in posterolateral lumbar fusion: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background Context: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) accelerates bone union in vivo in a rodent model of spinal fusion surgery. However, PRP's effect on bone union after spinal surgery remains unclear.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PRP after posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) surgery.

Correlation among Inflammatory Cytokine Expression Levels, Degree of Disk Degeneration, and Predominant Clinical Symptoms in Patients with Degenerated Intervertebral Discs.

Study Design: Observational study.

Purpose: To assess the correlation among inflammatory cytokine expression levels, degree of intervertebral disk (IVD) degeneration, and predominant clinical symptoms observed in degenerative disk disease (DDD).

Overview Of Literature: Low back pain (LBP) is associated with inflammatory cytokine expression levels, including those of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and nerve growth factor (NGF).

Long-Term Outcomes of Fusion for Treating Dysplastic Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design: Retrospective, observational, single-center study.

Purpose: To investigate the long-term outcomes of fusion procedures for treating dysplastic spondylolisthesis.

Overview Of Literature: fusion performed in patients with dysplastic spondylolisthesis avoids the development of nerve complications.

Anatomical evaluation of lumbar nerves using diffusion tensor imaging and implications of lateral decubitus for lateral transpsoas approach.

Purpose: Recently, lateral interbody fusion (LIF) has become more prevalent, and evaluation of lumbar nerves has taken on new importance. We report on the assessment of anatomical relationships between lumbar nerves and vertebral bodies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Methods: Fifty patients with degenerative lumbar disease and ten healthy subjects underwent DTI.

Evaluation of Histological Changes in Back Muscle Injuries in Rats over Time.

Study Design: Animal model study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histological variation in the injured muscle and production of calcitonin gene-related peptide in rats over time.

Overview Of Literature: Vertebral surgery has been reported to cause atrophy of the back muscles, which may result in pain.

The efficacy of nerve growth factor antibody in a mouse model of neuropathic cancer pain.

Neuropathic cancer pain is caused by tumors compressing the spinal nerve roots and is usually difficult to treat. The aim of current study was to determine the influence of NGF antibody on pain-related markers and behavior in a mouse model of neuropathic cancer pain. Twenty mice were used to model neuropathic cancer pain by applying murine sarcoma cells to their left sciatic nerve.

Low-Dose Tramadol and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Combination Therapy Prevents the Transition to Chronic Low Back Pain.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Purpose: To determine whether low-dose tramadol plus non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug combination therapy could prevent the transition of acute low back pain to chronic low back pain.

Overview Of Literature: Inadequately treated early low back pain transitions to chronic low back pain occur in approximately 30% of affected individuals.

Dose Optimization for Single Intradiscal Administration of the Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitor, Etanercept, in Rat Disc Injury Models.

Study Design: Experimental animal study.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the optimal dose of a single direct injection of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitor, etanercept, by using the rat model of degenerative intervertebral disc from injury.

Overview Of Literature: The pain-related peptide expression was suppressed in the etanercept (100 µg and 1,000 µg)-administered groups in a dose-dependent manner.

Oriented collagen tubes combined with basic fibroblast growth factor promote peripheral nerve regeneration in a 15 mm sciatic nerve defect rat model.

We developed a new scaffold material-oriented collagen tubes (OCT)-and evaluated the potential of OCTs combined with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to repair of a 15 mm sciatic nerve defect in rats. The treatment groups consisted of OCT with adsorbed bFGF (OCT/bFGF group), OCT in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (OCT/PBS group), and a no-treatment group (Defect group). Functional evaluation of nerve regeneration was performed using the CatWalk system, and histological analyses of the defect sites were also performed.

Pregabalin for Refractory Radicular Leg Pain due to Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Preliminary Prospective Study.

We investigated the efficacy of pregabalin (PGB) for neuropathic leg pain in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patients with disturbed activities of daily living (ADL)/quality of life (QOL) in a prospective observational study. Subjects were a total of 104 LSS patients with neuropathic pain (NeP) in leg and neurological intermittent claudication (IMC) refractory to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for at least a month. NeP was identified using screening tool, Pain DETECT questionnaire.

One-Year Prospective Evaluation of the Technique of Percutaneous Cortical Bone Trajectory Spondylodesis in Comparison with Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation: A Preliminary Report with Technical Note.

 Cortical bone trajectory (CBT) spondylodesis is a novel screw fixation method in which screws are inserted through the pedicle in a caudal-medial to cephalad-lateral direction, providing a similar or more rigid spinal fixation compared with traditional pedicle screws. However, the traditional CBT technique requires invasive detaching and opening of the paraspinal muscle. In a small clinical prospective study we introduced a percutaneous CBT fixation technique by modifying the percutaneous pedicle screw (PPS) technique and evaluated the short-term outcome.

Efficacy of Anti-NaV1.7 Antibody on the Sensory Nervous System in a Rat Model of Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Injury.

Purpose: The pathophysiology of discogenic low back pain is not fully understood. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are associated with primary sensory nerve transmission, and the NaV1.7 channel has emerged as an analgesic target.

Muscle injury in rats induces upregulation of inflammatory cytokines in injured muscle and calcitonin gene-related peptide in dorsal root ganglia innervating the injured muscle.

Introduction: In this study we evaluated the relationships among the behavioral changes after muscle injury, histological changes, changes in inflammatory cytokines in the injured muscle, and changes in the sensory nervous system innervating the muscle in rats.

Methods: We established a model of muscle injury in rats using a dropped weight. Behavior was assessed using the CatWalk system.

Differences in levels of inflammatory mediators in meniscal and synovial tissue of patients with meniscal lesions.

Background: Meniscal injuries are a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA). While a mechanical pathway between meniscal injury and OA has been described, the biological effects of inflammation on this pathway have yet to be clarified. The aim of our study was to compare levels of specific inflammatory mediators, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and nerve growth factor (NGF), in injured and uninjured meniscal tissue and related knee joint synovium.

Single intradiscal injection of the interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab provides short-term relief of discogenic low back pain; prospective comparative cohort study.

Background: Inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, are gaining attention as important etiologic factors associated with discogenic low back pain. We conducted a prospective cohort study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intradiscal injection of the interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab in patients with discogenic low back pain.

Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients were intradiscally injected with 2 mL of 0.

Decreased calcitonin gene-related peptide expression in the dorsal root ganglia of TNF-deficient mice in a monoiodoacetate-induced knee osteoarthritis model.

Background: The detailed mechanisms of knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain have not been clarified, but involvement of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) has been suggested. The present study aimed to investigate the more detailed neurological involvement of TNF in joint pain using a TNF-knockout mouse OA model.

Methods: The right knees of twelve-week-old C57BL/6J wild and TNF-deficient knockout (TNF-ko) mice (n=15, each group) were given a single intra-articular injection of 10 µg monoiodoacetate in 10 mL sterile saline.

Erratum: Correction of Figures. The Time Course Changes in Bone Metabolic Markers after Administering the Anti-Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Ligand Antibody and Drug Compliance among Patients with Osteoporosis.

[This corrects the article on p. 338 in vol. 9, PMID: 26097648.

Effect of administration of antibodies against nerve growth factor in a rat model of muscle injury.

Introduction: Although muscle injury is a common source of pain, the mechanism causing such pain is not completely known. We have previously reported nerve growth factor (NGF) as a proinflammatory mediator involved in acute pain, and clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of anti-NGF antibodies for management of low back pain. Here, we aim to examine the effects of anti-NGF antibodies on muscle-derived pain by studying their effects on sensory innervation in a rat muscle injury model.