Increased Risk of Adjacent Segment Spondylolisthesis or Instability Following L5-S1 Versus L4-S1 Fixation for L5-S1 High-Grade Dysplastic Spondylolisthesis in Children.

Objective: High-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis (HGDS) is a relatively rare condition mainly involving the L5/S1 segment of the spine and occurring in children and adolescents. Whether surgical fixation should be L5-S1 monosegmental or extended up to L4 remains controversial. This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes and the risk of adjacent segment spondylolisthesis between L5-S1 monosegmental fixation and L4-S1 double-segmental fixation for pediatric HGDS.

Pathogenesis of thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum.

Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) is characterized by ectopic ossification of the ligamentum flavum in the thoracic spine and is considered the main cause of thoracic spinal stenosis and spinal cord disease. Osteoblast specific transcription factor Osterix (Osx) is required for bone formation, and there is no bone formation or ossification without Osx. Surgical intervention is recognized as the only effective method for TOLF treatment with set of complications.

A Nomogram for Predicting Late-Onset Neurological Deficits in the Natural Course of Kyphosis or Kyphoscoliosis.

Study Design: Retrospective single-center comparative analysis.

Objective: To develop a nomogram model for predicting late-onset neurological deficits (LONDs) in patients with kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis.

Summary Of Background Data: Patients with kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis might suffer from LONDs, and surgical correction may improve neurological function.

Methane fueled lake pelagic food webs in a Cretaceous greenhouse world.

Methane (CH) is a potent greenhouse gas but also an important carbon and energy substrate for some lake food webs. Understanding how CH incorporates into food webs is, therefore, crucial for unraveling CH cycling and its impacts on climate and ecosystems. However, CH-fueled lake food webs from pre-Holocene intervals, particularly during greenhouse climates in Earth history, have received relatively little attention.

Efficacy of Preoperative Autologous Blood Donation for Surgical Treatment of Thoracic Spinal Stenosis: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.

Objective: Thoracic spinal stenosis (TSS) surgeries necessitate a substantial amount of allogeneic blood resources. However, the efficacy of preoperative autologous blood donation (PABD) in TSS surgery has not been clearly evaluated. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PABD for TSS surgery.

Morphological innovation did not drive diversification in Mesozoic-Cenozoic brachiopods.

Over long spans of geological time, various groups of organisms may wax and wane, experiencing times of apparent success and contraction. These rises and falls are often said to reflect either opportunities created by climate change or the relative success of innovative characteristics. Phylum Brachiopoda was one of the most successful marine clades before the Permian/Triassic mass extinction (PTME), but after this event, they became marginal components of marine communities through to the present day.

Stiffness-related disability following long segmental posterior instrumentation and fusion: is it influenced by postoperative spinopelvic alignment?

Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the correlations between Chinese version of Lumbar Stiffness Disability Index (C-LSDI) and other clinical outcomes, and to identify the factors independently affecting stiffness-related disability after long-segment fusion in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS).

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 118 consecutive surgically treated DLS cases at a single institute. Pre- and post-operative radiological parameters and postoperative health related quality of life (HRQOL) were examined to determine their correlation coefficients with postoperative C-LSDI.

Impact of postoperative spinal malalignment on postoperative health-related quality of life after long-level fixation for degenerative lumbar scoliosis: does residual coronal angularity matter?

Purpose: This study evaluates the influence of spinal malalignment on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a long-level fusion spine.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 121 consecutive patients with DLS after long-segment fusion. HRQOL and radiographic parameters were collected at final follow-up.

Posterior Thoracic Antidisplacement and Fusion Surgery for a Special Type of Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament in the Thoracic Spine: Indications and Preliminary Clinical Results of 2-Year Follow-Up.

Objective: To describe a novel technique, posterior thoracic antidisplacement and fusion (PTAF), for a special type of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament in the thoracic spine (T-OPLL), and to evaluate its safety and efficacy.

Methods: From July to December 2020, 5 consecutive patients with beak-type T-OPLL located at the thoracic vertebral body level underwent PTAF surgery. Their demographic data, radiological parameters, perioperative complications, and surgery-related findings were recorded and analyzed.

Abiotic synthesis of graphitic carbons in the Eoarchean Saglek-Hebron metasedimentary rocks.

Graphite in metasedimentary rocks of the Eoarchean Saglek-Hebron Gneiss Complex (Canada) is depleted in C and has been interpreted as one of the oldest traces of life on Earth. The variation in crystallinity of this oldest graphitic carbon could possibly confirm the effect of metamorphism on original biomass, but this is still unexplored. Here, we report specific mineral associations with graphitic carbons that also have a range of crystallinity in the Saglek-Hebron metasedimentary rocks.

Light-induced giant enhancement of nonreciprocal transport at KTaO-based interfaces.

Nonlinear transport is a unique functionality of noncentrosymmetric systems, which reflects profound physics, such as spin-orbit interaction, superconductivity and band geometry. However, it remains highly challenging to enhance the nonreciprocal transport for promising rectification devices. Here, we observe a light-induced giant enhancement of nonreciprocal transport at the superconducting and epitaxial CaZrO/KTaO (111) interfaces.

Circular RNA CircFOXO3 Functions as a Competitive Endogenous RNA for Acid-Sensing Ion Channel Subunit 1 Mediating Oxeiptosis in Nucleus Pulposus.

Oxeiptosis is a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced pathway of cell death. The involvement of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been confirmed in the incidence and progression of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). However, whether oxeiptosis occurs in IVDD and how circRNAs regulate oxeiptosis is still unclear.

Defect-induced helicity dependent terahertz emission in Dirac semimetal PtTe thin films.

Nonlinear transport enabled by symmetry breaking in quantum materials has aroused considerable interest in condensed matter physics and interdisciplinary electronics. However, achieving a nonlinear optical response in centrosymmetric Dirac semimetals via defect engineering has remained a challenge. Here, we observe the helicity dependent terahertz emission in Dirac semimetal PtTe thin films via the circular photogalvanic effect under normal incidence.

Imaging signs for preoperative diagnosis of dural ossification in patients with thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum: a blind, randomized diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Dural ossification (DO) is the leading cause of surgery-related dural tear in patients with ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF). An accurate preoperative diagnosis of DO is conducive to the selection of appropriate surgical methods. Although several imaging signs, such as Banner cloud sign (BCs), tram-track sign (TTs), and comma sign (Cs) have been proposed for the preoperative diagnosis of DO, their diagnostic value has not been well studied.

New keratose sponges after the end-Permian extinction provide insights into biotic recoveries.

We challenge the prevailing view that the end-Permian extinction impeded the Triassic evolution of sponges. Here, we report a deep-water community dominated by abundant keratose sponges in the lowest Triassic strata from Southwest China. The sponge fossils occur as dark elliptical imprints in mudstone with distinct oscula on their tops.

A network pharmacology approach to reveal the key ingredients in Scrophulariae Radix (SR) and their effects against Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Scrophulariae Radix (SR) is a commonly used medicinal plant. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is no effective treatment. This study aims to initially clarify the potential mechanism of SR in the treatment of AD based on network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.

Impact of preoperative clinical state on 2-year clinical outcomes following degenerative lumbar scoliosis surgery.

To assess the preoperative clinical state's impact on clinical outcomes after surgery for degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) based on the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Preoperative and follow-up (FU) scores in each Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) domain were compared with age- and sex-matched normative references. At baseline, patients were classified by differences from normative values in four groups: Worst, Severe, Poor, and Moderate.

PTGR1 is involved in cell proliferation in thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum.

Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) is a heterotopic ossification of spinal ligaments, leading to serious myelopathy. TOLF underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Our iTRAQ analysis have identified ten inflammatory factors related to TOLF, including l.

Bayesian analyses indicate bivalves did not drive the downfall of brachiopods following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction.

Certain times of major biotic replacement have often been interpreted as broadly competitive, mediated by innovation in the succeeding clades. A classic example was the switch from brachiopods to bivalves as major seabed organisms following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME), ~252 million years ago. This was attributed to competitive exclusion of brachiopods by the better adapted bivalves or simply to the fact that brachiopods had been hit especially hard by the PTME.

Interleukin-17A Promotes Proliferation and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Ligamentum Flavum Cells Through Regulation of β-Catenin Signaling.

Study Design: A basic experimental study.

Objective: To elucidate the role and mechanism of interleukin (IL)-17A in thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF).

Summary Of Background Data: TOLF is characterized by the replacement of the thoracic ligamentum flavum with ossified tissue and is one of the leading causes of thoracic spinal stenosis.

Learning Curve and Clinical Outcomes of Ultrasonic Osteotome-based En Bloc Laminectomy for Thoracic Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum.

Objective: Despite rapid advances in minimally invasive surgery, en bloc laminectomy remains the most common surgical approach for treating thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF). However, the learning curve of this risky operation is rarely reported. Therefore, we aimed to describe and analyze the learning curve of ultrasonic osteotome-based en bloc laminectomy for TOLF.

Clinical and radiographic features of adult calcified thoracic disc herniation: a retrospective analysis of 31 cases.

Purpose: To analyze the clinical and radiographic characteristics of calcified thoracic disc herniation (CTDH) and explore the possible pathogeneses.

Methods: This is a retrospective clinical review of prospectively collected imaging data based at a single institute from 2004 to 2021. Clinical and radiographic parameters of CTDH patients were retrospectively collected and analyzed.