The dynamic stabilization of lumbar spine is a non-fusion stabilization system that unloads the disc without the complete loss of motion at the treated motion segment. Clinical outcomes are promising but still not definitive, and the long-term effect on instrumented and adjacent levels is still a matter of discussion. Several experiments have been devised in order to gain a better understanding of the effect of the device on the intervertebral disc. One of the hypotheses was that while instrumented levels are partially relieved from loading, adjacent levels suffer from the increased stress. But this has not been proved yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of dynamic stabilization in vivo, through the quantification of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) concentration within instrumented and adjacent levels by means of the delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol. Ten patients with low back pain, unresponsive to conservative treatment and scheduled for Dynesys implantation at one to three lumbar spine levels, underwent the dGEMRIC protocol to quantify GAG concentration before and 6 months after surgery. Each patient was also evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry, Prolo, Modic and Pfirrmann scales, both at pre-surgery and at follow-up. Six months after implantation, VAS, Prolo and Oswestry scales had improved in all patients. Pfirrmann scale could not detect any change, while dGEMRIC data already showed a general improvement in the instrumented levels: GAG was increased in 61% of the instrumented levels, while 68% of the non-instrumented levels showed a decrease in GAG, mainly in the posterior disc portion. In particular, seriously GAG-depleted discs seemed to have the greatest benefit from the Dynesys implantation, whereas less degenerated discs underwent a GAG depletion. dGEMRIC was able to visualize changes in both instrumented and non-instrumented levels. Our results suggest that the dynamic stabilization of lumbar spine is able to stop and partially reverse the disc degeneration, especially in seriously degenerated discs, while incrementing the stress on the adjacent levels, where it induces a matrix suffering and an early degeneration.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2899614 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00586-009-0996-7 | DOI Listing |
Chaos
January 2025
School of Science, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China.
Humans and predators occupy dominant positions in ecosystems and are generally believed to play a decisive role in maintaining ecosystem stability, particularly in the context of virus transmission. However, this may not always be the case. By establishing some ecosystem virus transmission models that cover both human perspectives and predators, we have drawn the following conclusions: (1) Controlling vaccination activities from the human perspective can potentially lower the transmission rate and improve herd immunity, thereby indirectly protecting unvaccinated risk groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMikrochim Acta
January 2025
Guizhou Province, Qianzhi Mingguang Soaphorn Rice Processing Base, Zhijin County, Maochang Town, Bijie CityBijie City, 552103, China.
A smartphone-based non-invasive method was developed for salivary uric acid detection using Gleditsia Sinensis carbon dots (GS-CDs). The GS-CDs synthesized by the one-pot hydrothermal method emitted blue fluorescence at a maximum excitation wavelength of 350 nm and had good fluorescence stability in the presence of different ions, while showing selectivity to uric acid solution. The ability of uric acid (UA) to quench the fluorescent substances present in the GS-CDs, was confirmed through HPLC-FLD and LC-MS, FTIR and XPS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Biochem Biotechnol
January 2025
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Diabetes affects approximately 422 million people worldwide, leading to 1.5 million deaths annually and causing severe complications such as kidney failure, neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease. Aldose reductase (AR), a key enzyme in the polyol pathway, is an important therapeutic target for managing these complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoscale
January 2025
School of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
Serum albumin has myriad uses in biotechnology, but its value as a nanocarrier or nanoplatform for therapeutics is becoming increasingly important, notably with albumin-bound chemotherapeutics. Another emerging field is the fabrication of biopolymeric nanoparticles using albumin as a building block to achieve highly-tunable nonimmunogenic capsules or scaffolds that may be cheaply and reliably produced. The aim of this study was to characterize and optimize the desolvation process used for fabrication of albumin nanoparticles under ambient conditions, studying both glutaraldehyde (GT) and glucose (GLU) as crosslinking agents and the effect of various synthesis conditions including pH, electrolyte concentration, and rate of desolvation on particle size and stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Materdicine Lab, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444 Shanghai, P. R. China.
The presence of a substantial necrotic core in atherosclerotic plaques markedly heightens the risk of rupture, a consequence of elevated iron levels that exacerbate oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, thereby sustaining a detrimental cycle of ferroptosis and inflammation. Concurrently targeting both ferroptosis and inflammation is crucial for the effective treatment of vulnerable plaques. In this study, we introduce gallium hexacyanoferrate nanoabsorption catalysts (GaHCF NACs) designed to disrupt this pathological cycle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!