Spine

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe brace use, progression of scoliosis, and surgery in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and spina bifida (SB) who were initially treated with a brace. METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively analysed for brace compliance, treatment complications, curve size measurements with and without the brace at both start and at follow-up, and number of patients undergoing spine surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-eight children were included (CP 47, SB 21), 37 of whom were girls, with a mean age at start of treatment of 11...

The pedicle screw (PS) is widely used for spinal fixation surgery. However, PS malpositioning can cause critical complications; thus, the accuracy of ascertaining PS trajectory is paramount. This study aimed to demonstrate the accuracy and safety of a simple and cost-effective PS placement technique using a human internal reference frame for angle estimation. Ex vivo lumbar porcine spine samples were fixed to a wooden board with rostrocaudal and mediolateral rotational angles adjusted by two angle vises. PS entry points (EPs) were identified using clear anatomical vertebral landmarks...

BACKGROUND: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) is a deformity in the curvature of the adult spine. ASD includes a range of pathology that leads to decreased quality of life for patients as well as debilitating morbidities. Treatment can range from nonoperative management to long-segment surgical corrections and depends greatly on the deformity and patient profiles. If surgical treatment is indicated, circumferential (a combined anterior and posterior approach) fusion is one of the tools in the spine surgeon's armamentarium...

IMPORTANCE: Spinal cord stimulators (SCSs) are increasingly used for the treatment of chronic pain. There is a need for studies with long-term follow-up. OBJECTIVE: To determine the comparative effectiveness and costs of SCSs compared with conventional medical management (CMM) in a large cohort of patients with chronic pain. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a 1:5 propensity-matched retrospective comparative effectiveness research analysis of insured individuals from April 1, 2016, to August 31, 2018...

OBJECTIVE: Computer navigation is used in patients with spine fractures to optimize the accuracy of pedicle screws and thereby reduce intra- and postoperative complications, such as injuries to vessels, nerves and accompanying structures. In addition, the ideal screw length and diameter for each pedicle can be detected to ensure optimal stability. INDICATIONS: Intraoperative navigation is suitable for the treatment of spine fractures, which require dorsal stabilization or fusion...

OBJECTIVES: Anterior atlanto-axial subluxation (AAS), defined as an anterior atlanto-dental interval (aADI) ≥3 mm, can occur in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and carries a risk of severe neurological impairments. Our objective was to determine the prevalence and predictors of radiographic aAAS after 12 years' follow-up of patients with early polyarthritis. METHODS: We studied patients enrolled in the early-polyarthritis cohort ESPOIR between 2002 and 2005 (at least two swollen joints for >6 weeks and <6 months, no other diagnosis than RA, and no previous exposure to glucocorticoids or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs)...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the dynamics of pain syndrome in patients receiving Dolocox for nonspecific back pain (NBS) in routine outpatient practice, the safety of treatment and satisfaction with its results of the doctor and patient. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 70 patients who received standard therapy for NBS for 14 days. On days 1, 10 and 14, the effects were evaluated using a visual analog pain scale, the Rolland-Maurice scale, FTF test, clinical impression scales and subjective evaluation of the effectiveness of therapy...

Intraspecific variations in pollen morphological traits are poorly studied. Interspecific variations are often associated with pollination systems and pollinator types. Altitudinal environmental changes, which can influence local pollinator assemblages, provide opportunities to explore differentiation in pollen traits of a single species over short distances. The aim of this study is to examine intraspecific variations in pollen traits of an insect-pollinated shrub, Weigela hortensis (Caprifoliaceae), along an altitudinal gradient...

INTRODUCTION: Intrathecal therapy has been limited by no randomized prospective studies, particularly for those suffering from non-cancer. Further, no prospective, randomized studies investigating the efficacy, safety, and utilization of the intrathecal polyanalgesic consensus guidelines exist. METHODS: After IRB approval, patients were enrolled in a 1:1 fashion for intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) or conventional management (CMM), employing standard of care, excluding intrathecal drug delivery, based on the principal investigator's discretion...

This work describes a computational methodology for the design of braces for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The proposed methodology relies on a personalized simulation model of the patient's trunk, and automatically searches for the brace geometry that optimizes the trade-off between clinical improvement and patient comfort. To do this, we introduce a formulation of differentiable biomechanics of the patient's trunk, the brace, and their interaction. We design a simulation model that is differentiable with respect to both the deformation state and the brace design parameters, and we show how this differentiable model is used for the efficient update of brace design parameters within a numerical optimization algorithm...

Evaluating alterations in circulating microRNA (c-miRNA) expression may provide deeper insight into the role of exercise in the attenuation of the negative effects of aging on musculoskeletal health. Currently, there are sparse data on c-miRNA responses to acute exercise in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of acute bouts of resistance exercise and whole-body vibration on expression of selected c-miRNAs in postmenopausal women aged 65-76 years (n=10). We also examined relationships between c-miRNAs and muscle strength and bone characteristics...

Chordoma is a rare, malignant neoplasm thought to develop from the notochord. It most commonly occurs in the base of the cranium or the sacro-coccygeal region but around 15%-20% affect the vertebral body. Extra-lesional resection with or without adjuvant radiotherapy is generally accepted as the mainstay of treatment for this slow-growing tumor. We present a case whereby a patient with an extensive vertebral body lesion causing caudal compression, treated with spinal decompression and posterior stabilization...

The genus Hydnellum is a kind of ectomycorrhizal fungi that can play a role in the material cycle by connecting the plant roots to the soil, and some species of Hydnellum are medicinal fungi with vital research value. The species diversity of Hydnellum is unclear in China. In this study, five new species of Hydnellum are described from China based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses inferred from two datasets of ITS + LSU and ITS + LSU + SSU + RPB2 sequences. H. chocolatum is characterized by its chocolate basidiomata with the fibrillose, spongy to tomentose pileal surface, and subglobose to globose basidiospores measuring (4...

UNLABELLED: Lumbar interbody fusion (IF) is a common procedure to obtain fusion of the spine by replacement of the intervertebral disc with a cage. Optimization of spinal cages is ongoing to reduce complications such as a pseudoarthrosis and subsidence of the cage. IF animal models (primate, dog, pig, goat and sheep) remain important to assess implant effectivity. But currently the available literature is dispersed and not IF model specific. Therefore unwanted inconsistencies between studies occur that limit generalizability...

INTRODUCTION: Unilateral biportal endoscopic (UBE) technique can easily decompress the bony spinal canal and accommodate all open surgical instruments under endoscopic guidance. However, indications and reports of this technique have been limited to degenerative and infectious diseases. METHODS: We used the UBE technique for the decompression and removal of extradural mass lesions in five patients. Under endoscopic guidance, a unilateral approach was used, and decompression and flavectomy were performed...

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic malunion is one of the main causes of kyphosis and usually has serious consequences. We report a case of kyphosis caused by an old AO type B2.3 thoracic fracture, which was corrected with posterior hemivertebra resection and reconstruction. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old male was diagnosed with kyphosis caused by an old AO type B2.3 thoracic fracture. Preoperative examination and preparation were performed. His exam images showed a comminuted fracture in the left half of the T12 vertebral body, while chance-type fractures were seen in the right half of T12 vertebral body and its accessories...

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To identify whether Roussouly type 2 could evolve into type 1 as the deterioration progresses. METHODS: The study group comprised subjects with a low pelvic incidence (PI). All subjects underwent a standing whole spinal radiograph and sagittal parameters were measured: T1 pelvic angle (TPA), lumbar lordosis (LL), PI, pelvic tilt (PT), L4-S1 angle, thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar sagittal apex (LSA), lordosis distribution index (LDI) and number of vertebrae included in the lordosis (NVL)...

Low back pain (LBP) is a common disease that imposes a huge social and economic burden on people. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD) is often considered to be the leading cause of LBP and further aggravate and cause serious spinal problems. The established treatment strategy for IVDD consists of physiotherapy, pain medication by drug therapy, and, if necessary, surgery, but none of them can be treated from the etiology; that is, it cannot fundamentally reverse IVD and reconstruct the mechanical function of the spine...

BACKGROUND: Cases of isolated intramedullary spinal neurocysticercosis are extremely rare. Only 25 cases have been reported before 2022. Due to its rarity, the diagnosis of spinal neurocysticercosis may be missed. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 37-year-old female patient who developed back pain and lower extremity weakness and was found to have an intramedullary thoracic spine cystic lesion. She was taken to the operating room for resection of the lesion. Pathology revealed a larval cyst wall consistent with neurocysticercosis...

BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a debilitating neurological complication in surgical patients. Current research has focused mainly on microglial activation, but less is known about the resultant neuronal synaptic changes. Recent studies have suggested that Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) plays a critical role in several different neurological disorders via its involvement in microglial activation. In this study, we evaluate the effects of SIRT1 activation in a POCD mouse model...