INTRODUCTION: Cells of the intervertebral disc respond to mechanical and biophysical stimuli in their environment, including deformations, hydrostatic and osmotic pressures [1]. Previous studies have shown that fibrochondrocytes of the disc respond to altered osmotic pressure with changes in post-translational biosynthesis of proteoglycans (i.e., S-incorporation) [2, 3], as well as changes in g...

Intervertebral disc degeneration is widely recognized as a cause of lower back pain, neurological dysfunction and other musculoskeletal disorders. The major inflammatory cytokine IL-1β is associated with intervertebral disc degeneration; however, the molecular mechanisms that drive IL-1β production in the intervertebral disc, especially in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, are unknown. In some tissu...

STUDY DESIGN Biomechanical study. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cervical facet loading profile of an intervertebral cervical disc prosthesis incorporating a unique saddle-shaped articulation and to determine the effect of implantation of the prosthesis on both the loading curve and area distribution of facet loading, when compared with that of an intact specimen. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA This...

PURPOSE To assess the relation between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and degenerative disc disease emerging in association with various intrinsic and extrinsic factors and to evaluate the correlation between degree of degeneration in intervertebral discs and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. METHODS Thirty-five patients with AS and a control group of 35 patients were included in the ...

Both target radiofrequency thermocoagulation and collagenase chemonucleolysis are effective micro-invasive therapy means for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. In order to analyze the clinical effects of target radiofrequency thermocoagulation combined with collagenase chemonucleolysis on lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, the contents of hydroxyproline and glycosaminoglycan were measur...

Degeneration of the lumbar intervertebral disc is a common cause of low back pain and leg pain that affects the physical and mental health of the patient and increases the social burden. This study was performed to observe the biological effects of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated osteogenic protein-1 (OP1) and SOX9 double gene co-transfection in rabbit intervertebral disc degeneration in ...

Forty canine patients with a presumptive diagnosis of the intervertebral disc herniation at the thoracolumbar region were imaged. A neurological examination was performed and all patients were classified under four grades by the examination. The degrees of attenuation of the herniated disc material were measured in Housefield units (HU) in each image. The ratio of the area to herniated disc mat...

J Rehabil Med 44 © 2012 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/16501977-1034 Journal Compilation © 2012 Foundation of Rehabilitation Information. ISSN 1650-1977 Objective: To compare the clinical implications of electro­ diagnostic study with those of magnetic resonance imaging in patients with lumbosacral intervertebral herniated disc or spinal stenosis. Design: Retrospective study of clinical data. Patien...

The purpose of this study was to measure range of motion (ROM) in patients with cervical ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (C-OPLL) by multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT), and to investigate the influence of dynamic factors. The study included 101 patients with C-OPLL and 99 normal control patients. Preoperative MDCT were taken in all subjects in maximum neck flexion and ...

OBJECT This 2-year experimental study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of a bioactive three-dimensional (3D) fabric disc for lumbar intervertebral disc replacement. The authors used a bioresorbable spinal fixation rod consisting of a forged composite of particulate unsintered hydroxyapatite/poly-L-lactide acid (HA/PLLA) for stability augmentation. The biomechanical and histological alt...