Notochordal cells stimulate migration of cartilage end plate chondrocytes of the intervertebral disc in in vitro cell migration assays

Background contextIt was recently demonstrated that the postnatal transition from a notochordal to a fibrocartilaginous nucleus pulposus (NP) is accomplished exogenously by chondrocytes migrating from hyaline cartilage end plates (CEs) into the ectopic notochordal NP region. Although our previous in vivo studies showed evidences for the migration of CE chondrocyte from hyaline CEs into the notochordal NP, it is unknown whether CE chondrocytes of the intervertebral disc (IVD) really have a motile property. In addition, the effect of notochordal cells on this property has not been elucidated.PurposeThe purpose of this in vitro study was to demonstrate whether CE chondrocytes of the IVD are capable of migration, and whether there is any biological link between notochordal cells and CE chondrocytes that may regulate the CE chondrocyte migration.Study design/settingIn vitro cell migration assays were performed using rat IVDs.MethodsNotochordal cells and chondrocytes were obtained from the NP and CE tissues, respectively, and were cultured separately. The different numbers of notochordal cells and the supernatant (conditioned medium) that contained soluble factors produced by notochordal cells were used to demonstrate their effects on the migration of CE chondrocytes. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) were used as negative and positive controls, respectively.ResultsCompared with BSA, LPA, notochordal cells (N=4×, 2×, 1×, and 0.5×10⁵), and its conditioned media (unconcentrated and fivefold concentrated) significantly increased migration of CE chondrocytes (p<.05 in all comparisons). Particularly, notochordal cells and its conditioned media increased migration in a number- and concentration-dependent manner, respectively.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that CE chondrocytes of the IVD are capable of migration and that soluble factors produced by notochordal cells stimulate the migration. These results provide a plausible explanation to the question of why CE chondrocytes of the IVD migrate into the ectopic NP region during the natural transition from the notochordal to fibrocartilaginous NP.     

人外周血CD68^＋单核细胞体外的分选及诱导分化为破骨细胞

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method for obtaining highly purified primary human osteoclast precursors for the biochemical and molecular biological research. METHODS: CD68(+) mono/macrophages were separated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy donors by means of immunomagnetic cell sorting for subsequent analysis with flow cytometry. The isolated cells were incubated on coverslips or bone slices in the presence of dexamethasone(10(-8) mol/L), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (25 microg/L ) and soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB ligand (s-RANKL, 16 microg/L). Calcitonin receptor (CR) immunocytochemistry and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) histochemistry were employed. The bone slices were also studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS: Fluorescence-activated cytometric analysis showed that 93.06%+/-0.61% n=4 of the selected cells were CD68(+) cells. After 7 days of culture of the CD68(+) cells, VR+, TRAP+ multinucleated giant cells appeared, and resorption lacunae could be observed by SEM. CONCLUSION: Highly purified CD68(+) cells can be obtained from human PBMCs as the osteoclast precursors, and mature osteoclasts can be induced from CD68(+) mono/macrophages by RANKL.     

Cervifix在陈旧性寰枢椎脱位并高位颈髓压迫症中的应用

目的:探讨Cervifix内固定系统治疗陈旧性寰枢椎脱位并脊髓不全损伤的价值。方法:36例陈旧性寰枢椎脱位并脊髓不全损伤行后路融合、Cervifix内固定。男23例、女13例,年龄15～62岁,平均38.3岁。陈旧性外伤21例,先天性畸形9例,类风湿性关节炎伴寰椎前脱位6例。结果:随访8～42个月,平均19个月。术后脊髓功能按JOA17分法评定,改善率为71.4％。全部患者均获骨性融合,内置物无松动、断裂及脊髓损伤加重等并发症。结论:Cervifix内固定可提供坚强有效的节段性固定,提高融合率。同时,可预防单纯减压融合术后早期失稳导致的高位脊髓损伤加重。     

颈前路钛网植骨融合术后钛网沉陷的原因探讨

目的：探讨颈前路钛网植骨融合术后钛网发生沉陷的原因及其对临床疗效的影响，并提出相应对策。方法：回顾性分析在我院行颈前路钛网植骨融合术的各类颈椎疾患患者179例，观察患者骨密度、钛网修剪及放置情况、终板处理情况、钢板类型、植骨及椎体撑开情况等。采用日本骨科学会（JOA）评分法评价神经功能的变化。结果：有17例患者发生钛网沉陷，沉陷的原因主要为骨密度下降、钛网修剪放置不当、术中过度撑开、终板刮除过多、使用非限制性钢板、采用同种异体骨植骨、螺钉进钉深度过浅和方向不当、钢板放置位置偏斜等。术后所有患者JOA评分比术前平均增加3．5分（P〈0．01）。162例未发生钛网下沉患者术后3个月和6个月的JOA评分比术前平均增加4．4分和4．7分：发生钛网下沉患者中。6例有临床症状者沉陷时和沉陷3个月时的JOA评分为2．9分和3．8分．7例无临床表现者为3．3分和3．9分．4例有临床症状行翻修手术者翻修术后1周和3个月时JOA评分比翻修前提高3．3分和3．7分。结论：颈前路钛网植骨融合术后可发生钛网下沉，骨质疏松患者应该避免使用钛网。手术时应尽可能增加钛网与终板接触面积，多保留相邻终板，选用限制性钢板，尽量选择自体骨植骨，避免椎间过度撑开等。防止术后钛网沉陷。     

Conventional versus digital radiographs for intraoperative cervical spine-level localization: a prospective time and cost analysis

BackgroundIn today's health-care environment, operational efficiency is intrinsic to balancing the need for increased productivity driven by rising costs and potentially decreasing reimbursement. Other operational factors kept constant, decreasing the time for a procedure can be viewed as one marker for increased efficiency.PurposeTo prospectively evaluate the time and operating room efficiency differences between the two methods for intraoperative level localization.Stydy designProspective nonrandomized study.Patient sampleProspective consecutive patients undergoing a single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with plate and allograft.Outcomes measuresTime for performance and interpretation of intraoperative localization radiograph.MethodsThis is a prospective nonrandomized study of patients treated consecutively with a single-level ACDF with allograft and plating. All the patients underwent a conventional approach to the cervical spine. After exposure, a spinal needle was placed in the exposed intervertebral disc and a radiography was performed. Either a conventional or a digital radiography was used in each case.ResultsEighteen patients were enrolled in this study. Ten patients underwent localization with conventional radiography, whereas eight patients underwent localization with digital imaging. The mean time for conventional radiography was 823 seconds (standard deviation [SD], 159), and for digital, it was 100 seconds (SD, 34; p<.001).ConclusionsCurrent technology provides options for level localization. Digital imaging provides equally accurate information as conventional radiography in a significantly reduced amount of time. Image quality, ease or archival, and manipulation provided by digital radiography are superior to those by provided fluoroscopy. Keeping operational factors constant, decreasing the time for a procedure, and increasing the efficiency of the environment may be viewed as a surrogate for improving the cost basis for a procedure.     

Analysis of accuracy of kyphotic angle measurement for vertebral osteoporotic compression fractures

A reliable and reproducible measurement technique for the sagittal contour in vertebral fractures is paramount to clinical decision-making. This study was designed to determine the most reliable measurement technique in osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture. Fifteen lateral radiographs of thoracic and lumbar fractures were selected and measured on two separate occasions by three spine surgeons using six different measurement techniques (centroid, Harrison posterior tangent method and 4 different types of modified Cobb method). The radiograph quality was assessed and the center beam location was determined. The inter- and intraobserver variance of the Cobb method 4 and the Harrison posterior tangent method were significantly lower than for the other four methods. The intraobserver correlation coefficients were the most consistent using the Cobb method 4 (0.982), followed by the Harrison posterior tangent method (0.953) and Cobb method 1 (0.874). The intraobserver agreement (% of repeated measures within 5° of the original measurement) ranged from 42% to 98% for each technique for all three observers, with the Cobb method 4 showing the best agreement (97.8%) followed by the Harrison posterior tangent method (93.7%). The Cobb method 4 and Harrison posterior tangent method, when applied to measuring the kyphosis, were reliable and had a similar small error range. The Cobb method 4 showed the best overall reliability. The centroid method and the other Cobb methods using a fractured endplate did not produce an accurate result due to inter- and intraobserver differences in determining the baseline.     

Mapping scores onto stages: mini-mental state examination and clinical dementia rating.

OBJECTIVE: Although the clinical course of Alzheimer disease (AD) is gradual, it is useful for a number of reasons to distinguish between different levels of severity. The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) has demonstrated high validity and reliability for this purpose, but it requires a considerable amount of data to be collected both from the patient and from an informant. In the present study, the authors mapped Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores onto CDR categories to determine how well the MMSE performs as a surrogate of the CDR as a timesaving method of staging dementia. METHOD: Eight hundred sixty-three probands, including 524 patients with probable AD, 92 patients with questionable dementia, and 247 with memory complaints but no objective cognitive impairment, were included. Cutoff scores were identified on one-half of the sample using a receiver operating characteristic analysis. The cutoff values were then applied to the other half of the sample, and the agreement between MMSE score ranges and CDR stages was determined by calculating Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: The MMSE discriminated well between CDR stages 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 but performed poorly in the separation between CDR stages zero and 0.5. The MMSE ranges were 30 for no, 26-29 for questionable, 21-25 for mild, 11-20 for moderate, and 0-10 for severe dementia. Substantial agreement between the two instruments was obtained for the categories mild (kappa=0.62, p<0.001, N=115), moderate (kappa=0.69, p<0.001, N=114), and severe dementia (kappa=0.76, p<0.001, N=39), whereas the agreement was moderate for no (kappa=0.44, p<0.001, N=120) and only fair for questionable dementia (kappa=0.28, p<0.001, N=42). CONCLUSION: The MMSE can be used as a surrogate measure for the CDR for the staging of dementia in AD.     

Study of the course of the incidence angle during growth

Standing posture is made possible by hip extension and lumbar lordosis. Lumbar lordosis is correlated with pelvic parameters, such as the declivity angle of the upper surface of the sacrum and the incidence angle, which determine the sagittal morphotype. Incidence angle, which is different for each individual, is known to be very important for upright posture, but its course during life has not yet been established. Incidence angle was measured on radiographs of 30 fetuses, 30 children and 30 adults, and results were analysed using the correlation coefficientr and Student's t test. A statistically significant correlation between age and incidence angle was observed. Incidence angle considerably increases during the first months, continues to increase during early years, and stabilizes around the age of 10 years. Incidence is a mark of bipedism, and its role in sagittal balance is essential.     

Preemptive analgesia for postoperative pain relief in lumbosacral spine surgeries: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Administration of analgesic medication, before the actual onset of painful stimulus, is more effective than that after the onset of painful stimulus. This is the principle of preemptive analgesia. Although it is often considered superior to other forms of analgesia, its role in postoperative pain relief after lumbosacral spinal surgery has not been fully investigated. PURPOSE: To analyze the efficacy of preemptive analgesia with a single caudal epidural injection for patients undergoing surgeries on the lumbosacral spine by the posterior approach. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Randomized, double-blinded and controlled clinical trial. PATIENT SAMPLE: Eighty-two patients who underwent discectomy in the lumbosacral spine by the posterior approach, with or without instrumentation, were randomized to the control group (n=40) and to the study group (n=42). METHODS: Patients in control group received a single caudal epidural injection of 20 ml of normal saline. Patients in study group received a single caudal epidural injection of 20 ml containing bupivacaine and tramadol as the active agents. The time interval between this injection and the surgical incision was never less than 20 minutes in either of the groups. This facilitated enough time for the drug to get fixed to the nerve roots, leading to effective preemptive analgesia. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were monitored for postoperative pain immediately after surgery when they had completely recovered and regained consciousness from general anesthesia, and subsequently 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours thereafter. Pain was quantified using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the verbal rating scale (VRS). The time at which supplemental analgesic medication was first demanded in the postoperative period by the patient was also noted. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable for age, sex, body weight and the type of surgery they underwent. Because the data did not have a normal Gaussian distribution, the one-tailed Mann-Whitney test, being a nonparametric test, was adopted for statistical analysis. Accordingly, VAS and VRS values at all time intervals were significantly lower (p<.0001) in the study group as compared with the control group. This indicated significantly better pain relief in the study group. There was also a significant delay (p=.0041) in the first demand for supplemental analgesic medication in the postoperative period in the study group. No complication specific to the procedure was noted except for the development of postoperative urinary retention, which was transient and appropriately managed with urinary catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: Preemptive analgesia with a single caudal epidural injection of bupivacaine and tramadol is a safe, simple and effective method for postoperative pain relief.