Spine
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Comparative Study
De novo osteogenesis from human ligamentum flavum by adenovirus-mediated bone morphogenetic protein-2 gene transfer.
In vitro and in vivo experiment using degenerated human ligamentum flavum (LF) and Type 5 adenovirus construct with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) cDNA. ⋯ Human LF cells transduced with Ad/BMP-2 exhibited the expression of osteogenic phenotype and bone nodule formation. Additionally, genetically modified human LF with BMP-2 cDNA clearly demonstrated de novo osteogenesis, which supports the concept that biologically modified LF can be a substitute for autogenous bone graft in spinal fusion surgery.
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Comparative Study
Effects of degeneration on the biphasic material properties of human nucleus pulposus in confined compression.
The biphasic compressive material properties of normal and degenerate human nucleus pulposus tissue were measured in confined compression. ⋯ Swelling is the primary load-bearing mechanism in both nondegenerate and degenerate nucleus pulposus. Knowledge of the biphasic material properties of the nucleus pulposus will aid the development of new treatment strategies for disc degeneration aimed at restoring mechanical function of the intervertebral disc.
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Prospective trial. ⋯ The authors have developed a novel method of spinal stereotaxy using exact plastic copies of the spine manufactured using biomodeling technology. Biomodel spinal stereotaxy is a simple and accurate technique that may have advantages over frameless stereotaxy.
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Pinch motion between the thumb and the index finger in myelopathy hand was analyzed using micro-reflective markers and the VICON system. ⋯ Overall, the patients with myelopathy hand exhibited a larger flexion angle in the two distal finger joints when pinching small objects.
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A finite-element study of posterior alone or anterior/posterior combined instrumentation following total spondylectomy and replacement with a titanium mesh cage used as an anterior strut. ⋯ This experiment shows that from the viewpoint of stress shielding, the reconstruction method, using additional anterior instrumentation with posterior pedicle screws (MPAI and SPAI), stress shields the cancellous bone inside the titanium mesh cage to a higher degree than does the system using posterior pedicle screw fixation alone (MPI). Thus, a reconstruction method with no anterior fixation should be better at allowing stress for remodeling of the bone graft inside the titanium mesh cage.