Spine
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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.
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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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Comparative Study
Ischemic injury-specific gene expression in the rat spinal cord injury model using hypoxia-inducible system.
A spinal cord injury and in vitro neural hypoxia models were used to evaluate the hypoxia responsive gene expression. ⋯ The pEpo-SV-Luc and pRTP801-Luc systems are effective in that they induce gene expression specifically in neurons under the hypoxic condition and spinal cord injury.