Spine
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Comparative Study
Osteogenic protein-1 injection into a degenerated disc induces the restoration of disc height and structural changes in the rabbit anular puncture model.
In vivo study of the effect of injection of osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) on a rabbit anular needle puncture model of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. ⋯ The results of this study show the feasibility of restoring degenerative rabbit discs by a single injection of OP-1 into the nucleus pulposus. Importantly, the effects of the OP-1 injection on disc height were sustained for up to 24 weeks. The metabolic changes in the cells, following a single injection, might be sustained and, thus, induce long-term changes in disc structure. An efficacy study in large animals is required to show further that the intradiscal injection of OP-1, or bone morphogenetic proteins or growth factors with similar properties would be useful for the structural restoration of the IVD in humans.
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Prospective observational cohorts. ⋯ IDH patients appear to have differences in sociodemographics, resource utilization, and functional impairment when compared with the SpS/DS patients. In addition, the differences in resource utilization for Medicaid patients may reflect differences in access to care. The data provided from these observational cohorts will serve as an important comparison to the SPORT randomized cohorts in the future.
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A cross-sectional survey of senior neurosurgical and orthopedic residents. ⋯ Training in spine surgery constitutes a considerably larger proportion of neurosurgery residency than orthopedic residency. Neurosurgery residents graduate with significantly higher levels of confidence to perform spine surgery, while orthopedic residents report significantly higher need for additional training in spine surgery. The majority of neurosurgery graduates report that they will include spine in their clinical practice, while most orthopedic graduates will exclude it.
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Comparative Study
Insulin-like growth factor-1 treatment prevents anti-Fas antibody-induced apoptosis in endplate chondrocytes.
In vitro investigation of vertebral endplate chondrocyte apoptosis. ⋯ Fas antibody induces apoptosis and decreases Integrin-alpha1 and FAK expression in cultured endplate chondrocytes; IGF-1 is protective against these changes.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Emotional health predicts pain and function after fusion: a prospective multicenter study.
Prospective. ⋯ Presurgical emotional status is one significant predictor of pain and function outcomes up to 2 years after fusion. Other significant predictors included workers' compensation status, smoking status, and presurgical pain/function. Studies to identify and intervenewith patients with poorer emotional status will clarify whether presurgical mental health intervention can improve pain and function outcomes after surgery or whether these patients are not candidates for surgery.