Spine
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Translation and psychometric testing. ⋯ The results confirm the successful translation and adaptation of the STarT into Chinese, with appropriate reliability and validity. Therefore, this version can be recommended for clinical and research use for Chinese patients with LBP.
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Cross-sectional, community-based study. ⋯ Obesity was associated with reduced disc height in the lumbar spine, but not at the lumbosacral junction, suggesting these joints may have different risk factors. There was also evidence for an inter-relationship between obesity, lumbar disc height, and recent pain, suggesting that structural changes have a role in back pain and may in part explain the association between obesity and back pain.
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The presence of fibronectin fragments (FN-fs) and the cleaving enzyme, A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein (ADAM)-8 were examined in human intervertebral disc (IVD) tissue in vitro. ⋯ This is the first report that N-terminal FN-fs are consistently present in IVD tissues from adult subjects. The pathophysiological concentration of these fragments is estimated to be at nanomolar range per gram of IVD tissue. Furthermore, ADAM-8, known to cleave FN, is present at the pericellular matrix of disc cells.
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Prospective national population-based cohort study. ⋯ The incidence rate of primary intraspinal tumors in Norway changed dramatically during the study period, stabilizing around 1.5 per 100,000 per year since 2002. There was an increase in surgery for all major subgroups. This increase in surgical activity seems to correlate with the simultaneous large increase in the availability of diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging.
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In vivo 3-dimensional (3D) morphometric analysis of the lumbar foramen by using 3D computed tomographic models in normal subjects. ⋯ This study described foraminal geometry in vivo in an asymptomatic cohort measured in 3D. Age-related foraminal height decrease was noticeable in males and in the lower lumbar levels. Age-related foraminal width decrease was shown in both sexes and in all lumbar levels. Such information can be used as baseline data for diagnosis of foraminal stenosis and treatment modality planning.