European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
-
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common degenerative disease associated with ageing. Additionally, IDD is recognized as one of the leading causes of low back pain and disability in the working-age population and is the first step in the process leading to degenerative spinal changes. However, the genetic factors and regulatory mechanisms of IDD remain unknown. Therefore, we selected eight single nucleotide polymorphisms of genes to reveal the progression of IDD in a 7-year longitudinal study of the general population in Japan. ⋯ Our longitudinal study found the genes associated with IDD progression and that genetic factors' impact on IDD differs depending on disc level and age.
-
Current research suggests that oxidative stress may decrease bone mineral density (BMD) by disrupting bone metabolism balance. However, no study investigated the relationship between systemic oxidative stress status and adult BMD. This study aims to investigate whether oxidative balance score (OBS) is associated with BMD in adults under 40. ⋯ The research findings emphasize the relationship between OBS and the risk of osteopenia in young adults. Adopting an antioxidant diet and lifestyle may help young adults to maintain bone mass.
-
Establishing thresholds of change that are actually meaningful for the patient in an outcome measurement instrument is paramount. This concept is called the minimum clinically important difference (MCID). We summarize available MCID calculation methods relevant to spine surgery, and outline key considerations, followed by a step-by-step working example of how MCID can be calculated, using publicly available data, to enable the readers to follow the calculations themselves. ⋯ MCID calculations are encouraged in spinal research to evaluate treatment success. Anchor-based methods, relying on scales assessing patient preferences, continue to be the "gold-standard" with receiver operating characteristic curve approach being optimal. In their absence, the minimum detectable change approach is acceptable. The provided explanation and step-by-step example of MCID calculations with statistical code and publicly available data can act as guidance in planning future MCID calculation studies.
-
Surgeons' preoperative expectations of lumbar surgery may be associated with patient-reported postoperative outcomes. ⋯ Surgeons' preoperative expectations were associated with patient-reported postoperative improvement in symptoms and function, but not with satisfaction. These findings are consistent with clinical practice in that surgeons expect some but not complete improvement from surgery and do not anticipate that any particular patient will have markedly unfavorable satisfaction ratings. In addition to preoperative discussions about expectations, patients and surgeons should acknowledge different types of outcomes and address them jointly in postoperative discussions.
-
To analyze of the results of spine surgical treatment of athletes with lumbar degenerative disease and development of a surgical strategy based on the preoperative symptoms and radiological changes in the lumbar spine. ⋯ In this retrospective study, we report clinical results of four treatment options of lumbar spine degenerative disease in athletes. The use of developed patient selection criteria for the analyzed surgical techniques is aimed at minimizing return-to-play times.