The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Over half the population of the world will suffer from moderate or severe low back pain (LBP) during their life span. Studies have shown that naringin, a major flavonoid in grapefruit and an active compound extracted from a Chinese herbal medicine (Rhizoma Drynariae) possesses many pharmacological effects. ⋯ Naringin effectively promotes the proliferation of degenerative human NP cells and improves the recuperation of the cells from degeneration by increasing expression of aggrecan, BMP-2, and Sox6 while inhibiting the expression of TNF-α and MMP3. This study suggests that naringin may represent an alternative therapeutic agent for disc degeneration.
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Obesity is a growing problem in health care. Studies have demonstrated similar functional outcomes but higher complication rates after spine surgery in obese patients. ⋯ When considering a subset of patient-reported outcomes and revision surgery after 5 years, patients with an elevated BMI >25 at baseline did not appear to have worse outcomes than those with a normal BMI of 20-25 when undergoing posterior lumbar fusion surgery. Obesity should not be considered a contraindication to surgery in patients with appropriate surgical indications.