Franckdamm7867

Study design Retrospective radiographic study. Purpose The hypothesis of this study was that the pedicle axis (PA) is almost perpendicular to the interlaminar line (ILL) in the sagittal plane of the thoracic vertebrae. The objective of the current study was to define the thoracic lamina-PA inclination in order to verify the right-angle concept and to estimate the safety zones for sagittal inclination during pedicle screw insertion. The authors, to the best of their knowledge, are unaware of previous similar studies. Lonafarnib order Overview of literature Based on the study's observations of different spinal disorders, including deformities, it was noted that following a sagittal cranial-caudal trajectory perpendicular to the ILL and joining the two adjacent thoracic vertebrae would work well at most vertebral levels. Methods This was a retrospective study on the computed tomography (CT) chest scans of patients with no spinal pathologies. The ILL-PA, superior and inferior safe angles of the pedicle screw trajectories, and the exit zone of the screw perpendicular to the ILL were reviewed by two observers via three-dimensional multiplanar reconstruction mode of the Horos DICOM software (https// horosproject.org/). Results The CT chest images of 30 consecutive patients (20 males and 10 females) with a mean age of 49.87±15.48 years (range, 24-74 years) were evaluated. The mean ILL-PA angle was almost orthogonal for all levels. This angle ranged between 86.21°±3.01° at D5 and 90.59°±2.72° at D10. The safety zones of the sagittal inclination of the pedicle screws were demonstrated. The results revealed that the least safe angle was when the screw was directed cranially along the middle part of the pedicle between 4.43°±0.75° at D8 and 6.94°±1.19° at D11. Conclusions The results of this study confirmed the ILL-PA angle perpendicularity in the thoracic spine at all levels. The ILL is a useful guide for pedicle screw sagittal inclination.Study design Retrospective chart review. Purpose This study compared the clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients treated with expandable and static interbody spacers following minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-LLIF) with 12-month follow-up. Overview of literature A common surgical option for the treatment of degenerative disk disease (DDD) is MIS-LLIF using static or expandable spacers to restore disk height (DH), neuroforaminal height (NH), and segmental lordosis. Static spacers may require excessive trialing and aggressive impaction, potentially leading to endplate disruption and subsidence. Expandable spacers allow for in situ expansion to help address complications associated with static spacers. Methods This is an Institutional Review Board-exempt review of 69 patients (static, n=32; expandable, n=37) diagnosed with DDD who underwent MIS-LLIF at 1-2 contiguous level(s) using static or expandable spacers. Radiographic and clinical outcomes were collected and compared at pre- aand VAS and ODI outcomes at 12 months vs. static.Transforaminal epidural steroid injection is often administered to patients with radiculopathy under fluoroscopic guidance, although it has disadvantages of radiation hazards and requirement of a special area to perform the block. To avoid these disadvantages, ultrasound-guided transforaminal injection (USTFI) has recently been described and is continually developed. This review article describes the indexed articles published on USTFI and ultrasound-guided selective nerve block (SNRB) to evaluate current evidence on best approach to perform the block. Through literature search, eight articles and one case report on USTFI and five articles on ultrasoundguided SNRB were found. Most of the studies have utilized parasagittal orientation of curvilinear probe to perform the block. Nevertheless, with the present literature, it is difficult to come to any conclusion. Further studies with larger sample size and description of dye spread patterns are recommended to come to a more definite conclusion.Study design Large cohort study of volunteers. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the severity of knee osteoarthritis, assessed using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading scale, and spinopelvic sagittal alignment in older adult volunteers. Overview of literature The relationship between spinopelvic alignment in the sagittal plane and knee osteoarthritis in the coronal plane is unclear. Methods Volunteers over 50 years of age underwent radiographic analysis. Radiographic parameters including pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracic kyphosis, and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were measured. The the three Scoliosis Research Society-Schwab sagittal modifiers (PT, SVA, I-LL) were categorized and the KL grade was assessed. Differences in spinopelvic parameters and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores among KL grades were evaluated. Results A total of 396 volunteers (160 men, 236 women; mean age, 74.4 years) were analyzed. PI-LL and PT in KL4 were significantly higher compared to that in the other KL grades. However, there were no significant group differences in SVA. In women, but not in men, higher frequencies of the worst modifier grade (++) were observed for PI-LL and PT in the KL3 and KL4 groups compared to those for the other KL grades. In women, the ODI score in KL4 was worse compared to that in the other KL grades. Conclusions Individuals over 50 years of age with severe knee osteoarthritis had poor lumbo-pelvic sagittal alignment. Moreover, the progression severity of knee osteoarthritis had more impact onstronger relationship with lumbo-pelvic malalignment and disability-related low back pain in women than in men.Purpose Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induces alternative macrophage activation that favors tumor progression and immunosuppression. Meanwhile, paclitaxel (PTx) induces macrophage (Mφ) polarization towards antitumor phenotype. TGF-β also increases tumor stroma macrophage recruitment by mechanisms that include cell motility enhancement and extracellular matrix degradation. In this study, we aimed to determine whether PTx regulates macrophage migration and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) expression induced by TGF-β. Methods We used mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells treated with PTx and TGF-β combinations. Proliferation was analyzed by MTT and cell cycle assays. Immunofluorescence was performed to determine tubulin cytoskeleton and Smad3 nuclear localization. Western blot and transcriptional luciferase reporters were used to measure signal transduction activation. Migration was determined by wound healing assay. uPA activity was determined by zymography assay. Results PTx decreased RAW 264.7 cell proliferation by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and profoundly modified the tubulin cytoskeleton.