Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Xiaoming Zhao, Hongyun Ma, Hao Han, Liuyang Zhang, Jing Tian, Bo Lei, Yingang Zhang
Summary: With the aging population, spinal degeneration seriously affects the quality of life for middle-aged and elderly patients. Injectable biomaterials have gained attention as a minimally invasive and precise repair option for irregular defects. However, the design and functional control of bioactive injectable biomaterials for efficient spinal degeneration treatment remains a challenge.
MATERIALS TODAY BIO
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carlo A. Mallio, Gianluca Vadala, Fabrizio Russo, Caterina Bernetti, Luca Ambrosio, Bruno Beomonte Zobel, Carlo C. Quattrocchi, Rocco Papalia, Vincenzo Denaro
Summary: Low back pain is a major cause of disability worldwide and places a significant socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an effective tool for diagnosing degenerative disc disease, it is unable to detect subtle changes in tissue composition and cell metabolism. Therefore, researchers are developing innovative quantitative MRI modalities to enable early diagnosis and guide appropriate treatment.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Nico Sollmann, Kai Mei, Isabelle Riederer, Monika Probst, Maximilian T. Loeffler, Jan S. Kirschke, Peter B. Noel, Thomas Baum
Summary: The study found that radiation dose for MDCT exams of the spine can be reduced by using sparse sampling and virtually lowered tube currents combined with statistical iterative reconstruction. However, image quality and contrast decreased with virtual lowering of tube current and sparse sampling.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Lauren K. Wareham, Shane A. Liddelow, Sally Temple, Larry Benowitz, Adriana Di Polo, Cheryl Wellington, Jeffrey L. Goldberg, Zhigang He, Xin Duan, Guojun Bu, Albert A. Davis, Karthik Shekhar, Anna La Torre, David C. Chan, M. Valeria Canto-Soler, John G. Flanagan, Preeti Subramanian, Sharyn Rossi, Thomas Brunner, Diane E. Bovenkamp, David J. Calkins
Summary: There may be common mechanisms across neurodegenerative diseases that can lead to new therapeutic targets. A virtual meeting was organized to discuss these mechanisms and emerging treatments. The meeting focused on neuroinflammation, bioenergetics and metabolism, genetic contributions, and neurovascular interactions as major areas of mechanistic overlap.
MOLECULAR NEURODEGENERATION
(2022)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Francesca B. Pizzini, Mattia Poletti, Alberto Beltramello, Mario Muto, Alessandra Splendiani, Sara Mehrabi, Giuseppe Costanzo, Vincenzo Vitiello, Antonio Barile, Stefano Colagrande, Giancarlo Mansueto, Stefano Bastianello
Summary: A consensus was reached among experts from Italian radiological societies to propose an optimized MRI protocol for studying degenerative spine disease, harmonize the nomenclature to international standards, and improve communication among healthcare professionals and patients. The international terminological recommendations were translated and adapted to the Italian context, with clinical cases used to illustrate main classifications.
INSIGHTS INTO IMAGING
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Tara Shelby, Emily S. Mills, Andy Ton, Jeffrey C. Wang, Raymond J. Hah, Sheeraz A. Qureshi, Ram K. Alluri
Summary: This narrative review examines the role of sex hormones in degenerative disc disease (DDD). It suggests that estrogen deficiency can negatively impact disc function and structural integrity, while testosterone supplementation may have chondrogenic effects. Understanding the regulatory processes of sex hormones can help develop novel therapies for DDD.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wei Hao, Helga Forster, Rodger J. Belisle, James E. Adaskaveg
Summary: Brown rot caused by Phytophthora citrophthora, P. nicotianae, P. syringae, and P. hibernalis is an important fruit disease of citrus in California. The newly registered fungicides oxathiapiprolin (OXA) and mandipropamid (MAN), as well as a premixture of the two (MAN + OXA), were found to be highly effective in reducing brown rot incidence. Rotational programs with fungicides with different modes of action and low-volume applications were also found to be effective in managing the disease.
Review
Cell Biology
Kai Sun, Xingzhi Jing, Jiachao Guo, Xudong Yao, Fengjing Guo
Summary: Mitochondrial dysfunction is crucial in the development of intervertebral disc degeneration and osteoarthritis. Targeting mitophagy pathways may offer promising therapeutic strategies for degenerative joint diseases.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Azril, Kuo-Yuan Huang, Jonathan Hobley, Mehdi Rouhani, Wen-Lung Liu, Yeau-Ren Jeng
Summary: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is associated with changes in the composition and viscoelastic properties of the intervertebral disc (IVD). This study used nanoindentation and Raman spectrometry to analyze the biomechanics and biochemical makeup of the nucleus pulposus (NP). The severity of disc damage was assessed using MRI in patients with spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis, and degenerative scoliosis. The results showed that collagen crosslinking increases, proteoglycan decreases, and mineralization occurs as disc degeneration worsens in the NP. Mechanical assessment revealed decreased elasticity and increased viscosity in the NP, leading to abnormalities in weight-bearing ability and spinal instability. The study provides insights into tissue behavior and has implications for clinical diagnostics, treatment, and tissue engineering.
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH PART A
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Tomaz Velnar, Lidija Gradisnik
Summary: The degenerative disease of the intervertebral disc is an important and unresolved health problem. The vertebral endplate, specifically the chondrocytes in the endplate, play a central role in the degeneration process of the intervertebral disc. They are involved in maintaining the extracellular environment, providing metabolic support and nutrition, and preserving the extracellular matrix. However, the importance of vertebral endplate in disc degeneration is often overlooked.
WORLD JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CASES
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Guillaume Marc Albertini, Fabio Stabile, Oliver Marsh, Ane Uriarte
Summary: This study retrospectively evaluated neurological grade, MRI findings, surgical outcomes, and short-term recovery in French Bulldogs with intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE), comparing cervical and thoracolumbar IVDE. The results showed that thoracolumbar IVDE tended to cause more severe neurological dysfunction and required more extensive surgical treatment than cervical IVDE.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Sebastian Wangler, Amir Kamali, Christina Wapp, Karin Wuertz-Kozak, Sonja Haeckel, Claudia Fortes, Lorin M. Benneker, Lisbet Haglund, R. Geoff Richards, Mauro Alini, Marianna Peroglio, Sibylle Grad
Summary: MSC’s secretome composition was analyzed after exposure to different IVD environments, showing more complex secretome induced by IVD conditioned media compared to IL-1 beta stimulation. The secretome reflected different activity based on IVD pathological status, with implications for tailored secretome therapy development.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lidija Gradisnik, Uros Maver, Boris Gole, Gorazd Bunc, Matjaz Vorsic, Janez Ravnik, Tomaz Smigoc, Roman Bosnjak, Tomaz Velnar
Summary: This study established a quick and simple method for isolating human chondrocytes, which showed high viability and proliferative capacity. The cell model created in this study can be used to study the cellular properties, biochemical aspects, and potential therapeutic candidates for disc degeneration, as well as toxicology studies.
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jacob L. Goldberg, Andrew Garton, Sunidhi Singh, Sertac Kirnaz, Fabian Sommer, Joseph A. Carnevale, Basar Atalay, Branden Medary, Lynn B. McGrath, Roger Hartl
Summary: Treating degenerative disc disease is hindered by complex pathophysiology, difficulties in translating animal model studies to humans, and challenges in regulating biological treatments within the biomechanical environment. Patient selection and outcome assessment pose particular challenges in this clinical setting.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yijian Ying, Kaiwen Cai, Xiongxiong Cai, Kai Zhang, Rongzhang Qiu, Guoqiang Jiang, Kefeng Luo
Summary: This article systematically reviews recent advances in repairing intervertebral discs, describes their advantages and shortcomings, and explores future directions in repair technology.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Paul S. McCabe, Matthew J. Parkes, Nasimah Maricar, Charles E. Hutchinson, Anthony Freemont, Terence W. O'Neill, David T. Felson
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2017)
Review
Oncology
C. Linder, M. J. Smith, M. Bulman, A. Wallace, A. J. Freemont, D. C. Mangham, D. G. R. Evans
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hannah R. Shanks, Mingning Zhu, Amir H. Milani, James Turton, Sarah Haigh, Nigel W. Hodson, Daman Adlam, Judith Hoyland, Tony Freemont, Brian R. Saunders
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2018)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Emma Raynor, Praveen Konala, Anthony Freemont
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC AND LEGAL MEDICINE
(2018)
Article
Immunology
Ondrej Slaby, Andrew McDowell, Holger Bruggemann, Assaf Raz, Sibel Demir-Deviren, Tony Freemont, Peter Lambert, Manu N. Capoor
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Cell Biology
Anie Naqvi, Emma Raynor, Anthony J. Freemont
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Richard Body, Raphael Twerenbold, Catrin Austin, Jasper Boeddinghaus, Malak Almashali, Thomas Nestelberger, Niall Morris, Patrick Badertscher, Garry McDowell, Karin Wildi, Phil Moss, Maria Rubini Gimenez, Heather Jarman, Nina Bigler, Rachael Einemann, Luca Koechlin, Ghazaleh Pourmahram, John Todd, Christian Mueller, Anthony Freemont
CLINICAL CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Article
Oncology
Judith A. Eelloo, Miriam J. Smith, Naomi L. Bowers, John Ealing, Paul Hulse, James P. Wylie, Patrick Shenjere, Noel W. Clarke, Calvin Soh, Richard W. Whitehouse, Mark Jones, Christopher Duff, Anthony Freemont, D. Gareth Evans
Review
Orthopedics
James G. Convill, Gwenllian F. Tawy, Anthony J. Freemont, Leela C. Biant
Summary: Objective biomarkers in osteoarthritis can serve as clinical indicators for disease parameters and as endpoints in clinical trials. Despite the clear need for OA biomarkers, lack of coordination in current research has led to incompatible results, making it challenging to identify a suitable biomarker for clinical use.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Konstantina Drosou, Thomas C. Collin, Peter J. Freeman, Robert Loynes, Tony Freemont
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Archaeology
K. N. White, D. Chiasserini, R. Loynes, A. R. David, B. E. van Dongen, K. Drosou, R. Forshaw, S. Fraser, P. Causey-Freeman, J. Metcalfe, E. Murphy, M. Regan, P. J. Reimer, D. G. Tosh, A. Whetton, A. J. Freemont
Summary: Scientific examination of mummies provides insights into human ancestry, diet, disease, cultures, and societies. However, invasive methods have raised concerns. A minimally invasive approach using imaging techniques and biopsy sampling allows for the collection of valuable data without significant disturbance to the mummy. This study on Takabuti demonstrates the potential of such methods.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nam T. Nguyen, Amir H. Milani, James Jennings, Daman J. Adlam, Anthony J. Freemont, Judith A. Hoyland, Brian R. Saunders
Article
Rheumatology
Laura E. Hand, Suzanna H. Dickson, Anthony J. Freemont, David W. Ray, Julie E. Gibbs
ARTHRITIS RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Amir H. Milani, Lee A. Fielding, Polly Greensmith, Brian R. Saunders, Daman J. Adlam, Anthony J. Freemont, Judith A. Hoyland, Nigel W. Hodson, Mohamed A. Elsawy, Aline F. Miller, Liam P. D. Ratcliffe, Oleksandr O. Mykhaylyk, Steven P. Armes
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2017)
Review
Anatomy & Morphology
Bipasha Choudhury, Anthony Freemont