22 research outputs found
Impaired night-time mobility in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review
Impaired bed mobility (IBM) is a symptom characteristic of patients having difficulty intentionally moving their bodies during nighttime sleep. IBM is one of the most common nocturnal symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and may lead to extreme pain and even death; it also increases the burden on the patients’ caregivers. In this systematic review, we included 19 studies involving a total of 1,407 patients with PD to observe the causes, assessment methods, and treatment options for IBM. We conclude that the extent of IBM is positively correlated with the severity of symptoms such as disease duration, dyskinesia and decreased sleep quality in patients with PD, and the evidence implies that IBM may be able to serve as a prodromal feature in the development of PD. IBM probably results from low nocturnal dopamine concentrations, reduced function of the spinal tract, torque problems in the muscles, and aging. Therefore, treatment is mostly based on continuously increasing the patient’s nocturnal dopamine concentration, while deep brain stimulation (DBS) also has a mitigating effect on IBM. Both scales and sensors are commonly used to measure the severity of IBM, the wearable device monitoring and scales being updated makes measurements easier and more accurate. The future of the advancement in this field lies in the use of more family-oriented devices (such as smart phones or watches and bracelets, etc.) to monitor IBM’s symptoms and select the appropriate therapeutic treatment according to the severity of the symptoms to relieve patients’ suffering
The matrikine N-acetylated proline-glycine-proline induces premature senescence of nucleus pulposus cells via CXCR1-dependent ROS accumulation and DNA damage and reinforces the destructive effect of these cells on homeostasis of intervertebral discs
AbstractIntervertebral disc (IVD) cell senescence is a recognized mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying disc cell senescence will contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of IDD. We previously reported that N-acetylated proline-glycine-proline (N-Ac-PGP), a matrikine, is involved in the process of IDD. However, its roles in IDD are not well understood. Here, using rat nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, we found that N-Ac-PGP induced premature senescence of NP cells by binding to CXCR1. N-Ac-PGP induced DNA damage and reactive oxygen species accumulation in NP cells, which resulted in activation of the p53-p21-Rb and p16-Rb pathways. Moreover, the RT2 profiler PCR array showed that N-Ac-PGP down-regulates the expression of antioxidant genes in NP cells, suggesting a decline in the antioxidants of NP cells. On the other hand, N-Ac-PGP up-regulated the expression of matrix catabolic genes and inflammatory genes in NP cells. Concomitantly, N-Ac-PGP reinforced the destructive effects of senescent NP cells on the homeostasis of the IVDs in vivo. Our study suggests that N-Ac-PGP plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of IDD through the induction of premature senescence of disc cells and via the activation of catabolic and inflammatory cascades in disc cells. N-Ac-PGP also deteriorates the redox environment of disc cells. Hence, N-Ac-PGP is a new potential therapeutic target for IDD
ROS: Crucial Intermediators in the Pathogenesis of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in degenerative intervertebral disc (IVD) indicates the contribution of oxidative stress to IVD degeneration (IDD), giving a novel insight into the pathogenesis of IDD. ROS are crucial intermediators in the signaling network of disc cells. They regulate the matrix metabolism, proinflammatory phenotype, apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence of disc cells. Oxidative stress not only reinforces matrix degradation and inflammation, but also promotes the decrease in the number of viable and functional cells in the microenvironment of IVDs. Moreover, ROS modify matrix proteins in IVDs to cause oxidative damage of disc extracellular matrix, impairing the mechanical function of IVDs. Consequently, the progression of IDD is accelerated. Therefore, a therapeutic strategy targeting oxidative stress would provide a novel perspective for IDD treatment. Various antioxidants have been proposed as effective drugs for IDD treatment. Antioxidant supplementation suppresses ROS production in disc cells to promote the matrix synthesis of disc cells and to prevent disc cells from death and senescence in vitro. However, there is not enough in vivo evidence to support the efficiency of antioxidant supplementation to retard the process of IDD. Further investigations based on in vivo and clinical studies will be required to develop effective antioxidative therapies for IDD
Growth and Differentiation Factor-5 Contributes to the Structural and Functional Maintenance of the Intervertebral Disc
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a widely recognized contributor to low back pain (LBP). The Prevention or reversal of IDD is a potential treatment for LBP. Unfortunately, current treatments for IDD are aimed at relieving symptoms rather than regenerating disc structure or function. Recently, the injection of growth factors and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation have been shown to be promising biological therapies for IDD. Growth factors stimulate the proliferation of and matrix synthesis by intervertebral disc (IVD) cells, leading to the regeneration of degenerative discs. Growth factors, hypoxia and co-culture with nucleus pulposus (NP) cells induce MSCs to differentiate toward an NP-like phenotype, which can increase the number of functional cells in the IVD or enhance the function of endogenous disc cells to facilitate IVD regeneration. Therefore, the emerging roles of growth factors in IVD regeneration have piqued the interest of researchers. Growth factors including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth and differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5), among others, have been demonstrated to enhance anabolism in IVD cells and to induce NP-like differentiation of MSCs. However, the injection of TGF, IGF and FGF into human IVDs may induce unwanted blood vessel ingrowth, which accelerates the process of IDD, the injection of GDF-5 may not have the same effect. This finding suggests that GDF-5 is a preferable growth factor for use in IDD treatment compared with TGF, IGF and FGF. The GDF-5 gene is one of the few growth factor genes that have been found to be associated with IDD thus far; moreover, the GDF-5 gene defects lead to collagen and proteoglycan abnormalities in discs in mice, suggesting that GDF-5 contributes to the structural and functional maintenance of the IVD. This review is focused on the functions of GDF-5 in the IVD and on the association between GDF-5 and a genetic predisposition to IDD. The effects of GDF-5 on IVD regeneration and on MSC differentiation are also discussed. GDF-5 plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IDD and is a promising therapeutic agent for IDD. Additionally, stem cell transplantation has been shown to be a promising biological therapy for IDD
Comparison of Endoscope-Assisted and Microscope-Assisted Tubular Surgery for Lumbar Laminectomies and Discectomies: Minimum 2-Year Follow-Up Results
Purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of endoscope-assisted and microscope-assisted tubular surgery for lumbar laminectomies and discectomies. Methods. Three hundred and seven patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) or lumbar disc herniation (LDH) at L3–4, L4–5, and L5-S1 were included in this study. The patients were treated with endoscope-assisted or microscope-assisted tubular surgery. Data on patient demographic characteristics and operative results, including ages, blood loss, operative times, hospital stay, and surgical complications were collected. Clinical outcomes were assessed based on pre- and postoperative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for low-back pain (LBP) and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scale. Results. Both tubular-based endoscope-assisted and microscope-assisted surgery were effective in relieving acute radicular symptoms. The results showed characteristic differences in operating times between endoscope-assisted and microscope-assisted procedures and between discectomies and laminectomies. At the last follow-up, VAS scores of LBP and leg pain, JOA scores, and ODI scores were significantly better than preoperative correlates in all groups. There were no differences between endoscope-assisted and microscope-assisted discectomies for LDH in JOA scores, ODI scores, and VAS scores, while the microscope-assisted laminectomies related to better JOA recovery rate for LSS. Conclusions. Endoscope-assisted and microscope-assisted tubular discectomies resulted in similar clinical outcomes for LDH, while the microscope-assisted surgery may relate to better recovery rate for LSS, less surgical time, and less intraoperative dural tear
Oxygen-Sensing Nox4 Generates Genotoxic ROS to Induce Premature Senescence of Nucleus Pulposus Cells through MAPK and NF-κB Pathways
Senescence is a crucial driver of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Disc cells are exposed to high oxygen tension due to neovascularization in degenerative discs. However, the effect of oxygen tension on disc cell senescence was unknown. Herein, rat nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were cultured under 20% O2 or 1% O2. Consequently, ROS induced by 20% O2 caused DNA damage and then activated p53-p21-Rb and p16-Rb pathways via ERK signaling to induce NP cell senescence. It also induced catabolic and proinflammatory phenotype of NP cells via MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Furthermore, 20% O2 was found to upregulate Nox4 in NP cells. Small interfering RNA against Nox4 reduced ROS production induced by 20% O2 and consequently suppressed premature senescence of NP cells. On the contrary, NP cells overexpressing Nox4 produced more ROS and rapidly developed senescent signs. In consistent with the in vitro studies, the expression of Nox4, p21, and Rb was upregulated in rat degenerative discs. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that Nox4 is an oxygen-sensing enzyme and a main ROS source in NP cells. Nox4-dependent ROS are genotoxic and a potent trigger of NP cell senescence. Nox4 is a potential therapeutic target for disc cell senescence and IDD
Spectral response feature bands extracted from near standard soil samples for estimating soil Pb in a mining area
Heavy metal contamination has been a critical environmental issue in mining areas, while accurate environmental remediation still faces a great challenge because of the complex feature of historical left-over soil pollution and its unclear spatial distribution patterns. Hyperspectral-based remote sensing techniques became a hot issue in interdisciplinary research on remote sensing and soil contamination, for it enables economical and efficient contamination detection. However, the unclear spectral response feature of soil heavy metal challenges the widespread of its application. In this study, near standard soil samples (NSS) were employed to extract spectral response feature bands of soil Pb. First, NSS was produced by artificially adding heavy metal ion solution in the background soil. Next, based on the proximal hyperspectral data of NSS, the spectral response feature bands were precisely identified by the Monte Carlo Uninformative Variables Elimination (MC-UVE) method as it achieved the highest predicting accuracy of the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model. Finally, to verify the reliability of the above extracted spectral response feature bands, 46 naturally contaminated soil samples (NCS) were collected synchronously with field and laboratory spectra in a mining area of Hengyang city, China. Enhanced by the corresponding feature bands of NSS, the NCS predicted models for soil Pb achieved the highest accuracy both for laboratory spectra ( and RPD were improved from 0.45 and 1.36 to 0.71 and 1.87, respectively) and Direct standardization (DS)-converted field spectra ( and RPD were improved from 0.38 and 1.28 to 0.62 and 1.64, respectively). In conclusion, NSS could provide an effective way to clarify the spectral response feature bands from hyperspectral data. And when combined with MC-UVE, it could serve as a promising approach to inverse the concentration of regional soil heavy metal Pb. HIGHLIGHTS Near standard soil samples were used to extract Pb spectral response feature band. Spectral response feature bands of NSS were effective for the modeling of NCS. Spectral response feature bands of soil Pb are 570-760nm, 1710-2100 nm et al. MC-UVE was a relatively optimal method to extract spectral response feature bands
Electrochemical microfluidics techniques for heavy metal ion detection
Heavy metals refer to metals with a density above 5 × 103 kg m−3, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg). Even a trace amount of heavy metals is detrimental to human health. With the increasing significance of detection of heavy metals, the use of the electrochemical detection technique combined with microfluidics is a promising strategy and has thus attracted wide attention from academia and is the subject of this review. First, this review introduces the basics of electrochemical detection and microfluidics. Second, this review presents and evaluates a variety of electrochemical microfluidics technologies for heavy metal ions detection that are user friendly, portable, inexpensive, and easy to manufacture compared to traditional methods. The categorization is based on different detected ions in the order of Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Mn, and Zn. Finally, the author summarizes the development of detection technology in recent years and puts forward a perspective for the future prospects
Biotemplate Synthesis of Micron Braid Structure CeO2-TiO2 Composite and Analysis of its Catalytic Behavior for CO Oxidation
Comparison of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Mis-TLIF) with bilateral decompression via unilateral approach and open-TLIF with bilateral decompression for degenerative lumbar diseases: a retrospective cohort study
Abstract Objective Presently, no study has compared the clinical outcomes of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Mis-TLIF) with bilateral decompression via the unilateral approach (BDUA) and Open-TLIF with bilateral decompression for degenerative lumbar diseases (DLD). We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of through Mis-TLIF combined with BDUA and Open-TLIF with bilateral decompression for the treatment of DLD, and reported the learning curve of the procedure of MIS-TLIF with BDUA. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the prospectively collected data of consecutive DLD patients in the two groups from January 2016 to January 2020. Results The operative time (OT) was significantly longer in the Mis-TLIF group (n = 113) than in the Open-TLIF group (n = 135). The postoperative drainage volume (PDV) and length of stay (LOS) were significantly higher in the Open-TLIF group than in the Mis-TLIF group. Additionally, the complication rate was significantly higher in the Open-TLIF group than in the Mis-TLIF group (14.8% vs. 6.2%, P = 0.030), while there was no significant difference in the reoperation and adjacent segment disease rates between the two groups. There were no significant differences in back pain and leg pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) between the two groups preoperatively, at discharge, and 2 years postoperatively. Patients in both groups showed significant improvements in NRS scores and ODI scores after surgery. OT was negatively correlated with the number of surgeries performed (P < 0.001, r =  −0.43). The learning curve of Mis-TLIF with BDUA was steep, with OT tapered to steady state in 43 cases. Conclusion Compared with Open-TLIF with bilateral decompression, Mis-TLIF with BDUA can achieve equivalent clinical outcomes, lower PDV and LOS, and lower complication rates. Although this procedure took longer, it could be a viable alternative for the treatment of DLD after a steep learning curve