Spine
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Comparative Study
Does anterior plating of the cervical spine predispose to adjacent segment changes?
In a human cadaveric model, the effects of plate supplementation on the mechanical behaviors of adjacent segments were investigated. ⋯ Intradiscal pressures and intervertebral motion at the adjacent levels are not significantly affected by the instrumented anterior fusion. The clinically observed degenerative change at adjacent segments in the cervical spine is more likely to be attributed to natural progression of the spondylotic process as opposed to biomechanical effect of the instrumentation or fusion.
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Comparative Study
Effects of degeneration on the biphasic material properties of human nucleus pulposus in confined compression.
The biphasic compressive material properties of normal and degenerate human nucleus pulposus tissue were measured in confined compression. ⋯ Swelling is the primary load-bearing mechanism in both nondegenerate and degenerate nucleus pulposus. Knowledge of the biphasic material properties of the nucleus pulposus will aid the development of new treatment strategies for disc degeneration aimed at restoring mechanical function of the intervertebral disc.
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Comparative Study
De novo osteogenesis from human ligamentum flavum by adenovirus-mediated bone morphogenetic protein-2 gene transfer.
In vitro and in vivo experiment using degenerated human ligamentum flavum (LF) and Type 5 adenovirus construct with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) cDNA. ⋯ Human LF cells transduced with Ad/BMP-2 exhibited the expression of osteogenic phenotype and bone nodule formation. Additionally, genetically modified human LF with BMP-2 cDNA clearly demonstrated de novo osteogenesis, which supports the concept that biologically modified LF can be a substitute for autogenous bone graft in spinal fusion surgery.
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Pinch motion between the thumb and the index finger in myelopathy hand was analyzed using micro-reflective markers and the VICON system. ⋯ Overall, the patients with myelopathy hand exhibited a larger flexion angle in the two distal finger joints when pinching small objects.
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Prospective trial. ⋯ The authors have developed a novel method of spinal stereotaxy using exact plastic copies of the spine manufactured using biomodeling technology. Biomodel spinal stereotaxy is a simple and accurate technique that may have advantages over frameless stereotaxy.