Can zoledronic acid reduce the risk of cage subsidence after oblique lumbar interbody fusion combined with bilateral pedicle screw fixation in the elderly population? A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of zoledronic acid for reducing the incidence of cage subsidence and enhancing interbody fusion rates following oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) surgery, particularly as the first reported evidence of the role of zoledronic acid combined with OLIF. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 108 elderly patients treated for degenerative lumbar diseases using OLIF combined with bilateral pedicle screw fixation from January 2018 to December 2021. Patients were divided into the zoledronic acid (ZOL) group (43 patients, 67 surgical segments) and the control group (65 patients, 86 surgical segments). A comparative analysis of the radiographic and clinical outcomes between the groups was performed, employing univariate and multivariate regression analyses to explore the relationships between cage subsidence and the independent variables. RESULTS: Radiographic outcomes, including anterior height, posterior height, disc height, coronal disc angle, foraminal height, and lumbar lordosis, were not significantly different between the two groups. Similarly, no statistically significant differences were noted in the back visual analog scale (VAS) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores between the groups. However, at the 1-year follow-up, the leg VAS score was lower in the ZOL group than in the control group (P = 0.028). The ZOL group demonstrated a notably lower cage subsidence rate (20.9%) than did the control group (43.0%) (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the interbody fusion rate between the ZOL group (93.0%) and the control group (90.8%). Non-use of zoledronic acid emerged as an independent risk factor for cage subsidence (OR = 6.047, P = 0.003), along with lower bone mineral density, lower postoperative anterior height, and concave endplate morphology. The model exhibited robust discriminative performance, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.872. CONCLUSION: The administration of zoledronic acid mitigates the risk of cage subsidence following OLIF combined with bilateral pedicle screw fixation in elderly patients; however, it does not improve the interbody fusion rate.

The current status of various preclinical therapeutic approaches for tendon repair.

Tendons are fibroblastic structures that link muscle and bone. There are two kinds of tendon injuries, including acute and chronic. Each form of injury or deterioration can result in significant pain and loss of tendon function. The recovery of tendon damage is a complex and time-consuming recovery process. Depending on the anatomical location of the tendon tissue, the clinical outcomes are not the same. The healing of the wound process is divided into three stages that overlap: inflammation, proliferation, and tissue remodeling. Furthermore, the curing tendon has a high re-tear rate. Faced with the challenges, tendon injury management is still a clinical issue that must be resolved as soon as possible. Several newer directions and breakthroughs in tendon recovery have emerged in recent years. This article describes tendon injury and summarizes recent advances in tendon recovery, along with stem cell therapy, gene therapy, Platelet-rich plasma remedy, growth factors, drug treatment, and tissue engineering. Despite the recent fast-growing research in tendon recovery treatment, still, none of them translated to the clinical setting. This review provides a detailed overview of tendon injuries and potential preclinical approaches for treating tendon injuries.

Knowledge Mapping of Macrophage in Spinal Cord Injury: A Bibliometric Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition, often leading to significant disability and impairment. As crucial immune cells, macrophages play a critical role in the pathophysiology of SCI. Understanding the current state of knowledge and research trends related to macrophages in SCI is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions. METHODS: Using search strategies, we retrieved relevant articles from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), resulting in a robust dataset for analysis. VOSviewer, Citespace, and PRISM were employed for analysis and visualization. Various bibliometric indicators, including publication trends, citation analysis, co-authorship networks, and keyword analysis, were utilized to assess the scholarly landscape of macrophage research in SCI. RESULTS: Our findings revealed a steady increase in publications over the past 33 years, indicating a growing interest in this field. We identified Popovich Phillip G was the most influential author, Ohio State University was the most influential institution, and identification of 2 distinct macrophage subsets with divergent effects causing either neurotoxicity or regeneration in the injured mouse spinal cord was the most influential paper in this field. CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge landscape and research trends regarding macrophages in SCI. Neuroinflammation and macrophage polarization, transplation and molecular mechanism were emerging research areas and novel directions. Our study serves as a valuable resource for researchers in spinal cord injury research and therapeutic development.

Recent developments in nanomaterials for upgrading treatment of orthopedics diseases.

Nanotechnology has changed science in the last three decades. Recent applications of nanotechnology in the disciplines of medicine and biology have enhanced medical diagnostics, manufacturing, and drug delivery. The latest studies have demonstrated this modern technology's potential for developing novel methods of disease detection and treatment, particularly in orthopedics. According to recent developments in bone tissue engineering, implantable substances, diagnostics and treatment, and surface adhesives, nanomedicine has revolutionized orthopedics. Numerous nanomaterials with distinctive chemical, physical, and biological properties have been engineered to generate innovative medication delivery methods for the local, sustained, and targeted delivery of drugs with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and minimal or no toxicity, indicating a very promising strategy for effectively controlling illnesses. Extensive study has been carried out on the applications of nanotechnology, particularly in orthopedics. Nanotechnology can revolutionize orthopedics cure, diagnosis, and research. Drug delivery precision employing nanotechnology using gold and liposome nanoparticles has shown especially encouraging results. Moreover, the delivery of drugs and biologics for osteosarcoma is actively investigated. Different kind of biosensors and nanoparticles has been used in the diagnosis of bone disorders, for example, renal osteodystrophy, Paget's disease, and osteoporosis. The major hurdles to the commercialization of nanotechnology-based composite are eventually examined, thus helping in eliminating the limits in connection to some pre-existing biomaterials for orthopedics, important variables like implant life, quality, cure cost, and pain and relief from pain. The potential for nanotechnology in orthopedics is tremendous, and most of it looks to remain unexplored, but not without challenges. This review aims to highlight the up tp date developments in nanotechnology for boosting the treatment modalities for orthopedic ailments. Moreover, we also highlighted unmet requirements and present barriers to the practical adoption of biomimetic nanotechnology-based orthopedic treatments.

Global research trends and hotspots on tendon-derived stem cell: a bibliometric visualization study.

Purpose: This study was aimed to examine the global research status and current research hotspots in the field of tendon stem cells. Methods: Bibliometric methods were employed to retrieve relevant data from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database. Additionally, Citespace, Vosviewer, SCImago, and Graphad Prism were utilized to analyze the publication status in this field, identify the current research hotspots, and present a mini-review. Results: The most active countries in this field were China and the United States. Notable authors contributing significantly to this research included Lui Pauline Po Yee, Tang Kanglai, Zhang Jianying, Yin Zi, and Chen Xiao, predominantly affiliated with institutions such as the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, Third Military Medical University, University of Pittsburgh, and Zhejiang University. The most commonly published journals in this field were Stem Cells International, Journal of Orthopedic Research, and Stem Cell Research and Therapy. Moreover, the current research hotspots primarily revolved around scaffolds, molecular mechanisms, and inflammation regulation. Conclusion: Tendon stem cells hold significant potential as seed cells for tendon tissue engineering and offer promising avenues for further research Scaffolds, molecular mechanisms and inflammation regulation are currently research hotspots in this field.

Carvacrol Suppresses Human Osteosarcoma Cells via the Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Carvacrol is a monoterpenic phenol extracted from traditional Chinese herbs, including oregano and thyme. Currently, carvacrol has been widely studied for its therapeutic role in central nervous system diseases, liver diseases and digestive system cancer. OBJECTIVE: However, the role of carvacrol in osteosarcoma and its underlying molecular mechanism remain elusive. Here, we aimed to examine the anticancer effects of carvacrol on osteosarcoma. METHODS: The effects of carvacrol on the osteosarcoma proliferation capacity were revealed by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry and Hoechst assays were used to determine the effects of carvacrol on osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. The effect of carvacrol on migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells was determined by wound healing and transwell tests. Protein expression was evaluated by WB assays. The suppressive effects of carvacrol on osteosarcoma in vivo were examined by a xenograft animal model, immunohistochemistry and HE staining. RESULTS: We demonstrated that carvacrol treatment reduced viability and inhibited the colony formation of U2OS and 143B cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Apoptotic cell number increased after exposure to carvacrol. Meanwhile, the expression of Bax increased, and that of Bcl-2 decreased by carvacrol treatment. In addition, the MMP-9 expression and migration and invasion of 143B and U2OS cells were inhibited by carvacrol. We also found that these carvacrol-induced effects on osteosarcoma are associated with the regulation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that carvacrol suppresses proliferation, migration, invasion and promotes apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells, in part by regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.