Yiqi Huoxue Recipe Delayed Intervertebral Disc Degeneration by Activating Autophagy.

Autophagy has been proved to occur in rats with intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Yiqi Huoxue recipe (YQHXR), an effective therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, was widely used for ruptured lumbar disc herniation under clinical observation. More importantly, YQHXR positively regulated the expression of autophagy-related proteins. However, little is known about the significance of YQHXR in the pathologic process of IVDD. Therefore, this study explored the protective effect of YQHXR based on IVDD rat model through magnetic resonance imaging and histopathologic analysis. Then we evaluated the formation of autophagosomes in the degenerated intervertebral disc by transmission electron microscope. Real-time PCR was used to detect the changes of autophagy-related genes. Western blot and immunoprecipitation were used to assess the protein expression of the autophagy-related pathway. We found that YQHXR-induced autophagy attenuated the release of inflammatory factors. In addition, YQHXR promoted the formation of Beclin1-VPS34 complex to activate autophagy through not only activation of the upstream protein AMPK and upregulation of the deubiquitinase USP13, thus in turn alleviating the development of IVDD. We proposed the potential molecular mechanism of YQHXR on autophagy for the first time, so as to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical application of YQHXR in the treatment of IVDD-related diseases.

Conservative Treatment for Giant Lumbar Disc Herniation: Clinical Study in 409 Cases.

BACKGROUND: There have been several recent reports of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) resorption; however, large sample studies are lacking, and the mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To explore the feasibility and clinical outcomes of conservative treatment for giant LDH and to analyze the factors affecting the resorption of giant LDH. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study and original research. SETTING: This work was performed at a University Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. METHODS: From January 2008 to December 2019, 409 patients with giant LDH who initially underwent nonsurgical treatment in our hospital were followed for 1-12 years to analyze the rate of surgical intervention, calculate the rate of resorption of protrusions, and the rate of excellent clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty-nine of the 409 patients (21.76%) underwent surgery, while the remaining 320 patients (78.24%) constituted the non-surgical treatment group. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score in the 320 patients changed from 10.22 ± 3.84 points to 24.88 ± 5.69 points after treatment, and the rate of excellent outcomes was 84.06%. Among the 320 patients in the non-surgical treatment group, the protrusion percentage decreased from 70.08±30.95% to 31.67 ± 24.42%. One-hundred and eighty-nine patients (59.06%) had > 30% resorption of protrusions, and 81 patients (25.31%) had a significant resorption of protrusions of > 50%. Among 189 patients with resorption, the shortest resorption interval was 1 month, and the longest was 8 years, with 77 patients (40.74%) showing resorption within 6 months, 51 (26.98%) within 6-12 months, and 61 patients (32.28%) after 12 months. LIMITATION: The main limitations are that all patients were from the same site, and there was a lack of multicenter randomized controlled trials with which to compare data. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with giant LDH are less likely to develop progressive nerve injury and cauda equina syndrome if their clinical symptoms improve after treatment. As long as there is no progressive nerve injury or cauda equina syndrome, conservative treatment is preferred for giant disc herniation. Resorption is more likely with greater disc protrusions in the spinal canal. A ring enhancement bull's eye sign) around a protruding disc on enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is an important indicator of straightforward resorption.

[Analysis of clinical effect of Xiaosui Huahe decoction for the treatment of 130 patients with giant lumbar intervertebral disc herniation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of conservative treatment for giant lumbar intervertebral disc herniation and analyze the factors affecting its resorption. METHODS: From January 2013 to December 2016, the clinical data of 130 patients with giant lumbar intervertebral disc herniation were collected. The patients were classified according to the characteristics of Iwabuchi displacement and "bull eye sign", Xiaosui Huahe decoction of traditional Chinese medicine conservative treatment was used in the patients. There were 93 males and 37 females, aged from 15 to 64 years old with an average of(37.11±13.96) years old; with the disease duration ranging from 1 day to 8 years with an average of(11.82±20.45) months. Rate of intervertebral disc herniation was measured by Futian's method, and clinical effect was evaluated by JOA score. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up from 13 to 48 months with an average of(21.45±11.87) months, and there were no significant differences in follow-up time between different imaging types(P>0.05). The absorption rate 95 patients with persistent conservative treatment was(44.08±35.70)%. The absorption rate of Iwabuchi displacement positive group and "bull eye sign" positive group was significantly higher than the average value(P<0.05). The rate of excellent and good JOA scores in 95 patients was 78.95%, 81.05% and 78.95% at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment, respectively(P<0.05). Finally 35 patients accepted surgical treatment, the rate of excellent and good JOA scores was 100% at 3, 6, 12 months after treatment(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical effect of Xiaosui Huahe decoction conservative treatment is satisfactory for giant lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. Patients with Iwabuchi displacement and "bull's eye sign" had significant herniation resorption.

[Logistic regression analysis on the outcome predictive factors of ruptured lumbar disc herniation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome predictive factors of ruptured lumbar disc herniation after conservative treatment. METHODS: From June 2009 to June 2016, 147 patients with ruptured lumbar intervertebral disc herniation were treated with conservative treatment in the orthopedics department of Suzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for clinical efficacy and MRI follow-up. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis(Stepwise regression method)was used to analyze the relationship between the 11 categorical variables and absorptivity of protrusions: sex(X1), age(X2), course of disease(X3) , the rate of protrusion(X4), the Komori type(X5), the MSU type(X6), the Iwabuchi type(X7), the Pfirrmann grade(X8), the Modic change on adjacent vertebrae(X9), spinal canal morphology(X10), the Schizas types of cauda equina sedimentation sign(X11). RESULTS: A total of 64 cases of prominent reabsorption among all cases followed-up (absorption rate>=30%), accounting for 43.5%. The reabsorption of protrusions is more likely to occur in patients with a duration of less than 1 year(P=0.006), MSU type 3 (P=0.001), Iwabuchi type 1 or 5 (P=0.000), the Schizas type of cauda equina sedimentation sign A or B(P=0.004). Regression equation Y=-10.363+1.916X3+1.446X4-1.445X5+2.070X6+4.679X7+1.125X9+1.023X10+2.223X11. Such factors as age, gender, Pfirrmann classification and spinal canal morphology had no significant effect on reabsorption of protrusions. CONCLUSIONS: Ruptured lumbar disc herniation can be reabsorbed after nonoperative treatment. And the reabsorption of protrusions is more likely to occur in patients with a duration of less than 1 year, MSU type 3, Iwabuchi type 1 or 5, the Schizas type of cauda equina sedimentation sign A or B, which can be used as the key reference factors for predicting the outcome of the projections.

Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for ruptured lumbar disc herniation: clinical observations in 102 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) regimen on patients with ruptured lumbar disc herniation, including assessing its effects on prognosis and protrusion size. METHODS: From June 2008 to December 2011, 102 patients with ruptured lumbar disc herniation who chose conservative treatment with TCM as their first choice were followed up for 2 years to assess their final surgical rate, improvement according to Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, and to calculate the volume and rate of resorption of their protrusions by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: (i) Eighty-three of the 102 patients (81.37%) experienced partial or complete relief; the remaining 19 (18.63%) eventually needed surgery. (ii) In the 83 patents who underwent conservative treatment, rates of excellent JOA scores at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years were 79.52%, 81.93%, 81.93% and 83.13% respectively; differences between these and pretreatment scores are all statistically significant (P < 0.01). (iii) The volume of protrusion in the patients who chose conservative treatment decreased from 1433.89 ± 525.49 mm(3) (mean ± SD) to 1002.01 ± 592.95 mm(3), which is statistically significant (t = 6.854, P < 0.01). The average resorption rate was 27.25% ± 32.97%; in 20 patients (24.10%) the resorption rate was >50%. The remaining 63 patients had no obvious resorption; their excellent rate was 77.77%. The difference in rate of achieving an excellent outcome differed significantly between those who did and did not have resorption of their protrusions (P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: Conservative treatment with a TCM regimen is effective for ruptured lumbar disc herniation and can promote resorption of the protrusion; however, patients who develop specific indications for surgery during such treatment should undergo surgery in a timely manner.