The ability of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc to resist compressive loads is due to its high content of the proteoglycan aggrecan. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc is preceded and accompanied by a loss of aggrecan due to proteolysis. Biological repair of intervertebral disc degeneration should strive to restore aggrecan content to its optimal functional level. One approa...

The drop in the MRI signal intensity, analysed without any normalisation, was found related to the intervertebral disc degeneration, but its association with low back pain remains controversial. The authors developed the analysis of MR signal intensity distribution (AMRSID) method that analyzes the 3D distribution of the normalized T2-weighted MR signal intensity within the intervertebral disc ...

PURPOSE To quantify the delayed contrast agent enhancement in the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc by means by T1 relaxation time measurements, and to correlate the enhancement with visual grading of disc degeneration. Diffusion of nutrients through the endplate is a key factor in tissue viability in the intervertebral disc. It can be simulated in vivo using magnetic resonance imagin...

Degeneration of the intervertebral discs, a process characterized by a cascade of cellular, biochemical, structural and functional changes, is strongly implicated as a cause of low back pain. Current treatment strategies for disc degeneration typically address the symptoms of low back pain without treating the underlying cause or restoring mechanical function. A more in-depth understanding of d...

STUDY DESIGN In vitro cell culture. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high glucose on autophagy in adult rat intervertebral disc cells. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE Diabetes mellitus is considered to be an important etiologic factor for intervertebral disc degeneration, resulting in degenerative disc diseases. A glucose-mediated increase of autophagy is a major ca...

This paper presents the first reported measurements of lumbar intervertebral disc pressure in vivo during spinal manipulation. A pressure transducer was inserted into the nucleus pulposus of one normal-appearing lumbar disc in an asymptomatic adult volunteer. Pressures were recorded during several body positions and maneuvers, then during spinal manipulation, and lastly during a repetition of t...

Objective: To explore the clinicpathologic features and MRI manifestations of the thoracic lumbar tuberculosis by underwenting MRI and pathological examinations. Methods: 34 cases of Thoracic lumbar tuberculosis were collected which underwent MRI examination and confirmed by pathology or treatment of anti-TB drugs, the clinical cure from June 2008 to June 2012 in our hospital. The first MRI was...

Dear editor: We present two cases of high signal intervetebral disc in T1-weighted MRI with the differential diagnoses. The first case was a 60-year-old obese man who presented with back pain. The patient underwent an MR examination with a 0.3T permanent scanner (Hitachi, IRIS-II Japan). Spin–echo T1W, T2W images in orthogonal planes and STIR sequences were also obtained (Fig. 1). Hypersignal i...

Rationale There is no optimal treatment available for symptomatic degenerative disc disease which affects millions of elderly people worldwide. Most commonly used treatment modality is only symptomatic pain relief by drugs. An alternative approach is the surgical correction of intervertebral disc (IVD). Engineering of in vitro intervertebral disc composites of predefined size and shape starting...