OBJECTIVE To set up a natural degeneration model of chondrocytes derived from endplate of intervertebral discs of rats in order to offer an appropriate carrier for the study on mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration. METHODS The method of enzyme digestion combined with natural subculture was used to set up the in vitro natural degeneration model of chondrocytes derived from the endplat...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Literature regarding clinical pain syndromes associated with acute, traumatic Schmorl's nodes (SNs) is limited. Our purpose was to determine whether an SN could be related to a previous traumatic event producing either acute SN or a vertebral endplate fracture. METHODS Two neuroradiologists independently reviewed initial and follow-up MR examinations of 14 patients with...

STUDY DESIGN This study was a prospective study with a minimum patient follow-up of 2 years. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of a vertebral endplate classification system (VEYBR) in predicting outcomes following lumbar arthroplasty. BACKGROUND In the present study, our previously described endplate classification system was evaluated to determine it...

Loss of connections between motor neurons and skeletal muscle fibers contribute to motor impairment in old age, but the sequence of age-associated changes that precede loss of the neuromuscular synapse remains uncertain. Here we determine changes in the size of neuromuscular synapses within the tibialis anterior muscle across the life span of C57BL/6J mice. Immunofluorescence, confocal microsco...

We describe and functionally characterize six mutations of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) ε subunit gene in three congenital myasthenic syndrome patients. Endplate studies demonstrated severe endplate AChR deficiency, dispersed endplate regions and well preserved junctional folds in all three patients. Electrophysiologic studies were consistent with expression of the fetal γ-AChR at the endp...

STUDY DESIGN human cadaveric biomechanical study of indentation tests on the thoracolumbar vertebral endplates. OBJECTIVE to map the strength profile of the thoracolumbar endplates using indentation testing, and to document any changes in this profile with vertebral level. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA the strength profile of the lumbosacral endplate was described previously. Based on these da...

BACKGROUND On retrospective basis, we investigated the detection of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) without radiologic collapse using a modified Yoshida's classification, which was designed by the authors. METHODS We observed 82 cases in 76 patients with confirmed OVFs without collapse at the thoracolumbar junction. The following factors were measured: age, gender, body mass index (BM...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE EPFs sustained during VCFs degrade the disk's ability to develop IDP under load. This inability to develop pressure in combination with residual kyphotic deformity increases the risk for adjacent vertebral fractures. We tested the hypothesis that StaXx FX reduces kyphosis and endplate deformity following vertebral compression fracture, restoring disk mechanics. MATERIAL...

BACKGROUND The influence of lumbar endplate morphology on the clinical and radiographic outcomes of lumbar disc arthroplasty has not been evaluated to the best of our knowledge. STUDY DESIGN AND OBJECTIVE In this observational study of 80 patients, the objective was to formulate a reproducible and valid lumbar endplate classification system to be used in evaluating lumbar total disc replaceme...