A 12-year-old, castrated male Maltese dog was presented due to a sudden onset of tetraparesis. A ventral, extradural compressive lesion at the C4-5 intervertebral disk space, most compatible with an intervertebral disk extrusion was found by radiography, myelography and computed tomography. The dog received ventral slot surgery for cervical intervertebral disk hernia. After the surgery, the dog...

Intervertebral disk degeneration has been considered an irreversible process characterized by a decrease in cell viability, attenuation of proteoglycan and type II collagen synthesis, and dehydration of nucleus pulposus. Stem cell therapy specifically addresses the degenerative process and offers a potentially effective treatment modality. Current preclinical studies show that mesenchymal stem ...

The oceans' phytoplankton that underpin the marine food chain appear to be changing in abundance due to global climate change. Here, we compare the first four years of data from a citizen science ocean transparency study, conducted by seafarers using home-made Secchi Disks and a free Smartphone application called Secchi, with contemporaneous satellite ocean colour measurements. Our results show...

We present two cases of disc herniation associated with juvenile intervertebral disc calcification, a rare, self-limiting process which typically resolves with conservative treatment. Recognition of this entity prevents unnecessary diagnostic workup and possible surgical intervention. A review of the literature for this rare entity is discussed.

Introduction: PLDD (Percutaneous laser disk decompression) is a safe, non-destructive and successful surgical treatment for lumbar disk herniation. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of advantages in the procedure of percutaneous laser disk decompression in the treatment of lumbar disk herniation in comparison to open surgical methods on lumbar disk herniation like microdisectomy. Pat...

STUDY DESIGN Cadaveric Biomechanical and Radiographic Analysis. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to quantify the changes in intervertebral height and lateral and central recess areas afforded by lateral interbody fusion cages with 2 supplemental forms of internal fixation in cadaveric specimens. BACKGROUND DATA When conservative treatment for symptomatic lumbar stenosis fails, tradit...

Structure and Function Articular cartilage is structurally well suited to support joint function: it provides a nearly frictionless interface between joint surfaces and protects underlying bones by redistributing loads. By bulk chemical analysis cartilage consists mainly of water (more than 70% of wet mass), proteoglycan (15% of wet mass), and collagen (15% of wet mass). More than 80% of the pr...

N.L. Marinelli V.M. Haughton P.A. Anderson BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: T2 relaxation times provide a continuous measure of changes in intervertebral disk biochemistry. The purpose of this study was to correlate T2 relaxation times in lumbar disks with patient age and stage of degeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sagittal T1and T2-weighted images and axial images were acquired in 20 patients referre...

When an animal is presented with spinal pain of a neurological origin, there are five possible differentials for the cause of that pain. They are; intervertebral disk disease, neoplasia (of the spinal cord or surrounding structures), diskospondylitis, trauma, and myelitis / meningitis. Occasionally, other disease processes may fit into a list of differentials for spinal pain based on the signal...

Intervertebral disk degeneration is a common and potentially debilitating disease process affecting millions of Americans and other populations each year. Current treatments address resultant symptoms and not the underlying pathophysiology of disease. This has spawned the development of biologic treatments, such as gene therapy, which attempt to correct the imbalance between catabolism and anab...