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At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Intervertebral disc calcification in childhood.

Nine children with calcified intervertebral discs are described. Seven were boys and 2 were girls. The average age at diagnosis was 8.6 years (range 5 to 14 years). Follow up was from 2 to 10 years. Only one child gave a history of trauma. In all twelve discs were involved with more than one disc being affected in 2 children; there were 7 in the cervical spine, 4 in the thoracic and one in the lumbar spine. Every child with cervical calcification had an acute onset with pain and limited movement, and disappeared during the following months. The calcified discs in the thoracic and lumbar regions did not cause symptoms and did not change. Calcification of cervical discs is self-limiting and has an excellent prognosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Oxygen tension alterations in the intervertebral disc as a response to changes in the arterial blood.

Measurements of oxygen tension in the canine lumbar intervertebral disc, by the use of a polarographic oxygen electrode, were performed. The oxygen tension in the arterial blood was changed by regulating the oxygen concentration in the inspired air. The alterations in oxygen tension in the nucleus pulposus, as a function of distance to the vertebral endplate were determined. The response times registered in the disc matrix were relatively short (within five min.), which implies an efficient solute transport from the vertebral blood pool underneath the hyaline cartilage into the avascular intervertebral disc.

Animals↗
PubMed1971

Glycosaminoglycans of cat intervertebral disc.

The glycosaminoglycan contents of samples from cat intervertebral discs were examined by using cetylpyridinium chloride salt elution techniques. The values obtained related to the region of the vertebral column from which they were derived, to the area of the disc, and to water content. In wet tissue there was a significant difference between regions of the vertebral column and between areas of the disc and findings agreed with previous histological reports. The greater part of the glycosaminoglycans present consisted of chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate with smaller amounts of hyaluronic acid; little keratan sulphate was found. The maximum amounts of chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate occurred in the 0.5m-magnesium chloride fractions usually, but moved towards higher molar concentrations in samples derived from some sites, particularly in the lumbar region. Mean values for the water content of the areas of the disc were: nucleus pulposus, 82.4%; inner anulus, 65.6%; outer anulus, 50.5%. The water content was directly related to the amounts of chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Cervical intervertebral disc calcification in childhood.

A case of cervical intervertebral disc calcification in a child is presented. The condition is rare, the aetiology unknown and the prognosis good. Possibility for differential diagnosis are discussed and the importance of the otolaryngologist having a knowledge of the condition is emphasized.

Calcinosis↗
PubMed1957

Intervertebral disc lesions; surgical treatment, end results, disability ratings and cost in industrial accident injuries.

In lumbar intervertebral disc operations there is sometimes pronounced disparity between the clinical results and the results as reflected in the disability rating given by the Industrial Accident Commission. It is believed that the difference must be due to excessive complaining and exaggeration on the part of the claimant and his representative before the Commission, and that undue credence and importance are given to these subjective symptoms as compared with the objective findings as reported by the surgeon or clinician. Data in the present study indicate that the belief that surgical decompression of a single nerve root and removal of an injured or degenerated disc necessarily entails a certain degree of disability is not justified. Satisfactory clinical results were obtained in 93 per cent of compensation cases, but when settled or rated by the Industrial Accident Commission, only 59 per cent were closed as having good or excellent results.

Accidents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of discography on the canine intervertebral disc.

With increasing use of chemonucleolysis, interest and use of discography is at an all-time high. Various reports in past years have disagreed on the safety and efficacy of intradiscal injections of contrast mediums. This experimental study was devised to determine the effects of discography on the gross and histologic appearance of the lumbar intervertebral disc. Through a laparotomy approach, five lumbar discs in ten dogs were exposed. In each dog, one disc served as a control, another punctured with a needle, and the others injected with metrizamide, hypaque, or saline, At 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks postoperative, two dogs were killed at each time interval. Examination of the discs revealed no gross differences between any of the groups. The normal gross architecture of the concentric annulus and gelatinous nucleus was maintained in all specimens. This study found no evidence that discography results in gross or histologic damage to the intervertebral disc. It does not appear that discography will predispose a normal intervertebral disc to herniate. Discography alone appears to be a safe diagnostic procedure with no experimental evidence of any untoward gross or histologic effects.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Toward an optimum system for intervertebral disc organ culture: TGF-beta 3 enhances nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus survival and function through modulation of TGF-beta-R expression and ERK signaling.

STUDY DESIGN: Rat lumbar discs comprising nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus, and cartilaginous endplates were cultured for 1 week in a specialized media containing either TGF-beta1 or TGF-beta3. Role of TGF-beta isoforms on cell function was evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To develop an in vitro organ culture of rat intervertebral disc and evaluate effects of TGF-beta3 on disc cell function. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: An in vitro model system is of considerable value in understanding the cell biology of the intervertebral disc. Development of a useful organ culture model would enhance understanding of disc function in health and disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat lumbar intervertebral discs were maintained in organ culture in media supplemented with TGF-beta3 or TGF-beta1 for 1 week. Tissue morphology was studied using routine histologic, histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. Cell function was assessed by gene expression, sulfate incorporation, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: After 1 week in culture with TGF-beta3 and TGF-beta1, the gross morphology and tissue architecture of the disc were preserved. TUNEL analysis indicated that there was no evidence of cell death in the nucleus pulposus or the anulus fibrosus. The level of Alcian blue staining in the nucleus pulposus was similar to that of the freshly isolated disc. However, when compared with TGF-beta1, TGF-beta3 elevated the expression of critical matrix genes, enhanced [S] incorporation into proteoglycans, preserved the expression of TGF-beta receptors, and decreased aggrecan turnover. There was also increased activation (phosphorylation) of ERK, a critical signaling protein. Moreover, inhibition of ERK activity, in the presence TGF-beta3, resulted in suppression of collagen Type II, aggrecan, TGF-beta-RI, TGF-beta-RII and TGF-beta-RIII mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: TGF-beta3 maintains the phenotype of disc cells in organ culture. It exerts this effect, in part, by elevating the levels of activated ERK1/2, which in turn regulates the expression of TGF-beta-RI and TGF-beta-RII.

Activin Receptors, Type I↗
PubMed1990

The distribution of calcific deposits in intervertebral discs of the lumbosacral spine.

The incidence of intervertebral disc calcifications (IVDCs) was examined in 52 lumbosacral spines obtained sequentially at autopsy. The presence of calcific deposits was detected by fine-grain roentgenograms. The nature of these deposits was determined by wide-angle x-ray diffraction, and histologic observations were made. A high prevalence of IVDC, 18 spines of 52, some with multiple deposits, was noted. Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) deposits were found in 3% of the spines and accounted for 29% of the 42 deposits analyzed. The CPPD deposits occurred at multiple disc levels (an average of four per spine), were diffuse, and involved a major portion of the disc (nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus, and endplate) but were not generally associated with histologic disc degeneration. Hydroxyapatite (HA) deposits occurred in 12% of the spines, most often in the nucleus pulposus and endplate. The HA deposits appeared as small punctate radiodensities. Roentgenographic evidence of degenerative changes, i.e., disc space narrowing, endplate disruption, desiccation, and osteophyte formation, were present in all but one of the spines containing HA deposits. An additional 19% of the spines had deposits that could not be characterized by x-ray diffraction but were very similar in roentgenographic appearance to HA deposits. No conclusions could be drawn on the relationship between the presence of HA or CPPD and collagen or hexosamine content.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Ultrasound in treatment of back pain resulting from prolapsed intervertebral disc.

The efficacy of ultrasound therapy in the management of back pain resulting from rupture of the intervertebral disc was evaluated in 3 groups: treatment, placebo, and control. Range of motion of total flexion and extension, total side flexion and total rotation of the lumbar spine, and subjective assessment of pain were used as criteria to determine the efficacy of treatment. Group comparisons showed statistical significance in favor of the treatment group (p 0.01), leading to the conclusion that ultrasound therapy is significantly effective in the treatment of back pain resulting from prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Water content in human intervertebral discs. Part II. Viscoelastic behavior.

Water content of intervertebral discs is a significant aspect of both viscoelastic behavior and age-related degenerative changes. Using water content as a dependent variable, stress-relaxation was measured using standardized anulus fibrosus specimens strained at various levels of strain. Synthesis of experimental data into a master relaxation curve allows prediction of specimen response over time intervals not readily accessible experimentally. A quantitative understanding of the role of water content may have important clinical application, since magnetic resonance imaging is a tool which should allow water content determination in vivo.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Modeling of intervertebral discs.

A model with rotational symmetry of an intervertebral disc is studied. The nucleus pulposus is assumed to consist of an incompressible fluid, and the annulus fibrosus is modeled by 11 fiber layers with alternating fiber inclination. The spaces between the fiber layers are assumed to be filled with an incompressible fluid. The pressures in the fluid compartments, the fiber strains, and the bulge are calculated under different assumptions regarding fiber inclination, fiber force-elongation relation, initial fiber layer bulges, and so on. The agreement with experimental results is very good. Possible extensions of the model are briefly discussed.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2006

What is intervertebral disc degeneration, and what causes it?

STUDY DESIGN: Review and reinterpretation of existing literature. OBJECTIVE: To suggest how intervertebral disc degeneration might be distinguished from the physiologic processes of growth, aging, healing, and adaptive remodeling. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The research literature concerning disc degeneration is particularly diverse, and there are no accepted definitions to guide biomedical research, or medicolegal practice. DEFINITIONS: The process of disc degeneration is an aberrant, cell-mediated response to progressive structural failure. A degenerate disc is one with structural failure combined with accelerated or advanced signs of aging. Early degenerative changes should refer to accelerated age-related changes in a structurally intact disc. Degenerative disc disease should be applied to a degenerate disc that is also painful. JUSTIFICATION: Structural defects such as endplate fracture, radial fissures, and herniation are easily detected, unambiguous markers of impaired disc function. They are not inevitable with age and are more closely related to pain than any other feature of aging discs. Structural failure is irreversible because adult discs have limited healing potential. It also progresses by physical and biologic mechanisms, and, therefore, is a suitable marker for a degenerative process. Biologic progression occurs because structural failure uncouples the local mechanical environment of disc cells from the overall loading of the disc, so that disc cell responses can be inappropriate or "aberrant." Animal models confirm that cell-mediated changes always follow structural failure caused by trauma. This definition of disc degeneration simplifies the issue of causality: excessive mechanical loading disrupts a disc's structure and precipitates a cascade of cell-mediated responses, leading to further disruption. Underlying causes of disc degeneration include genetic inheritance, age, inadequate metabolite transport, and loading history, all of which can weaken discs to such an extent that structural failure occurs during the activities of daily living. The other closely related definitions help to distinguish between degenerate and injured discs, and between discs that are and are not painful.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Expression of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in the developing mouse tooth, intervertebral disc, and hair follicle.

Expression of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) in the developing mouse tooth, intervertebral disc, and hair follicle was investigated in terms of its localization during ontogenic stages and its association or lack of association with cell proliferation (labeled nuclei after [3H]thymidine injection or metaphase-arrested cells after colchicine injection). The data demonstrate that (a) GGT expression followed a program of activity and localization changes that correlated with the progressive emergence of developmental stages and (b) GGT activity in developing tissues derived either from epithelium (enamel-producing cells and hair follicle cells) or from mesenchyme (intervertebral disc cells) was localized only in mitotically quiescent cellular layers or regions associated with the production of specialized tissue products; however, not all postmitotic regions expressed GGT activity. Although further research is needed to clarify the role of GGT in normal and neoplastic tissues, we conclude that increasing evidence from this and other laboratories implicates GGT as a marker of cell differentiation, cell aging, and/or reduced cell proliferation.

Aging↗