BackgroundZero-profile implant has become more and more popular in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for the treatment of degenerative cervical spondylosis. However, there was no enough evidence judging its efficiency and safety. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Zero-profile implant compared with conventional cage-plate (CCP) in ACDF.MethodsAll studies directly comparing the outcomes between the Zero-profile implant and CCP implant in ACDF were included, and the search strategy followed the requirements of the Cochrane Library Handbook. Two of the authors extracted relevant data and checked the accuracy independently using standardized data collection form.ResultsSeven studies involving 560 patients were included, 262 in the Zero-profile group and 298 in the CCP group. Zero-profile implant had a lower rate of postoperative dysphagia at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year (p = 0.0002, p = 0.008, and p = 0.001, respectively) than CCP implant. Zero-profile also reduced blood loss (p = 0.0001), while operation time and incidence of postoperative transient dysphagia had no statistical significance (p = 0.92, p = 0.42, respectively) between two groups.ConclusionBased on the results of our analysis, the application of Zero-profile implant in ACDF had a lower rate of postoperative dysphagia at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year than CCP implant. Zero-profile implant also had fewer blood loss during operation. More rigorous and adequately powered prospective randomized controlled trials with larger sample size are required to elucidate a more objective outcome.

OBJECTIVETo the authors’ knowledge, posterior percutaneous full-endoscopic cervical discectomy (PPFECD) has not been reported before as a procedure performed with patients under local anesthesia (LA). In this study, the authors report the outcomes of 25 patients treated by this technique, the surgical steps, and the procedure’s potential advantages.METHODSTwenty-five patients diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy due to soft-disc herniation (SDH) were treated by PPFECD. The intensities of arm and neck pain were measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the functional status was assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Global outcome was also assessed using modified Macnab criteria, and outcomes were grouped as clinical success (excellent or good) and clinical failure (fair or poor). Complications were also recorded.RESULTSNo patient was lost to the follow-up. Significant and durable pain relief and cervical functional improvement were achieved postoperatively. Clinical success was achieved in 24 patients (96%), including 22 excellent and 2 good outcomes at the last follow-up. No serious complications occurred.CONCLUSIONSThe authors’ preliminary experience indicates that PPFECD under LA is a feasible and promising alternative for selected cases of cervical radiculopathy due to SDH, though the procedure’s effectiveness and safety still need confirmation from further studies.

Nanomedicine technology is a rapidly developing field of research and application that uses nanoparticles as a platform to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Nanoparticles loaded with drugs and imaging contrast agents have already been used in clinically, but they are essentially passive delivery carriers. To make nanoparticles smarter, an important function is the ability to actively locate target tissues. It enables nanoparticles to accumulate in target tissues at higher concentrations, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects. Among the different ligands, the CREKA peptide (Cys-Arg-Glu-Lys-Ala) is a desirable targeting ligand and has a good targeting ability for overexpressed fibrin in different models, such as cancers, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, and atherosclerosis. In this review, the characteristic of the CREKA peptide and the latest reports regarding the application of CREKA-based nanoplatforms in different biological tissues are described. In addition, the existing problems and future application perspectives of CREKA-based nanoplatforms are also addressed.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)‐guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of cervical intervertebral discs for the treatment of discogenic cervicogenic headache (CEH). Background Some patients with CEH experience no obvious therapeutic effect after conventional therapy, particularly patients with refractory CEH originating from abnormal cervical intervertebral discs. Treatment for this type of CEH remains poorly characterized. Methods Using a single intervention arm, pretest/posttest design, we retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who underwent CT‐guided RFA of cervical intervertebral discs for CEH at the Pain Medicine Center of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2017 to April 2021. If conservative treatment failed in patients with discogenic CEH, we classified the patients as having refractory CEH and performed RFA of cervical intervertebral discs. We used a numeric rating scale (NRS) to assess pain intensity for 6 months. We also compared therapeutic outcome of patients with different characteristics. Results A total of 44 patients who underwent CT‐guided RFA of cervical intervertebral discs were enrolled and 41 of them were analyzed in the present study. The preoperative median (25th, 75th) NRS score was 4 (4, 5), and it was significantly reduced to 1 (0, 4) 6 months after RFA (p < 0.001). The number of patients with ≥50% of their pain relieved after 6 months was 28 of 41 (68%). No serious treatment‐related complications occurred in this study. Compared with single‐level RFA, multi‐level RFA shows greater effects on pain intensity reduction (p = 0.032) and pain relief rate (p = 0.047) of patients. Conclusion In patients who have discogenic CEH, CT‐guided RFA of the cervical intervertebral discs appears to be a promising treatment with no serious complications.

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Tendinopathy is a common tendon disorder characterized by pain, swelling, and dysfunction. Current evidence has demonstrated that the depletion of stem cell pool and non-tenogenic differentiation of tendon-derived stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) might account for the pathogenesis of tendinopathy. FNDC5/Irisin, as a novel exercise-induced myokine, is proved to be involved in the exercise-induced protective effects on musculoskeletal disorders. However, whether irisin can affect TSPCs fate is still unknown. To ascertain the roles of irisin on the proliferation and tenogenic differentiation of TSPCs, rat TSPCs were isolated and incubated with irisin. Cell viability, phenotypic changes, and related signaling pathways were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, real-time PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence, and proteasome activity assay. We found that irisin treatment increased the proliferative and colony-forming abilities, and promoted the tenogenic differentiation of TSPCs by upregulating the expression of YAP/TAZ. In conclusion, our work showed for the first time that irisin promotes the proliferation and tenogenic differentiation of rat TSPCs in vitro by activating YAP/TAZ, and the process was associated with a ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway. In conclusion, irisin and agents targeting YAP/TAZ may be promising therapeutic options for tendinopathy.

Purpose: Although percutaneous minimally invasive techniques have been gradually applied to the surgical treatment of cervical disc herniation (CDH), some patients still experience adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of acupuncture treatment for CDH patients after minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with CDH admitted to our department between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Visual analog scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), and the modified MacNab criteria were used to assess pain, function, and clinical outcomes, respectively. Characteristics between patients with acupuncture treatment and those without acupuncture treatment were compared. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment on clinical outcomes. Results: 211 patients were incorporated in the cohort with 102 (48.3%) receiving acupuncture treatment. Patients with acupuncture had a lower postoperative VAS and NDI at one month, six months, and one year (all P < 0.001) after surgery. In addition, acupuncture treatment was associated with lower modified MacNab criteria score at six months and one year (both P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that acupuncture (P < 0.001, OR 9.282, 95% CI 3.469-24.836) was an independent factor for good outcomes at one year. Conclusions: Acupuncture treatment had beneficial effects on relieving pain and improving function in CDH patients after MIS, and was a significant and independent factor for good outcomes at one year after surgery. Acupuncture could be an effective adjunct therapy for CDH patients after MIS.