Chronic painful OVCFs should be candidates for KP, and there was no difference in pain relief when treated with either unipedicular or bipedicular KP.Although the bipedicular KP is more efficacious in vertebral height restoration in early stage, the unipedicular KP can maintain the same degree of the restored vertebral height in the long run.

The aim of this study was to observe the clinical effects of bilateral decompression via vertebral lamina fenestration for lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lower lumbar instability. The 48 patients comprised 27 males and 21 females, aged 47–72 years. Three cases had first and second degree lumbar spondylolisthesis and all received bilateral vertebral lamina fenestration for posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) using a threaded fusion cage (TFC), which maintains the three-column spinal stability. Attention was given to ensure the correct pre-operative fenestration, complete decompression and the prevention of adhesions. After an average follow-up of 26.4 months, the one year post-operative X-ray radiographs suggested that the successful fusion rate was 88.1%, and this was 100% in the two-year post-operative radiographs. Moreover, the functional recovery rate was 97.9%. Bilateral vertebral lamina fenestration for lumbar interbody fusion is an ideal surgical method for the treatment of lower lumbar instability. The surgical method retains the spinal posterior column and middle column and results in full decompression and reliable fusion by a limited yet effective surgical approach.

Transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) signaling plays pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, while TGF‐β signaling in certain diseases models is regulated by the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) antidifferentiation noncoding RNA (ANCR). Therefore, ANCR may also participate in osteoarthritis. In this study, the expression of ANCR and TGF‐β1 in the plasma of osteoarthritis patients and healthy controls was detected by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The diagnostic value of ANCR for osteoarthritis was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The correlation between the plasma levels of ANCR and TGF‐β1 was analyzed by the Pearson correlation coefficient. The ANCR expression vector was transfected into cells of the human chondrocyte cell line CHON‐001 (ATCC CRL‐2846), and the effect on TGF‐β1 expression and cell proliferation was detected by Western blot and cell counting kit‐8 assay, respectively. We observed that the plasma levels of ANCR were significantly lower, while the plasma levels of TGF‐β1 were significantly higher in osteoarthritis patients than those in healthy controls. Downregulation of ANCR effectively distinguished osteoarthritis patients from healthy controls. ANCR and TGF‐β1 expression was negatively correlated in osteoarthritis patients but not in healthy controls. ANCR overexpression promoted the proliferation of chondrocytes and inhibited TGF‐β1 expression. We concluded that ANCR might participate in osteoarthritis by downregulating TGF‐β1 and promote the proliferation of chondrocytes.