Although ACDF may increase the risk of additional surgery, clinical outcomes indicated that both Mobi-C artificial cervical disc replacement and ACDF were reliable. Radiographic data showed that ROM of the cervical spine, FSU angle and treated and adjacent segments were relatively better reconstructed and maintained in the Mobi-C group compared with those in the ACDF group.
Cartilage endplate (CEP) plays important roles in the onset and progression of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Icariin (ICA) is the major active ingredient of Herba Epimedii and has various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, which is used to treat many degenerative diseases. However, the effects and mechanism of ICA on endplate chondrocytes are still unclear. Herein, we studied the effects of ICA on CEP degeneration and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. Endplate chondrocytes were isolated, and TNF-α and TBHP were applied to mimic an IVDD pathological environment. Also, an IVDD mice model was established by transection of bilateral facet joints to investigate the protective effect of ICA in vivo. We found that ICA treatment inhibited the chondrocytes apoptosis and the decrease of extracellular matrix production in a dose-dependent manner. Our in vivo experiments demonstrated that ICA could ameliorate IVDD development and CEP calcification. We also found that the ICA-activated Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway thus promoted the Parkin-mediated mitophagy process and inhibited chondrocytes ferroptosis, thus alleviated redox imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction and eventually improved cell survival. Knockdown of Nrf-2 using siRNA reversed the protective effect of ICA on endplate chondrocytes apoptosis and degeneration. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that ICA could protect against CEP degeneration and calcification under IVDD pathological conditions, the associated mechanism may be related to Nrf-2/HO-1-mediated mitophagy activation and ferroptosis inhibition. Our results suggest that ICA may be a potential effective medicine for IVDD prevention and treatment.
BACKGROUND
As an extramedullary form of proliferating myeloblasts, granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is common in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. GS in the central nervous system is rare, and an intraspinal space-occupying lesion caused by GS is even rarer. Surgical decompression is often necessary to remove the intraspinal space-occupying lesion. To the best of our knowledge, we report, for the first time a case of GS that caused extensive compression in the spinal canal without surgical decompression treatment.
CASE SUMMARY
A 15-year-old male suddenly developed numbness and weakness in his lower limbs for 10 d, which affected his walking ability. Acute myeloid leukemia was later diagnosed in the Department of Hematology. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed that multiple segmental space-occupying lesions were causing severe spinal cord compression in the thoracic spinal canal. As a result, the patient received routine chemotherapy before surgery. Interestingly, the intraspinal space-occupying lesions completely diminished on magnetic resonance imaging after a course of chemotherapy, and the sensation and strength in his lower limbs markedly recovered.
CONCLUSION
An intraspinal space-occupying lesion could be the first symptom of acute myeloid leukemia, causing spinal nerve compression without any other symptoms. Following standard chemotherapy, spinal canal compression can be quickly relieved, and the spinal cord and nerve function restored, avoiding emergency surgery.
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