Levels Of Degeneration Research Articles

Analysis of Correlation Between Vertebral Endplate Change and Lumbar Disc Degeneration.

BackgroundTo evaluate the correlation between vertebral endplate change and the level of lumbar disc degeneration via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Material/MethodsA total of 345 patients who were recruited from our hospital from May 2012 to May 2016 were evaluated for the presence of intervertebral disc degeneration or herniation. The degree of degeneration was assessed according to Pfirrmann grade. Vertebral endplate change was evaluated based on the endplate concave angle (ECA), and Modic change on sagittal MRI. The correlation between ECA and lumbar disc degeneration or Modic change and lumbar disc degeneration was analyzed.ResultsThe results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in comparison of the ECAs in adjacent L3–5 vertebra between males and females. With the aggravation in degenerative changes of L3–5 discs, the ECAs of adjacent L3 superior endplate, L4 inferior and superior endplates and L5 inferior endplate were gradually enlarged, indicating the positive correlation between the lumbar disc degeneration and ECAs. The rate of Modic change in females was higher than that in males without a statistically significant difference. Area of Modic change was positively correlated with the degree of lumbar disc degeneration. Additionally, we also identified the positive correlation between the rate of Modic change and the degree of lumbar disc degeneration.ConclusionsEndplate angle and lumbar disc degeneration are positively correlated. The endplates and endplate signal changes can reflect the degree of disc degeneration and Modic changes can reflect the rate of clinical lumbar disc degeneration degree.

Impact of Salmonid alphavirus infection in diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) fry.

With increasing interest in the use of triploid salmon in commercial aquaculture, gaining an understanding of how economically important pathogens affect triploid stocks is important. To compare the susceptibility of diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) to viral pathogens, fry were experimentally infected with Salmonid alphavirus sub-type 1 (SAV1), the aetiological agent of pancreas disease (PD) affecting Atlantic salmon aquaculture in Europe. Three groups of fry were exposed to the virus via different routes of infection: intraperitoneal injection (IP), bath immersion, or cohabitation (co-hab) and untreated fry were used as a control group. Mortalities commenced in the co-hab challenged diploid and triploid fish from 11 days post infection (dpi), and the experiment was terminated at 17 dpi. Both diploid and triploid IP challenged groups had similar levels of cumulative mortality at the end of the experimental period (41.1% and 38.9% respectively), and these were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than for the other challenge routes. A TaqMan-based quantitative PCR was used to assess SAV load in the heart, a main target organ of the virus, and also liver, which does not normally display any pathological changes during clinical infections, but exhibited severe degenerative lesions in the present study. The median viral RNA copy number was higher in diploid fish compared to triploid fish in both the heart and the liver of all three challenged groups. However, a significant statistical difference (p < 0.05) was only apparent in the liver of the co-hab groups. Diploid fry also displayed significantly higher levels of pancreatic and myocardial degeneration than triploids. This study showed that both diploid and triploid fry are susceptible to experimental SAV1 infection. The lower virus load seen in the triploids compared to the diploids may possibly be related to differences in cell metabolism between the two groups, however, further investigation is necessary to confirm this and also to assess the outcome of PD outbreaks in other developmental stages of the fish when maintained in commercial production systems.

Treatment of Extensive Gluteus Muscle Tears With Transosseous Fixation and a Nonresorbable Collagen Patch

BackgroundExtensive tearing of the gluteus muscles (spontaneous or subsequent to hip arthroplasty) is difficult to treat. We are carrying out osseous fixation with securement of the suture anchor by a nonresorbable collagen patch.The objective of this study is to examine the follow-up data of 30 patients and to assess whether the clinical outcomes depended on the extent of the fatty degeneration of the gluteus medius. MethodsThirty patients (28 female and 2 male) with a mean age of 76.8 ± 4.3 years (68-83 years) were followed for a mean of 46.8 ± 23.1 months (24-101 months). ResultsPain improved significantly from a preoperative visual analog scale score of 7.0 ± 1.52 (6-10) to 0.83 ± 0.77 (0-3) 24-month postoperative. The gluteus medius muscle force increased from 2.09 ± 0.81 to 3.3 ± 0.78 using the British Medical Research Council Scale. All patients exhibited a severe limp before the operation. Postoperatively, only 5 patients had a severe limp, while 14 exhibited a mild limp and 11 no limp at all. The modified Harris Hip Score increased from a preoperative value of 44.5 ± 4.2 (26-66) to a value of 81.1 ± 7.79 (60-100) 24-month postoperative. The functional results were dependent on the level of fatty degeneration of the muscle. ConclusionThe first results for this surgical technique appear to be very promising for the treatment of extensive tearing of the gluteus musculature that has a degree of fatty degeneration less than 75%.

The role of angiopoietin-2 in nucleus pulposus cells during human intervertebral disc degeneration

Although evidence shows that intervertebral disc degeneration is generally characterized by angiogenesis, the role of angiopoietin has not been investigated. This study examined the presence of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) within the native intervertebral disc (IVD) and elucidated their functions in the regulation of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Initial investigation of uncultured NP tissue revealed that Ang-1 and Ang-2 were expressed by native NP cells. Ang-2 expression was significantly increased in infiltrated and degenerate samples relative to normal samples. The ratio of Ang-2/Ang-1 in tissues from patients increased markedly with increasing age and level of degeneration of the IVD. The ratio of both Ang-2/Ang-1 mRNA and protein increased over time when cells were subjected to constant pressure at 1 Mpa in vitro. Our findings indicate that Ang-2 plays a role in suppressing cell adhesion and viability, and promotes the apoptosis of NP cells and that Ang-2 can inhibit the pathways stimulated by Ang-1 and fibronectin. Ang-2 release during IVD degeneration causes higher ratio of Ang-2 to Ang-1, further inhibits NP cell viability and adhesion, promoting apoptosis by blocking PI3K/Akt signaling. The present study therefore provides new insights into the role of the angiopoietin-Tie system in the pathogenesis of IVD degeneration.

The basics of knee osteotomy : Clinical examination, analysis of the deformity and correction planning

Clinical results of knee osteotomies are good. Aprecise preoperative analysis of the deformity in threedimensions and accurate planning of the correction osteotomy is essential. All pathologies of the knee and the surrounding joints must be considered. The opening wedge technique and locking plate systems have improved accuracy and reliability. An analysis of deformities and the planning of their correction is presented in this article. Access to the extent of the correction according to the level of degeneration has proven useful in clinical praxis. Digital storage of the planning is recommended for legal reasons.

Lumbar multifidus muscle degenerates in individuals with chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology.

Histological and cell-level changes in the lumbar musculature in individuals with chronic lumbar spine degenerative conditions are not well characterized. Although prior literature supports evidence of changes in fiber type and size, little information exists describing the tissue quality and biology of pathological features of muscle in this population. The purpose of this study was to quantify multifidus tissue composition and structure, inflammation, vascularity, and degeneration in individuals with chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology. Human multifidus biopsies were acquired from 22 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology. Relative fractions of muscle, adipose, and extracellular matrix were quantified along with muscle fiber type and cross-sectional area (CSA) and markers of inflammation, vascularity, satellite cell density, and muscle degeneration. On average, multifidus biopsies contained 48.5% muscle, 11.7% adipose tissue, and 26.1% collagen tissue. Elevated inflammatory cell counts (48.5 ± 30.0 macrophages/mm2 ) and decreased vascularity (275.6 ± 69.4 vessels/mm2 ) were also observed compared to normative values. Satellite cell densities were on average 13 ± 9 cells per every 100 muscle fibers. Large fiber CSA (3,996.0 ± 1,909.2 µm2 ) and a predominance of type I fibers (61.8 ± 18.0%) were observed in addition to evidence of pathological degeneration-regeneration cycling (18.8 ± 9.4% centrally nucleated fibers, and 55.2 ± 24.2% of muscle regions containing degeneration). High levels of muscle degeneration, inflammation, and decreased vascularity were commonly seen in human multifidus biopsies of individuals with lumbar spine pathology in comparison to normative data. Evidence of active muscle degeneration suggests that changes in muscle tissue are more complex than simple atrophy. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2700-2706, 2017.

Модернизация этапов технологии экстракорпорального созревания донорских ооцитов bos taurus

Extracorporeal maturation of donors oocytes is&nbsp;the basic method in innovative cellular reproductive&nbsp;technologies (embryo production in vitro, cloning,&nbsp;transgenesis). Assessment of oocyte quality and improving&nbsp;media for maturation are the important tasks&nbsp;of embryo technology. The developmental competence&nbsp;of oocytes in different functional status (growing oocytes&nbsp;and oocytes that have finished growth phase in&nbsp;vivo) were analyzed on the base of comparative evaluation&nbsp;of morphology cumulus and chromatin status&nbsp;of oocytes (meiosis stages and level of degeneration).&nbsp;BCB-diagnostics based on the difference in color of&nbsp;ooplasm after the treatment by the vital dye brilliant&nbsp;cresyl blue was used to determine the functional status&nbsp;of the oocyte. The dynamics of the transformation of&nbsp;chromatin during meiotic maturation of oocytes were&nbsp;evaluated. The findings suggest the possibility of oocytes&nbsp;that have not finished growth phase in vivo can&nbsp;complete nuclear maturation in vitro with the prolongation&nbsp;of culture time. There were no significant&nbsp;differences in the proportion of degenerated oocytes&nbsp;during culture period up to 30 hours in all groups of&nbsp;experiment. System for in vitro maturation of bovine&nbsp;oocytes had evaluated by the BCB like growing oocyte&nbsp;is offered. Use of this system has increased embryo&nbsp;production up to 38%. The effect is achieved by addition&nbsp;into the medium maturation of 50 ng/ml prolactin,&nbsp;by addition the medium after 15 hours from start&nbsp;of culture 10 IU/ml of human chorionic gonadotropin&nbsp;and prolonged time of incubation up to 30 hours.

T2 relaxation time for intervertebral disc degeneration in patients with upper back pain: initial results on the clinical use of 3.0 Tesla MRI

BackgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful non-invasive tool for evaluating abnormalities of intervertebral discs. However, there are few studies which applied functional MRI techniques to investigate degenerative changes in cervical and cervicothoracic junction (CTJ) spine among adults. The aim of this study was to compare T2 relaxation time measurement evaluation with morphological grading for assessing cervical and CTJ intervertebral discs (IVD) in the patients suffering neck, shoulder, and upper back pain.MethodsSixty-three patients (378 IVDs) and 60 asymptomatic volunteers (360 IVDs) of the cervical and CTJ discs were assessed using a 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol, including an sagittal T2 relaxation time protocol. The relaxation time values of the nucleus pulposus (NP) were recorded and all discs were visually graded according to Pfirrman’s grading system. The correlation between T2 relaxation time values and qualitative clinical grading of degeneration, patient age, sex and anatomic level were analyzedResultsThere is a clear trend of decreasing mean T2 values of the NP associate with increasing Pfirrmann grades (C2-T1) for both patients and asymptotic volunteers. Significant T2 differences were seen among grades I-V (P < 0.05). However, grade V was not observed in the CTJ. Linear correlation analysis revealed a strong negative association between T2 values of the NP and Pfirrmann grade (r = −0.588, r = −0.808) of C2-7 and C7T1. Age were also significantly correlated NP T2 values (r = −0.525, r = −0.723) for patients and volunteers. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic analysis for average measures in a range from 0.70-0.79 (C2-7) to 0.84-0.89 (C7T1) for patients.ConclusionsT2 quantitation provides a more sensitive and robust approach for detecting and characterizing the early stage of IVD degeneration and age-associated disc changes.

The influence of early degenerative changes on the vulnerability of articular cartilage to impact-induced injury

BackgroundRecently, the structural changes in a bovine model of early degeneration were validated by our research group to be analogous to that in early human osteoarthritis. The hypothesis of this study was that the structural changes associated with increasing levels of degeneration would lead to higher levels of tissue damage in response to impact induced injury. MethodsA total of forty bovine patellae were obtained for this study. Cartilage-on-bone samples were extracted from the distal lateral quarter, a region known to be affected by varying levels of degeneration. A single impact drop test was applied to these samples delivering 2.3J of energy. A dynamic load cell and image capture at 2000fps allowed for the calculation of the reaction stress and coefficient of restitution. The extent of tissue damage was examined from the micro to ultrastructural levels using differential interference contrast optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy respectively. FindingsThe impact mechanical properties of mildly degenerate articular cartilage were not significantly different but showed a significantly larger amount of structural damage. From comparing the mechanical and structural response of intact and mildly degenerate cartilage, to tissue showing increased macro-scale tissue degeneration, the significance of the surface layer and fibrillar scale transverse interconnectivity in effectively attenuating impact loads is demonstrated in this study. InterpretationThis study shows that even though articular cartilage can appear visibly normal under macroscopic observation, the micro-scale structural changes associated with very early stage osteoarthritis can have a significant effect on its vulnerability to impact damage.

Chronically denervated distal nerve stump inhibits peripheral nerve regeneration.

Chronically denervated distal nerve stump inhibits peripheral nerve regeneration.

Galectin-3 Induces a Pro-degradative/inflammatory Gene Signature in Human Chondrocytes, Teaming Up with Galectin-1 in Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis.

Inflammatory chemo- and cytokines and matrix-degrading proteases underlie the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Aiming to define upstream regulators for these disease markers, we pursued initial evidence for an upregulation of members of the adhesion/growth-regulatory galectin family. Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in sections of human cartilage with increasing levels of degeneration revealed a linear correlation reaching a chondrocyte positivity of 60%. Presence in situ was cytoplasmic, the lectin was secreted from OA chondrocytes in culture and binding of Gal-3 yielded lactose-inhibitable surface staining. Exposure of cells to the lectin led to enhanced gene expression and secretion of functional disease markers. Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis broadened this result to reveal a pro-degradative/inflammatory gene signature under the control of NF-κB. Fittingly, targeting this route of activation by inhibitors impaired the unfavourable response to Gal-3 binding, as also seen by shortening the lectin’s collagen-like repeat region. Gal-3’s activation profile overlaps with that of homodimeric galectin-1 (Gal-1) and also has distinctive (supplementing) features. Tested at subsaturating concentrations in a mixture, we found cooperation between the two galectins, apparently able to team up to promote OA pathogenesis. In summary, our results suggest that a network of endogenous lectins is relevant for initiating this process cascade.

Modelling overflow systems with distributed secondary resources

This article presents, in short, the state of the art of modelling overflow systems and proposes a new method for a determination of characteristics of multi-service overflow systems with elastic traffic and with distributed secondary resources. A particular attention is given to the method for a determination of the parameters of multi-service traffic that overflows to secondary resources and the method for modelling of these resources that takes into consideration both the structure of the distributed resources, elastic traffic management-handling mechanisms and the level of peakedness degeneration of overflow traffic. The results of the analytical calculations are compared with the results of the simulation experiments of a number of selected structures of overflow systems with distributed secondary resources. The results of the study have confirmed and verified the correctness of all the theoretical assumptions adopted throughout the article.

Hematological and Histological Changes in Prussian Carp Carassius gibelio Infected with Cyprinid Herpesvirus 2.

Outbreaks of cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) disease, also known as herpesviral hematopoietic necrosis, among cultured Prussian Carp Carassius gibelio has occurred each year in Jiangsu province, China, since 2009. In autumn 2014, hematological, blood biochemical, and histological changes in naturally infected moribund Prussian Carp were investigated after CyHV-2 was confirmed as the sole etiologic agent by etiological analyses. Total erythrocyte count, total leukocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, and thrombocyte count were significantly reduced (P < 0.01), whereas erythrocyte osmotic brittleness was significantly increased (P < 0.01) in infected fish compared with control fish. In addition, monocyte count was higher (P < 0.01) and lymphocyte count was lower (P < 0.01) in diseased fish than in control fish. The blood biochemical analyses indicated significant increases (P < 0.01) in the activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase as well as in the levels of total protein, globulin, total bilirubin, creatinine, and urea along with significant decreases (P < 0.01) in glucose and albumin in the diseased group. Histopathological examinations indicated that the kidneys and spleens of moribund Prussian Carp were the most severely lesioned organs, followed by the gills and hearts. Hypertrophied nuclei with marginated chromatin also appeared in the hearts and renal tubular epithelia from diseased fish. Pathological analysis of blood cells showed that approximately 78% of erythrocytes and 94% of leukocytes were lesioned with different levels of degeneration and necrosis in the diseased group. These previously unreported observations may be useful in the diagnosis of CyHV-2 disease. Received May 11, 2015; accepted March 24, 2016.

Histopathological effects of intramuscular metamizole sodium on rat sciatic nerve.

We investigated the histopathological effects of metamizole sodium (MS) on the sciatic nerve. This study was performed using 48 adult male Wistar albino rats. Ten groups were constituted with 6 rats in each group. MS injection into the sciatic nerve (group 1), MS injection into the muscle [group 3 (50 mg/kg, 0.4 ml) and group 5 (50 mg/kg, 0.8 ml)], MS injection into the muscle cavity in the vicinity of the sciatic nerve [group 2 (50 mg/kg, 0.4 ml) and group 4 (50 mg/kg, 0.8 ml)], normal saline injection into the muscle in the vicinity of the sciatic nerve [group 6A (0.4 ml) and 6B (0.8 ml)], subjected to injury by drilling the entire layer of nerve without injecting any drug, normal saline injection in the sciatic nerve, and control group. Nerve and muscle samples were taken 7 days after administrations. Tissue sections were stained using a hematoxylin and eosin-Luxol® fast blue stain, assessed by a histologist. The levels of axonal degeneration of the rats in groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A, and 8 were found to be significantly higher compared to the levels of the rats in the control group (P<0.05). Myelin degeneration of the rats in all groups was found to be significantly higher compared to myelin degeneration of the rats in the control group (P<0.05). It was observed that MS could lead to injury in the sciatic nerve with a toxic effect due to diffusion.

RETRACTED: Regulatory T cells ameliorate intracerebral hemorrhage-induced inflammatory injury by modulating microglia/macrophage polarization through the IL-10/GSK3β/PTEN axis

Inflammation mediated by the peripheral infiltration of inflammatory cells plays an important role in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) induced secondary injury. Previous studies have indicated that regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) might reduce ICH-induced inflammation, but the precise mechanisms that contribute to ICH-induced inflammatory injury remain unclear. Our results show that the number of Tregs in the brain increases after ICH. Inducing Tregs deletion using a CD25 antibody or Foxp3DTR-mice increased neurological deficient scores (NDS), the level of inflammatory factors, hematoma volumes, and neuronal degeneration. Meanwhile, boosting Tregs using a CD28 super-agonist antibody reduced the inflammatory injury. Furthermore, Tregs depletion shifted microglia/macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype while boosting Tregs shifted this transition toward the M2 phenotype. In vitro, a transwell co-culture model of microglia and Tregs indicated that Tregs changed the polarization of microglia, decreased the expression of MHC-II, IL-6, and TNF-α and increased CD206 expression. IL-10 originating from Tregs mediated the microglia polarization by increasing the expression of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta (GSK3β), which phosphorylates and inactivates Phosphatase and Tensin homologue (PTEN) in microglia, TGF-β did not participate in this conversion. Thus, Tregs ameliorated ICH-induced inflammatory injury by modulating microglia/macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype through the IL-10/GSK3β/PTEN axis.

Cell-Based Therapies for Degenerative Disc Diseases

Intervertebral discs degeneration are responsible for most of cases of low back pain, which affects millions of people worldwide. Current clinical therapies for degenerative disc diseases involve medications or physiotherapy for mild to moderate degeneration, and surgeries for severe degeneration. However, current treatments aim to remove symptoms sometimes at the cost of mobility instead of restoring the biological function. Future therapy for disc repair is in development by biological strategies, including protein or growth factor injections, gene therapy or cell therapy approaches. Cell-based therapies provide the greatest hope, as it is a continuous source of cells and cytokine production, and the safety is superior compared to gene therapy. The choice of cell source includes chondrocytes, disc cells, embryonic stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. Results of several clinical trials suggest that mesenchymal stem cells are the best choice of cell source for intervertebral discs regeneration. The remaining concern is that the harsh environment of the degenerated disc may have effect on the engraftment and differentiation of implanted cells. The timing of cell implantation may also have effect on the degree of disc regeneration, which may require an earlier intervention at mild to moderate level of disc degeneration to achieve satisfactory surgical outcome.

Lumbar disc degeneration is an equally important risk factor as lumbar fusion for causing adjacent segment disc disease

Treatment of degenerative spinal disorders by fusion produces abnormal mechanical conditions at mobile segments above or below the site of spinal disorders and is clinically referred to as adjacent segments disc disease (ASDD) or transition syndrome in the case of a previous surgical treatment. The aim of the current study is to understand with the help of poro-elastic finite element models how single or two level degeneration of lower lumbar levels influences motions at adjacent levels and compare the findings to motions produced by single or two level fusions when the adjacent disk has varying degree of degeneration. Validated grade-specific finite element models including varying grades of disc degeneration at lower lumbar levels with and without fusion were developed and used to determine motions at all levels of the lumbar spine due to applied moment loads. Results showed that adjacent disc motions do depend on severity of disc degeneration, number of disc degenerated or fused, and level at which degeneration or fusion occurred. Furthermore, single level degeneration and single level fusion produced similar amount of adjacent disc motions. The pattern of increase in adjacent segment motions due to disc degeneration and increase in motions at segment adjacent to fusion was similar. Based on the current study, it can be concluded that disc degeneration should also be considered as a risk factor in addition to fusion for generating adjacent disc degeneration. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:123-130, 2017.

Effects of motion segment level, Pfirrmann intervertebral disc degeneration grade and gender on lumbar spine kinematics.

MRI allows non-invasive assessment of intervertebral disc degeneration with the added clinical benefit of using non-ionizing radiation. What has remained unclear is the relationship between assessed disc degeneration and lumbar spine kinematics. Kinematic outcomes of 54 multi-segment (L1-Sacrum) lumbar spine specimens were calculated to discover if such an underlying relationship exists with degeneration assessed using the Pfirrmann grading system. Further analyses were also conducted to determine if kinematic outcomes were affected by motion segment level, gender or applied compressive preload. Range of motion, hysteresis, high flexibility zone size and rotational stiffness in flexion-extension, lateral bending and axial rotation were the kinematic outcomes. Caudal intervertebral discs in our study sample were more degenerative than cranial discs. L5-S1 discs had the largest flexion-extension range of motion (p < 0.005) and L1-L2 discs the lowest flexion high flexibility zone size (p < 0.013). No other strict cranial-caudal differences in kinematic outcomes were found. Low flexibility zone rotational stiffness increased with disc degeneration grade in extension, lateral bending and axial rotation (p < 0.001). Trends towards higher hysteresis and lower range of motion with increased degeneration were observed in flexion-extension and lateral bending. Applied compressive preload increased flexion-extension hysteresis and augmented the effect of degeneration on hysteresis (p < 0.0005). Female specimens had about one degree larger range of motion in all rotational modes, and higher flexion extension hysteresis (p = 0.016). These results suggest that gender differences exist in lumbar spine kinematics. Additionally high disc loads, applied compressive preload or applied moment, are needed to kinematically distinguish discs with different levels of degeneration. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:1389-1398, 2016.

Protective effects of l-glutamine against toxicity of deltamethrin in the cerebral tissue.

BackgroundDeltamethrin (DLM) is a broad-spectrum synthetic dibromo-pyrethroid pesticide that is widely used for agricultural and veterinary purposes. However, human exposure to the pesticide leads to neurotoxicity. Glutamine is one of the principal, free intracellular amino acids and may also be an antioxidant. This study was undertaken in order to examine the neuroprotective and antioxidant potential of l-glutamine against DLM toxicity in female Wistar albino rats.Materials and methodsThe rats were divided into the following groups (n=10): Group I: control (distilled water; 10 mL/kg, po one dose), Group II: l-glutamine (1.5 g/kg, po one dose), Group III: DLM (35 mg/kg, po one dose), and Group IV: DLM (35 mg/kg, po one dose) and l-glutamine (1.5 g/kg, po one dose after 4 hours). Total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 levels and apoptosis were evaluated in brain tissue.ResultsDLM-treated animals had a significant increase in brain biochemical parameters, as well as TOS and TAS. Furthermore, the histopathological examination showed neuronal cell degeneration in the cerebral tissue. l-Glutamine treatment decreased the elevated brain levels of TOS and neuronal cell degeneration. There was no difference in tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels between the groups.Conclusionl-Glutamine may reduce the toxic effects of DLM in the cerebral tissue through antioxidant properties.

Qualitative grading of disc degeneration by magnetic resonance in the lumbar and cervical spine: lack of correlation with histology in surgical cases

Background: Clinically, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the most effective non-invasive tool for assessing IVD degeneration. Histological examination of the IVD provides a more detailed assessment of the pathological changes at a tissue level. However, very few reports have studied the relationship between these techniques. Identifying a relationship may allow more detailed staging of IVD degeneration, of importance in targeting future regenerative therapies. Objectives: To investigate the relationship between MR and histological grading of IVD degeneration in the cervical and lumbar spine in patients undergoing discectomy. Methods: Lumbar (N = 99) and cervical (N = 106) IVD samples were obtained from adult patients undergoing discectomy surgery for symptomatic IVD herniation and graded to ascertain a histological grade of degeneration. The pre-operative MR images from these patients were graded for the degree of IVD (MR grade) and vertebral end-plate degeneration (Modic Changes, MC). The relationship between histological and MR grades of degeneration were studied. Results: In lumbar and cervical IVD the majority of samples (93%) exhibited moderate levels of degeneration (ie MR grades 3-4) on pre-operative MR scans. Histologically, most specimens displayed moderate to severe grades of degeneration in lumbar (99%) and cervical spine (93%). MR grade was weakly correlated with patient age in lumbar and cervical study groups. MR and histological grades of IVD degeneration did not correlate in lumbar or cervical study groups. MC were more common in the lumbar than cervical spine (e.g. 39 versus 20% grade 2 changes; p < 0.05), but failed to correlate with MR or histological grades for degeneration. Conclusions: In this surgical series, the resected IVD tissue displayed moderate to severe degeneration, but there is no correlation between MR and histological grades using a qualitative classification system. There remains a need for a quantitative, non-invasive, pre-clinical measure of IVD degeneration that correlates with histological changes seen in the IVD.