Objectives:To evaluate the clinical values of cervical vertebral bone quality(CVBQ)score and cervical endplate bone quality(CEBQ)score in predicting the settlement of Zero Profile(Zero-P)cage after an-terior cervical discectomy and fusion(ACDF).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 72 patients who underwent ACDF with Zero-P cage in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.General pa-tient information(including sex,age,comorbidity),laboratory parameters(such as blood calcium and blood glu-cose),surgical details(surgical level and cage type),and imaging data(preoperative cervical MRI and anteropos-terior and lateral X-rays within one week and after more than three months)were collected.On the lateral X-rays taken within one week and＞3 months postoperatively,the heights of the upper and lower margins of vertebrae were measured,and the difference between was defined as the cage subsidence distance.Patients with a subsidence distance ≥ 2mm were assigned to the subsidence group,and those with＜2mm subsidence distance were divided to the non-subsidence group.On preoperative cervical sagittal T1-weighted MRI,plac-ing regions of interest(ROIs)in the medullary region of adjacent vertebral bodies,the subchondral bone region of the endplates,and the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)in the cerebellomedullary cistern.CVBQ and CEBQ values were the ratios of the average signal intensity of the medullary region of the surgical adjacent vertebral bodies(for CVBQ)and the subchondral bone region of the endplates(for CEBQ)to the signal intensity of the cere-brospinal fluid in the cerebellomedullary cistern.A stratified analysis by gender was conducted to further clarify whether the predictive value of bone quality scores for subsidence is influenced by gender factors.The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship of CVBQ and CEBQ with cage subsidence distance.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were applied to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CVBQ and CEBQ for cage subsidence.Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed to screen for po-tential risk factors,after that age and diabetes,which showed statistical significance,along with CVBQ and CEBQ,were incorporated into the multivariate analysis to assess their independent effects.Results:Cage sub-sidence occurred in 14 patients(subsidence rate:19.4％).Compared with the non-subsidence group,the subsi-dence group of patients was older(male:61.4±16.5 years vs 51.1±10.8 years,P=0.049;female:62.6±13.1 years vs 51.2±7.8 years,P=0.005)and had a higher proportion of patients with diabetes(male:42.9％vs 3.4％,P=0.018;female:42.9％vs 6.9％,P=0.040).Both CVBQ and CEBQ were significantly higher in the subsidence group(CVBQ-male:2.75±0.73 vs 2.02±0.53,P=0.004;female:2.84±0.69 vs 2.00±0.40,P=0.005;CEBQ-male:2.82±0.688 vs 2.05±0.56,P=0.004;female:2.94±0.68 vs 2.05±0.42,P=0.002).Pearson correlation analysis re-vealed a moderate positive correlation between both CVBQ(r=0.58,P＜0.001)and CEBQ(r=0.59,P＜0.001)with subsidence distance.ROC curve analysis indicated that both CVBQ(AUC=0.83)and CEBQ(AUC=0.85)had good predictive values for subsidence,with CEBQ showing slightly better predictive performance.Univariate logistic regression analysis identified age,diabetes,CEBQ,and CVBQ as risk factors for subsidence(P＜0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that after adjusting for age and diabetes,both CEBQ(OR=11.466,P=0.004)and CVBQ(OR=8.804,P=0.005)remained independent risk factors for subsidence,while age and diabetes lost in-dependent significance.The strength of association with subsidence was greater in CEBQ than in CVBQ.Conclusions:Patients with higher CVBQ and CEBQ scores are more likely to experience fusion cage subsi-dence,and both CEBQ and CVBQ can be used to predict cage subsidence in patients after single-level ACDF,CEBQ has better predictive ability than CVBQ.

Objectives:To evaluate the clinical values of cervical vertebral bone quality(CVBQ)score and cervical endplate bone quality(CEBQ)score in predicting the settlement of Zero Profile(Zero-P)cage after an-terior cervical discectomy and fusion(ACDF).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 72 patients who underwent ACDF with Zero-P cage in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.General pa-tient information(including sex,age,comorbidity),laboratory parameters(such as blood calcium and blood glu-cose),surgical details(surgical level and cage type),and imaging data(preoperative cervical MRI and anteropos-terior and lateral X-rays within one week and after more than three months)were collected.On the lateral X-rays taken within one week and＞3 months postoperatively,the heights of the upper and lower margins of vertebrae were measured,and the difference between was defined as the cage subsidence distance.Patients with a subsidence distance ≥ 2mm were assigned to the subsidence group,and those with＜2mm subsidence distance were divided to the non-subsidence group.On preoperative cervical sagittal T1-weighted MRI,plac-ing regions of interest(ROIs)in the medullary region of adjacent vertebral bodies,the subchondral bone region of the endplates,and the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)in the cerebellomedullary cistern.CVBQ and CEBQ values were the ratios of the average signal intensity of the medullary region of the surgical adjacent vertebral bodies(for CVBQ)and the subchondral bone region of the endplates(for CEBQ)to the signal intensity of the cere-brospinal fluid in the cerebellomedullary cistern.A stratified analysis by gender was conducted to further clarify whether the predictive value of bone quality scores for subsidence is influenced by gender factors.The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship of CVBQ and CEBQ with cage subsidence distance.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were applied to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CVBQ and CEBQ for cage subsidence.Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed to screen for po-tential risk factors,after that age and diabetes,which showed statistical significance,along with CVBQ and CEBQ,were incorporated into the multivariate analysis to assess their independent effects.Results:Cage sub-sidence occurred in 14 patients(subsidence rate:19.4％).Compared with the non-subsidence group,the subsi-dence group of patients was older(male:61.4±16.5 years vs 51.1±10.8 years,P=0.049;female:62.6±13.1 years vs 51.2±7.8 years,P=0.005)and had a higher proportion of patients with diabetes(male:42.9％vs 3.4％,P=0.018;female:42.9％vs 6.9％,P=0.040).Both CVBQ and CEBQ were significantly higher in the subsidence group(CVBQ-male:2.75±0.73 vs 2.02±0.53,P=0.004;female:2.84±0.69 vs 2.00±0.40,P=0.005;CEBQ-male:2.82±0.688 vs 2.05±0.56,P=0.004;female:2.94±0.68 vs 2.05±0.42,P=0.002).Pearson correlation analysis re-vealed a moderate positive correlation between both CVBQ(r=0.58,P＜0.001)and CEBQ(r=0.59,P＜0.001)with subsidence distance.ROC curve analysis indicated that both CVBQ(AUC=0.83)and CEBQ(AUC=0.85)had good predictive values for subsidence,with CEBQ showing slightly better predictive performance.Univariate logistic regression analysis identified age,diabetes,CEBQ,and CVBQ as risk factors for subsidence(P＜0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that after adjusting for age and diabetes,both CEBQ(OR=11.466,P=0.004)and CVBQ(OR=8.804,P=0.005)remained independent risk factors for subsidence,while age and diabetes lost in-dependent significance.The strength of association with subsidence was greater in CEBQ than in CVBQ.Conclusions:Patients with higher CVBQ and CEBQ scores are more likely to experience fusion cage subsi-dence,and both CEBQ and CVBQ can be used to predict cage subsidence in patients after single-level ACDF,CEBQ has better predictive ability than CVBQ.

Objective:To summarize the clinical, thigh magnetic resonance (tMRI) and electromyographic (EMG) characteristics in patients with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM).Methods:A total of 32 IMNM patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurology from April 2019 to April 2021 were enrolled at the First Medical Centre of Chinese PLA General Hospital. According to the type of antibody, the patients were divided into anti-SRP antibody positive (SRP +) group, anti-HMGCR antibody positive (HMGCR +) group and seronegative (SN) group. The gender, age, course of disease, myositis antibodies, extramuscular manifestations, EMG were collected and analyzed among three groups. The characteristics of skeletal muscle were assessed by tMRI inflammatory edema and fat infiltration scores. Analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test and Chi-square test were used to compare the differences in different clinical characteristics and tMRI scores among the three groups. When there was a statistical difference among the three groups, the comparison between the two groups was corrected by the Bonferroni method. Result:(1) Of the 32 patients, 20 were females (62.5%).The median age of onset was 47±14 years, 25 (78.1%) patients had an acute or subacute course.There were 17 (53.1%) with SRP +, 8 (25.0%) with HMGCR +, and 7 (21.9%) with MSAs (myositis specific antibodies) negative. Anti-Ro52 antibody was the most common combined antibody (12/32, 37.5%), among which 10 were in SRP +group.(2) The CK of all patients were elevated, median was 5 948 (4 229, 7 664) U/L. There was no statistical difference of MMT scores among three groups. The proximal limb score was lower than distal limb ( P<0.01). The axial muscle score was lower than the distal limb score ( P<0.05).(3) Extramuscular manifestations of HMGCR + group were lower than those of the other two groups (12.5% vs. 71.4% and 76.5%, P<0.017). Rash (60.0% vs.14.3%, P<0.05) and interstitial pulmonary diseases (70.0% vs. 14.3%, P<0.05) were more common in patients with anti-SRP coexistence with anti-Ro52 than those with isolated anti-SRP. Connective tissue disease was more common in SN group (57.1% vs. 11.8% and 0, P<0.017).(4) tMRI showed fascial edema of SN group was more obvious than that of the other two groups ( P<0.017). There was no statistical difference in the degree of fat infiltration and inflammatory edema among three groups, but SRP + group had more cases of early fat infiltration.(5) Myotonic potentials (25.0% vs. 0 and 0, P<0.017) and compound repetitive discharges (CRDs) (50.0% vs. 5.9% and 0, P<0.017) were common in HMGCR + group. Proteomic analysis found significantly different expressed proteins in skeletal muscle of patients with myotonic potentials or CRDs were associated with cytoskeleton, cell junction and extracellular matrix. Conclusion:IMNM with pure anti-SRP antibody positive and anti-HMGCR positive were mainly affected by skeletal muscles. Those who were co-positive for anti-SRP antibody and anti-Ro52 antibody had more extramuscular manifestations, which might be a special subtype of SRP + group. This study proposed for the first time that myofascial inflammatory edema is an early sign of SN-IMNM injury. EMG of HMGCR +group were more prone to myotonia potential and CRDs.

Axial myopathy is a general term for a group of myopathy involving the axial muscles. It refers to a group of skeletal myopathy in which paraspinal muscles are individually or significantly affected, with or without the involvement of whole body skeletal muscles. Axial muscle weakness is often ignored in clinical practice. The evaluation of axial muscle is mainly the evaluation of the paraspinal muscles (erector spinae) in current literature. The clinical manifestations of paraspinal muscle weakness are dropped head syndrome and camptocormia. Physical examination and skeletal muscle magnetic resonance imaging, especially the whole body muscle magnetic resonance scan, are vital for the evaluation of axial muscle. It is of great clinical significance to increase attention to the diagnosis and differentiation of axial myopathy, which is helpful to avoid missing treatable diseases and improve the understanding and early recognition of associated myopath.