Objective:To explore the curative effect of anterior cervical surgery for lower cervical dislocation combined with spinal cord injury.Methods:A retrospective case series study was carried out to analyze the clinical data of 72 patients with lower cervical dislocation and spinal cord injury admitted in Beijing Boai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center from January 2011 to August 2018, including 55 males and 17 females, with an average age of 35.8 years (range, 18-63 years). The segments of injury were at C 3 in 2 patients, at C 4 in 16, at C 6 in 24 and at C 7 in 30. Bases on American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade, there included grade A in 43 patients, grade B in 22, grade C in 6 and grade D in 1. All patients were treated with anterior decompression and fusion. Operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, decompression and fusion, complications and ASIA grade were observed. Results:All patients were followed up for 3-72 months (average 24.2 months). Operation time was 90-180 months [(118±58)minutes] and intraoperative bleeding volume was 50-180 ml [(104±30)ml]. Spinal cord was decompressed in all patients. The reduction was excellent in 58 patients (81%) and fair in 14 patients (19%). Fusion was confirmed in 48 patients (67%). The complications were improved after timely treatment, including cervical edema in 1 patient, laryngeal edema in 1, cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 4 and axial pain in 2. ASIA grade change of spinal cord injury: grade A were recovered to grade B in 2 patients, grade A to grade C in 1, grade B to grade C in 1, grade C to grade D in 2 ( P>0.05). Conclusion:For dislocation of lower cervical spine combined with spinal cord injury, anterior surgery can obtain good decompression, reduction and fusion effect, but it has limited help for improvement of neurological function.

BACKGROUND:The majority of studies focus on the lesions of spinal cord injury, while little evidence is available on the change of morphology and structure of distal nerve, muscle and motor endplates fol owing spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the time window change of the morphology of motor neurons and skeletal muscles caudal to the lesion after spinal cord injury in rats.
METHODS:Fifty healthy adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups:control group (n=5;without treatment), sham operation group (n=10), and spinal cord injury group (n=35). The sham operated rats only received laminectomy. In the spinal cord injury group, rats were subject to complete T 10 spinal cord injury by total laminectomy and cord transverse resection. Then the morphological change including sciatic nerve, motor endplate and median gastrocnemius was observed for each group at 1, 2, 4, 12, 24 weeks after injury.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) The myelin sheath layers of sciatic nerve were separated partial y at 4 weeks in rats with spinal cord injury, the myelin sheaths were fragmented with the regeneration of thin-myelinated and unmyelinated axons at 12 weeks. There was a decrease in myelinated axons and an increase in thin-myelinated and unmyelinated axons at 24 weeks. (2) The synaptic gutters of motor endplate, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membrane and synaptic space were distinct at 4 weeks in rats with spinal cord injury, the degenerated motor endplates coexsisted with the intact ones at 12 weeks. The motor endplate disappeared at 24 weeks. (3) There was a slight decrease in muscle cross-sectional area at 2 weeks in rats with spinal cord injury, but no structural change was found, the membrane of myocytes was partial y weakened at 4 weeks, the border of myocytes was obscure with hyperplasia of connective tissue at 12 weeks, and myocytes gathered and in fusion at 24 weeks. As natural history of completely transected spinal cord injury in rats, there were significant changes in morphology of peripheral nerve, motor endplate and skeletal muscles caudal to the lesion at 12 weeks, and the changes were destructive at 24 weeks.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of nontraumatic spinal cord injury, including the demographic characteristics,etiology and neurological function. Methods 44 patients with nontraumatic spinal cord injury in the past 4 years were reviewed. Results There were 27 males (61.3%) and 17 females (38.7%) with mean age of 39.85 years (3.5~78). They were followed up for mean of 13.3 (3~23) months. Myelitis (36%) and spinal tumor (including primary and metastatic tumor, 18.1%) were the most common causes, followed by intraspinal tumor (15.9%), vascular disease (13.6%), nontraumatic acute disc herination (6.8%), spinal cord ischemia after non-spinal surgery (4.5%) and hepatic myelopathy (4.5%). Neurological function at the initial admission included tetraplegia in 9 patients, paraplegia in 30 patients, conus medullaris syndrome in 2 patients and cauda equina syndrome in 2 patients. Neurological function of ASIA at the initial admission included A in 14 cases, B in 6, C in 13 and D in 11. 34% patients improved at least one ASIA grade when evaluated at final follow up. Conclusion Nontraumatic etiologies contribute to a significant proportion for spinal cord injury. Patients with nontraumatic spinal cord injury present the clinical characteristics different from traumatic spinal cord injury cases.

Objective To investigate the effect of problem- based learning (PBL) combined with evidence- based medicine (EBM) on clinical teaching for postgraduates of spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Methods Postgraduates who studied in our ward between April 2010 to March 2012 were enrolled as control group (n=12) and received traditional teaching. Postgraduates who studied in our ward between April 2012 to March 2014 were enrolled as test group (n=12) and received PBL combined EBM in addition. Their achievement of academic and practical (case analysis) tests were compared, and they were investigated with questionnaire of satisfaction. Results There was no significant difference between the groups in achievement of academic and practical (case analysis) tests (P>0.05). The score of progressive knowledge was significantly higher in the test group than in the control group (P<0.01). The results of questionnaire showed that the level of literature retrieval, English, self-learning and analyzing-summarizing improved more in the test group than in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of improvement of clinical thinking, nor of the satisfaction about teacher and teaching method (P>0.05). Conclusion PBL combined with EBM can improve the teaching for postgraduates majored in spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of intravertebral augmentation which including transpedicular bone graft, transpediclebody augmenter and vertebroplasty in preventing the correction loss and implant failure of short-segment pedicle instrumentation for thoracolumbarfractures through meta-analysis. Methods Experimental studies (randomized controlled trails, non-randomized controlled trails)and observational studies (cohort studies, case control studies) related with application of posterior short-segment pedicle instrumentationwith intravertebral augmentation for thoracolumbar fractures were searched from Pubmed, EMBASE and CNKI according to the inclusionand exclusion criteria, and hand-searched in Chinese and English journals. RevMan 5.0.18 provided by Cochrane was used to analyse the data.Results 1 randomized controlled trail and 7 observational studies were included. There were 442 patients, in which 216 patients werewith and 226 patients without intravertebral augmentation. There was no significant difference in correction loss and risk of implant failurebetween these two groups. Conclusion Intravertebral augmentation does little about the risk of correction loss and implant failure associatedwith posterior short-segment pedicle instrumention for patients with thoraculumbar fractures.

Objective To investigate the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the synthesis of extracellular matrixc (ECM)and expression of chondromodulin in human intervertebral disc cells. Methods 4 intervertebral discs (IVDs) obtained from patients in thetreatment of disc degenerative disease were used for cell culture. The secondary generation of intervertebral disc cells were cultured for 7days, then different concentration of bFGF (0, 0.1 ng/ml, 1 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml)were added to the medium and treated for 72 hours. Real-timeRT-PCR was used to detect the change of Aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen mRNA expression. The effect of FGF on the expression of ChM-1,a cartilage derived anti-angiogenic factor, was also used by means of Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. Results Real-time RT-PCRshowed that bFGF can significantly inhibit the expression of Aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen mRNA. Both Real-time RT-PCR and Westernblot showed that the expression of ChM-1 was down-regulated by administration of bFGF with dose-dependent way. Conclusion bFGFserves primarily as a catabolic factor and induce the angiogenesis in the process of intervertebral disc degeneration.

Objective To explore the factors related with bladder function after surgical intervention in patients with first lumbar burst fractures uniting isolated conus medullaris syndrome (CMS). Methods 25 patients complicated CMS in 618 patients with Ｌ1 burst fracture were analyzed retrospectively. Results The recovery rate of patients with saddle sensation weakness was higher than the patients with saddle sensation disappeared (P<0.05). There was no difference in bladder function between patients accepted surgery within 2 weeks and more than 2 weeks (P>0.05). Conclusion Saddle sensation before surgery related with the recovery of bladder function.

3 cases with esophageal fistula following anterior cervical fixation were reported. The diagnosis, treatment, nursing and prevention were summarized with literature.

Objective To explore the effects of rehabilitation for adult cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality. Methods 80 patients were studied retrospectively. Results The increase of motor score of anterior, posterior and conservative group were around 5, 2 and 2, whereas that of FIM were 11, 17 and 15, respectively. The changes of sensory score were uncertain.Conclusion The effect of surgical or conservative treatment is limited on neurological recovery, while rehabilitation can bring more functional independence to patients with cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality.

Objective To summarize clinical characteristics and treatment methods of cervical vertebrae injury in the elderly.MethodsThe data of 59 elderly patients with cervical vertebrae injury from 2002 to 2006 years were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsThe most common type of injuries was hyperextension injuries of cervical spine and cervial central cord syndrome.Traffic accident and falling injury were the most common reasons.Early operation and early rehabilitation could improve the ASIA 1 or 2 grade,and avoid complications of cord injury effectively.ConclusionThe key treatment point of cervical vertebrae injury in the elderly is how to get them leave bed in order to reduce the complications of cord injury,early operation and rehabilitation are good method to decrease the mortality and increase quality of life.