ObjectiveTo investigate the analgesic effect of Tuina at the "Weizhong （BL 40）" on neuropathic pain in a rat model of chronic constriction injury （CCI） of the sciatic nerve and its potential central spinal mechanisms. MethodsThirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups （8 rats in each group）， sham-operated group， model group， Tuina group， and blockade group. The CCI model was established in the model group， Tuina group， and the blockade group by ligating the sciatic nerve with catgut， while the sham-operated group underwent only sciatic nerve exposure without ligation. From postoperative day 4 to day 14， rats in the Tuina group and the blockade group received Tuina manipulation at the "Weizhong （BL 40）" using a dynamic pressure distribution measurement system （5 N pressure， 2 Hz frequency， 10 min per session， once daily）. The blockade group also received intraperitoneal injections of the microglial inhibitor minocycline （10 mg/kg） once daily. The sham-operated and the model group underwent the same handling and fixation as the Tuina group without actual Tuina. Mechanical withdrawal threshold （MWT） and paw withdrawal latency （PWL） were measured before surgery and on day 3， 7， 10， and 14 post-surgery. Transmission electron microscopy was used to evaluate sciatic nerve injury and repair， measuring axon diameter and total myelinated fiber diameter to calculate the g-ratio. Western Blotting was performed to detect the protein levels of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 （Iba-1）， CD206， CD68， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and β-endorphin （β-EP） precursor pro-opiomelanocortin （POMC） in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn. ResultsCompared with the sham-operated group， the model group showed significantly reduced MWT and PWL on day 3， 7， 10， and 14 （P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Tuina group and the blockade group showed increased MWT and PWL on day 10 and 14 （P＜0.05）. Compared with the Tuina group， the blockade group exhibited higher MWT on day 7， 10， and 14， and higher PWL on day 10 （P＜0.05）. Sciatic nerve pathological morphology revealed intact and well-structured myelin in the sham-operated group， while the model group exhibited myelin collapse， distortion， and myelin ovoid formation. The Tuina group displayed partially irregular myelin with occasional myelin collapse， whereas the blockade group exhibited partial myelin irregularities and phospholipid shedding. Compared with the sham-operated group， the model group showed a decreased g-ratio and increased levels of Iba-1 and CD68 in the spinal dorsal horn （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Tuina group and the blockade group exhibited an increased g-ratio and reduced Iba-1 and CD68 levels. Additionally， the Tuina group showed elevated levels of CD206， IL-10， and POMC， whereas the blockade group had decreased CD206 levels （P＜0.05）. ConclusionTuina at "Weizhong （BL 40）" alleviates neuropathic pain in CCI rats， potentially by regulating microglial activation in the spinal cord， inhibiting M1 polarization while promoting M2 polarization， and activating the IL-10/β-EP pathway to exert analgesic effects.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and clinical efficacy of oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) in the treatment of adjacent segment disease (ASDis).Methods:Retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 31 patients with ASDis treated by OLIF in four medical centers from June 2015 to December 2018. There were 17 males and 14 females. The average age was (65.7±3.4) years (range, 59 to 75 years). 19 cases received single-segment fixed fusion, 11 cases received double-segment fixed fusion and 1 case received three-segment fixed fusion. Original fixed fusion site: 1 case of L 1, 2, 3 cases of L 3, 4, 11 cases of L 4, 5, 4 cases of L 5S 1, 6 cases of L 3-L 5, 5 cases of L 4-S 1, and 1 case of L 3-S 1. The time from the initial fixation and fusion to this admission was 82.5±45.5 months (rang, 24 to 180 months). ASDis occurred at the proximal end of the fixed fusion segment in 28 cases and at the distal end in 3 cases. The types of ASDis: degenerative disc disease in 11 cases, lumbar spinal stenosis in 15 cases, degenerative spondylolisthesis in 2 cases, and degenerative scoliosis in 3 cases. The location of ASDis: 6 cases of L 2, 3, 12 cases of L 3, 4, 6 cases of L 4, 5, 3 cases of L 1-L 3, 1 case of L 2-L 4, and 3 cases of L 1-L 4. At admission, 3 cases of lumbar internal fixation had been removed and 28 cases of internal fixation remained. Stand-alone OLIF was performed in 19 cases, OLIF combined with pedicle screw fixation in 8 cases, and OLIF combined with cortical screw fixation in 4 cases. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were used to evaluate the low back pain and lumbar function before operation and at the last follow-up, and the imaging results and complications were observed. Results:All patients were followed up. The follow-up time was 23.6±9.6 months (range, 12 to 60 months). The operation time was 73.8±25.3 mins (range, 40 to 180 min), and the intraoperative blood loss was 86.2±67.4 ml (range, 20 to 310 ml). The average blood loss in each segment was 24.8 ml. During the operation, there were 1 case of segmental vein injury, 7 cases of endplate injury, 2 cases of transient iliopsoas muscle weakness, 1 case of thigh pain and numbness, and 1 case of incomplete intestinal obstruction. There was no incision necrosis and infection. The VAS score of low back pain decreased from 5.9±1.9 before operation to 1.4±0.6 at the last follow-up, with a statistically significant difference ( t=8.47, P<0.001). The ODI index recovered from 45.2%±5.7% before operation to 13.8%±4.7% at the last follow-up, with a statistically significant difference ( t=7.92, P<0.001). The height of intervertebral space increased from 8.7±1.6 mm before operation to 11.4±1.9 mm after operation and 9.9±1.8 mm at the last follow-up. There was a statistically significant difference between postoperative and preoperative height of intervertebral space ( F=4.15, P=0.007). There was a statistically significant difference between the last follow-up and postoperative height of intervertebral space ( P=0.011). During the follow-up, there were 13 cases of fusion cage subsidence, 1 case of fusion cage displacement, and no case of internal fixation loosening or fracture. The intervertebral fusion rate was 94%(29/31) and the complication rate was 42%(13/31). Conclusion:ASDis is a common complication after lumbar fixation and fusion, and requires surgical treatment. OLIF is a reliable method to treat ASDis as it has advantages of small trauma, high fusion rate and low complication rate.

Charcot Spinal Arthropathy (CSA) is a rare and progressive serious degenerative spinal disease. The clinical manifestations of CSA are concealed and atypical, which could lead to missed misdiagnosis, disease prognosis, and a huge burden on patients. However, there is no systematic review of CSA in China. The causes of CSA are mainly divided into spinal cord injury and non-injury neuropathy. The risk factors for CSA caused by spinal cord injury include long-segment fixation, scoliosis, laminectomy, overload spinal exercise and obesity. CSA usually occurs in the lower thoracic or lumbar spine. The symptoms of CSA include spinal deformity, unbalanced sitting posture and local pain. The CSA can be diagnosed after excluding non-specific chronic inflammation in histology and other inflammatory diseases or tumor based on the following items, damage to proprioception, pain and temperature perception, bone destruction, absorption and new bone formation on imaging. Conservative treatment can be considered for patients with CSA who have good stability without infections, stable nerve function, skin fistulas, balanced sitting posture, and autonomic dysfunction. Surgery is recommended for patients with symptoms lasting for more than 6 months with spinal instability, skin fistulas or complicated infections. Before surgery, it is recommended to evaluate the heterotopic ossification or rigidity of both hip joints. During operation, more attention should be paid to the adequate removal of necrotic tissue and inflammatory tissue in the lesion and sufficient bone grafting. Spinal fusion is recommended at the sacrum or pelvis. Postoperative complications include failure of internal fixation, new Charcot joint formation, difficulty in wound healing and infection. The authors emphasize that the overall thoracolumbar spine should be followed up for patients with spinal cord injury and paraplegia for the long-term. The typical symptoms of CSA are helpful for early diagnosis and selection of appropriate interventions.

We reported a clinical caseof gas gangrene in the lower back and buttocks due to local intramuscular injection. A 43-year-old male was treated by local private clinic for low back pain. He underwent local intramuscular injection in his lower back and buttocks. 5 or 6 hours after the treatment,he felt worsen of low back pain (VAS 5 points)with a fever. After one day of treatment, the lower back pain was even worse(VAS 8 points). And he had soy-sauce urine and a high fever. The results of laboratory examination and clinical manifestation suggested multiple organ failure within a short period of time. Imaging (CT) suggested large area of gas and muscle necrosis in the lower back and buttocks. Considering the progress of the disease, emergency surgery on lumbar back and right buttocks was performed after hospitalization. Rapid bacterial smear reported gram-positive coarse bacteria. Anaerobic culture suggested clostridium perfringens. Aerobic culture result did not show any bacterial growth. According to the clinical manifestation, imaging (CT), intraoperative judgment and postoperative anaerobic culture results, the clinical diagnosis was gas gangrene. Gas gangrene is a special infectious disease in clinic, which can be characterized by low morbidity, difficult early diagnosis,rapid disease progression and high mortality. Sinceintramuscular injection leaded to this disease in our case, the importance of standardized aseptic procedures should be emphasized.

Objective:To investigate the safety, key techniques and clinical efficacy of OLIF (oblique lumbar interbody fusion) corridor combined with lumbar intervertebral debridement, fusion with two interbody and internal fixation for the treatment of single-level lumbar pyogenic spondylodiscitis.Methods:From February 2016 to March 2017, data of 12 patients with single-level lumbar intervertebral pyogenic infection diagnosed in our hospital who had undergone oblique lumbar interbody fusion with two interbody and posterior pedicle screw fixation via Wiltse approach were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 10 males and 2 females, aged from 49 to 79 years, with an average age of 65.4±9.5 years. The white blood cells (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were recorded and analyzed before operation and at the last follow-up. Lumbar pain was assessed by visual analogue acale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), and clinical efficacy was assessed by the MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and Kirkaldy-Willis criteria. The hospitalization time, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, pathological reports, etiological results and complications were recorded. Disc height (DH), segmental angle (SA) and Lumbar Lordosis (LL) were measured before operation and at the last follow-up. The fusion time was recorded. Paired t-test and ANOVA was used for data analysis. Results:All patients underwent surgery successfully, including 6 cases using two titanium meshes and 6 cases using two autologous tricortical iliac bones. Pathogenic culture was positive in 10 cases, with a positive rate of 83.3%, including 4 cases of streptococcus, 4 cases of Staphylococcus aureus, 1 case of Escherichia coli, and 1 case of Klebsiella pneumoniae. All patients were followed up for 16.1±5.1 months. At the last follow-up, WBC ([6.25±2.02] ×10 9/L) was lower than that before operation ([4.89±1.28] ×10 9/L), CRP (preoperation 58.73±52.56 mg/L vs postoperation 8.48±8.79 mg/L) and ESR (preoperation 51.88±19.04 mm/1 h vs postoperation 9.25±5.50 mm/1 h) were significantly lower ( P< 0.01). The VAS score was preoperation 6.67±1.63 and postoperation 1.50±0.55, ODI score was preoperation 72.57%±3.41% and postoperation 18.00%±2.31%, and both were significantly lower postoperatively ( P < 0.01). SF-36 score (preoperation 56.33±4.93 vs postoperation 73.73±5.86) was significantly higher ( P< 0.01) respectively. The postoperative height of intervertebral space ([11.68±2.64] mm) was significantly higher than that before operation ([5.18±1.58] mm). The disc height at the last follow-up was (11.22±2.25) mm, and the loss rate was 1.89% compared with that of the immediate postoperatively; The postoperative lumbar lordosis angle (32.89°±14.52°) was significantly increased compared with that of the preoperative (24.16°±13.49°), and maintained well at the last follow-up (32.27°± 14.21°); The postoperative segmental angle (10.8°±8.51°) was significantly increased compared with that of the preoperative (5.81°±7.44°), and maintained well at the last follow-up (9.94°±7.87°). The fusion time ranged from 6 to 16 months, with an average of 9.2±3.5 months. The clinical efficacy was excellent in 10 cases (83.3%) and good in 2 cases (16.7%). The excellent and good rate was 100%. One case of pulmonary infection and pulmonary embolism occurred 2 days after operation, and recovered after use of antibiotics and anticoagulation treatment in ICU; one case of intramuscular venous thrombosis was found 1 day after operation, and recovered after anticoagulation treatment; no loosening of internal fixation was found, and no complications related to OLIF corridor occurred. Conclusion:The treatment of single-level lumbar intervertebral pyogenic infection with OLIF corridor combined with lumbar intervertebral debridement, fusion with two interbody and internal fixation has the advantages of less blood loss, shorter operation time, more direct clearance of intervertebral space and left paravertebral focus, no disturbance of intraspinal canal and posterior structure, higher positive rate of etiology detection, shorter bedrest time and better restore of disc height and lumbar lordosis after operation. What’s more, the fusion rate is high and the clinical efficacy is satisfactory.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) and minimally invasive interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.Methods:Data of 40 patients with I-II degree single level degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis from January 2018 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the operation procedure, they were divided into two groups: OLIF group and MI-TLIF group, and each group had 20 patients. There were 15 males and 5 females in the OLIF group, aged 50.3±8.8 years; and there were 13 males and 7 females in the MI-TLIF group, aged 51.7±8.7 years. According to the Meyerding's grade system, there were 16 patients of type I in the OLIF group and 15 cases in the MI-TLIF group; and there were 4 patients of type II in the OLIF group and 5 cases in the MI-TLIF group. The operation time, intra-operative hemorrhage, postoperative drainage, recessive blood loss and albumin loss were recorded. The CRP and ESR on the third day after operation, the VAS score and ODI score before and after operation were recorded. The lumbar lordosis (LL), fused segmental lordosis (FSL) and disc height (DH) before and after operation were recorded. The time of getting out of bed and walking and the hospital stay were recorded. Paired t-test was used to analyze the data.Results:Forty patients successfully underwent the operation. The operation time of OLIF group was 96±20 min, with intraoperative blood loss of 61±32 ml and postoperative drainage volume of 18±8 ml. The operation time of MI-TLIF group was 132±26 min, with intraoperative blood loss of 262±102 ml and postoperative drainage volume of 95±42 ml; and there was statistical difference between the two groups ( t=4.901, 8.404, 8.064; P< 0.001). On the third day after operation, the occult blood loss was 139±47 ml in the OLIF group and 486±192 ml in the MI-TLIF group; the albumin loss was 4.2±1.9 g/L in the OLIF group and 10.2±3.9 g/L in the MI-TLIF group; CRP was 34±11 mg/L in the OLIF group and 106±39 mg/L in the MI-TLIF group; ESR was 41±15 mm/1 h in the OLIF group and 71±24 mm/1 h in the MI-TLIF group, and there all were statistical differences between the two groups ( t=7.838, 6.184, 7.983, 4.675; P< 0.001). The VAS scores were 2.2±1.5, 1.8±1.3 and ODI scores were 14%±11%, 59%±17%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups. The LL were 33.41°±9.25°, 32.07°±9.54°, FSL were 11.59°±5.09°, 10.61°±4.56° and DH were 10.35±2.30 mm, 10.85±1.85 mm, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups. The follow-up time was 13.5±2.3 months in the OLIF group and 14.1±2.8 months in the MI-TLIF group. Three patients in the MI-TLIF group had radiation pain in the lower extremity on the third day after operation, which relieved after NSAID drugs and mannitol treatment. In the group of OLIF, the skin temperature of the left lower extremity increased in 1 case on the first day after operation, in which sympathetic chain injury was considered, and the patient recovered after 2.5 months; in the group of OLIF, the numbness in the front of the left thigh and the weakness of flexion of the hip was found in 3 cases, in which the edema or injury of the psoas major muscle was considered. Conclusion:Compared with MI-TLIF in the treatment of I, II degree single segment degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis, OLIF has the advantages of shorter operation time, less intraoperative and postoperative blood loss, lower inflammation index, earlier time to get out of bed and shorter hospital stay. However, the outcomes of the two surgeries were similar.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a kind of RNA with a circular structure. The unique structure of circRNA endows it with various cell biological functions and characteristics. It has become a research hotspot recently. CircRNA can play a role via mechanisms, such as microRNA (miRNA) sponge, RNA binding protein, peptide translation and regulation of gene transcription. CircRNA was found to be associated with disc degeneration, spinal cord injury, scoliosis, and facet arthritis. Some techniques, including bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques, microarray and high-throughput sequencing, can be used to predict and to discover disease-related circRNA, aiming to evaluate whether circRNA can be used as a molecular biomarker for spinal and spinal cord diseases. Based on the current role of circRNA, the corresponding therapeutic strategies have been carried out in experimental animals, which can provide theoretical basis for gene therapy. At present, the researches in circRNA for spinal and spinal cord diseases are still insufficient compared with those in other fields. Currently, the main direction focuses on the miRNA sponge mechanism of circRNA. Due to the variety of diseases in spinal surgery, the research progress of circRNA is also varied. In addition, the development of microarray and high-throughput sequencing technology have greatly promoted the researches in circRNA. The availability of public database is of great significance in the study. The present review summarized the current researches status of circRNA in spinal and spinal cord diseases, aiming to deepen understanding of circRNA in spinal and spinal cord diseases.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics and causes of endplate injury in the oblique lateral interbody fusion for the treatment of lumbar diseases, and summarize the precaution of endplate injury.Methods:Thirty-five cases of endplate injury were observed, which were originally treated with oblique lateral interbody fusion with or without pedicle screw fixation from October 2014 to December 2017. There were 7 males and 28 females, and the age ranged from 51 to 78 years old (averagely 62.8±8.13 years). There were 2 cases of lumbar disc degeneration, 10 cases of lumbar canal stenosis, 17 cases of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis, 2 cases of lumbar spondylolysis with or without spondylolisthesis, and 4 cases of lumbar degenerative scoliosis. Lesion sites contained L 3,4 in 2 cases, L 4,5 in 21 cases, L 2-4 in 3 cases, L 3-5 in 4 cases, L 2-5 in 3 cases and L 1-5 in 2 cases. Preoperative bone mineral density examination revealed there were 7 cases of T>-1 SD, 24 cases of -2.5 SD

Objective To compare the long-term effect between minimally invasive (MIS) and open approaches in one-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion (O-PLIF) after more than 10 years follow up. Methods All 131 patients (lumbar spine le-sions) in our hospital were randomized into MIS-PLIF group and O-PLIF group from March 2006 to March 2008. In MIS-PLIF group, there are 66 patients, 34 males and 32 females, with the average of 52.3 ± 6.7 years old (range from 40 to 63). In O-PLIF group, there are 65 patients, 29 males and 36 females, with the average of 51.1 ± 6.9 years old (range from 46 to 63). Regarding March 2018 as last follow-up, differences in intervertebral disc height and segmental lordosis restoration of the operation segment , lumbar lordosis restoration, multifidus cross section area (CSA), multifidus atrophy rate, fusion rate, visual analogue scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index(ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association cores (JOA) and postoperative long-term compli-cations were evaluated between the two groups. The related risk factors of postoperative long-term complications were evaluated in further analysis. Results Complete follow-up data were available on 37 patients in MIS-PLIF group and 35 patients in O-PLIF group, with the follow-up rate of 56.1％and 53.8％respectively,and with the mean follow-up time of 134.5 ±8.4 and 137.1±5.8 months respectively. At three time nodes of one year after operation, five years after operation and last follow-up after operation, there were significant differences in lumbar lordosis restoration (one year after operation and last follow-up after operation)( 5.0°± 2.3° vs. 3.9°±1.4°;4.7°±2.4° vs. 3.7°±1.5°), multifidus CSA (965.4±164.9 mm2 vs. 884.9±168.2 mm2;891.1±155.9 mm2 vs. 783.2± 163.0 mm2; 764.8 ± 148.3 mm2 vs. 643.5 ± 150.0 mm2), multifidus atrophy rate (8.5％± 2.5％ vs. 16.6％± 5.8％; 15.6％± 3.5％ vs. 26.2％±7.4％;27.6％±6.5％vs. 39.3％±9.3％), postoperative VAS for back pain (2.2±1.0 vs. 2.9±1.2;1.7±0.9 vs. 2.2±1.0;1.4±1.0 vs. 2.2±1.2), JOA score (22.3±3.8 vs. 19.9±4.2;23.1±4.3 vs. 19.3±3.9;22.4±4.2 vs. 19.6±4.0) and ODI (11.6％±4.8％vs. 22.0％± 7.7％;9.4％±3.9％vs. 12.3％±4.9％;8.6％±4.0％vs. 11.0％±4.6％) between the two groups (P<0.05). However, there were no sig-nificant differences in segmental lordosis, intervertebral height restoration, lumbar lordosis restoration (one year after operation), fusion rate or postoperative VAS for leg pain between MIS-PLIF and O-PLIF(P>0.05). Intractable back pain and adjacent segment disease were the major postoperative long-term complications for MIS-PLIF group (3 cases and 2 cases) and O-PLIF group (10 cas-es and 7 cases), and the difference was statistically significant in the intractable back pain incidence rate ( 8.5％vs. 28.6％,χ2=5.090, P=0.024), but not in the adjacent segment disease(5.4％vs. 20％,χ2=0.002, P=0.061). What's more, patients with intracta-ble back pain suffered more obviously multifidus atrophy than patients without intractable back pain at three time nodes of one year after operation (19.4±4.4％vs. 10.9±5.1％, P<0.05), five years after operation (30.2±5.4％vs. 18.7±6.7％, P<0.05) and last fol-low-up after operation (44.5±5.7％vs. 30.8±8.9％, P<0.05) . Conclusion In the long-term follow up, compared with O-PLIF, MIS-PLIF had advantages in better maintenance of lumbar lordosis, protection of the multifidus muscle, reduced lower back pain, JOA score, ODI score and intractable back pain incidence rate. Multifidus atrophy may be a related risk factor of intractable back pain.

Objective To evaluate and discuss the clinical outcomes and advantages of midline lumbar fusion (MIDLF) with cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw in the reoperation of lumbar disease. Methods From June 2014 to August 2015, a total of 12 patients, 5 male and 7 female with an average age of 68.5±5.6 years old (ranged from 56-76 years). The indications of reoper-ation including:5 cases of adjacent segment disease, 2 cases of discogenic back pain after lumbar dynamic stabilization, 5 cases of recurrent disc herniation. The interval time from primary surgery to second surgery was 3-9.5 years (average 6.0±2.0 years). Dis-ease level:L2/31 case, L3/42 cases, L4/57 cases, L5/S12 cases. All cases were got the X-ray, CT scan and MRI examination before surgery. The operative duration, blood loss, complications were all evaluated. Back and leg pain were recorded by visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. Functional recovery was evaluated by Oswestry disability index (ODI). Results Operative time was 110-210 min, and mean duration was (158.3±36.4) min. Blood loss was 150-310 ml, and mean loss was (231.7±51.0) ml. There was 1 case of cerebrospinal fluid leakage which treated with pillow supine for 1 week after surgery, and strengthened the prevention of antibi-otics, incision healing, with no headache and other low intracranial pressure of dizziness, the remaining patients had no intraopera-tive and postoperative complications. The time of follow-up was 12-25 months, with an average of (17.9 ± 4.6) months. The back pain of VAS score of preoperative was 3.9±1.4, and the last follow-up was 1.9±0.5, the difference was statistically significant (t=4.506, P=0.001). The VAS score of preoperative leg pain (4.9±1.4) was significant higher than the last follow-up (1.2±0.6, t=9.134, P=0.000). The preoperative ODI was 32.9±3.4, and last follow-up was 13.3±3.2, and the difference was statistically significant (t=15.002, P=0.000). Conclusion MIDLF was applicable with good clinical outcome and technical advantages in current cases, and it might be a choice of reoperation for lumbar disease.