Prevalence of depression among seafarers and maritime workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A meta-analysis

Background@#The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the psychological and mental health of seafarers and maritime workers, and a considerable proportion have experienced depression. Cognizant of the different work-related factors and pandemic-related factors which may contribute to depression, it is imperative to determine the prevalence of depression among seafarers and maritime workers to develop appropriate intervention and management@*Objective@#To determine the prevalence of depression among seafarers and maritime workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.@*Methods@#This is a random-effects meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies estimating the prevalence of depression among seafarer and maritime workers during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The proportion of respondents with depression, using standardized depression assessment tools, and the sample sizes of each study were extracted and recorded in an abstraction form. Pooled estimate of depression was analyzed using the metaprop command of STATA MP@*Results@#The search yielded a total of 555 articles, with only 4 eligible articles included for analyses. From the included studies, 75% had good quality of evidence while 25% had fair quality. Analysis showed that the overall pooled prevalence of depression at 28% (ES=0.28, z=4.69, p=0.001, 95% CI=0.16–0.39) was statistically significant during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was a substantially high heterogeneity among the included the studies (χ2=125.41, p=0.001, I2=97.61%, τ2=0.01). @*Conclusion@#Depression is a real-life, yet underreported and underdiagnosed problem among seafarers and maritime workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This result stresses the need for policy and practice changes such as implementation of screening programs to determine and evaluate depression or depressive symptoms; modification of existing protocols in performing pre-employment medical examinations with additional focus on the psychological health and well-being; and, provision of appropriate intervention such as psychological health education, counseling, and appropriate referral.

Clinical and radiographic outcomes following salvage intervention for ureteropelvic junction obstruction

ABSTRACT Purpose: We aimed to assess failure rates of salvage interventions and changes in split kidney function (SKF) following failed primary repair of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of adult patients at an academic medical center who underwent salvage intervention following primary treatment for UPJO was performed. Symptomatic failure was defined as significant flank pain. Radiographic failure was defined as no improvement in drainage or a decrease in SKF by ≥7%. Overall failure, the primary outcome, was defined as symptomatic failure, radiographic failure, or both. Results: Between 2008-2017, 34 patients (median age 38 years, 50% men) met study criteria. UPJO management was primary pyeloplasty/secondary endopyelotomy for 21/34 (62%), primary pyeloplasty/secondary pyeloplasty for 6/34 (18%), and primary endopyelotomy/secondary pyeloplasty for 7/34 (21%). Median follow-up was 3.3 years following secondary intervention. Patients undergoing primary pyeloplasty/secondary endopyelotomy had significantly higher overall failure than those undergoing primary pyeloplasty/secondary pyeloplasty (16/21 [76%] vs. 1/6 [17%], p=0.015). Among patients undergoing secondary endopyelotomy, presence of a stricture on retrograde pyelogram, stricture length, and SKF were not associated with symptomatic, radiographic, or overall failure. Serial renography was performed for 28/34 (82%) patients and 2/28 (7%) had a significant decline in SKF. Conclusions: Following failed primary pyeloplasty, secondary endopyelotomy had a greater overall failure rate than secondary pyeloplasty. No radiographic features assessed were associated with secondary endopyelotomy failure. Secondary intervention overall failure rates were higher than reported in the literature. Unique to this study, serial renography demonstrated that significant functional loss was overall infrequent.

Treatment of In-Stent Stenosis Following Flow Diversion of Intracranial Aneurysms with Cilostazol and Clopidogrel / 신경중재치료의학

In-stent stenosis is a feared complication of flow diversion treatment for cerebral aneurysms. We present 2 cases of patients treated with pipeline flow diversion for unruptured cerebral aneurysms. Initial perioperative dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) consisted of standard aspirin plus clopidogrel. At 6-month follow-up cerebral angiography, the patients were noted to have developed significant in-stent stenosis (63% and 53%). The patients were treated with cilostazol and clopidogrel for at least 6 months. Subsequent angiography at 1-year post-treatment showed significant improvement of the in-stent stenosis from 63% to 34% and 53% to 21%. The role of cilostazol as treatment of intracranial in-stent stenosis has not been previously described. Cilostazol’s vasodilatory effect and suppression of vascular smooth muscle proliferation provides ideal benefits in this setting. Cilostazol plus clopidogrel may be a safe and effective alternative to standard DAPT for treatment of in-stent stenosis following flow diversion and warrants further consideration and investigation.

Novel Wire-Guided Scalpel to Facilitate Central Venous Catheter Insertion without a Skin Bridge

Central venous catheter (CVC) placement is a commonly performed procedure. More than 5 million CVC placements are performed annually in the United States, with nearly 45% of critical care patients and 8% of all inpatients requiring a CVC during their hospitalization. A novel wire-guided scalpel (GuideBlade; Ambitus Medical Supplies LLC, Oceanside, NY, USA) has recently been introduced into clinical practice. In this communication, we will describe how to use the device and discuss possible advantages associated with its routine use during CVC placement.

ER71/ETV2 Promotes Hair Regeneration from Chemotherapeutic Drug-Induced Hair Loss by Enhancing Angiogenesis

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia and hair loss can be stressful in patients with cancer. The hair grows back, but sometimes the hair tends to stay thin. Therefore, understanding mechanisms regulating hair regeneration may improve the management of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Previous studies have revealed that chemotherapeutic agents induce a hair follicle vascular injury. As hair growth is associated with micro-vessel regeneration, we postulated that the stimulation of angiogenesis might enhance hair regeneration. In particular, mice treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) showed delayed anagen initiation and reduced capillary density when compared with untreated controls, suggesting that the retardation of anagen initiation by 5-FU treatment may be attributed to the loss of perifollicular micro-vessels. We investigated whether the ETS transcription factor ETV2 (aka ER71), critical for vascular development and regeneration, can promote angiogenesis and hair regrowth in a 5-FU-induced alopecia mouse model. Tie2-Cre; Etv2 conditional knockout (CKO) mice, which lack Etv2 in endothelial cells, presented similar hair regrowth rates as the control mice after depilation. Following 5-FU treatment, Tie2-Cre; Etv2 CKO mice revealed a significant reduction in capillary density, anagen induction, and hair restoration when compared with controls. Mice receiving lentiviral Etv2 injection after 5-FU treatment showed significantly improved anagen induction and hair regrowth. Two-photon laser scanning microscopy revealed that enforced Etv2 expression restored normal vessel morphology after 5-FU mediated vessel injury. Our data suggest that vessel regeneration strategies may improve hair regrowth after chemotherapeutic treatment.

Postoperative care after lymphaticovenous anastomosis

In this report, we discuss the postoperative protocol for patients undergoing lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) in our unit. Immediately after LVA, the incision site is closed over a small Penrose drain and a simple gauze dressing is applied without compression. In the first 5 days, ambulation is allowed, but limb elevation is actively encouraged to promote lymphatic flow across the newly formed anastomosis. Prophylactic antibiotics are routinely given to prevent infection because this patient group is susceptible to infections, which could trigger thrombosis in the anastomosis.

ER71/ETV2 Promotes Hair Regeneration from Chemotherapeutic Drug-Induced Hair Loss by Enhancing Angiogenesis

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia and hair loss can be stressful in patients with cancer. The hair grows back, but sometimes the hair tends to stay thin. Therefore, understanding mechanisms regulating hair regeneration may improve the management of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Previous studies have revealed that chemotherapeutic agents induce a hair follicle vascular injury. As hair growth is associated with micro-vessel regeneration, we postulated that the stimulation of angiogenesis might enhance hair regeneration. In particular, mice treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) showed delayed anagen initiation and reduced capillary density when compared with untreated controls, suggesting that the retardation of anagen initiation by 5-FU treatment may be attributed to the loss of perifollicular micro-vessels. We investigated whether the ETS transcription factor ETV2 (aka ER71), critical for vascular development and regeneration, can promote angiogenesis and hair regrowth in a 5-FU-induced alopecia mouse model. Tie2-Cre; Etv2 conditional knockout (CKO) mice, which lack Etv2 in endothelial cells, presented similar hair regrowth rates as the control mice after depilation. Following 5-FU treatment, Tie2-Cre; Etv2 CKO mice revealed a significant reduction in capillary density, anagen induction, and hair restoration when compared with controls. Mice receiving lentiviral Etv2 injection after 5-FU treatment showed significantly improved anagen induction and hair regrowth. Two-photon laser scanning microscopy revealed that enforced Etv2 expression restored normal vessel morphology after 5-FU mediated vessel injury. Our data suggest that vessel regeneration strategies may improve hair regrowth after chemotherapeutic treatment.

Postoperative care after lymphaticovenous anastomosis

In this report, we discuss the postoperative protocol for patients undergoing lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) in our unit. Immediately after LVA, the incision site is closed over a small Penrose drain and a simple gauze dressing is applied without compression. In the first 5 days, ambulation is allowed, but limb elevation is actively encouraged to promote lymphatic flow across the newly formed anastomosis. Prophylactic antibiotics are routinely given to prevent infection because this patient group is susceptible to infections, which could trigger thrombosis in the anastomosis.

Novel Wire-Guided Scalpel to Facilitate Central Venous Catheter Insertion without a Skin Bridge

Central venous catheter (CVC) placement is a commonly performed procedure. More than 5 million CVC placements are performed annually in the United States, with nearly 45% of critical care patients and 8% of all inpatients requiring a CVC during their hospitalization. A novel wire-guided scalpel (GuideBlade; Ambitus Medical Supplies LLC, Oceanside, NY, USA) has recently been introduced into clinical practice. In this communication, we will describe how to use the device and discuss possible advantages associated with its routine use during CVC placement.

Patterns of Lumbar Disc Degeneration: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis in Symptomatic Subjects

Methods@#This study included 1,095 patients (mean age, 44.29 years; range, 16–85 years) who underwent upright lumbar MRI. LDD was graded into five categories (I–V). Positive LDD was defined as grade III or greater. The prevalence and pattern of LDD were analyzed, and the correlations between age and total grade of LDD were evaluated. @*Results@#The average number of LDD levels and the total grade of LDD increased with age. LDD moved cephalad with age. The rate of LDD increased rapidly during the decade before the prevalence of LDD and became >50%. In the single-level LDD group, the levels L5–S1 were the most common levels (60.3%). In the two-level group, L4–L5 and L5–S1 were the most common levels (53.5%). In the three-level group, L3–L4, L4–L5, and L5–S1 were the most common levels (55.7%). In the multilevel LDD group, contiguous multilevel disc degeneration (CMDD) was more common than the skipped level disc degeneration (SLDD). The levels L4–L5 were the most common levels in the CMDD group, and L5–S1 were the most common levels among SLDD. @*Conclusions@#LDD was found to correlate with age, and the specific patterns and rates of LDD depended on lumbar disc level and age. These LDD pattern data can be used before spinal procedures to predict the probability of natural LDD progression with age.

Neural Mechanisms in Eating Behaviors: A Pilot fMRI Study of Emotional Processing

Objective@#Emotional processing dysfunction evident in eating disorders (ED) such as anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), is considered relevant to the development and maintenance of these disorders. The purpose of the current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to pilot a comparison of the activity of the fronto-limbic and fronto-striatal brain areas during an emotion processing task in persons with ED. @*Methods@#24 women patients with ED were scanned, while showing emotionally stimulating (pleasant, unpleasant) and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). @*Results@#During the pleasant condition, significant differences in Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) activations were found with AN participants presenting greater activation compared to BN and ED comorbid groups (EDc) and healthy controls also showing greater activation of this brain area compared to BN and EDc. Left putamen was less activated in EDc compared to both controls (C) and AN. During the unpleasant condition, AN participants showed hyperactivation of the Orbito-frontal Cortex (OFC) when compared to EDc. @*Conclusion@#This study highlights the potential functional relevance of brain areas that have been associated with self-control. These findings should help advance understanding the neural substrate of ED, though they should be considered as preliminary and be cautiously interpreted.

A new and improved electric fish finder with resources for printed circuit board fabrication

We describe the circuit design, construction, and operation of a field-portable electric fish finder (an AC-coupled wide-band differential bio-amplifier with loudspeaker output). This device permits detection and monitoring of the electric organ discharges generated by neotropical gymnotiform fishes (as well as the mormyroid fishes of tropical Africa). Our design is modified from earlier versions to optimize detection performance and stability over a wider range of ambient water conductivity, including under conditions of extremely low conductivity (< ca. 10 μScm-1). Our new electric fish finder design also incorporates complete waterproofing and longer battery autonomy. We provide Gerber and Eagle files made with the electronic design automation software 'Autodesk Eagle' to allow researchers to order printed circuit boards directly from commercial manufacturers.(AU)

Nós descrevemos o projeto de circuitos eletrônicos e as instrucões para a construção e uso de um detector de peixes elétricos portátil (bio-amplificador diferencial de banda-larga com acoplamento AC). Este aparelho permite a detecção e o monitoramento das descargas de órgãos elétricos gerados por peixes neotropicais da ordem Gymnotiformes (assim como dos peixes mormirídeos da África Tropical). Nosso projeto é modificado a partir de versões anteriores para otimizar o desempenho e a estabilidade sob uma faixa de condutividades ambientais mais ampla, incluindo condições de condutividade extremamente baixa (< ca. 10 μScm-1). Nosso detector de peixes elétricos novo também foi otimizado a fim de proporcionar impermeabilização completa e vida longa para as baterias. Nós fornecemos arquivos 'Gerber' e 'Eagle' preparados com o software de automação de projeto eletrônico 'Autodesk Eagle' para permitir aos pesquisadores a possibilidade de efetuar encomendas de nossa placa de circuito impresso direitamente das empresas de fabricação.(AU)

Geohealth: biology based mapping of vector borne disease in the Americas using NASA satellite data / Geosaúde: mapeamento da biologia das doenças vetoriais nas Américas utilizando dados de satélites da NASA

Implementation of a geospatial surveillance and response system data resource for vector borne disease in the Americas (GeoHealth) will be tested using NASA satellite data, geographic information systems and ecological niche modeling to characterize the environmental suitability and potential for spread of endemic and epizootic vector borne diseases. The initial focus is on developing prototype geospatial models for visceral leishmaniasis, an expanding endemic disease in Latin America, and geospatial models for dengue and other Aedes aegypti borne arboviruses (zika, chikungunya), emerging arboviruses with potential for epizootic spread from Latin America and the Caribbean and establishment in North America. Geospatial surveillance and response system open resource data bases and models will be made available, with training courses, to other investigators interested in mapping and modeling other vector borne diseases in the western hemisphere and contributing brokered data to an expanding GeoHealth data resource as part of the NASA AmeriGEOSS initiative.(AU)

A implementação de uma fonte de dados de vigilância e um sistema de resposta geoespacial para doenças transmitidas por vetores nas Américas (GeoHealth) será testada utilizando dados provenientes de satélites da NASA, sistemas de informações geográficas e modelagem do nicho ecológico, para caracterizar a suceptibilidade ambiental e o potencial de dispersão de doenças endêmicas e epizooticas transmitidas por vetores vetores. O foco inicial será o desenvolvimento de protótipos de modelos geoespaciais para a leishmaniose visceral, uma doença endêmica e em expansão na América Latina, e modelos geoespaciais para dengue e outros transmitidos pelo Aedes aegypti (zika, chikungunya), arbovírus emergentes com potencial para disseminação epizoótica pela América Latina e Caribe e estabelecimento na América do Norte. Sistemas de vigilância e resposta geoespacial e modelos de recursos em bases de dados abertas serão diponibilizados, com cursos de treinamento, para outros pesquisadores interessados em mapear e modelar outras doenças transmitidas por vetores no hemisfério ocidental e contribuir intermediando dados para uma fonte de dados GeoHealth em expansão, como parte da Iniciativa AmeriGEOSS, da NASA. (AU)

A thermodynamic paradigm for using satellite based geophysical measurements in public health applications / Um paradigma termodinâmico para o uso de medidas geofísicas baseadas em satélites e suas aplicações em saúde pública

A thermodynamic paradigm for studying disease vector's habitats & life cycles using NASA's remote sensing data is being proposed. NASA's current and planned satellite missions provide measurements of the critical environmental measures environmental state functions important to vector & disease life cycles such as precipitation, soil moisture, temperature, vapor pressure deficits, wet/dry edges, and solar radiation. Satellite data provide landscape scale process functions represented by land use/cover mapping and actual measurements of ecological functions/structure: canopy cover, species, phenology, and aquatic plant coverage. These measurements are taken in a spatial context and provide a time series of data to track changes in time. Global public health is entering a new informational age through the use of spatial models of disease vector/host ecologies driven by the use of remotely sensed data to measure environmental and structural factors critical in determining disease vector habitats, distributions, life cycles, and host interactions. The vector habitat microclimates can be quantified in terms of the surface energy budget measured by satellites. The epidemiological equations (processes) can be adapted and modified to explicitly incorporate environmental factors and interfaces required by a specific disease and its vector/host cycle. Remote sensing can be used to measure or evaluate or estimate both environment (state functions) and interface (process functions). It is critical that the products of remote sensing must be expressed in a way they can be integrated directly into the epidemiological equations. (AU)

Um paradigma termodinâmico para estudar os habitats e ciclos de vida dos vetores de doenças utilizando dados de sensoriamento remoto da NASA está sendo proposto. As missões atuais e planejadas para os satélites da NASA fornecem medições das funções críticas ambientais e funções do estado ambiental, importantes para os ciclos de vida de vetores e doenças, como precipitação, umidade do solo, temperatura, déficits de pressão do vapor, bordas úmidas/secas e radiação solar. Os dados de satélite fornecem as funções dos processos na escala da paisagem, representada pelo mapeamento do uso/cobertura da terra e medições reais das funções/estruturas ecológicas: cobertura do dossel, espécies, fenologia e cobertura de plantas aquáticas. Essas medições são feitas em um contexto espacial e fornecem uma série temporal de dados para rastrear dinâmica das mudanças. A saúde pública global está entrando em uma nova era informacional através do uso de modelos espaciais para vetores/hospedeiros de doenças, impulsionados pelo uso de dados de sensoriamento remoto, para medir fatores ambientais e estruturais críticos na determinação de habitats de vetores de doenças, distribuições, ciclos de vida e interações com o hospedeiro. Os microclimas dos habitats vetoriais podem ser quantificados em termos do orçamento de energia superficial, medidos por satélites. As equações epidemiológicas (processos) podem ser adaptadas e modificadas para incorporar explicitamente fatores e interfaces ambientais requeridos por uma doença específica e o ciclo do seu vetor/hospedeiro. O sensoriamento remoto pode ser usado para medir ou avaliar, ou mesmo estimar tanto o ambiente (funções do seu estado) quanto a interface (funções de seus processos). É fundamental que os produtos de sensoriamento remoto sejam expressos de forma a integrá-los diretamente às equações epidemiológicas. (AU)

Geohealth: biology based mapping of vector borne disease in the Americas using NASA satellite data / Geosaúde: mapeamento da biologia das doenças vetoriais nas Américas utilizando dados de satélites da NASA

Implementation of a geospatial surveillance and response system data resource for vector borne disease in the Americas (GeoHealth) will be tested using NASA satellite data, geographic information systems and ecological niche modeling to characterize the environmental suitability and potential for spread of endemic and epizootic vector borne diseases. The initial focus is on developing prototype geospatial models for visceral leishmaniasis, an expanding endemic disease in Latin America, and geospatial models for dengue and other Aedes aegypti borne arboviruses (zika, chikungunya), emerging arboviruses with potential for epizootic spread from Latin America and the Caribbean and establishment in North America. Geospatial surveillance and response system open resource data bases and models will be made available, with training courses, to other investigators interested in mapping and modeling other vector borne diseases in the western hemisphere and contributing brokered data to an expanding GeoHealth data resource as part of the NASA AmeriGEOSS initiative.

A implementação de uma fonte de dados de vigilância e um sistema de resposta geoespacial para doenças transmitidas por vetores nas Américas (GeoHealth) será testada utilizando dados provenientes de satélites da NASA, sistemas de informações geográficas e modelagem do nicho ecológico, para caracterizar a suceptibilidade ambiental e o potencial de dispersão de doenças endêmicas e epizooticas transmitidas por vetores vetores. O foco inicial será o desenvolvimento de protótipos de modelos geoespaciais para a leishmaniose visceral, uma doença endêmica e em expansão na América Latina, e modelos geoespaciais para dengue e outros transmitidos pelo Aedes aegypti (zika, chikungunya), arbovírus emergentes com potencial para disseminação epizoótica pela América Latina e Caribe e estabelecimento na América do Norte. Sistemas de vigilância e resposta geoespacial e modelos de recursos em bases de dados abertas serão diponibilizados, com cursos de treinamento, para outros pesquisadores interessados em mapear e modelar outras doenças transmitidas por vetores no hemisfério ocidental e contribuir intermediando dados para uma fonte de dados GeoHealth em expansão, como parte da Iniciativa AmeriGEOSS, da NASA.

A thermodynamic paradigm for using satellite based geophysical measurements in public health applications / Um paradigma termodinâmico para o uso de medidas geofísicas baseadas em satélites e suas aplicações em saúde pública

A thermodynamic paradigm for studying disease vector’s habitats & life cycles using NASA’s remote sensing data is being proposed. NASA’s current and planned satellite missions provide measurements of the critical environmental measures environmental state functions important to vector & disease life cycles such as precipitation, soil moisture, temperature, vapor pressure deficits, wet/dry edges, and solar radiation. Satellite data provide landscape scale process functions represented by land use/cover mapping and actual measurements of ecological functions/structure: canopy cover, species, phenology, and aquatic plant coverage. These measurements are taken in a spatial context and provide a time series of data to track changes in time. Global public health is entering a new informational age through the use of spatial models of disease vector/host ecologies driven by the use of remotely sensed data to measure environmental and structural factors critical in determining disease vector habitats, distributions, life cycles, and host interactions. The vector habitat microclimates can be quantified in terms of the surface energy budget measured by satellites. The epidemiological equations (processes) can be adapted and modified to explicitly incorporate environmental factors and interfaces required by a specific disease and its vector/host cycle. Remote sensing can be used to measure or evaluate or estimate both environment (state functions) and interface (process functions). It is critical that the products of remote sensing must be expressed in a way they can be integrated directly into the epidemiological equations.

Um paradigma termodinâmico para estudar os habitats e ciclos de vida dos vetores de doenças utilizando dados de sensoriamento remoto da NASA está sendo proposto. As missões atuais e planejadas para os satélites da NASA fornecem medições das funções críticas ambientais e funções do estado ambiental, importantes para os ciclos de vida de vetores e doenças, como precipitação, umidade do solo, temperatura, déficits de pressão do vapor, bordas úmidas/secas e radiação solar. Os dados de satélite fornecem as funções dos processos na escala da paisagem, representada pelo mapeamento do uso/cobertura da terra e medições reais das funções/estruturas ecológicas: cobertura do dossel, espécies, fenologia e cobertura de plantas aquáticas. Essas medições são feitas em um contexto espacial e fornecem uma série temporal de dados para rastrear dinâmica das mudanças. A saúde pública global está entrando em uma nova era informacional através do uso de modelos espaciais para vetores/hospedeiros de doenças, impulsionados pelo uso de dados de sensoriamento remoto, para medir fatores ambientais e estruturais críticos na determinação de habitats de vetores de doenças, distribuições, ciclos de vida e interações com o hospedeiro. Os microclimas dos habitats vetoriais podem ser quantificados em termos do orçamento de energia superficial, medidos por satélites. As equações epidemiológicas (processos) podem ser adaptadas e modificadas para incorporar explicitamente fatores e interfaces ambientais requeridos por uma doença específica e o ciclo do seu vetor/hospedeiro. O sensoriamento remoto pode ser usado para medir ou avaliar, ou mesmo estimar tanto o ambiente (funções do seu estado) quanto a interface (funções de seus processos). É fundamental que os produtos de sensoriamento remoto sejam expressos de forma a integrá-los diretamente às equações epidemiológicas.

Clinical Relationship of Degenerative Changes between the Cervical and Lumbar Spine

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, case series. PURPOSE: To elucidate the prevalence of degenerative changes in the cervical and lumbar spine and estimate the degenerative changes in the cervical spine based on the degeneration of lumbar disc through a retrospective review of magnetic resonance (MR) images. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Over 50% of middle-aged adults show evidence of spinal degeneration. However, the relationship between degenerative changes in the cervical and lumbar spine has yet to be elucidated. METHODS: A retrospective review of positional MR images of 152 patients with symptoms related to cervical and lumbar spondylosis with or without a neurogenic component was conducted. The degree of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) was assessed on a grade of 1–5 for each segment of the cervical and lumbar spine using MR T2-weighted sagittal images. The grades across all segments were summed to produce the degenerative disc score (DDS) for the cervical and lumbar spine. The patients were divided into two groups based on the IDD grade for each lumbar segment: normal (grades 1 and 2) and degenerative (grades 3–5). RESULTS: DDSs for the cervical and lumbar spine were positively correlated. Significant differences in cervical DDSs between the groups were observed in all lumbar segments. Although there were no significant differences in cervical DDSs among the degenerative lumbar segment, cervical DDSs at the L1–2 and L2–3 segments tended to be higher than those at the L3–4, L4–5, and L5–S degenerative segments. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that participants with degenerative changes in the upper lumbar segments are more likely to have a certain amount of cervical spondylosis. This information could be used to lower the incidence of a missed diagnosis of cervical spine disorders in patients presenting with lumbar spine symptomology.