Searching for the optimal precondition procedure for mesenchymal stem/stromal cell treatment: Facts and perspectives.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells are potential optimal cell sources for stem cell therapies, and pretreatment has proven to enhance cell vitality and function. In a recent publication, Li et al explored a new combination of pretreatment conditions. Here, we present an editorial to comment on their work and provide our view on mesenchymal stem/stromal cell precondition.

High-performance electrode materials of heteroatom-doped lignin-based carbon materials for supercapacitor applications.

Supercapacitors are the preferred option for supporting renewable energy sources owing to many benefits, including fast charging, long life, high energy and power density, and saving energy. While electrode materials with environmentally friendly preparation, high performance, and low cost are important research directions of supercapacitors. At present, the growing global population and the increasingly pressing issue of environmental pollution have drawn the focus of numerous researchers worldwide to the development and utilization of renewable biomass resources. Lignin, a renewable aromatic polymer, has reserves second only to cellulose in nature. Ten million tonnes of industrial lignin are produced in pulp and paper mills annually, most of which are disposed of as waste or burned for fuel, seriously depleting natural resources and polluting the environment. One practical strategy to accomplish sustainable development is to employ lignin resources to create high-value materials. Based on the high carbon content and rich functional groups of lignin, the lignin-based carbon materials generated after carbonization treatment display specific electrochemical properties as electrode materials. Nevertheless, low electrochemical activity of untreated lignin precludes it from achieving its full potential for application in energy storage. Heteroatom doping is a common modification method that aims to improve the electrochemical performance of the electrode materials by optimizing the structure of the lignin, improving its pore structure and increasing the number of active sites on its surface. This paper aims to establish theoretical foundations for design, preparation, and optimizing the performance of heteroatom-doped lignin-based carbon materials, as well as for developing high-value-added lignin materials. The most reported the mechanism of supercapacitors, the doping process involving various types of heteroatoms, and the analysis of how heteroatoms affect the performance of lignin-based carbon materials are also detailed in this review.

Single-cell sequencing technology in diabetic wound healing: New insights into the progenitors-based repair strategies.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), an increasingly prevalent chronic metabolic disease, is characterised by prolonged hyperglycaemia, which leads to long-term health consequences. Although much effort has been put into understanding the pathogenesis of diabetic wounds, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) has revolutionised biological research by enabling the identification of novel cell types, the discovery of cellular markers, the analysis of gene expression patterns and the prediction of developmental trajectories. This powerful tool allows for an in-depth exploration of pathogenesis at the cellular and molecular levels. In this editorial, we focus on progenitor-based repair strategies for diabetic wound healing as revealed by scRNAseq and highlight the biological behaviour of various healing-related cells and the alteration of signalling pathways in the process of diabetic wound healing. ScRNAseq could not only deepen our understanding of the complex biology of diabetic wounds but also identify and validate new targets for intervention, offering hope for improved patient outcomes in the management of this challenging complication of DM.

Evaluation of genetic response of mesenchymal stem cells to nanosecond pulsed electric fields by whole transcriptome sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) modulated by various exogenous signals have been applied extensively in regenerative medicine research. Notably, nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs), characterized by short duration and high strength, significantly influence cell phenotypes and regulate MSCs differentiation via multiple pathways. Consequently, we used transcriptomics to study changes in messenger RNA (mRNA), long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and circular RNA expression during nsPEFs application. AIM: To explore gene expression profiles and potential transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in MSCs pretreated with nsPEFs. METHODS: The impact of nsPEFs on the MSCs transcriptome was investigated through whole transcriptome sequencing. MSCs were pretreated with 5-pulse nsPEFs (100 ns at 10 kV/cm, 1 Hz), followed by total RNA isolation. Each transcript was normalized by fragments per kilobase per million. Fold change and difference significance were applied to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed to elucidate gene functions, complemented by quantitative polymerase chain reaction verification. RESULTS: In total, 263 DEGs were discovered, with 92 upregulated and 171 downregulated. DEGs were predominantly enriched in epithelial cell proliferation, osteoblast differentiation, mesenchymal cell differentiation, nuclear division, and wound healing. Regarding cellular components, DEGs are primarily involved in condensed chromosome, chromosomal region, actin cytoskeleton, and kinetochore. From aspect of molecular functions, DEGs are mainly involved in glycosaminoglycan binding, integrin binding, nuclear steroid receptor activity, cytoskeletal motor activity, and steroid binding. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed targeted transcript regulation. CONCLUSION: Our systematic investigation of the wide-ranging transcriptional pattern modulated by nsPEFs revealed the differential expression of 263 mRNAs, 2 miRNAs, and 65 lncRNAs. Our study demonstrates that nsPEFs may affect stem cells through several signaling pathways, which are involved in vesicular transport, calcium ion transport, cytoskeleton, and cell differentiation.

Rationally Designed Self-Assembling Nanovaccines Elicit Robust Mucosal and Systemic Immunity against Rhabdovirus.

Viral diseases have constantly caused great threats to global public health, resulting in an urgent need for effective vaccines. However, the current viral vaccines often show low immunogenicity. To counter this, we report a smart strategy of a well-designed modular nanoparticle (LSG-TDH) that recapitulates the dominant antigen SG, low-molecular-weight protamine, and tetralysine-modified H-chain apoferritin (TDH). The constructed LSG-TDH nanovaccine could self-assemble into a nanocage structure, which confers excellent mucus-penetrating, cellular affinity, and uptake ability. Studies demonstrate that the LSG-TDH nanovaccine could strongly activate both mucosal and systemic immune responses. Importantly, by immunizing wild-type and TLR2 knockout (TLR2-KO) zebrafish, we found that TLR2 could mediate LSG-TDH-induced adaptive mucosal and systemic immune responses by activating antigen-presenting cells. Collectively, our findings offer new insights into rational viral vaccine design and provide additional evidence of the vital role of TLR2 in regulating adaptive immunity.

Synthesis and Biological Activities of Oxazolidinone Pleuromutilin Derivatives as a Potent Anti-MRSA Agent.

A series of pleuromutilin derivatives containing an oxazolidinone skeleton were synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo as antibacterial agents. Most of the synthesized derivatives exhibited potent antibacterial activities against three strains of Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA ATCC 33591, MRSA ATCC 43300, and MSSA ATCC 29213) and two strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis (including MRSE ATCC 51625 and MSSE ATCC 12228). Compound 28 was the most active antibacterial agent in vitro (MIC = 0.008-0.125 µg·mL-1) and exhibited a significant bactericidal effect, low cytotoxicity, and weak inhibition (IC50 = 20.66 µmol·L-1) for CYP3A4, as well as exhibited less possibility to cause bacterial resistance. Furthermore, in vivo activities indicated that the compound was effective in reducing MRSA load in a murine thigh infection model. Moreover, it clearly facilitated the healing of MRSA skin infection and inhibited the secretion of the TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 inflammatory factors in serum. These results suggest that oxazolidinone pleuromutilin is a promising therapeutic candidate for drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Honokiol induces apoptosis-like death in Cryptocaryon irritans Tomont.

BACKGROUND: Cryptocaryon irritans, a common parasite in tropical and subtropical marine teleost fish, has caused serious harm to the marine aquaculture industry. Honokiol was proven to induce C. irritans tomont cytoplasm shrinkage and death in our previous study, but the mechanism by which it works remains unknown. METHODS: In this study, the changes of apoptotic morphology and apoptotic ratio were detected by microscopic observation and AnnexinV-FITC/PI staining. The effects of honokiol on intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) concentration, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), reactive oxygen species (ROS), quantity of DNA fragmentations (QDF) and caspase activities were detected by Fluo-3 staining, JC-1 staining, DCFH-DA staining, Tunel method and caspase activity assay kit. The effects of honokiol on mRNA expression levels of 61 apoptosis-related genes in tomonts of C. irritans were detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The results of the study on the effects of honokiol concentration on C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death showed that the highest levels of prophase apoptosis-like death rate (PADR), [Ca2+]i concentration, ROS, the activities of caspase-3/9 and the lowest necrosis ratio (NER) were obtained at a concentration of 1 µg/ml, which was considered the most suitable for inducing C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death. When C. irritans tomonts were treated with 1 µg/ml honokiol, the [Ca2+]i concentration began to increase significantly at 1 h. Following this, the ROS, QDF and activities of caspase-3/9 began to increase significantly, and the ΔΨm began to decrease significantly at 2 h; the highest PADR was obtained at 4 h. The mRNA expression of 14 genes was significantly upregulated during honokiol treatment. Of these genes, itpr2, capn1, mc, actg1, actb, parp2, traf2 and fos were enriched in the pathway related to apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. CONCLUSIONS: This article shows that honokiol can induce C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death. These results suggest that honokiol may disrupt [Ca2+]i homeostasis in ER and then induce C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death by caspase cascade or mitochondrial pathway, which might represent a novel therapeutic intervention for C. irritans infection.

Using a 3D Navigation Template to Increase the Accuracy of Thoracic Pedicle Screws in Patients with Scoliosis.

This study compares the accuracy and safety of pedicle screw placement using a 3D navigation template with the free-hand fluoroscopy technique in scoliotic patients. Fifteen scoliotic patients were recruited and divided into a template group (eight cases) and a free-hand group (seven cases). All patients received posterior corrective surgeries, and the pedicle screw was placed using a 3D navigation template or a free-hand technique. After surgery, the positions of the pedicle screws were evaluated using CT. A total of 264 pedicle screws were implanted in 15 patients. Both the two techniques were found to achieve satisfactory safety of screw insertion in scoliotic patients (89.9% vs. 90.5%). In the thoracic region, the 3D navigation template was able to achieve a much higher accuracy of screw than the free-hand technique (75.3% vs. 60.4%). In the two groups, the accuracy rates on the convex side were slightly higher than on the concave side, while no significance was seen. In terms of rotational vertebrae, no significant differences were seen in Grades I or II vertebrae between the two groups. In conclusion, the 3D navigation template technique significantly increased the accuracy of thoracic pedicle screw placement, which held great potential for extensively clinical application.

Intervertebral Disc Progenitors: Lessons Learned from Single-Cell RNA Sequencing and the Role in Intervertebral Disc Regeneration.

The tremendous personal and economic burden worldwide caused by low back pain (LBP) has been surging in recent years. While intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is the leading cause of LBP and vast efforts have been made to develop effective therapies, this problem is far from being resolved, as most treatments, such as painkillers and surgeries, mainly focus on relieving the symptoms rather than reversing the cause of IVDD. However, as stem/progenitor cells possess the potential to regenerate IVD, a deeper understanding of the early development and role of these cells could help to improve the effectiveness of stem/progenitor cell therapy in treating LBP. Single-cell RNA sequencing results provide fresh insights into the heterogeneity and development patterns of IVD progenitors; additionally, we compare mesenchymal stromal cells and IVD progenitors to provide a clearer view of the optimal cell source proposed for IVD regeneration.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Thioguanine-Modified Pleuromutilin Derivatives.

Antibiotic overuse has caused the increasingly serious problem of bacterial drug resistance, with numerous marketed antibiotics exhibiting significantly reduced activity against drug-resistant bacteria. Therefore, there is urgent demand for the development of novel antibiotics. Pleuromutilin is a tricyclic diterpene exhibiting antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and is currently considered the most promising natural antibiotic. In this study, novel pleuromutilin derivatives were designed and synthesized by introducing thioguanine units, and their antibacterial activities against drug-resistant strains were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Compound 6j was observed to have a rapid bactericidal effect, low cytotoxicity, and potent antibacterial activity. The in vitro results suggest that 6j has a significant therapeutic effect on local infections, and its activity is equal to that of retapamulin, an anti-Staphylococcus aureus pleuromutilin derivative.

Amelioration of ligamentum flavum hypertrophy using umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles.

Ligamentum flavum (LF) hypertrophy (LFH) has been recognised as one of the key contributors to lumbar spinal stenosis. Currently, no effective methods are available to ameliorate this hypertrophy. In this study, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (hUCMSC-EVs) were introduced for the first time as promising vehicles for drug delivery to treat LFH. The downregulation of miR-146a-5p and miR-221-3p expressions in human LF tissues negatively correlated with increased LF thickness. The hUCMSC-EVs enriched with these two miRNAs significantly suppressed LFH in vivo and notably ameliorated the progression of transforming growth factor ß1(TGF-ß1)-induced fibrosis in vitro after delivering these two miRNAs to mouse LF cells. The results further demonstrated that miR-146a-5p and miR-221-3p directly bonded to the 3'-UTR regions of SMAD4 mRNA, thereby inhibiting the TGF-ß/SMAD4 signalling pathway. Therefore, this translational study determined the effectiveness of a hUCMSC-EVs-based approach for the treatment of LFH and revealed the critical target of miR-146a-5p and miR-221-3p. Our findings provide new insights into promising therapeutics using a hUCMSC-EVs-based delivery system for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Annular Defects Impair the Mechanical Stability of the Intervertebral Disc.

STUDY DESIGN: A biomechanical study. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cruciform and square incisions of annulus fibrosus (AF) on the mechanical stability of bovine intervertebral disc (IVD) in multiple degrees of freedom. METHODS: Eight bovine caudal IVD motion segments (bone-disc-bone) were obtained from the local abattoir. Cruciform and square incisions were made at the right side of the specimen's annulus using a surgical scalpel. Biomechanical testing of three-dimensional 6 degrees of freedom was then performed on the bovine caudal motion segments using the mechanical testing and simulation (MTS) machine. Force, displacement, torque and angle were recorded synchronously by the MTS system. P value <.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Cruciform and square incisions of the AF reduced both axial compressive and torsional stiffness of the IVD and were significantly lower than those of the intact specimens (P < .01). Left-side axial torsional stiffness of the cruciform incision was significantly higher than a square incision (P < .01). Neither incision methods impacted flexional-extensional stiffness or lateral-bending stiffness. CONCLUSIONS: The cruciform and square incisions of the AF obviously reduced axial compression and axial rotation, but they did not change the flexion-extension and lateral-bending stiffness of the bovine caudal IVD. This mechanical study will be meaningful for the development of new approaches to AF repair and the rehabilitation of the patients after receiving discectomy.

Identification of injury type using somatosensory and motor evoked potentials in a rat spinal cord injury model.

The spinal cord is at risk of injury during spinal surgery. If intraoperative spinal cord injury is identified early, irreversible impairment or loss of neurological function can be prevented. Different types of spinal cord injury result in damage to different spinal cord regions, which may cause different somatosensory and motor evoked potential signal responses. In this study, we examined electrophysiological and histopathological changes between contusion, distraction, and dislocation spinal cord injuries in a rat model. We found that contusion led to the most severe dorsal white matter injury and caused considerable attenuation of both somatosensory and motor evoked potentials. Dislocation resulted in loss of myelinated axons in the lateral region of the injured spinal cord along the rostrocaudal axis. The amplitude of attenuation in motor evoked potential responses caused by dislocation was greater than that caused by contusion. After distraction injury, extracellular spaces were slightly but not significantly enlarged; somatosensory evoked potential responses slightly decreased and motor evoked potential responses were lost. Correlation analysis showed that histological and electrophysiological findings were significantly correlated and related to injury type. Intraoperative monitoring of both somatosensory and motor evoked potentials has the potential to identify iatrogenic spinal cord injury type during surgery.

Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibition restores matrix formation by human adipose-derived stem cells in the late stage of chondrogenic differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Cartilage tissue engineering is a promising strategy for treating cartilage damage. Matrix formation by adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), which are one type of seed cell used for cartilage tissue engineering, decreases in the late stage of induced chondrogenic differentiation in vitro, which seriously limits research on ADSCs and their application. AIM: To improve the chondrogenic differentiation efficiency of ADSCs in vitro, and optimize the existing chondrogenic induction protocol. METHODS: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor was added to chondrogenic culture medium, and then Western blotting, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence and toluidine blue staining were used to detect the cartilage matrix secretion and the expression of key proteins of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. RESULTS: In this study, we found that the levels of TNF-α and matrix metalloproteinase 3 were increased during the chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs. TNF-α then bound to its receptor and activated the NF-κB pathway, leading to a decrease in cartilage matrix synthesis and secretion. Blocking TNF-α with its inhibitors etanercept (1 µg/mL) or infliximab (10 µg/mL) significantly restored matrix formation. CONCLUSION: Therefore, this study developed a combination of ADSC therapy and targeted anti-inflammatory drugs to optimize the chondrogenesis of ADSCs, and this approach could be very beneficial for translating ADSC-based approaches to treat cartilage damage.

Species variation in the cartilaginous endplate of the lumbar intervertebral disc.

Backgrounds: Cartilaginous endplate (CEP) plays an essential role in intervertebral disc (IVD) health and disease. The aim was to compare the CEP structure of lumbar IVD and to reveal the detailed pattern of integration between the CEP and bony endplate (BEP) from different species. Methods: A total of 34 IVDs (5 human, 5 goat, 8 pig, 8 rabbit, and 8 rat IVDs) were collected, fixed and midsagittally cut; in each IVD, one-half was used for histological staining to observe the CEP morphology, and the other half was used for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis to measure the diameters and distributions of collagen fibers in the central and peripheral CEP areas and to observe the pattern of CEP-BEP integration from different species. Results: The human, pig, goat, and rabbit IVDs had the typical BEP-CEP structure, but the rat CEP was directly connected with the growth plate. Human CEP was the thickest (896.95 ± 87.71 µm) among these species, followed by pig, goat, rat, and rabbit CEPs. Additionally, the mean cellular density of the rabbit CEP was the highest, which was 930 ± 202 per mm2, followed by the rat, goat, pig, and human CEPs. In all the species, the collagen fiber diameter in the peripheral area was much bigger than that in the central area. The collagen fiber diameters of CEP from the human, pig, goat, and rat were distributed between 35 nm and 65 nm. The BEP and CEP were connected by the collagen from the CEP, aggregating into bundles or cross links with each other to form a network, and anchored to BEP. Conclusions: Significant differences in the thickness, cellular density, and collagen characterization of CEPs from different species were demonstrated; the integration of BEP-CEP in humans, pigs, goats, and rabbits was mainly achieved by the collagen bundles anchoring system, while the typical BEP-CEP interface did not exist in rats.

Knowledge Domain and Emerging Trends of Chinese Medicine in Management of Pediatric Asthma: A Scientometric Study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the intellectual landscape and emerging research trends of Chinese medicine (CM) in the management of pediatric asthma through a scientometric study. METHODS: Publications related to CM in the management of pediatric asthma were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using relevant keywords. A scientometric study was performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. RESULTS: A total of 1,673 original articles and reviews from 1991 to 2019 were included in the analysis. The amount of annual publications had a gradual increase with time. USA was the major contributor both in country and institution analyses. Based on the co-citation, the published journals were grouped into 4 clusters. Keyword analysis indicated that the main hotspots were: (1) comprehensive management; (2) risk factors, mechanism, and prevalence; (3) prevention and treatment; (4) inflammation; and (5) environmental research. Lastly, we predicted that three emerging trends were quality of life promotion, immune response, and combination therapy. CONCLUSIONS: CM research in the management of pediatric asthma will maintain the current trend of steady growth. This scientometric analysis may help scientists to identify the areas of interests and future directions in the field.

Knowledge Domain and Emerging Trends of Chinese Medicine in Management of Pediatric Asthma: A Scientometric Study / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the intellectual landscape and emerging research trends of Chinese medicine (CM) in the management of pediatric asthma through a scientometric study.@*METHODS@#Publications related to CM in the management of pediatric asthma were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using relevant keywords. A scientometric study was performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer.@*RESULTS@#A total of 1,673 original articles and reviews from 1991 to 2019 were included in the analysis. The amount of annual publications had a gradual increase with time. USA was the major contributor both in country and institution analyses. Based on the co-citation, the published journals were grouped into 4 clusters. Keyword analysis indicated that the main hotspots were: (1) comprehensive management; (2) risk factors, mechanism, and prevalence; (3) prevention and treatment; (4) inflammation; and (5) environmental research. Lastly, we predicted that three emerging trends were quality of life promotion, immune response, and combination therapy.@*CONCLUSIONS@#CM research in the management of pediatric asthma will maintain the current trend of steady growth. This scientometric analysis may help scientists to identify the areas of interests and future directions in the field.

Membranous Extracellular Matrix-Based Scaffolds for Skin Wound Healing.

Membranous extracellular matrix (ECM)-based scaffolds are one of the most promising biomaterials for skin wound healing, some of which, such as acellular dermal matrix, small intestinal submucosa, and amniotic membrane, have been clinically applied to treat chronic wounds with acceptable outcomes. Nevertheless, the wide clinical applications are always hindered by the poor mechanical properties, the uncontrollable degradation, and other factors after implantation. To highlight the feasible strategies to overcome the limitations, in this review, we first outline the current clinical use of traditional membranous ECM scaffolds for skin wound healing and briefly introduce the possible repair mechanisms; then, we discuss their potential limitations and further summarize recent advances in the scaffold modification and fabrication technologies that have been applied to engineer new ECM-based membranes. With the development of scaffold modification approaches, nanotechnology and material manufacturing techniques, various types of advanced ECM-based membranes have been reported in the literature. Importantly, they possess much better properties for skin wound healing, and would become promising candidates for future clinical translation.

Role of the miR-133a-5p/FBXO6 axis in the regulation of intervertebral disc degeneration.

OBJECTIVE: Low back pain is a leading cause of disabilities worldwide, and intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD)-related disorders have been recognised as one of the main contributors. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the miR-133a-5p/FBXO6 axis in the regulation of IVDD. METHODS: RT-qPCR, WB and IHC were performed to assess the expression of FBXO6 in human IVD tissues. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were treated with IL-1ß to induce IVDD cellular model. Silence of FBXO6 was achieved using specific siRNAs. CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, TUNEL assay, RT-qPCR and WB were used to evaluate the role and mechanism of FBXO6 in the process of IVDD. Online tools, GSE datasets and RT-qPCR were used to search the candidate miRNAs targeting FBXO6. The direct binding sites between FBXO6 and miR-133a-5p were further verified by a dual luciferase assay. RT-qPCR, WB and rescue experiments were conducted to identify the regulatory function of miR-133a-5p on the expression of aggrecan, collagen Ⅱ, MMP3, ADAMTS5, IL-6 and COX2. In addition, the role of the NF-κB pathway in regulating miR-133a-5p was studied using lentiviral shRNA, WB and RT-qPCR. RESULTS: Results showed that FBXO6 mainly expressed in the NP tissue of IVD and the expression of FBXO6 decreased with the process of IVDD as well as under IL-1ß stimulation. The silence of FBXO6 led to the decreased expression of aggrecan and collagen Ⅱ and the increased expression of MMP3, ADAMTS5, IL-6 and COX2, which further induced the degeneration of NP cells. The bioinformatic analysis showed that miR-133a-5p was the candidate miRNA targeting FBXO6. miR-133a-5p was upregulated in IVDD tissues and significantly inhibited the expression of FBXO6. The inhibition of miR-133a-5p ameliorated the acceleration of IVDD induced by the silence of FBXO6 in vitro. Moreover, it was demonstrated that IL-1ß regulated the expression of the miR-133a-5p/FBXO6 axis via the NF-κB pathway in NP cells. CONCLUSION: miR-133a-5p was upregulated by IL-1ß to aggravate intervertebral disc degeneration via sponging FBXO6. Inhibiting miR-133a-5p expression or rescuing FBXO6 expression may be promising strategies for the treatment of IVDD. THE TRANSLATIONAL POTENTIAL OF THIS ARTICLE: This study suggests that the miR-133a-5p/FBXO6 axis could regulate NP cells proliferation, apoptosis, synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix, which provides a promising therapeutic target and strategy for the treatment of IVDD.

Modified surgical treatment for a patient with neurofibromatosis scoliosis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The correction surgery for severely multidimensional spinal deformity in neurofibromatosis type I is very difficult and it is still a very big challenge for spine surgeons. CASE SUMMARY: A 44-year-old woman presented with progressive kyphosis for more than 10 years and low back pain for 2 years. She had been diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at a local hospital many years ago. Conservative treatments had been applied, but the symptoms got worse rather than alleviated. Therefore, surgery was required. CONCLUSION: For this patient with severe deformity, the correction treatment of Ponte osteotomy followed by satellite rod technique in the region of the apical vertebra and the technique of pedicle screws and dual iliac screws had been applied, and successful clinical outcomes were achieved.