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Study Design: Animal laboratory study., Objective: This study investigated the effects of Cutibacteriumacnes and Staphylococcusepidermidis on the lumbar discs of rabbits, as well as the outcomes of combined infection., Summary of Background Data: Many studies have indicated that bacterial infections are associated with lumbar disc degeneration (LDD). The most commonly cultured bacteria from disc tissues are C. acnes and S. epidermidis ., Methods: New Zealand white rabbits (n=40) were randomly divided into control, C. acnes , S. epidermidis , and C. acnes plus S. epidermidis ( i.e. , combined) groups. All groups except the control were injected with 25 μL of saline at L4-L5 and 25 μL of bacteria (1×10 7 CFU/mL) at L5-L6. All injections were performed under x-ray guidance. Weight measurements, haematological evaluations, and magnetic resonance imaging were performed after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Histological examination and gene expression detection were performed 12 weeks after surgery., Results: Inflammatory factors in the blood and weight did not differ among the groups after 4, 8, and 12 weeks ( P >0.05). However, after 4 weeks, LDD occurred in the C. acnes group, and discitis occurred in the S. epidermidis and combined groups, all of which worsened after 8 weeks. After 12 weeks, the nucleus pulposus (NP) protruded and compressed the spinal cord in the C. acnes group, and tissue staining showed decreased NP tissue and cartilaginous endplate fracture. In the S. epidermidis and combined groups, the discitis was more confined, but tissue staining revealed a significant decrease in NP tissue, and loss of the normal disc structure., Conclusions: In the early stage of infection in rabbits, C. acnes caused LDD, and S. epidermidis caused discitis. Coinfection with C. acnes and S. epidermidis caused discitis but was more limited in scope than infection with S. epidermidis alone., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: A growing body of research indicates a correlation between occupational exposure, particularly among individuals in driving-related occupations, and the incidence of low back pain (LBP)., Methods: Databases were systematically searched, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SinoMed, from their inception through December 2023 for relevant studies of the prevalence and risk factors of LBP among professional drivers. Subsequent meta-analyses were performed utilizing Stata 17.0 and RevMan 5.4 software, while risk factor indicators were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation evidence quality grading system., Results: A systematic review and meta-analysis comprising 19 studies involving 7,723 patients indicated that the incidence of LBP among drivers was 39% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.20-0.57) in the past 7 days and 53% (95% CI 0.43-0.63) in the past 12 months. A subgroup analysis revealed a prevalence of 48% (95% CI 0.33-0.64) in 2005-2015 and 56% (95% CI 0.42-0.70) in 2016-2023. Among the identified factors, robust evidence highlighted age ≥ 41 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.10; 95% CI 1.36-3.24; P = 0.0008), alcohol consumption (OR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.31-2.34; P = 0.0001), sleeping < 6 h/night (OR = 1.60; 95% CI 1.13-2.24; P = 0.007), uncomfortable seating (OR = 1.71; 95% CI 1.23-2.36; P = 0.001), improper driving posture (OR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.91-2.94; P < 0.00001), and manual handling (OR = 2.23; 95% CI 1.72-2.88; P < 0.00001) as significant risk factors for LBP. There was moderate evidence of a lack of exercise (OR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.37-2.31; P < 0.0001), working > 10 h/day (OR = 2.49; 95% CI 1.89-3.28; P < 0.00001), > 5 years' driving experience (OR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.66-2.69; P < 0.00001), a lack of back support (OR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.25-2.62; P = 0.002), high work-related pressure (OR = 2.04; 95% CI 1.59-2.61; P < 0.00001), and job dissatisfaction (OR = 1.57; 95% CI 1.23-2.01; P = 0.0003) as moderate risk factors. There was no evidence of body mass index or smoking as risk factors for LBP among professional drivers., Conclusion: The current evidence indicates an increasing annual trend in the prevalence of LBP among professional drivers. Factors including age ≥ 41 years, alcohol consumption, and sleeping < 6 h/night were among the 12 influential factors contributing to LBP in professional drivers. Enhancing awareness of these factors and formulating targeted preventive strategies may be beneficial., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: An increasing number of research indicates an association between low-grade bacterial infections, particularly those caused by Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), and the development of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). However, no previous meta-analysis has systematically assessed the risk factors for low-grade bacterial infections that cause IDD., Purpose: This study reviewed the literature to evaluate the risk factors associated with low-grade bacterial infection in patients with IDD., Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis., Methods: The systematic literature review was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Eligible articles explicitly identified the risk factors for low-grade bacterial infections in IDD patients. Patient demographics and total bacterial infection rates were extracted from each study. Meta-analysis was performed using random- or fixed-effects models, with statistical analyses conducted using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 software.aut., Results: Thirty-three studies involving 4,109 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled low-grade bacterial infection rate was 30% (range, 24%-37%), with P. acnes accounting for 25% (range, 19%-31%). P. acnes constituted 66.7% of bacteria-positive discs. Fourteen risk factors were identified, of which 8 were quantitatively explored. Strong evidence supported male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.65-2.79; p<.00001) and Modic changes (MCs) (OR=3.59; 95% CI=1.68-7.76; p=.0009); moderate evidence of sciatica (OR=2.31; 95% CI=1.33-4.00; p=.003) and younger age (OR=-3.47; 95% CI=-6.42 to -0.53; p=.02). No evidence supported previous disc surgery, MC type, Pfirrmann grade, smoking, or diabetes being risk factors for low-grade bacterial infections in patients with IDD., Conclusions: Current evidence highlights a significant association between IDD and low-grade bacterial infections, predominantly P. acnes being the most common causative agent. Risk factors associated with low-grade bacterial infections in IDD include male sex, MCs, sciatica, and younger age., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection has emerged as a global public health issue, predominantly manifesting as pulmonary tuberculosis. Bone and joint tuberculosis, with spinal tuberculosis accounting for approximately 50%, represents a significant form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Over the past years, there has been a rise in the incidence of spinal tuberculosis, and research concerning this area has gained significant attention. At present, animal models provide a means to investigate the pathogenesis, drug resistance, and novel treatment approaches for spinal tuberculosis. New Zealand rabbits, possessing a comparable anatomical structure to humans and capable of reproducing typical pathological features of human tuberculosis, are extensively employed in spinal tuberculosis research using animal models. This article comprehensively evaluates the strengths, considerations in strain selection, various modelling approaches, and practical applications of the rabbit model in studying spinal tuberculosis based on pertinent literature to guide fundamental research in this field by providing valuable insights into appropriate animal model selection., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases in human history, and spinal tuberculosis (STB) is the most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. A large number of research has been conducted in this field. However, there has been no bibliometric analysis performed in recent years in STB. The aim of this study was to analyze trends and hotspots in research on STB., Methods: Publications regarding STB between 1980 and 2022 were extracted from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace (V5.7.R2) and VOSviewer (1.6.10) were used to perform global analyses of the number of publications, countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords, and cited references., Results: A total of 1262 articles were published between 1980 and 2022. We observed rapid growth in the number of publications since 2010. Spine had the highest number of publications (47, 3.7%). Zhang HQ and Wang XY were key researchers. The Central South University published the most papers (90, 7.1%). China was the leading contributor in this field with 459 publications and 29 H-index. National partnerships are dominated by the USA, and there is a lack of active cooperation between other countries and authors., Conclusion: research on STB has achieved great progress, with an increasing number of publications since 2010. Surgical treatment and debridement are current research hots pots, and diagnosis, drug resistance, and kyphosis are likely research frontiers. Cooperation between countries and authors needs to be further strengthened., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Circular RNA (circRNA) has been shown to play an important regulatory role in the development of various cancers, including osteosarcoma (OS). However, the role of circRNA ABCC1 (circABCC1) in OS was still poorly understood. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of circABCC1 in OS progression and its potential molecular mechanisms., Methods: The expression of circABCC1, microRNA-591 (miR-591) and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) in OS tissues or cells was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot (WB) analyses. In vitro experiments, the viability, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and autophagy of U2OS and HOS cells were assessed in vitro using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, 5-ethynyl-29-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, flow cytometry (FCM) assay, transwell migration and invasion assays (transwell) and WB assay, respectively. Interactions between circABCC1 and miR-591, miR-591 and HDAC4 were confirmed using a dual luciferase reporter gene assay system. The oncogenic role of circABCC1 in OS in vivo was examined by establishing a tumor xenograft model., Results: CircABCC1 was significantly elevated in OS tissues (about 3.1-folds) and cells (U2OS (about 2.1-folds) and HOS (about 2.8-folds)) compared with the control (p < .05). Silencing of circABCC1 significantly reduced the viability and proliferation, promoted apoptosis, impaired migration and invasion, and increased autophagy of U2OS and HOS cells (p < .05). In addition, miR-591 was confirmed to be a target of circABCC1, exerting an opposite effect to circABCC1 (p < .05). MiR-591 attenuation in U2OS and HOS cells was able to reply to the inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and invasion as well as promotion of cell apoptosis and autophagy mediated by silencing circABCC1 (p < .05). HDAC4 was verified to be the target gene of miR-591 in U2OS and HOS cells and was regulated by the circABCC1/miR-591 axis (p < .05), and restoration of HDAC4 levels in U2OS and HOS cells was able to restore the altered cellular function caused by silencing circABCC1 (p < .05). In addition, knockdown of circABCC1 attenuated tumor growth in vivo (p < .05)., Conclusion: Silencing of circABCC1 inhibits osteosarcoma progression by attenuating HDAC4 expression through sponging miR-591., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: As a chronic disease, osteoarthritis has caused great trouble to the health of middle-aged and elderly people. Studies have shown that glucosamine (GlcN) can be used to abate the progression and improve this disease. Based on this point of view, we try to verify the connection between GlcN and osteoarthritis and find more effective biomarkers., Methods: We downloaded the GSE72575 data set from the GEO database, and used the R language to perform DEG analysis on the gene expression profile of the samples. Next, the GO function and the KEGG signaling pathways were analyzed through the DAVID database, and then, the KEGG pathways enriched in the gene set were analyzed based on GSEA. Then, the PPI network of DEGs was constructed based on the STRING online database, and finally, the hub genes were selected by Cytoscape., Results: Three GlcN-treated MH7A cell treatment groups and 3 control groups in the GSE72575 data set were studied. Through analysis, there were 52 DEGs in these samples. Then, through GO, KEGG, and GSEA, regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, TGF-beta signaling pathway, and ECM receptor interaction were involved in the regulatory mechanisms of the osteoarthritis pathogenesis. After that, the hub genes IL6 and DDIT3 were identified through PPI network construction and analysis. And it was found that IL6 was lowly expressed in the group with GlcN-treated MH7A cells, while DDIT3 was highly expressed., Conclusion: The above results provide a basis for GlcN to participate in the treatment of osteoarthritis and a possibility for finding effective therapeutic targets., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (Copyright © 2021 Jingsheng Liu et al.)

Objective: To summarize the research progress on the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK)/receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) system during bone reconstruction to provide theoretical basis for further research on the prevention and treatment of bone-related diseases., Methods: The relevant research results at home and abroad in recent years were analyzed and summarized., Results: CGRP and RANK/RANKL/OPG system play important regulatory roles in the bone reconstruction., Conclusion: At present, the research on the mechanism of CGRP and RANK/RANKL/OPG system in bone reconstruction is insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to study further on the process and interrelation of CGRP and RANK/RANKL/OPG system in bone reconstruction to confirm their mechanism, which will bring new ideas and methods for the treatment of bone related diseases in clinic.

Objective: To examine the expression of neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1), semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the healing process of tibial fracture after traumatic brain injury and to explore the mechanism of Nrp-1 in the formation of pathological callus after nerve injury.
 Methods: A total of 192 Wister female rats, 8-10 weeks old and weighing 220-250 g, were randomly divided into a control group (Group C), a tibia fracture group (Group F), a traumatic brain injury group (Group TBI), a traumatic brain injury combined with the tibia fracture group (Group TBI+F) (n=48 in each group). Tissue samples were collected at 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, respectively (n=8 for each time point). The expression of Nrp-1 in callus tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, while the expression of Sema3A and VEGF were detected by Western blot.
 Results: Compared with the Group F , the expression of Nrp-1 in chondrocytes of bone formation area and cartilage area was higher in the Group TBI+F, particularly at the 7th , 14th and 21st day (P<0.05), while the expression of Nrp-1 in osteoblast cells of fresh bone trabecula region was lower in the Group TBI+F, particularly at the 14th and 21st day (both P<0.05). Western blot showed that the expression of Nrp-1, Sema 3A and VEGF had the same trends in the Group TBI+F and the Group F. However, at each time point, the expression of Nrp-1 in the Group TBI+F was significantly higher and slowly decreased, particularly at the 14th, 21st and 28th day (all P<0.05). Meanwhile, the ratio of Sema 3A/VEGF in the Group TBI+F was significantly higher than that in the Group F, with statistical difference (P<0.05).
 Conclusion: The Nrp-1 is expressed abnormally in the process of fracture healing after nerve injury. It may play a role in the formation of pathological callus after nerve injury by promoting the preliminary and proliferation of chondrocytes, and inhibiting the growth of nerve fibers in the soft callus as well as the differentiation of osteoblast cell.