Historical overview of spinal deformities in ancient Greece

Little is known about the history of spinal deformities in ancient Greece. The present study summarizes what we know today for diagnosis and management of spinal deformities in ancient Greece, mainly from the medical treatises of Hippocrates and Galen. Hippocrates, through accurate observation and logical reasoning was led to accurate conclusions firstly for the structure of the spine and secondly for its diseases. He introduced the terms kyphosis and scoliosis and wrote in depth about diagnosis and treatment of kyphosis and less about scoliosis. The innovation of the board, the application of axial traction and even the principle of trans-abdominal correction for correction of spinal deformities have their origin in Hippocrates. Galen, who lived nearly five centuries later impressively described scoliosis, lordosis and kyphosis, provided aetiologic implications and used the same principles with Hippocrates for their management, while his studies influenced medical practice on spinal deformities for more than 1500 years.     

Anatomy of the extrinsic spinal muscles related to the deformities of scoliosis

The spatial displacement of vertebrae in idiopathic scoliosis is not explicable by forces created by the muscles which act upon the spine only (intrinsic muscles). The trapezius and latissimus muscles are attached to the spinous processes and the upper limb. In keeping with Newton's third law, these muscles act on the spine as well as upon the upper extremity. The peculiarity of the vertebral anatomy, together with the direction of pull of these muscles, permits an explanation of the biomechanics of the development of 'idiopathic' scoliosis.     

Finite element simulation of spinal deformities correction by in situ contouring technique

Biomechanical models have been proposed in order to simulate the surgical correction of spinal deformities. With these models, different surgical correction techniques have been examined: distraction and rod rotation. The purpose of this study was to simulate another surgical correction technique: the in situ contouring technique. In this way, a comprehensive three-dimensional Finite Element (FE) model with patient-specific geometry and patient-specific mechanical properties was used. The simulation of the surgery took into account elasto-plastic behavior of the rod and multiple moments loading and unloading representing the surgical maneuvers. The simulations of two clinical cases of hyperkyphosis and scoliosis were coherent with the surgeon's experience. Moreover, the results of simulation were compared to post-operative 3D measurements. The mean differences were under 5 degrees for vertebral rotations and 5 mm for spinal lines. These simulations open the way for future predictive tools for surgical planning.     

Finite element simulation of spinal deformities correction by in situ contouring technique

Biomechanical models have been proposed in order to simulate the surgical correction of spinal deformities. With these models, different surgical correction techniques have been examined: distraction and rod rotation. The purpose of this study was to simulate another surgical correction technique: the in situ contouring technique. In this way, a comprehensive three-dimensional Finite Element (FE) model with patient-specific geometry and patient-specific mechanical properties was used. The simulation of the surgery took into account elasto–plastic behavior of the rod and multiple moments loading and unloading representing the surgical maneuvers. The simulations of two clinical cases of hyperkyphosis and scoliosis were coherent with the surgeon's experience. Moreover, the results of simulation were compared to post-operative 3D measurements. The mean differences were under 5° for vertebral rotations and 5 mm for spinal lines. These simulations open the way for future predictive tools for surgical planning.     

Inflammation as a potential risk factor for spinal deformities in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Inflammation is an overall protective response and can be defined as a cellular and non specific immune response to irritation, injury, or infection leading to the local accumulation of leukocytes and fluid. In intensive farming conditions, fish are usually transported, sorted, vaccinated and subjected to stressful handling procedures which may potentially lead to local inflammation and affect the integrity of the spine. The present mini‐review aims to introduce the reader in the field of spinal deformities in salmon, propose inflammation as a risk factor for spinal deformities and emphasize the need for conducting further research in the area having an integrated and multidisciplinary perspective.     

Development of spinal deformities in Atlantic salmon and Arctic charr fed diets supplemented with oxytetracycline

Some individuals within populations of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus fed diets supplemented with oxytetracycline (OTC) developed spinal deformations. Possible differences in feed intake and growth of spinally deformed fish relative to fish without any deformities were investigated. Amongst Atlantic salmon, 17% of the fish fed OTC-supplemented feed developed spinal fractures, whereas none of the fish receiving the basic feed did so. Despite deformation of the spinal column, the injured fish continued to feed and grow, but at lower rates than unaffected individuals. In contrast to Atlantic salmon, Arctic charr showed no signs of spinal fractures at any time during the 65-day experiment.     

Validation tool for traction force microscopy

Traction force microscopy (TFM) is commonly used to estimate cells' traction forces from the deformation that they cause on their substrate. The accuracy of TFM highly depends on the computational methods used to measure the deformation of the substrate and estimate the forces, and also on the specifics of the experimental set-up. Computer simulations can be used to evaluate the effect of both the computational methods and the experimental set-up without the need to perform numerous experiments. Here, we present one such TFM simulator that addresses several limitations of the existing ones. As a proof of principle, we recreate a TFM experimental set-up, and apply a classic 2D TFM algorithm to recover the forces. In summary, our simulator provides a valuable tool to study the performance, refine experimentally, and guide the extraction of biological conclusions from TFM experiments.     

Conchal transposition flap for postburn ear deformities

Severe thermal injuries to the external ear often lead to extensive loss of peripheral structures such as helix and lobule but frequently spare the more central parts of the ear, even though they may be grossly deformed by scar contracture. The use of spared conchal structures as a transposition flap in combination with remodeling of the residual auricle and release of surrounding scar when indicated has been a useful technique in the reconstruction of a frequently occurring type of postburn ear deformity. Twenty-four ears have been reconstructed in 18 patients over the past 5 years using a conchal transposition flap. The residual concha with its overlying skin can be transposed superiorly, based on a very narrow pedicle in the area of the crus helicis. The raw central area remaining is then resurfaced with a split-thickness skin graft. This technique maximally utilizes the unique remaining auricular elements and can provide a satisfactory reconstruction in selected patients without resorting to more complex and extensive procedures. There have been no significant complications in this series, and patient acceptance of the results has been excellent.     

Time of vaccination influences development of adhesions, growth and spinal deformities in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

In August 1998, 3000 Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. parr were divided into 7 groups with 2 replicates. Every 6 wk until March of the following year 1 group was vaccinated. One group was held as an unvaccinated control. The fish were transferred to seawater in May 1999, and slaughtered in February 2000. Temperature, fish size and photoperiod at vaccination, and the time between vaccination and sea transfer thus varied among the groups. In all vaccinated groups, growth was reduced for 1 to 2 mo following vaccination. Intra-abdominal lesions developed faster, and stabilised at a higher level in the groups vaccinated early at the highest temperature and the smallest fish size. Growth in seawater was influenced by the time of vaccination. At the end of the experiment, the group vaccinated last (MAR) was the heaviest of the vaccinated groups (4.0 kg), and the group vaccinated first, i.e. in August (AUG) was smallest (3.2 kg). Growth rate in seawater differed only in the summer when specific growth rate was above 1.45 in all groups. There was a correlation between adhesion, condition factor and number of weeks from vaccination to sea transfer. The AUG group had the highest condition factor, with a top level of 1.64 in autumn, and this group also displayed the highest incidence of deformed vertebra. The experiment shows that side effects of vaccination can be significantly reduced when planning the vaccination strategy, by taking environmental factors and fish biology into consideration.     

仰卧位颈部手法牵引在治疗颈椎间盘突出症中的应用

目的:对于行颈椎牵引有不良反应的颈椎间盘突出症患者,尝试使用仰卧位颈部手法牵引进行治疗,以提高该类疾病的治疗效果.方法:随机将40例颈椎牵引有不良反应的颈椎间盘突出症患者分为实验组和对照组.20例对照组采用药物,理疗,颈部制动和推拿的方法进行治疗,实验组则在上述方法的基础上增加仰卧位颈部手法牵引,由专人对每位患者的疗效进行评定和记录.结果:经过30次治疗后,对实验组和对照组的每位患者进行疗效评定,优良率分别为75%和35%,无效率分别为10%和35%.用SPSS统计学软件处理数据,差异具有显著性意义.结论:颈椎间盘突出症在传统的治疗方法中增加仰卧位颈部手法牵引可以提高颈椎牵引有不良反应的惠者的临床治疗效果.