Prospective analysis of radiofrequency denervation in patients with chronic low back pain

Minimal clinically important difference as a method for assessing the effectiveness of spinal surgery using scales and questionnaires: non-systematic literature review

Objective. To analyze the literature data and to present recommendations on the use of the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in the practice of spinal surgeon-researcher.

Material and Methods. The article is a non-systematic review of the literature. A search was performed for sources, which describe the calculation and analysis of the MCID parameter on a cohort of patients with degenerative spinal diseases in the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Further, the analysis of the literature was carried out on the application of MCID to assess the effectiveness of surgical treatment.

Results. The MCID parameter is illustrated for the most common clinical scales used to assess the effectiveness of treatment in spinal surgery, with their detailed description and discussion of their benefits and drawbacks. The specific MCID values for cervical and lumbar pathologies, first of all degenerative ones, and follow-up periods, which can be used in assessing the results of the treatment, as well as in planning prospective comparative studies are presented.

Conclusion. The MCID parameter is required for sample size calculation and for the analysis of treatment outcomes. The MCID reflects not just the change in the baseline indicator, but also the clinical significance for the patient.

Circular RNAs in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: An Updated Review

Low back pain, a common medical condition, could result in severe disability and inflict huge economical and public health burden. Its pathogenesis is attributed to multiple etiological factors, including intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Emerging evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs), a major type of regulatory non-coding RNA, play critical roles in cellular processes that are pertinent to IDD development, including nucleus pulposus cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as extracellular matrix deposition. Increasing number of translational studies also indicated that circRNAs could serve as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of IDD and/or predicting its clinical outcomes. Our review aims to discuss the recent progress in the functions and mechanisms of newly discovered IDD-related circRNAs.