• Division of Spine Surgery / Research

• Results

Division of Spine Surgery

The Kobe University Orthopaedic Spine Surgery division has three faculties, four graduate school students, and residents. In our hospital, we treat severe complicated spinal diseases, including tumors, scoliosis, and osteoporosis-associated spinal deformities, working together with anesthesiologists, cardiologists, pediatricians, radiologists, physiatrists, and co-medical staffs. We attempted to find the best treatment strategy based on each patient's disease, condition, and activity.
Recently, the number of our surgical cases is increasing up to approximately 300 cases/year, closely cooperating with neighboring hospitals. This enables us to treat more patients surgically without long-period waiting. We all continue to take on new challenges to rescue many patients with spinal problems by optimal treatments.

[Clinical Research]

The primary focus of our clinical studies is to elucidate the natural course and prognosis of spinal diseases, to clarify outcomes of surgical and non-surgical treatments, and to develop new therapeutic devices and strategies.
We reported the natural course and predictive risk factors of cervical spine instability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, winning a prestigious international award, the 2nd Clinical Research Paper Award at the 43rd annual meeting of Cervical Spine Research Society (San Diego, CA, 2015). We then performed a prospective follow-up study of patients with spinal metastasis. Our reports describing the outcomes and socioeconomic impacts of surgical treatment both received the reputational Best Clinical Research Paper Award at the 122nd and 125th meetings of the Central Japan Association of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (Okayama, 2014 and Nagoya, 2015), respectively. In addition, our study regarding the efficacy of an electronic conductivity device in severe syndromic scoliosis surgery was selected as the Best Poster Award at the 49th annual meeting of Japanese Scoliosis Society (Niigata, 2015). Furthermore, we have multiple ongoing studies of spinal metastasis, intradural tumors, and osteoporosis-induced vertebral fractures and kyphoscoliotic deformities.
For years, we are also developing a new, less-invasive treatment device for lumbar spinal canal stenosis, a prototype of which was previously reported internationally (Eur Spine J, 2012). After careful basic trials of the device, we are ready to start the clinical trial shortly. We continue clinical research to find the best practical treatment for spinal diseases.

[Basic Research]

We are consistently conducting basic research for intervertebral disc pathology. Our primary focus is to reveal the mechanism of disc diseases and to provide insights into new biological therapy.

Biological treatments of disc degeneration
The intervertebral disc a unique structure consisting of the nucleus pulposus encapsulated by the annulus fibrosus and endplates. The disc is the largest avascular organ in the body. Therefore, additional nutrient deprivation associated with injury, smoking, and/or aging is a suspected contributor to disc degeneration. We studied biological agents, peptides, and proteins to reduce cellular stress based on the anatomical characteristics and limited nutrition of the disc-SIRT1 (Arthritis Res Ther, 2011, 2015), integrin antagonists (Spine J, 2015), and adiponectin (J Orthop Surg Res, 2016). We are testing these treatments in vivo for future clinical trials.

Animal models of disc degeneration
To study the disease mechanism and assess effects of new biological treatments, the development of animal models is essential. Mechanical loading is a major induction method to disc degeneration. To mimic human spontaneous chronic disc degeneration, we developed and reported a rat tail model of disc degeneration induced by sustained static compression (J Orthop Res, 2010, 2011, Arthritis Res Ther 2012, 2014). Furthermore, a modified version of this model, better suited to observe earlier events of disc degeneration, was also established (J Orthop Res 2014) and awarded the Best Basic Research Paper Award at the 120th and meeting of the Central Japan Association of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (Wakayama, 2013). We have developed an ex-vivo dynamic compression model (Spine J, 2015) more recently in collaboration with Rush University (Chicago, IL, USA), University of California San Diego (San Diego, CA, USA), and Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan). These animal models will facilitate the future development of molecular treatments for disc disorders.

Disc herniation and immune privilege
We proposed the disc as an immune-privileged site based on the anatomical feature and also the expression of apoptosis-inducing Fas ligand in the nucleus pulposus (Spine [Phila Pa 1976], 2002, 2004). We further clarified the interaction between the nucleus pulposus and macrophages in an animal model of herniated discs (Arthritis Rheum, 2012). Evidence regarding Fas ligand and macrophage infiltration can provide useful information to understand the pathophysiology of herniated disc disease. We are conducting new studies to develop biological treatments.

• Division of Spine Surgery / Results

• Research

Original Research Article

(1) Yurube T, Kanda Y, Ito M, Takeoka Y, Suzuki T, Uno K, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Improved accuracy and safety of pedicle screw placement by using a probe with an electrical conductivity-measuring device during severe syndromic and neuromuscular scoliosis spine surgery. J Clin Med. 2022;14;11(2):419.

(2) Tsujimoto R, Yurube T, Takeoka Y, Kanda Y, Miyazaki K, Ohnishi H, Kakiuchi Y, Miyazaki S, Zhang Z, Takada T, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Involvement of autophagy in the maintenance of rat intervertebral disc homeostasis: an in-vitro and in-vivo RNA interference study of Atg5. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2022;30(3):481-493.

(3) Miyazaki K, Miyazaki S, Yurube T, Takeoka Y, Kanda Y, Zhang Z, Kakiuchi Y, Tsujimoto R, Ohnishi H, Matsuo T, Ryu M, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Protective Effects of Growth Differentiation Factor-6 on the Intervertebral Disc: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study. Cells. 2022 ;31;11(7):1174.

(4) Yurube T, Han I, Sakai D. Concepts of Regeneration for Spinal Diseases in 2022. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 ;26;23(17):9710.

(5) Kakutani K, Sakai Y, Zhang Z, Yurube T, Takeoka Y, Kanda Y, Miyazaki K, Ohnishi H, Matsuo T, Ryu M, Kuroshima K, Kumagai N, Hiranaka Y, Hayashi S, Hoshino Y, Hara H, Kuroda R. Survival Rate after Palliative Surgery Alone for Symptomatic Spinal Metastases: A Prospective Cohort Study. J Clin Med. 22;11(21):6227.

(6) Inoue G, Miyagi M, Saito W, Shirasawa E, Uchida K, Hosogane N, Watanabe K, Katsumi K, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Nojiri K, Suzuki S, Okada E, Ueda S, Hikata T, Shiono Y, Watanabe K, Terai H, Tamai K, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Inage K, Yoshii T, Ushio S, Funao H, Isogai N, Harimaya K, Okada S, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Kiyasu K, Imagama S, Ando K, Kobayashi K, Sakai D, Tanaka M, Kimura A, Inoue H, Nakano A, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Nakanishi K, Oshima M, Uei H, Aoki Y, Takahata M, Iwata A, Endo H, Seki S, Murakami H, Kato S, Yoshioka K, Hongo M, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Takaso M, Ishii K. Effect of low body mass index on clinical recovery after fusion surgery for osteoporotic vertebral fracture: A retrospective, multicenter study of 237 cases. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 ;30;101(52):e32330.

(7) Yurube T, Han I, Sakai D. Concepts of Regeneration for Spinal Diseases in 2021. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Aug 4;22(16):8356.

(8) Watanabe K, Yamaguchi T, Suzuki S, Suzuki T, Nakayama K, Demura S, Taniguchi Y, Yamamoto T, Sugawara R, Sato T, Fujiwara K, Murakami H, Akazawa T, Kakutani K, Hirano T, Yanagida H, Watanabe K, Matsumoto M, Uno K, Kotani T, Takeshita K, Ohara T, Kawakami N; Japan Spinal Deformity Institute Study Group. Surgical Site Infection Following Primary Definitive Fusion for Pediatric Spinal Deformity: A Multicenter Study of Rates, Risk Factors, and Pathogens. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2021 Aug 15;46(16):1097-1104.

(9) Otomo N, Lu HF, Koido M, Kou I, Takeda K, Momozawa Y, Kubo M, Kamatani Y, Ogura Y, Takahashi Y, Nakajima M, Minami S, Uno K, Kawakami N, Ito M, Sato T, Watanabe K, Kaito T, Yanagida H, Taneichi H, Harimaya K, Taniguchi Y, Shigematsu H, Iida T, Demura S, Sugawara R, Fujita N, Yagi M, Okada E, Hosogane N, Kono K, Nakamura M, Chiba K, Kotani T, Sakuma T, Akazawa T, Suzuki T, Nishida K, Kakutani K, Tsuji T, Sudo H, Iwata A, Kaneko K, Inami S, Kochi Y, Chang WC, Matsumoto M, Watanabe K, Ikegawa S, Terao C. Polygenic Risk Score of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis for Potential Clinical Use. J Bone Miner Res. 2021 Aug;36(8):1481-1491.

(10) Kanda Y, Kakutani K, Sakai Y, Zhang Z, Yurube T, Miyazaki S, Kakiuchi Y, Takeoka Y, Tsujimoto R, Miyazaki K, Ohnishi H, Hoshino Y, Takada T, Kuroda R. Surgical outcomes and risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with cervical spine metastasis: a prospective study. J Orthop Surg Res. 2021 Jul 3;16(1):423.

(11) Ito M, Kakutani K, Miyamoto H, Suzuki T, Yurube T, Uno K. Surgical Outcome of Spinal Fusion for Osteogenesis Imperfecta With Scoliosis: Is the Hybrid System With Pedicle Screws Applicable to Weak, Tiny, and Fragile Vertebrae? J Pediatr Orthop. 2021 Jul 1;41(6):368-373.

(12) Kato K, Akeda K, Miyazaki S, Yamada J, Muehleman C, Miyamoto K, Asanuma YA, Asanuma K, Fujiwara T, Lenz ME, Nakazawa T, An H, Masuda K. NF-kB decoy oligodeoxynucleotide preserves disc height in a rabbit anular-puncture model and reduces pain induction in a rat xenograft-radiculopathy model. Eur Cell Mater. 2021 Jul 20;41:90-109.

(13) Gullbrand SE, Ashinsky BG, Lai A, Gansau J, Crowley J, Cunha C, Engiles JB, FusellierM, Muehleman C, Pelletier M, Presciutti S, Schol J, Takeoka T, Yurube T, Zhang Y, Masuda K, Iatridis JC. Development of a standardized histopathology scoring system for intervertebral disc degeneration and regeneration in rabbit models-An initiative of the ORS spine section. JOR Spine. 2021 Jun 3;4(2):e1147.

(14) Lai A, Gansau J, Gullbrand SE, Crowley J, Cunha C, Dudli S, Engiles JB, Fusellier M, Goncalves RM, Nakashima D, Okewunmi J, Pelletier M, Presciutti SM, Schol J, Takeoka Y, Yang S, Yurube T, Zhang Y, Iatridis JC. Development of a standardized histopathology scoring system for intervertebral disc degeneration in rat models: An initiative of the ORS spine section. JOR Spine. 2021 May 26;4(2):e1150.

(15) Takeoka Y. Commentary on "Intraoperative Monitoring for Cauda Equina Tumors: Surgical Outcomes and Neurophysiological Data Accrued Over 10 Years". Neurospine. 2021 Jun;18(2):290-291.

(16) Takeoka Y, Paladugu P, Kang JD, Mizuno S. Augmented Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan Has Therapeutic Potential for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration by Stimulating Anabolic Turnover in Bovine Nucleus Pulposus Cells under Changes in Hydrostatic Pressure. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jun 2;22(11):6015.

(17) Yurube T, Hirata H, Ito M, Terashima Y, Kakiuchi Y, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Involvement of Autophagy in Rat Tail Static Compression-Induced Intervertebral Disc Degeneration and Notochordal Cell Disappearance. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 26;22(11):5648.

(18) Ito M, Yurube T, Kanda Y, Kakiuchi Y, Takeoka Y, Takada T, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Inhibition of autophagy at different stages by ATG5 knockdown and chloroquine supplementation enhances consistent human disc cellular apoptosis and senescence induction rather than extracellular matrix catabolism. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 12;22(8):3965.

(19) Taniguchi Y, Ohara T, Suzuki S, Watanabe K, Suzuki T, Uno K, Yamaguchi T, Yanagida H, Nakayama K, Kotani T, Watanabe K, Hirano T, Yamamoto T, Kawamura I, Sugawara R, Takeshita K, Demura S, Oku N, Sato T, Fujiwara K, Akazawa T, Murakami H, Kakutani K, Matsubayashi Y, Kawakami N. Incidence and Risk Factors for Unplanned Return to the Operating Room Following Primary Definitive Fusion for Pediatric Spinal Deformity: A Multicenter Study with Minimum 2-year Follow-Up. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2021 Apr 15;46(8):E498-E504.

(20) Kanda Y, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Zhang Z, Miyazaki S, Kakiuchi Y, Takeoka Y, Tsujimoto R, Miyazaki K, Kawamoto T, Takada T, Hoshino Y, Tabata Y, Kuroda R. A novel topical treatment for bone metastases using a gelatin hydrogel incorporating cisplatin as a sustained release system. J Orthop Res. 2021 Mar;39(3):525-535.

(21) Kanda Y, Yurube T, Morita Y, Takeoka Y, Kurakawa T, Tsujimoto R, Miyazaki K, Kakiuchi Y, Miyazaki S, Zhang Z, Takada T, Hoshino Y, Masuda K, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Delayed notochordal cell disappearance through integrin α5β1 mechanotransduction during ex-vivo dynamic loading-induced intervertebral disc degeneration. J Orthop Res. 2021 Sep;39(9):1933-1944.

(22) Hikata T. Ishii K. Matsumoto M. Kobayashi K. Imagama S. Ando K. Ishiguro N. Yamashita M. Seki S. Terai H. Suzuki A. Tamai K. Aramomi M. Ishikawa T. Kimura A. Inoue H. Inoue G. Miyagi M. Saito W. Yamada K. Hongo M. Endo K. Suzuki H. Nakano A. Watanabe K. Ohya J. Chikuda H. Aoki Y. Shimizu M. Futatsugi T. Mukaiyama K. Hasegawa M. Kiyasu K. Iizuka H. Kobayashi R. Iizuka Y. Nishida K. Kakutani K. Nakajima H. Murakami H. Demura S. Kato S. Yoshioka K. Namikawa T. Watanabe K. Nakanishi K. Nakagawa Y. Yoshimoto M. Fujiwara H. Nishida N. Imajo Y. Yamazaki M. Abe T. Fujii K. Kaito T. Eguchi Y. Furuya T. Orita S. Ohtori S. Risk Factor for Poor Patient Satisfaction After Lumbar Spine Surgery in Elderly Patients Aged Over 80 years. Clin Spine Surg. 2021 May 1;34(4):E223-E228.

(23) Kritschil R, Zhang Z, Lei C, Zhong J, Dong Q, Lee J, Conover CA, Sowa G, Vallejo AN, Vo N. Effects of suppressing bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor on age-associated intervertebral disc degeneration. JOR Spine. 2020 Jul 27;3(4):e1112.

(24) Takeoka Y, Kang JD, Mizuno S. In vitro nucleus pulposus tissue model with physicochemical stresses. JOR Spine. 2020 Jul 1;3(3):e1105.

(25) Murata K, Matsuoka Y, Nishimura H, Endo K, Suzuki H, Takamatsu T, Sawaji Y, Aihara T, Kusakabe T, Maekawa A, Yamamoto K, Watanabe K, Kaito T, Terai H, Tamai K, Tagami A, Yoshii T, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Kimura A, Inoue G, Nakano A, Sakai D, Hiyama A, Ikegami S, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Imagama S, Kobayashi K, Kiyasu K, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Seki S, Hongo M, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Aoki Y, Uei H, Ajiro Y, Takahata M, Endo H, Abe T, Nakanishi K, Watanabe K, Okada E, Hosogane N, Funao H, Isogai N, Ishii K. The factors related to the poor ADL in the patients with osteoporotic vertebral fracture after instrumentation surgery. Eur Spine J. 2020 Jul;29(7):1597-1605.

(26) Takeoka Y, Yurube T, Maeno K, Kanda Y, Tsujimoto R, Miyazaki K, Kakiuchi Y, Miyazaki S, Zhang Z, Takada T, Nishida K, Doita M, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Improved bone bonding of hydroxyapatite spacers with a high porosity in a quantitative computed tomography-image pixel analysis: A prospective 1-year comparative study of the consecutive cohort undergoing double-door cervical laminoplasty. JOR Spine. 2020 Feb 3;3(1):e1080.

(27) Yurube T, Ito M, Kakiuchi Y, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Autophagy and mTOR signaling during intervertebral disc aging and degeneration. JOR Spine. 2020 Feb 18;3(1):e1082.

(28) Takeoka Y, Yurube T, Morimoto K, Kunii S, Kanda Y, Tsujimoto R, Kawakami Y, Fukase N, Takemori T, Omae K, Kakiuchi Y, Miyazaki S, Kakutani K, Takada T, Nishida K, Fukushima M, Kuroda R. Reduced nucleotomy-induced intervertebral disc disruption through spontaneous spheroid formation by the Low Adhesive Scaffold Collagen (LASCol). Biomaterials. 2020 Mar;235:119781.

(29) Takeoka Y, Yurube T, Nishida K. Gene therapy approach for intervertebral disc degeneration: an update. Neurospine. 2020 Mar;17(1):3-14.

(30) Miyazaki S, Suzuki T, Yurube T, Kakutani K, Nishida K, Uno K. Postoperative sagittal alignment of congenital thoracolumbar to lumbar kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis: a minimum 10-year follow-up study. Spine Deform. 2020 Apr;8(2):245-256.

(31) Murata K, Matsuoka Y, Nishimura H, Endo K, Suzuki H, Takamatsu T, Sawaji Y, Aihara T, Kusakabe T, Maekawa A, Yamamoto K, Watanabe K, Kaito T, Terai H, Tamai K, Tagami A, Yoshii T, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Kimura A, Inoue G, Nakano A, Sakai D, Hiyama A, Ikegami S, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Imagama S, Kobayashi K, Kiyasu K, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Seki S, Hongo M, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Aoki Y, Uei H, Ajiro Y, Takahata M, Endo H, Abe T, Nakanishi K, Watanabe K, Okada E, Hosogane N, Funao H, Isogai N, Ishii K. The factors related to the poor ADL in the patients with osteoporotic vertebral fracture after instrumentation surgery. Eur Spine J. 2020 Jul;29(7):1597-1605.

(32) Kawabata A, Yoshii T, Hirai T, Ushio S, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Terai H, Tamai K, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Watanabe K, Katsumi K, Ohashi M, Shibuya Y, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Kimura A, Inoue H, Inoue G, Miyagi M, Saito W, Nakano A, Sakai D, Nukaga T, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Imagama S, Ando K, Kobayashi K, Kiyasu K, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Seki S, Hongo M, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Aoki Y, Oshima M, Takahata M, Iwata A, Endo H, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Nakanishi K, Watanabe K, Hikata T, Suzuki S, Isogai N, Okada E, Funao H, Ueda S, Shiono Y, Nojiri K, Hosogane N, Ishii K. Effect of bisphosphonates or teriparatide on mechanical complications after posterior instrumented fusion for osteoporotic vertebral fracture: a multi-center retrospective study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020 Jul 1;21(1):420.

(33) Ishikawa Y, Watanabe K, Katsumi K, Ohashi M, Shibuya Y, Izumi T, Hirano T, Endo N, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Terai H, Tamai K, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Yoshii T, Ushio S, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Kimura A, Inoue H, Inoue G, Miyagi M, Saito W, Nakano A, Sakai D, Nukaga T, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Imagama S, Ando K, Kobayashi K, Kiyasu K, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Seki S, Hongo M, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Aoki Y, Oshima M, Takahata M, Iwata A, Endo H, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Nakanishi K, Watanabe K, Hikata T, Suzuki S, Isogai N, Okada E, Funao H, Ueda S, Shiono Y, Nojiri K, Hosogane N, Ishii K. Short- versus long-segment posterior spinal fusion with vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral collapse with neurological impairment in thoracolumbar spine: a multicenter study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020 Aug 1;21(1):513.

(34) Isogai N, Hosogane N, Funao H, Nojiri K, Suzuki S, Okada E, Ueda S, Hikata T, Shiono Y, Watanabe K, Watanabe K, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Terai H, Tamai K, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Ohtori S, Orita S, Furuya T, Yoshii T, Ushio S, Inoue G, Miyagi M, Saito W, Imagama S, Ando K, Sakai D, Nukaga T, Kiyasu K, Kimura A, Inoue H, Nakano A, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Oshima M, Uei H, Aoki Y, Takahata M, Iwata A, Seki S, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Endo H, Hongo M, Nakanishi K, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Ishii K. The Surgical Outcomes of Spinal Fusion for Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in the Lower Lumbar Spine with a Neurological Deficit. Spine Surg Relat Res. 2020 Jan 29;4(3):199-207.

(35) Hosogane N, Nojiri K, Suzuki S, Funao H, Okada E, Isogai N, Ueda S, Hikata T, Shiono Y, Watanabe K, Watanabe K, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Terai H, Tamai K, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Ohtori S, Orita S, Furuya T, Yoshii T, Ushio S, Inoue G, Miyagi M, Saito W, Imagama S, Ando K, Sakai D, Nukaga T, Kiyasu K, Kimura A, Inoue H, Nakano A, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Oshima M, Uei H, Aoki Y, Takahata M, Iwata A, Seki S, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Endo H, Hongo M, Nakanishi K, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Ishii K. Reply to the Editor: Surgical Treatment of Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture with Neurological Deficit-A Nationwide Multicenter Study in Japan. Spine Surg Relat Res. 2020 Mar 31;4(3):292-293.

(36) Kanda Y, Kakutani K, Sakai Y, Yurube T, Miyazaki S, Takada T, Hoshino Y, Kuroda R. Prospective Cohort Study of Surgical Outcome for Spinal Metastases in Patients Aged 70 Years or Older. Bone Joint J. 2020 Dec;102-B(12):1709-1716

(37) Yurube T, Ito M, Takeoka T, Watanabe N, Inaoka H, Kakutani K, Kuroda R, Nishida K. Possible Improvement of the Sagittal Spinopelvic Alignment and Balance through "Locomotion Training" Exercises in Patients with "Locomotive Syndrome": A Literature Review. Adv Orthop. 2019 Apr 8;2019:6496901.

(38) Yurube T, Buchser WJ, Moon HJ, Hartman RA, Takayama K, Kawakami Y, Nishida K, Kurosaka M, Vo NV, Kang JD, Lotze MT, Sowa GA. Serum and nutrient deprivation increase autophagic flux in intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus cells: an in vitro experimental study. Eur Spine J. 2019 May;28(5):993-1004.

(39) Kakiuchi Y, Yurube T, Kakutani K, Takada T, Ito M, Takeoka Y, Kanda Y, Miyazaki S, Kuroda R, Nishida K. Pharmacological inhibition of mTORC1 but not mTORC2 protects against human disc cellular apoptosis, senescence, and extracellular matrix catabolism through Akt and autophagy induction. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2019 Jun;27(6):965-976.

(40) Sheldrick K, Chamoli U, Masuda K, Miyazaki S, Kato K, Diwan AD. A novel magnetic resonance imaging postprocessing technique for the assessment of intervertebral disc degeneration—Correlation with histological grading in a rabbit disc degeneration model. JOR Spine. 2019 Aug 1;2(3):e1060.

(41) Watanabe K, Katsumi K, Ohashi M, Shibuya Y, Izumi T, Hirano T, Endo N, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Terai H, Tamai K, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Yoshii T, Ushio S, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Kimura A, Inoue H, Inoue G,Miyagi M, Saito W, Nakano A, Sakai D, Nukaga T, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Imagama S, Ando K, Kobayashi K, Kiyasu K, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Seki S, Hongo M, Kakutani K, Yurube T,Aoki Y, Oshima M, Takahata M, Iwata A, Endo H, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Nakanishi K, Watanabe K, Hikata T, Suzuki S, Isogai N, Okada E, Funao H, Ueda S, Shiono Y, Nojiri K, Hosogane N, Ishii K. Surgical outcomes of spinal fusion for osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures in patients with Parkinson's disease: what is the impact of Parkinson's disease on surgical outcome? BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2019 Mar 9;20(1):103.

(42) Watanabe K, Katsumi K, Ohashi M, Shibuya Y, Hirano T, Endo N, Kaito T, Yamashita T, Fujiwara H, Nagamoto Y, Matsuoka Y, Suzuki H, Nishimura H, Terai H, Tamai K, Tagami A, Yamada S, Adachi S, Yoshii T, Ushio S, Harimaya K, Kawaguchi K, Yokoyama N, Oishi H, Doi T, Kimura A, Inoue H, Inoue G, Miyagi M, Saito W, Nakano A, Sakai D, Nukaga T, Ikegami S, Shimizu M, Futatsugi T, Ohtori S, Furuya T, Orita S, Imagama S, Ando K, Kobayashi K,Kiyasu K, Murakami H, Yoshioka K, Seki S, Hongo M, Kakutani K, Yurube T, Aoki Y, Oshima M, Takahata M, Iwata A, Endo H, Abe T, Tsukanishi T, Nakanishi K, Watanabe K, Hikata T, Suzuki S, Isogai N, Okada E, Funao H, Ueda S, Shiono Y, Nojiri K, Hosogane N, Ishii K. Surgical outcomes of spinal fusion for osteoporotic vertebral fracture in the thoracolumbar spine: Comprehensive evaluations of 5 typical surgical fusion techniques. J Orthop Sci. 2019 Nov;24(6):1020-1026.

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Book Chapter

(1) Takeoka Y, Mizuno S, Kang JD. Regenerative Strategies and the Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Benzel’s Spine Surgery (Fifth Edition). Steinmetz MP, Berven SH, Benzel EC (Eds.) Elsevier. 692-694, 2021.