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Tissue biopsy for early diagnosis and monitoring comes with several challenges, such as its invasiveness, and issues related to tissue heterogeneity in sampling. To address these issues, researchers have proposed a noninvasive approach called liquid biopsy, which uses blood samples to detect specific noncoding RNA (microRNA, miRNA). However, the current process of isolating and amplifying miRNA can be time‐consuming and yield nonspecific results. In this study, a new super‐resolution imaging tool is introduced that utilizes a thin, hydrogel‐based liquid view (LV) film. This film can undergo a ninefold expansion and allows the analysis of cells obtained from liquid biopsy. The potential of the LV film is validated as a tool for early diagnosis and prognosis by testing biofluids derived from a variety of diseases. This method is confirmed to accurately analyze a greater number of miRNAs with higher sensitivity in a shorter time compared to other analytical methods. These findings suggest that the LV film provides high specificity, and multiplexing in detecting small amounts of miRNAs within cells, making it suitable for 3D implementation. It is proposed that liquid biopsy with LV films can be a solution to limitations related to the invasiveness, cost, and time‐consuming nature of molecular analysis. A hydrogel‐based liquid view (LV) film is introduced, which incorporates liquid absorption and possesses the capability to expand cell morphology and subcellular organelles through iterative incubation and embedding reactions. The advantages of utilizing dried LV film facilitate the exploration of microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns in diverse physiological conditions and disease states, thereby enriching the understanding of cellular signaling and disease mechanisms.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.Objective: Implant subsidence is an important prognostic factor after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Our purpose in this study was to investigate whether graft position affects subsidence after ACDF and to determine if there is a difference in clinical results based on allograft subsidence and position.Methods: We reviewed 92 patients who underwent single-level ACDF with allograft and plate between January 2012 and October 2018. Treatment levels were divided based on allograft position within 2 mm of the posterior margin of the augmented plate (Anterior group) or at greater than 2 mm (Center group). Subsidence was defined as segmental vertebral body height decrease of 2 mm or more at 1 year compared to 1 week after surgery.Results: Overall subsidence prevalence was 15 (16%) cases. Subsidence was 11% in the Anterior group (8/73) and 39% in the Center group (7/19; P= .012). The subsidence group showed smaller graft footprint size (graft/endplate ratio) compared with the nonsubsidence group, and pseudarthrosis occurred frequently in the subsidence. There was no significant difference in clinical results according to graft position. These findings indicate that anterior graft position reduces risk of subsidence (95% confidence interval = 0.085-0.949).Conclusion: To minimize risk of subsidence, the graft should be positioned on the anterior position of the surgical-level endplate. In addition, using a graft appropriate for endplate size will further reduce subsidence.

The 2 groups of living human nucleus pulposus were prospectively compared according to disc degeneration.

Introduction: COL6A1and BMP-2genes have been implicated in ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) susceptibility in Japanese and Chinese Han populations. However, no study has yet investigated the DNA of unaffected family members of patients with OPLL. This study investigated differences in genetic polymorphisms of BMP-2 and COL6A1 between Korean patients with OPLL and their family members (with and without OPLL).Patients and Methods A total of 321 patients (110 patients with OPLL and 211 family members) were enrolled in the study. Associations between two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the BMP-2gene (Ser37Ala and Ser87Ser) and two SNPs of COL6A1 (promoter [−572] and intron 33 [+20]) with susceptibility to OPLL of the cervical spine were investigated between the two groups (OPLL+ and OPLL − ).Results Of the 321 patients, 162 had cervical OPLL (50.4%; 110 patients, 52 family members). There was a familial tendency of OPLL in 34 of the 110 families (30.9%). Allele and haplotype frequencies of the four SNPs in the BMP-2and COL6A1genes did not differ significantly between the OPLL+ and OPLL− groups, even when excluding participants over 50 years of age.Conclusions This is the first report identifying SNPs of COL6A1 and BMP-2 in Korean patients and family members with OPLL. Although allele and haplotype frequencies were similar to those of a previous study in Japanese and Chinese patients, unaffected family members also showed similar rates of these SNPs in the present study. These results suggest that these SNPs may not directly influence the expression of OPLL.