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The present study was designed to evaluate the role of growth differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5) and bone morphogenetic protein type II receptor (BMPR-II) in the development of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). A total of 24 patients with lumbar IDD (experiment group) and 6 patients with lumbar vertebral fracture (control group) were enrolled in the study. Tissue samples of IVD from the experiment group and control group were obtained during lumbar fusion operation, respectively. Fixation and decalcification of IVD tissue were performed, and then HE staining was carried out to observe the morphological changes of the lumbar IVD tissues. The expression of GDF-5 and BMPRII in human lumbar IVD was detected by immunohistochemical staining. HE staining results showed that non- and minimal degeneration was found in 11 cases (score range, 0-3), moderate degeneration in 12 cases (score range, 4-8), and severe degeneration in 7 cases (score range, 9-12). According to the immunohistochemical results, the positive expression rates of GDF-5 and BMPRII in NP were higher than those in AF of the non- and minimal degeneration group, moderate degeneration group and severe degeneration group (all P < 0.05). However, no significant difference in GDF-5 or BMPRII positive expression was observed among the normal, non- and minimal, moderate and severe degeneration groups in neither NP area nor AF area (all P > 0.05). In conclusion, our results showed that GDF-5 and BMPRII expressed both in normal and degenerated IVD tissues, and GDF-5 might have an inhibition effect on degenerated lumbar IVD, suggesting that gene therapy may be a useful approach in producing physiological effects during early- and late-phase of lumbar IDD.

Experimental results are given on the incommensurate phase and on related phasetransitions in barium sodium niobate obtained by means of electron diffraction and electron microscopy. Evidence is found for discommensurations (DC) in the quasicommensurate phase of barium sodium niobate with detailed observations. A crystallographic model for the commensurate phase and for discommensurations in barium sodium niobate compatible with the observations is deduced. In this model the space group for the commensurate phase is Bbm2, and the discommensurations are antiphase boundaries with translation vectors [100]tetra or [010]tetra. In-situ observations during a change of temperature show that the multiplication and the nucleation of DCs occur near 280 °C, and the incommensurability parameter δ changes abruptly by one order of magnitude, this corresponds to the commensurate to incommensurate phase transition. Electron diffraction patterns show that incommensurate satellite diffraction spots persist in the tetragonal phase of barium sodium niobate and only disappear at about 600 °C near the ferroelectric–para-electric phase transition point. Mittels Elektronenmikroskopie und Elektronenbeugung werden die inkommensurable Phase und damit verknupfte Phasenubergange in Barium-Natrium-niobat untersucht. Es werden Hinweise fur Diskommensurationen (DC) in der quasikommensurablen Phase von Barium–Natriumniobat durch ausfuhrliche Beobachtungen gefunden. Ein kristallographisches Modell der kommensurablen Phase und fur die Diskommensurationen in Barium-Natrium-niobat, das mit den Beobachtungen kompatibel ist, wird abgeleitet. In diesem Modell ist die Raumgruppe fur die kommensurable Phase Bbm2, und die Diskommensurationen sind Antiphasengrenzen mit Translationsvektoren [100]tetra oder [010]tetra. In-situ-Beobachtungen wahrend der Temperaturanderung zeigen, das die Multiplikation und die Keimbildung der DC bei etwa 280 °C auftreten, und der Inkommensurabilitatsparameter δ sich um eine Grosenordnung andert, dies entspricht dem Phasenubergang: kommensurabel nach inkommensurabel. Elektronenbeugungsdiagramme zeigen, das inkommensurable Satellitenbeugungspunkte in der tetragonalen Phase von Barium-Natrium-niobat zuruckbleiben und nur verschwinden oberhalb 600 °C in der Nahe des Phazenubergangspunktes ferro-elektrisch–paraelektrisch.