Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34707460›Full record

ArticleMediators of inflammation2021

The Upregulation of COX2 in Human Degenerated Nucleus Pulposus: The Association of Inflammation with Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

Chang Liu, Guoyan Liang, Zhantao Deng, Jing Tan, Qiujian Zheng, Feng-Juan Lyu

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Mediators of inflammation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. [Research on ferroptosis induced by RSL3, Erastin, and TBHP in rat intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus cells].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Chang LiuJoint Center of South China University of Technology-The University of Western Australia for Regenerative Medicine Research, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Guoyan LiangDepartment of Orthopedics, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Zhantao DengDepartment of Orthopedics, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Jing TanJoint Center of South China University of Technology-The University of Western Australia for Regenerative Medicine Research, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Qiujian ZhengDepartment of Orthopedics, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Feng-Juan LyuJoint Center of South China University of Technology-The University of Western Australia for Regenerative Medicine Research, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2112-194X
Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences · CNThe University of Western Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is an important risk factor of low back pain. We previously found upregulated markers of fibrosis, the late stage of chronic inflammation, in degenerated IVD with a small number of clinical specimens. Here, we aimed to study on a larger scale the association of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), an inflammation and/or pain marker, with IVDD. This study involved 107 LBP participants. The IVD degeneration level was graded on a 1-5 scale according to the Pfirrmann classification system. Discs at grades 1-3 were further grouped as white discs with grades 4-5 as black discs. We recorded baseline information about age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diabetes history, smoking history, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Their association with IVDD was statistically analyzed. The expression level of COX2 was investigated by immunohistochemistry. The total integrated COX2 optical density (IOD), number of COX2-positive cells, and total cell number of each image were counted and analyzed by Image-Pro Plus software. The IOD and number of COX2-positive cells were divided by the total cell number to obtain COX2 expression density (IOD/cell) and COX2 positivity (cell+/cell). As a result, among the baseline information investigated, only age was found to have a significant association with IVDD. The IOD/cell was found to be significantly increased from grade 2 to grade 5, as well as in black discs compared to white discs. The cell+/cell displayed the same trend that it increased in highly degenerative discs compared to their counterparts. In conclusion, the expression of COX2 is associated with IVDD, which highlights COX2 as a biomarker for IVD degeneration and indicates the involvement of inflammation and pain signaling in IVDD.

Indexed as

AdultCells, CulturedCyclooxygenase 2FemaleHumansInflammationInterleukin-1betaIntervertebral Disc DegenerationMaleMiddle AgedNucleus PulposusUp-RegulationYoung AdultCyclooxygenase 2Interleukin-1beta

Identifiers

PMID34707460
PMCPMC8545564
OpenAlexW3205748395

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.