Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35534553›Full record

ReviewNature reviews. Rheumatology2022

Mechanisms and clinical implications of intervertebral disc calcification.

Uruj Zehra, Marianna Tryfonidou, James C Iatridis, Svenja Illien-Jünger, Fackson Mwale, Dino Samartzis

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Nature reviews. Rheumatology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 103 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
103citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
18.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

103 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 142 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. GPNMBCell reports. Medicine · 2026
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43 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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 6 institutions in 4 countries.

Uruj ZehraDepartment of Anatomy, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3051-4200
Marianna TryfonidouDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
James C IatridisLeni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2186-0590
Svenja Illien-JüngerEmory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9895-0693
Fackson MwaleLady Davis Institute for Medical Research, SMBD-Jewish General Hospital and Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Dino SamartzisDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. dino_samartzis@rush.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7473-1311
Emory University · USIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · USJewish General Hospital · CARush University Medical Center · USUniversity of Health Sciences Lahore · PKUtrecht University · NL

Funding

Model of Human Disc Regeneration in the spectrum of Degenerative Disc DiseaseR01AR057397 · NIAMS · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI IATRIDIS, JAMES C. · 2011 to 2021
$5.1M
Role of TNFalpha in discogenic pain progression and as a treatment targetR01AR078857 · NIAMS · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI James C. Iatridis · 2022 to 2026
$3.2M
Diabetes Induced Disc Degeneration and PreventionR01AR069315 · NIAMS · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI IATRIDIS, JAMES C. · 2016 to 2020
$2.7M
CIHRNIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR057397NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR069315NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR078857
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Low back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is often associated with low back pain but is sometimes asymptomatic. IVD calcification is an often overlooked disc phenotype that might have considerable clinical impact. IVD calcification is not a rare finding in ageing or in degenerative and scoliotic spinal conditions, but is often ignored and under-reported. IVD calcification may lead to stiffer IVDs and altered segmental biomechanics, more severe IVD degeneration, inflammation and low back pain. Calcification is not restricted to the IVD but is also observed in the degeneration of other cartilaginous tissues, such as joint cartilage, and is involved in the tissue inflammatory process. Furthermore, IVD calcification may also affect the vertebral endplate, leading to Modic changes (non-neoplastic subchondral vertebral bone marrow lesions) and the generation of pain. Such effects in the spine might develop in similar ways to the development of subchondral marrow lesions of the knee, which are associated with osteoarthritis-related pain. We propose that IVD calcification is a phenotypic biomarker of clinically relevant disc degeneration and endplate changes. As IVD calcification has implications for the management and prognosis of degenerative spinal changes and could affect targeted therapeutics and regenerative approaches for the spine, awareness of IVD calcification should be raised in the spine community.

Indexed as

Intervertebral DiscIntervertebral Disc DegenerationLow Back PainOsteoarthritisHumansInflammation

Identifiers

PMID35534553
PMCPMC9210932
OpenAlexW4229366280

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.