Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37580794›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2023

Gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Ziming Geng, Jian Wang, Guangdong Chen, Jianchao Liu, Jie Lan, Zepei Zhang, Jun Miao

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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

23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. A Mendelian randomization study to reveal gut-disc axis: causal associations between gut microbiota with intervertebral disc diseases.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
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  15. Exploring the role of gut microbiota in intervertebral disc degeneration: insights from bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
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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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ziming Geng *Department of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, No. 406 Jiefang South Rd, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China.
Jian Wang *Department of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, No. 406 Jiefang South Rd, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China.
Guangdong Chen *Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
Jianchao LiuDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, No. 406 Jiefang South Rd, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China.
Jie LanDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, No. 406 Jiefang South Rd, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China.
Zepei ZhangDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, No. 406 Jiefang South Rd, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China.
Jun MiaoDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, No. 406 Jiefang South Rd, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China. mj6688@163.com.
Tianjin University · CNTianjin Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough previous studies have suggested a close association between gut microbiota (GM) and intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), the causal relationship between them remains unclear. Hence, we thoroughly investigate their causal relationship by means of a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study, aiming to determine the impact of gut microbiota on the risk of developing intervertebral disc degeneration.

methodsSummary data from genome-wide association studies of GM (the MiBioGen) and IVDD (the FinnGen biobank) have been acquired. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was utilized as the primary MR analysis approach. Weighted median, MR-Egger regression, weighted mode, and simple mode were used as supplements. The Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) and MR-Egger regression were performed to assess horizontal pleiotropy. Cochran's Q test evaluated heterogeneity. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was further conducted to determine the reliability of the causal relationship. A reverse MR analysis was conducted to assess potential reverse causation.

resultsWe identified nine gut microbial taxa that were causally associated with IVDD (P < 0.05). Following the Benjamini-Hochberg corrected test, the association between the phylum Bacteroidetes and a higher risk of IVDD remained significant (IVW FDR-corrected P = 0.0365). The results of the Cochrane Q test did not indicate heterogeneity (P > 0.05). Additionally, both the MR-Egger intercept test and the MR-PRESSO global test revealed that our results were not influenced by horizontal pleiotropy (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the leave-one-out analysis substantiated the reliability of the causal relationship. In the reverse analysis, no evidence was found to suggest that IVDD has an impact on the gut microbiota.

conclusionOur results validate the potential causal impact of particular GM taxa on IVDD, thus providing fresh insights into the gut microbiota-mediated mechanism of IVDD and laying the groundwork for further research into targeted preventive measures.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeIntervertebral Disc DegenerationGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisReproducibility of ResultsCausal relationshipFinnGenGut microbiotaIntervertebral disc degenerationLow back painMendelian randomizationMiBioGen

Identifiers

PMID37580794
PMCPMC10424333
OpenAlexW4385806894

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.