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Objective: To study the diagnosis and surgical treatment of thoracic-lumbar Andersson lesions among patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Method: We retrospectively collected data from all patients with spine Andersson lesions from 2010 to 2020 and follow-up patients who received surgical treatment. One of the patients was misdiagnosed as spinal tuberculosis but was diagnosed with Andersson lesion after reviewing the patient’s postoperative data. Results: There were 11 patients with Andersson lesions, three females and eight males. Four patients received conservative treatment, and six patients received posterior long-segment pedicle screw fixation, one patient received anterior lumbar fusion. One patient occurred neurologic impairment. All other patients recovered well and spine pain disappeared. There was no surgical infection. Conclusion: Andersson lesions among patients with ankylosing spondylitis could be treated with posterior long-segment pedicle screw fixation. And it should be differentiated between spine infection and spine tuberculosis.

Background Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative bone disease, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is an alternative and complementary therapy (ACM). This study revealed the role of TENS in regulating the intestinal microbiota in KOA rats. Methods This study concentrated on the intestinal microbiota of KOA rats which were treated with TENS for 1, 2, and 3 weeks. Three intensities of TENS were used to treat KOA rats, and the expressions of IL6/8, PI3K-AKT were measured. The intestinal microbiota was analyzed by 16 S rDNA sequencing. Results Compared with the Model Control group, TENS could improve symptoms of KOA rats and inhibit the expressions of IL6/8 by down-regulating the PI3K-AKT expression. After 3 weeks of treatment with TENS, compared with the Model Control group, the abundances of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidetes, and Thermodesulfobacteria increased in the TENS groups; the abundances of Ficmicutes, Campylobacter, and Verruca decreased in the TENS groups. Conclusion TENS could improve the histomorphology of knee and inhibit inflammation in KOA rats. After treatment with TENS, the intestinal microbiota gradually changed from 1,2,3 weeks and the abundance of them was different with three intensities of TENS. Further study will elucidate the underlying mechanisms of TENS in altering gut microbiota and the potential therapeutic applications of these intestinal microbiota for KOA.