Low back pain is a major cause of disability worldwide. Although numerous potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis or treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) have been identified subsequent to the development of molecular biology technologies, the mechanisms of IDD remain unknown. Published studies found the unbalance of anabolism and catabolism of annulus fibrosus (AF) played an important role in it. The present study was aimed to identify the potential targets and signaling pathways of IDD, through the combined analysis of differential expression and based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset from NCBI. PPI Networks Analysis indicated that MMP2 and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway and estrogen signaling pathway may play important roles in initiation and development of IDD. This study forecasted the pathogenesis molecular mechanism of IDD and the potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, but we need to make further molecular biological experiments to confirm our assumptions.

Neck pain and low back pain are major challenges in public health, and intervertebral disc (IVD) biomechanics is an important multidisciplinary field. To date, no bibliometric literature review of the relevant literature has been performed, so we explored the emerging trends, landmark studies, and major contributors to IVD biomechanics research. We searched the Web of Science core collection (1900– 2022) using keywords mainly composed of “biomechanics” and “intervertebral disc” to conduct a bibliometric analysis of original papers and their references, focusing on citations, authors, journals, and countries/regions. A co-citation analysis and clustering of the references were also completed. A total of 3189 records met the inclusion criteria. In the co-citation network, cluster #0, labeled as “annulus fibrosus tissue engineering”, and cluster #1, labeled as “micromechanical environment”, were the biggest clusters. References by MacLean et al and Holzapfel et al were positioned exactly between them and had high betweenness centrality. There existed a research topic evolution between mechanobiology and mechanical repair strategies of IVDs, and the latter had been identified as an emerging trend in IVD biomechanics. Numerous landmark studies had contributed to several fields, including mechanical testing of normal and pathological IVDs, mechanical evaluation of new repair strategies and development of finite element model. Adams MA was the author most cited by IVD biomechanics papers. Spine, the European Spine Journal, and the Journal of Biomechanics were the three journals where the most original articles and their references have been published. The United States has contributed most to the literature (n = 1277 papers); however, the research output of China is increasing. In conclusion, the present study suggests that IVD repair is an emerging trend in IVD biomechanics.

Purpose: This study, aimed to report the rates and trends of the prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability caused by neck pain in the general population of China from 1990 to 2021 and forecast the incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life Years (DALYs) from 2022 to 2042. Methods: We used data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study (GBD) 2021. The annual percentage change (APC) and average APC between 1990 and 2021 were calculated using joinpoint regression analysis. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to forecast the incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates between 2022 and 2042. Results: From 1990 to 2021, the disease burden of neck pain in China showed a clear upward trend, with age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardised prevalence rate (ASPR), and DALYs rates being significantly higher in females than in males. Especially in terms of DALYs, Aging has had the largest impact, contributing 61.88% of the increase, while population growth has accounted for 32.43%. Joinpoint regression analysis showed that the incidence and prevalence of neck pain in China increased gradually from 2000 to 2021. Data from 2021 showed that individuals aged 45– 59 years are the most affected by neck pain, regardless of sex. The prediction results of the ARIMA model indicate that China’s ASIR and ASPR for neck pain are projected to continue increasing over the next 20 years. Conclusion: Neck pain is a serious public health problem in the general Chinese population. This may be related to changes in people’s lifestyles and work patterns due to improvements in societal well-being and technology. Raising awareness of the risk factors for neck pain in the general population could help reduce the future burden of neck disorders, and neck pain should be a priority for future research on prevention and therapy.

Background: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a leading cause of chronic low back pain (LBP), severely impairing patients’ quality of life and imposing a substantial global socioeconomic burden. Conservative treatment remains the first‐line clinical option, but the commonly prescribed drug celecoxib carries a risk of gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation. Traditional Chinese medicine preparations have been proposed as alternatives, although current evidence is insufficient. Jintiange (JTG) capsule, developed as a substitute for tiger bone, exerts its pharmacological effects by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis and regulating the NF‐κB pathway. Previous studies have identified a close association between the p38MAPK/NF‐κB pathway and pain induced by LDH. However, the efficacy of JTG in treating LDH remains unclear. High‐quality research is thus urgently needed to provide evidence‐based support for its clinical application. Method: This randomized, single‐center clinical trial will enroll 68 participants, centrally allocated 1:1 to receive either JTG capsules plus comprehensive Western medicine (celecoxib + eperisone) or Western medicine alone. All participants will complete an 8‐week treatment phase (celecoxib for 2 weeks + eperisone for 8 weeks; with JTG capsules added for 8 weeks in the experimental group), with a follow‐up at Week 12 (4 weeks after treatment completion). The primary outcome is the change in the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score for LBP, a validated instrument for evaluating treatment efficacy in LDH. Secondary outcomes include the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, SF‐12 quality‐of‐life score, and elastic modulus of the lumbar muscles. Safety monitoring and adverse‐event recording will occur throughout the study. The primary endpoint will be analyzed using the analysis of covariance. Longitudinal VAS scores at Weeks 2, 8, and 12 will be analyzed using a mixed model for repeated measures. PGIC will be analyzed as an ordinal categorical outcome, while other secondary outcomes will be analyzed using appropriate parametric or nonparametric methods. All analyses will be performed using SPSS 28.0, with no interim analysis planned. Discussion: This trial will evaluate the clinical efficacy of JTG capsules combined with Western medicine for LBP and will explore its safety profile as a secondary/exploratory endpoint. Given the open‐label combination design, safety findings will be interpreted with caution, and causality attribution to JTG alone will be limited. The findings are expected to provide an evidence‐based treatment option, supporting the potential role of Chinese patent medicine in LBP management. Trial Registration: Chinese Registry of Clinical Trials: ChiCTR2300069735