Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) may serve as miRNA sponges to regulate the expressions of miRNA target genes. LncRNA LINC00969 has been indicated to be upregulated in intervertebral disk degeneration. However, the regulatory mechanism of LINC00969 in intervertebral disk degeneration progression remains unclear. Differently expressed LINC00969, miR‐335‐3p, and thioredoxin‐interacting protein (TXNIP) were determined in nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues and cells isolated from patients with intervertebral disk degeneration. The interaction between LINC00969, miR‐335‐3p, and TXNIP was also assessed. In this study, we demonstrated that LINC00969 was highly expressed, whereas miR‐335‐3p was aberrantly downregulated in NP tissues and cells of intervertebral disk degeneration patients. In addition, our results suggested that LINC00969 enhanced NP cell apoptosis. More importantly, LINC00969 was identified to function as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR‐335‐3p to positively regulate TXNIP expression in vitro. Our study provided evidence for the cross‐talk between LINC00969, miR‐335‐3p, and TXNIP, shedding light on the therapy for intervertebral disk degeneration. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(5):611–618, 2019

Backgroud Few studies compared radiographic and clinical outcomes between oblique lumbar interbody fusion and posterior lumbar interbody fusion in degenerative lumbar scoliosis. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the case data of 40 patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis in our hospital from July 2016 to October 2018. Among which,19 cases underwent oblique lumbar Interbody fusion(OLIF group) and 21 cases underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion(PLIF group). The duration of the operation, volume of intraoperative hemorrhage, incision length, bed rest time, length of hospital stay, and complications were recorded for all patients. The clinical effects of 40 patients were evaluated by VAS for back pain and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and The radiographic parameters were evaluated using the lumbar scoliosis Cobb angle, sagittal vertical axis(SVA), coronal vertical axis(CVA), lumbar lordosis(LL), pelvic tilt(PT), sacral slope(SS), and Disc height(DH). Results The duration of the operation, the volume of intraoperative hemorrhage, incision length, bed rest time, length of hospital stay of the OLIF group were shorter than the PLIF group( P ＜ 0.05 ). The VAS scores for back pain, the ODI of the two groups were significantly decreased, which compared with the preoperative( P ＜ 0.05 )，which in OLIF group was significantly more decreased than in PLIF( P ＜ 0.05 ) at 7 days and 3 months postoperatively, but at the last follow-up there were no significant difference between the two groups( P ＞ 0.05 ); The lumbar scoliosis Cobb angle, SVA, CVA, PT, LL, SS were significantly improved postoperatively( P ＜ 0.05 ). The OLIF group showed higher DH, smaller Cobb angle, and greater LL than the PLIF group at any time point( P ＜ 0.05 ). but there were no significant difference in SVA, CVA, PT and SS between the two groups at any follow-up points( P ＞ 0.05 ). The overall complication rate was slightly higher in the PLIF group（47.62%）than in the OLIF group（26.32%）without significant difference(x 2 =1.931, P =0.165). But the incidence of major complications in the PLIF group was significantly higher than that in the OLIF group (Fisher, P =0.026). Conclusion OLIF provides an alternative minimally invasive treatment for DLS, which compared with PLIF. It has the characteristics of a small incision, rapid recovery, fewer complications related to the surgical approach, and satisfactory orthopedics. Keywords : Minimally invasive, Oblique lumbar interbody fusion, Degenerative adult lumbar scoliosis , Posterior lumbar interbody fusion