National Spine Foundation Attacks Spine Disability With Major Initiative // JBJS Launches Elite Reviewer Program // and More!

NASF Initiative: Reduce Spine-Related Disability 10% by 2025

When you get a resolution sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives, you know that people are starting to pay attention. The tireless Mike Reed, executive director of the North American Spine Foundation (NASF), is part of a team forging new paths when it comes to spine disability. He tells OTW, “We have several ongoing projects with Jeff Wang and his incredible team at the University of Southern California (USC), many of whom have donated their time to the foundation in order to make tangible progress on spine-related disability. Our goal is to address functional decline in patients with spinal disorders. Spine impairment is the number one cause of functional decline leading to disability in the U.S. and the entire world. And, if you include costs to patients (such as lost wages), this comes to over $600 billion per year!”

“Along with our USC partners, those in industry, and other stakeholders, the NASF has now launched the Spine 10 x 25 Initiative, whose goal is to reduce spine-related disability by 10% in the U.S. by 2025. To achieve this objective, we will utilize metrics from insurers, the Veterans Administration, and the Department of Defense.”

Noting that there has been a 300% increase in spine-related disability in the last 50 years, Reed tells OTW, “In order to reverse this trend we need a much more thorough understanding of the trends in three populations, namely, children, veterans, and the adult/elderly population. The folks at USC were kind enough to allow us complete access to their databases at no charge. Thus we had data from Medicare, as well as several third party payors. As for the Medicare database, we are working on two papers completed by USC researchers on lumbar and cervical functional decline in adults and the elderly. Those should be ready for journal submission within about two months.”

As it is difficult to look the other way when there is solid data, the U.S. government is taking note of the NASF activities. “Congressmen Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, and Tom Rooney, a Republican, together sponsored a House resolution on behalf of the North American Spine Foundation. House Resolution 432 designates February as National Spine Ability Month. It also recognizes their and co-sponsoring House Representative’s support of our Spine 10 x 25 Initiative.”

“I recently had breakfast with a very prominent congressional leader and was able to provide him with significant details on the scourge of spine-related injury. One thing that many lawmakers have their eyes on is the surge in opiate prescriptions. There has been a 300% jump in opiate prescriptions since 1999. Spine pain is a leading reason that someone is given a prescription for an opiate!”

“We do need to act now in order to adequately address these issues. Diagnoses for cervical and lumbar degeneration are on the rise, as are spine fusions AND non-operative care interventions. When you look at the supply and demand in spine it is evident that the need is increasing dramatically…meanwhile the supply of practitioners is decreasing.”

The NASF is holding a fundraising gala on February 6, 2016. For more information, please visit: www.Spine.Foundation

JBJS Launches Elite Reviewer Program

Being a manuscript reviewer demands time and dedication, to be sure. Amongst those who pore over submissions late into the night, there are a few who rise to the level of ace. Now, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) is officially recognizing those individuals through its Elite Reviewer Program. Christina Nelson, Peer Review Manager for the JBJS, tells OTW, “We have over 1, 400 individuals who devote their time to reviewing manuscripts. With practice, they have managed to shorten turnaround times; while it used to be an average of three weeks it is now under two weeks. In creating the Elite Reviewer Program we wanted to reward those who are willing and able to give their utmost to the JBJS.”

“Those who are included in the program will be individuals who respond to an invitation within forty-eight hours, complete their reviews within a week, and provide high-quality feedback to the journal and authors alike. As of January 1, 2016, we began assessing each reviewer’s response time, the quality of their reviews, and the number of times that reviewers accept a request to review.”

“Those who meet the criteria will have their names on the JBJS masthead, complimentary online access to all four JBJS publications, and CME credit for reviews. We will also waive submission fees for any manuscripts where these reviewers serve as the senior author.”

“We hope that this exciting new program will serve as a superb example to all our reviewers of what is possible.”

Marc Swiontkowski, M.D., JBJS Editor-in-Chief, told OTW, “In and of itself, it is an honor to be asked to review a manuscript to determine whether or not it fits within the literature on which we base treatment decisions for patients. But those that make this responsibility a high priority deserve to be recognized.”

For more information, please visit: http://jbjs.org/elite-reviewers-program

Polymer Delivers Molecules That Say, “Bone, Heal Thyself”

A new polymer sphere from the University of Michigan can deliver a molecule to bone wounds that tells cells to get moving and repair damage at the site of an injury. By making use of existing cells to repair wounds reduces the need to introduce foreign cells.

Peter X. Ma, Ph.D., professor of dentistry and lead researcher on the project, told OTW, “We have developed a polymer sphere that can accentuate healing by delivering a powerful molecule; this is microRNA which is time-released. If cells are already at the injury site, then this sphere instructs the cells’ healing and bone-building mechanisms to turn on. Traditionally, it has been difficult for the microRNA to pass through cell walls. We are pleased that with our polymer sphere this is no longer an issue.”

“As a professor, I have been doing biomaterials and tissue engineering research for 19 years at the University of Michigan. I also conduct research on regeneration of other tissues. One thing that kept bothering me was the need for additional cells in order to stimulate regeneration, which makes it very difficult for a tissue engineering technology or product to reach the clinic and thus benefit patients. Therefore, I have always been thinking of potential ways to develop biomaterials to achieve regeneration.”

“I also know the difficulty of delivery therapeutic microRNAs efficiently into cells without using viral vectors. I asked a couple of trainees in my lab to develop efficient non-viral delivery vehicles for microRNAs.”

“A few years ago, I hired a new postdoctoral fellow who has an excellent polymer science background and is very excited about developing such microRNA delivery technologies. Around the same time, I accepted a graduate student with an excellent background in bone biology to pursue her Ph.D. thesis research with me. I asked them to work on this project together. These two students did all the experimental work. My other collaborators have been remarkably supportive. We had so much fun with the project together. This work resulted from a synergistic team effort.”