title: Nerve Growth Factor and Estrogen Receptor mRNA Expression in Paravertebral Muscles of Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Preliminary Study.
abstract: METHODS
  Comparison of nerve growth factor (NGF) and estrogen receptor (ER)α messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression in bilateral paravertebral muscles in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This expression in AIS was compared with that of normal control subjects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate NGF and ERα mRNA expression in bilateral paravertebral muscles in AIS and control subjects to clarify its association with the development and progression of spinal curvature.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Paravertebral muscle abnormalities in AIS patients have been investigated through various methods. Despite the roles of NGF and ER in human skeletal muscles, the association with idiopathic scoliosis is still unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 14 AIS patients (average age, 15.9 ± 2.2 years; average Cobb angle, 48.2° ± 8.9°) and 8 controls (average age, 27.3 ± 9.3 years) were included. Muscle samples were harvested from bilateral paravertebral muscles at the apical vertebral level. Nerve growth factor and ERα mRNA expression was evaluated by the real-time polymerase chain reaction. The researchers compared expression levels in bilateral paravertebral muscles in each group. The expression ratio, the expression at the convex side relative to the concave side, was compared between groups and the correlation between Cobb angle and expression ratio was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nerve growth factor and ERα mRNA expression on the convex side was higher than on the concave side in the AIS group (p = .024 and .007, respectively) and the expression ratio of NGF and ERα in the AIS group was higher than that of control subjects (p = .004 and .017, respectively). The expression ratio of NGF and the Cobb angle were significantly correlated (r = -0.5728; p = .0323).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the AIS group, both NGF and ERα mRNA expression was asymmetric. The AIS group had higher expression ratios than control group and the NGF expression ratio was positively correlated to the Cobb angle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan. Electronic address: dkudo@doc.med.akita-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Naohisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyakoshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hongo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto-Miyai
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasukawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita Prefectural Center on Development and Disability, 1-128 Aza-suwanosawa Kamikitate-momozaki, Akita 010-1407, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Misawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimada
keywords: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; Estrogen receptor; Nerve growth factor; Paravertebral muscle