Recent Publications

1. Genetic insights into vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and spinal tuberculosis risk: Discovery of novel SNP variant. Gene Reports. 2025 41;102321. doi.org/10.1016/j.genrep.2025.102321 Authors: Shamaila Ejaz, Bushra Rauf, Muhammad Saad Ilyas, Shahjahan Malik, Amer Aziz, Uruj Zehra.

Major Findings:

• Significant associations were found between VDR gene polymorphisms and severity of spinal tuberculosis in the Pakistani population.
• A novel SNP was identified linked to increased vertebral damage, disc collapse, and higher Pfirrmann grades signifying potential role in TB spine.
• Identification of new regulatory haplotypes highlights need to consider genetic variants in TB-endemic regions for better risk stratification

2. Characterization of bone & cartilage endplate junction in the human lumbar spine: novel ultrastructural insights & association with elemental composition, vascularity and degeneration. Eur Spine J . 2025 Jun;34(6):2079-2091 doi: 10.1007/s00586-025-08725-z. Epub 2025 Feb 21. Authors: Amber Sazlman, Muhammad Kashif Baig, Alejandro A Espinoza Orias, Ana Chee, Dino Samartzis, Uruj Zehra

Major Findings:

• Novel Junctional Anatomy Identified: First ultrastructural study in humans to map the CEP–BEP junction, revealing gaps occasionally bridged by fine fibrillar adhesions (“adhesion bridges”), a potential weak point in disc integrity. • Pathological Correlations: Junctional gap-width strongly correlated with age, spinal level, disc degeneration severity, calcification, and vascular channel formation, highlighting its role in disease progression. • Mechanistic Insights: EDX analysis showed calcium distribution in CEP significantly linked with junctional gap-width and vascularity, suggesting a structural–molecular pathway contributing to inflammation, degeneration, and pain.

3. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs influence cartilage healing. Knee. 2025 Jan;52:121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.knee.2024.10.021. Epub 2024 Nov 21. PMID: 39577110. Authors: Asma Sajjad Khawaja, Maria Zafar, Rana Muhammad Zeeshan, Muhammad Saad Ilyas, Amer Aziz, Uruj Zehra

Major Findings:

• NSAIDs Impair Cartilage Healing: Both nonselective and selective COX-2 inhibitors significantly increased cartilage degradation scores and reduced chondrocyte numbers, particularly in early healing phases.
• Proteoglycan & BMP-2 Impact: NSAID administration was associated with marked loss of proteoglycan content and suppression of BMP-2 expression, key factors in cartilage regeneration.
• Clinical Relevance: Findings suggest that routine use of NSAIDs following retrograde femoral nailing may delay or impair articular cartilage repair, raising concerns for post-surgical cartilage health.3. Publications

Research Publication

Book Chapters

1. Uruj Zehra, Zakariah K. Siyaji, Gary Michael Mallow, Jeffrey C. Lotz, Howard S. An, Alejandro A. Espinoza-Orias, Khaled Aboushaala, Frances M.K. Williams, Jaro Karppinen and Dino Samartzis. Vertebral endplate abnormalities, defects, and changes In Spine Phenotypes, Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc. 2022
2. Uruj Zehra, James D. Baker, Gary Michael Mallow, J. Nicolás Barajas, Juhani Määttä, Alexander Tkachev, Hai-Qiang Wang, Ana Chee, Chundo Oh, Jaro I. Karppinen, Frances M.K. Williams and Dino Samartzis. Intervertebral disc degeneration In Spine Phenotypes, Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc. 2022

Rest of the publications Attached

PROFORMA FOR PUBLICATION DATA (Last 5 Years Publications)