Planthopper infestation in rice causes direct and indirect damage through feeding and viral transmission. Host microbes and small RNAs (sRNAs) play essential roles in regulating biological processes, such as metabolism, development, immunity, and stress responses in eukaryotic organisms, including plants and insects. Recently, advanced metagenomic approaches have facilitated investigations on microbial diversity and its function in insects and plants, highlighting the significance of microbiota in sustaining host life and regulating their interactions with the environment. Recent research has also suggested significant roles for sRNA-regulated genes during rice-planthopper interactions. The response and behavior of the rice plant to planthopper feeding are determined by changes in the host transcriptome, which might be regulated by sRNAs. In addition, the roles of microbial symbionts and sRNAs in the host response to viral infection are complex and involve defense-related changes in the host transcriptomic profile. This review reviews the structure and potential functions of microbes and sRNAs in rice and the associated planthopper species. In addition, the involvement of the microbiota and sRNAs in the rice-planthopper-virus interactions during planthopper infestation and viral infection are discussed.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Cage subsidence following transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has been associated with poor bone quality. Current evidence suggests that the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score correlates with poor bone quality.

PURPOSE: To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess whether the VBQ score can predict the occurrence of postoperative cage subsidence after TLIF surgery.

DESIGN/SETTING: Retrospective single-center cohort.

PATIENT SAMPLE: Patients undergoing single-level TLIF for degenerative spine disease between February 2014 and October 2021.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Extent of subsidence.

METHODS: Demographic, procedure-related, and radiographic data were collected for study patients. VBQ scores were determined from preoperative T1-weighted MRI. Subsidence was defined as ≥2 mm of migration of the cage into the superior or inferior end plate or both. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the correlation between potential risk factors for subsidence and actual subsidence rates.

RESULTS: Subsidence was observed among 42 of the 74 study patients. The mean VBQ scores were 2.9±0.5 for patients with subsidence and 2.5±0.5 for patients without subsidence. The difference among groups was significant (p=.003). On multivariate logistic regression, a higher VBQ score was significantly associated with an increased risk of subsidence (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.160-1.973, p=.004) and was the only significant independent predictor of subsidence after TLIF.

CONCLUSION: We found that a higher VBQ score was significantly associated with cage subsidence following TLIF. The MRI-VBQ score may be a valuable tool for assisting in identifying patients at risk of cage subsidence following TLIF.