Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
White Matter Tract Integrity: An Indicator of Axonal Pathology after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
We seek to elucidate the underlying pathophysiology of injury sustained after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using multi-shell diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, deriving compartment-specific white matter tract integrity (WMTI) metrics. WMTI allows a more biophysical interpretation of white matter (WM) changes by describing microstructural characteristics in both intra- and extra-axonal environments. Thirty-two patients with mTBI within 30 days of injury and 21 age- and sex-matched controls were imaged on a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance scanner. ⋯ The area under the curve value for Daxon was 0.76 with a low sensitivity of 46.9% but 100% specificity. These results indicate that Daxon may be a useful imaging biomarker highly specific for mTBI-related WM injury. The observed decrease in Daxon suggests restriction of the diffusion along the axons occurring shortly after injury.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
Xenon Protects against Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury in an In Vitro Model.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective efficacy of the inert gas xenon as a treatment for patients with blast-induced traumatic brain injury in an in vitro laboratory model. We developed a novel blast traumatic brain injury model using C57BL/6N mouse organotypic hippocampal brain-slice cultures exposed to a single shockwave, with the resulting injury quantified using propidium iodide fluorescence. A shock tube blast generator was used to simulate open field explosive blast shockwaves, modeled by the Friedlander waveform. ⋯ Xenon-treated injured slices were not significantly different from uninjured sham slices at 24 h and 72 h. We demonstrate for the first time that xenon treatment after blast traumatic brain injury reduces initial injury and prevents subsequent injury development in vitro. Our findings support the idea that xenon may be a potential first-line treatment for those with blast-induced traumatic brain injury.
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During the last few years, the international community debated urinary tract infection and re-use of catheters when managing neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). In this respect, the 2014 Cochrane review by Prieto and colleagues, "Intermittent catheterisation for long-term bladder management," became one of the leading documents that captured the minds and attention of clinicians around the world. Although numerous countries had switched to single-use catheters for management of NLUTD following SCI, the opinion that was expressed in the 2014 Cochrane review had a strong influence on healthcare providers and agencies to recommend re-use of catheters. ⋯ Our appraisal identified crucial discrepancies of data extraction and analyses within the review. In appraisal to that of Prieto and colleagues' review, our analysis revealed a trend to favor single over multiple use of catheters. After addressing our concerns to Cochrane's acting Editor-in-Chief, the most recent version of the 2014 Cochrane review was withdrawn from publication.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2018
A Scoping Review of Pain in Children after Traumatic Brain Injury: Is There More Than Headache?
Headache is a common source of pain in children after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, relatively little is known about nonheadache pain in this pediatric population. The present review seeks to map the extant literature to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of nonheadache pain in children post-TBI of all severities. We found that of 109 studies published on pain in children after a TBI, 95 (87%) were focused exclusively on headache pain and only 14 (13%) reported on nonheadache pain or overall pain, with half (n = 7) in the form of case studies. ⋯ Findings of the current review suggest that pain assessment in children post-TBI needs improvement, given that pain is linked to worse recovery, poorer quality of life, and can be long-lasting. More rigorous examination of nonheadache pain and its role in impeding recovery in children post-TBI is imperative and has the potential to improve the care and management of children with TBI. We conclude with recommendations for pain assessment, discuss gaps in the literature, and highlight directions for future research.