Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jun 2014
Increased central arterial stiffness explains baroreflex dysfunction in spinal cord injury.
After cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), orthostatic hypotension and intolerance commonly ensue. The cardiovagal baroreflex plays an important role in the acute regulation of blood pressure (BP) and is associated with the onset of presyncope. The cardiovagal baroreflex is dysfunctional after SCI; however, this may be influenced by either increased stiffening of the arteries containing the stretch-receptors (which has been shown in SCI) or a more downstream neural mechanism (i.e., solitary nucleus, sinoatrial node). ⋯ Further, β-stiffness index was negatively related to reduced BRS in those with SCI when upright (R2=0.55; p<0.05), but not in able-bodied persons. Normalizing BP did not improve BRS or CCA stiffness. This study clearly shows that reduced BRS is closely related to increased arterial stiffness in the population with SCI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jun 2014
Restraints and peripheral nerve injuries in adult victims of motor vehicle crashes.
The pattern of injuries in restrained victims of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) remains an issue of debate. We investigated the association of peripheral nerve injuries with the use of protective devices (seat belt and air bag) during MVCs. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 384,539 adult MVC victims who were registered in the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) between 2009 and 2011. ⋯ The location of the patient in the vehicle did not seem to affect the risk of peripheral nerve injury, with drivers demonstrating no association with nerve injuries (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.87-1.02) in comparison with non-drivers. On the contrary, alcohol consumption was associated with increased incidence of peripheral nerve injuries (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20). In summary, restraint use was associated with decreased risk of peripheral nerve injury in MVC victims, after controlling for confounders.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jun 2014
Methylene Blue is Neuroprotective against mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Methylene blue (MB) has known energy-enhancing and antioxidant properties. This study tested the hypothesis that MB treatment reduces lesion volume and behavioral deficits in a rat model of mild TBI. ⋯ Smaller numbers of dark-stained Nissl cells and Fluoro-Jade(®) positive cells were observed in the MB-treated group than in vehicle-treated animals 14 days post-TBI. In conclusion, MB treatment minimized lesion volume, behavioral deficits, and neuronal degeneration following mild TBI. MB is already approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a number of indications, likely expediting future clinical trials in TBI.