Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2012
Spectral analyses of cardiovascular control in rodents with spinal cord injury.
The severity of injury to cardiovascular autonomic pathways following clinical spinal cord injury (SCI) can be evaluated with spectral analyses. Whether this technique provides a translatable assessment of cardiovascular autonomic function in rodent SCI is unknown. Beat-to-beat blood pressure and pulse interval were measured in male rats 1 month after complete T3 or T10 SCI, and in uninjured control animals. ⋯ Severity of AD was positively correlated with HF BPV and HF HRV, and negatively correlated with VLF HRV. Spectral analyses can detect alterations in cardiovascular autonomic function in animals with SCI at rest. These parameters underscore the distinct cardiovascular ramifications of high- versus low-thoracic SCI, and correlate with the severity of AD and OH, clinically-relevant measures of abnormal blood pressure control.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2012
Re-innervation of the bladder through end-to-side neurorrhaphy of autonomic nerve and somatic nerve in rats.
End-to-side neurorrhaphy is widely used in the peripheral nervous system for nerve repair; however, the application of this technique has been limited to somatic nerves. The feasibility of nerve regeneration through end-to-side neurorrhaphy between autonomic and somatic nerves with different characteristics in the peripheral nervous system is still undetermined. In this study, rats were divided into three groups for different treatments (n=10 per group). ⋯ Morphological examination and intravesical pressure measurement indicated prominent nerve regeneration and successful re-innervation of the bladder in the neurorrhaphy group, compared with the "no repair" group (p<0.05). No significant changes were observed in the histology of the donor nerve and the bilateral extensor digitorum longus muscles in the neurorrhaphy group. Nerve regeneration may be achievable for nerve repair through end-to-side neurorrhaphy between autonomic and somatic nerves without apparent impairment of donor somatic nerve.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2012
The delayed post-injury administration of soluble fas receptor attenuates post-traumatic neural degeneration and enhances functional recovery after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that currently lacks clinically-relevant and effective neuroprotective therapeutic options. Optimal therapeutic agents for clinical translation should show efficacy in a cervical compression/contusion model using a clinically-relevant post-injury therapeutic time window. To date, few compounds have met that rigorous standard. ⋯ In animals treated with sFasR delayed 8 h post-injury, significant behavioral effects were observed, coinciding with enhanced cell survival, peri-lesional tissue sparing, and enhanced integrity of descending fiber tracts compared to control treatments. Animals treated with sFasR delayed by 24 h showed more modest improvements in behavioral recovery, and had consistent improvements in cell survival and tissue preservation. This work has shown for the first time that the Fas-mediated apoptotic pathway can be therapeutically targeted in a clinically-relevant time window post-SCI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2012
Review Case Reports Multicenter Study Meta AnalysisLong-term clinical and angiographic outcomes in patients with cervico-cranial dissections treated with stent placement: a meta-analysis of case series.
Limited clinical and angiographic data exists for patients with spontaneous or traumatic cervico-cranial dissections treated with stent placement. We reviewed clinical and angiographic data on consecutive patients admitted to our hospital with spontaneous, traumatic, and iatrogenic cervico-cranial dissections treated with stent placement to study immediate and long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes. Additional patients were identified using pertinent studies published between 1980 and 2009, using a search of the PubMed, Cochrane, and Ovid libraries. ⋯ The immediate and follow-up post-procedure complication rates per stent placed was 8 (11%) and 8 (11%), respectively. Among the 36 patients who underwent follow-up angiography, in-stent restenosis or pseudoaneurysms were present in 3 (8%) and 2 (6%) patients, respectively. A high rate of sustained resolution of angiographic abnormalities during long-term follow-up was noted, with a low rate of new transient ischemic attack, ischemic stroke, or death, supporting the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of endovascular stent reconstruction.