Methods in molecular biology
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Animal models are important to develop therapies for individuals suffering from spinal cord injuries. For this purpose, rats are commonly preferred. ⋯ On the other hand, spinal cord is compressed or contused to mimic the human injury in blunt injury models for understanding as well as managing the secondary pathophysiologic processes following injury. Especially, contusions are thought to be biomechanically similar to vertebral fractures and/or dislocations and thus provide the most realistic experimental setting in which to test potential neuroprotective and regenerative strategies.
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Senile plaques are an important histological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. They mainly consist of the fibrillar peptide β-amyloid (Aβ) and are surrounded by activated microglia and astrocytes. ⋯ Stimulation of cultured primary microglia by synthetic fibrillar Aβ causes the release of IL-1β via activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Here we provide protocols for the preparation of primary microglial cultures and synthetic oligomeric and fibrillar forms of Aβ.
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Despite advances in intensive care unit interventions, including the use of specific antibiotics and anti-inflammation treatment, sepsis with concomitant multiple organ failure is the most common cause of death in many acute care units. In order to understand the mechanisms of clinical sepsis and develop effective therapeutic modalities, there is a need to use effective experimental models that faithfully replicate what occurs in patients with sepsis. Several models are commonly used to study sepsis, including intravenous endotoxin challenge, injection of live organisms into the peritoneal cavity, establishing abscesses in the extremities, and the induction of polymicrobial peritonitis via cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Here, we describe the surgery procedure of CLP in mice, which has been proposed to closely replicate the nature and course of clinical sepsis in humans.