Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2015
Intraventricular Hemorrhage on Initial Computed Tomography as Marker of Diffuse Axonal Injury after Traumatic Brain Injury.
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on initial computed tomography (CT) was reported to predict lesions of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in the corpus callosum (CC) on subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We aimed to examine the relationship between initial CT findings and DAI lesions detected on MRI as well as the relationship between the severity of IVH (IVH score) and severity of DAI (DAI staging). A consecutive 140 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who underwent MRI within 30 days after onset were revisited. ⋯ The IVH score and DAI staging showed significant positive correlation (p<0.0003). IVH score in DAI stage 3 (with DAI involving the brain stem; p=0.0025) or stage 2 (with DAI involving CC; p=0.0042) was significantly higher than that of DAI stage 0 (no DAI lesions). In conclusion, IVH on initial CT is the only marker of DAI on subsequent MRI, specifically severe DAI (stage 2 or 3).
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2015
FRESH FROZEN PLASMA RESUSCITATION PROVIDES NEUROPROTECTION COMPARED WITH NORMAL SALINE IN A LARGE ANIMAL MODEL OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND POLYTRAUMA.
We have previously shown that early treatment with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is neuroprotective in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock (HS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, it remains unknown whether this strategy would be beneficial in a more clinical polytrauma model. Yorkshire swine (42-50 kg) were instrumented to measure hemodynamic parameters, brain oxygenation, and intracranial pressure (ICP) and subjected to computer-controlled TBI and multi-system trauma (rib fracture, soft-tissue damage, and liver injury) as well as combined free and controlled hemorrhage (40% blood volume). ⋯ Levels of cerebral eNOS were higher in the FFP-treated group (852.9 vs. 816.4 ng/mL; p=0.03), but no differences in brain levels of ET-1 were observed. Early administration of FFP is neuroprotective in a complex, large animal model of polytrauma, hemorrhage, and TBI. This is associated with a favorable brain oxygenation and cerebral perfusion pressure profile as well as higher levels of endothelial-derived vasodilator eNOS, compared to normal saline resuscitation.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2015
A Novel, Ultrasensitive Assay for Tau: Potential for Assessing Traumatic Brain Injury in Tissues and Biofluids.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a cause of death and disability and can lead to tauopathy-related dementia at an early age. Pathologically, TBI results in axonal injury that is coupled to tau hyperphosphorylation, leading to microtubule instability and tau-mediated neurodegeneration. This suggests that the forms of this protein might serve as neuroinjury-related biomarkers for diagnosis of injury severity and prognosis of the neurological damage prior to clinical expression. ⋯ In human CSF samples, T-tau and P-tau increased during the sampling period (5-6 d). T-tau and P-tau in human serum rose during the acute phase and decreased during the chronic stage but was still detectable beyond six months post sTBI. Thus, EIMAF has the potential for assessing both the severity of the proximal injury and the prognosis using easily accessible samples.