Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Attenuated tissue damage with Mechanical Tissue Resuscitation in a pig model of spinal cord injury.
Our previous studies on the treatment of spinal cord injuries with Mechanical Tissue Resuscitation (MTR) in rats have demonstrated that it can significantly improve the locomotor recovery and Basso Beattie Bresnahan scores. MTR treatment also reduced fluid accumulations by T2-imaging and improved the mean neural fiber number and fiber length in injured sites by fiber tractography. Myelin volume was also significantly preserved by MTR treatment. ⋯ The fractional anisotropy (FA) values processed by DTI analysis are increased from 0.203 ± 0.027 in the untreated group to 0.238 ± 0.029 in MTR treatment group (p < 0.05). Fiber tractography showings the mean fiber numbers across the impacted area were increased over 112% from 327.0 ± 99.74 in the non-treated group to 694.83 ± 297.86 in the MTR treated group (p < 0.05). These results indicate local application of MTR for 7 days to spinal cord injury in a swine model decreased tissue injury, reduced tissue edema, and preserved more myelin fibers as well as nerve fibers in the injured spinal cord.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Impact of activity-based training on bowel function in a rat model of spinal cord injury.
Significant bowel-related issues after spinal cord injury (SCI) that affect morbidity and quality of life (QOL) include diminished bowel motility, loss of sphincter control, gastric ulcers, autonomic dysreflexia, pain, diarrhea, constipation, and fecal incontinence. Clinical diagnoses and research in humans have largely relied on anorectal manometry (ARM) procedures to increase understanding of the functional effects of SCI on colorectal motility and defecation physiology. Recent pre-clinical rodent studies have also used ARM to further our understanding of bowel-related dysfunctions post-SCI. ⋯ The two intermittent training groups consistently showed recorded metrics comparable to the non-injured group. The results demonstrate bowel dysfunction in the rodent SCI contusion model with improvements in functional outcomes following ABT. Importantly, the benefits to bowel-related functions with versus without intermittent ABT illustrate the need for periodic therapy to maintain the functional gains of ABT.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Protective Mechanism of Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth in Treating Spinal Cord Injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces devastating permanent deficits. Recently, cell transplantation therapy has become a notable treatment for SCI. Although stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are an attractive therapy, their precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. ⋯ The expression of neurocan was also significantly reduced by SHED injection on Day 10 after SCI. Our results show that SHED plays an important role in reducing astrogliosis and glial scar formation between Days 5 and 10 after SCI, possibly via apoptosis of astrocytes, ultimately resulting in improvement in neurological functions thereafter. Our data revealed one of the neuroprotective mechanisms of SHED at the subacute stage after SCI, which improved functional recovery after SCI, a serious condition.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2024
ReviewThe Australian Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative: systematic review and consensus process to determine the predictive value of pre-existing health conditions for people with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.
The first aim of the Australian Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative (AUS-TBI) encompasses development of a set of measures that comprehensively predict outcomes for people with moderate-severe TBI across Australia. This process engaged diverse stakeholders and information sources across six areas: social, health, and clinical factors; biological markers; treatments; and longer-term outcomes. Here, we report the systematic review of pre-existing health conditions as predictors of outcome for people with moderate-severe TBI. ⋯ Following the consensus meeting, 5 out of 11 were included (migraine, mental health conditions, ≥4 pre-existing health conditions, osteoporosis, and body mass index [BMI]) as common data elements in the AUS-TBI data dictionary. Upon further discussion, 3 additional pre-existing health conditions were included. These are pre-existing heart disease, frailty score, and previous incidence of TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2024
ReviewThe Australian Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative: systematic review of the effect of acute interventions on outcome for people with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.
The Australian Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative (AUS-TBI) is developing a data resource to enable improved outcome prediction for people with moderate-severe TBI (msTBI) across Australia. Fundamental to this resource is the collaboratively designed data dictionary. This systematic review and consultation aimed to identify acute interventions with potential to modify clinical outcomes for people after msTBI, for inclusion in a data dictionary. ⋯ Only 4 interventions were considered to have medium modifying value for any outcome from the review, with an additional 8 interventions agreed upon through the consensus process. The interventions with medium value were tranexamic acid and phenytoin, which had a positive effect on an outcome; and decompressive craniectomy surgery and hypothermia, which negatively affected outcomes. From the systematic review and consensus process, 12 interventions were identified as potential modifiers to be included in the AUS-TBI national data resource.