Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2007
Traumatic brain injuries in a well-defined population: epidemiological aspects and severity.
The aim was to describe epidemiological and medical aspects of 449 cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a well-defined geographical area with a population of 137,000 inhabitants. An episode of disturbed consciousness was a prerequisite for inclusion in the study. The incidence of TBI was 354/100,000 inhabitants. ⋯ CT was performed on 163 cases (36%) revealing 34 cases with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) which is 21% of the examined or 8% of all the injured. The rate of ICH increased with increasing age (from 3% among children to 17% among the elderly persons) and also increased with decreasing GCS from 6% in the group of mild TBI to 60% among those with severe TBI. Attention should be directed to acute management of mild TBI in order to detect potentially dangerous ICH as well as to preventive actions against falls and vehicle related accidents.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2007
Low concentration of isoflurane promotes the development of neurogenic pulmonary edema in spinal cord injured rats.
Anesthetics can either promote or inhibit the development of neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) after central nervous system (CNS) injury. The influence of isoflurane was examined in male Wistar rats using 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 4%, or 5% isoflurane in air. Epidural balloon compression of the thoracic spinal cord was performed. ⋯ Animals from the 3% group recovered behaviorally more rapidly than did the animals from the 1.5% group; morphometry and MRI of the lesions showed no differences. Thus, low levels of isoflurane anesthesia promote NPE in rats with a compressed spinal cord and significantly complicates their recovery. The optimal concentration of anesthesia for performing a spinal cord compression lesion is 2.5-3% isoflurane in air.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialReliability of a telephone-based Glasgow Outcome Scale assessment using a structured interview in a heterogenous population of patients and examiners.
A reliable telephone-based Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) assessment would be advantageous to both patients and investigators. Using a previously published structured GOS interview and scoring system, the aim of this study was to assess the reliability of telephone-based GOS scores compared to those obtained face-to-face in a heterogenous population of patients and examiners. Sixty-six patients hospitalized for a variety of acute neurological injuries underwent two GOS interviews approximately 90 days after injury. ⋯ Patient-, examiner-, and interview-related characteristics had no significant associations with GOS concordance, although patient sex had a significant association with discrepant responses to one specific question (work at previous capacity). When used by multiple examiners to assess patients with diverse neurological conditions, use of a structured GOS examination does not guarantee a reliable telephone-based GOS score. Determination of whether patient sex influences the validity of the structured face-to-face GOS interview is worthy of future study.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2007
Anti-apoptotic effect of insulin in the control of cell death and neurologic deficit after acute spinal cord injury in rats.
Recent studies confirmed that the new cell survival signal pathway of Insulin-PI3K-Akt exerted cyto-protective actions involving anti-apoptosis. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of insulin in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury (SCI) and evaluate its therapeutic effects in adult rats. SCI was produced by extradural compression using modified Allen's stall with damage energy of 40 g-cm force. ⋯ Neuronal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL, and spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Ultimately, the data established the effectiveness of insulin treatment in improving neurologic recovery, increasing the expression of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 proteins, inhibiting caspase-3 expression decreasing neuronal apoptosis, reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines iNOS and COX-2, and ameliorating microcirculation of injured spinal cord after moderate contusive SCI in rats. In sum, this study reported the beneficial effects of insulin in the treatment of SCI, with the suggestion that insulin should be considered as a potential therapeutic agent.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2007
Plasma von Willebrand factor levels correlate with clinical outcome of severe traumatic brain injury.
Biochemical markers of cellular stress/injury have been proposed to indicate outcome after head injury. The aim of the present study was to determine whether plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels correlate with primary outcome and with clinical variables in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Forty-four male patients, victims of severe TBI, were analyzed. ⋯ There was a significant positive correlation between plasma levels at second plasma sampling and scores in Marshall CT classification (p < 0.05). The sensitivity of plasma VWF concentration in predicting mortality according to the cut-off of 234 U/dL was 64%, with a specificity of 68%. Therefore, VWF increases following severe TBI may be a marker of unfavorable outcome.