Restor Neurol Neuros
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Restor Neurol Neuros · Jan 2003
Comparative StudySpontaneous recovery of locomotion induced by remaining fibers after spinal cord transection in adult rats.
A major issue in analysis of experimental results after spinal cord injury is spontaneous functional recovery induced by remaining nerve fibers. The authors investigated the relationship between the degree of locomotor recovery and the percentage and location of the fibers that spared spinal cord transection. ⋯ Less than 5% of remaining ventrolateral white matter is sufficient for an unequivocal motor recovery after incomplete spinal cord injury. Therefore, for studies with spinal cord transection, the completeness of sectioning should be carefully checked before any conclusion can be reached. The fact that the degree of locomotor recovery is correlated with the percentage of remaining fibers in the ventrolateral spinal cord, exclusive of most of the descending motor tracts, may imply an essential role of propriospinal connections in the initiation of spontaneous locomotor recovery.
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Restor Neurol Neuros · Jan 2002
ReviewQuality of life in patients with multiple injuries--basic issues, assessment, and recommendations.
While the primary goal of trauma care continues to be the preservation of life, interest has begun to focus on disability and quality of life of those who survive. Numerous instruments have been developed to measure personal well-being, impairment, or subjective life-satisfaction. But there is no consensus regarding which instruments are most appropriate to use in multiply injured patients, and comparison of results are difficult. ⋯ While most selected measures are psychometrically sound, many have had limited use in the setting of multiple injuries. Researchers and clinicians may use these suggestions as a source of information when developing a measurement strategy.
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Restor Neurol Neuros · Jan 2002
ReviewQuality of life in patients with traumatic brain injury-basic issues, assessment and recommendations.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are one of the most common consequences of traffic accidents. Patients with mild, moderate or severe brain injuries suffer from physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social problems. Most of these problems have been a long standing focus amongst practitioners and researchers. Only recently a development has started that took interest in the quality of life outcome of TBI patients. The international members of this consensus meeting reviewed the literature on Quality of Life assessment after TBI and discussed the applicability of different measurements to this specific patient group. ⋯ The family's and relatives' view of the patient's QoL should not be used as a proxy but provides an additional source of information in the acute phase. At T2 and T3, assessment of the patient's quality of life should include a generic as well as a disease specific instrument. Among the generic instruments the SF-36, the EuroQol and the WHO-QoL should be considered. The literature about specific instruments for patients with TBI like the EBIC is scarce. Therefore, the group could hardly give an empirically based recommendation. The need for further investigation on QoL instruments in TBI patients is strongly emphasized.
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Restor Neurol Neuros · Jan 2001
Selective fascicular stimulation of the rat sciatic nerve with multipolar polyimide cuff electrodes.
To assess a new flexible, multicontact spiral-cuff electrode made of polyimide with integrated platinum contacts for selective stimulation of nerve fascicles. ⋯ Despite the relative small size of the rat sciatic nerve and the close apposition of tibial and peroneal fascicles, we proved the feasibility of using multipolar polyimide cuff electrodes to produce selective fascicular nerve stimulation.
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Restor Neurol Neuros · Jan 2001
Effects of chronic, post-injury Cyclosporin A administration on motor and sensorimotor function following severe, experimental traumatic brain injury.
Cyclosporin A (CsA) is widely used in clinical situations to attenuate graft rejection following organ and central nervous system transplantation. Previous studies demonstrated that CsA administration is neuroprotective in models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, no studies, to date, have evaluated the influence of post-injury CsA administration on behavioral recovery after TBI. ⋯ These data suggest that daily post-injury treatment with CsA improves certain aspects of motor and sensorimotor function following experimental TBI.