Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Respir Physiol Neurobiol · Dec 2014
Respiratory responses following blast-induced traumatic brain injury in rats.
Blast overpressure (OB) injury in rodents has been employed for modeling the traumatic brain injury (TBI) induced by an improvised explosive device (IED) in military service personnel. IED's can cause respiratory arrest if directed at the thorax due to the fluid-tissue interface of the lungs but it is unclear what respiratory changes occur in a head-directed OB injury. ⋯ The breathing pattern of the rodents will be recorded during the OB injury. Our results indicate that a dorsal directed closed-head OB injury results in a neurally mediated apnea followed by respiratory timing changes.
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In recent years, the incidence of injury in older people has increased. The aim of this study is to address the hypothesis that this increase is due to an increase in the incidence of some injuries that, while less common than hip fractures, are sufficient jointly to counteract the decrease or stabilisation in hip fracture rates observed in most countries. ⋯ Although hip fracture continue to be the most common type of injury in older people, this study has allowed identifying other types of injury that are becoming increasingly common. These trends are driving paradigm changes in the burden of injuries requiring treatment within the hospital system, and must be taken into account in the design of preventative programs and actions.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Dec 2014
Changes in functional brain networks following sports related concussion in adolescents.
Sports-related concussion is a major public health issue; however, little is known about the underlying changes in functional brain networks in adolescents following injury. Our aim was to use the tools from graph theory to evaluate the changes in brain network properties following concussion in adolescent athletes. We recorded resting state electroencephalography (EEG) in 33 healthy adolescent athletes and 9 adolescent athletes with a clinical diagnosis of subacute concussion. ⋯ In addition, there was significant negative correlation between degree and hub value, with total symptom score at the electrode site corresponding to the (R) prefrontal cortex. This preliminary report in adolescent athletes shows for the first time that resting-state EEG combined with graph theoretical analysis may provide an objective method of evaluating changes in brain networks following concussion. This approach may be useful in identifying individuals at risk for future injury.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Dec 2014
Formation of microparticles in the injured brain of patients with severe isolated traumatic brain injury.
The potential pathophysiological role of circulating microparticles (MPs) has been recognized in various conditions, such as cardiovascular and thrombotic diseases. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a complex pathophysiology that involves coagulopathy and inflammation. We investigated endothelial-, platelet-, and leukocyte-derived microparticles (EMPs, PMPs, and LMPs, respectively) in 16 patients with severe isolated TBI. ⋯ PMPs exposing P-selection and EMPs exposing TF seem to be generated in the injured brain, whereas LMPs exposing TF are accumulated. The pathophysiological significance of these changes in MP pattern in TBI should be further investigated. Including MPs exposing brain-specific antigens in the assessment of brain injury would give further information of origin and likely give additional information of the size of the injury, given that the MP phenotypes investigated in the present study are not brain-specific markers.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Dec 2014
Reduction of cerebral edema following TBI using an osmotic transport device.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is significant, from a public health standpoint, because it is a major cause of the morbidity and mortality of young people. Cerebral edema after a TBI, if untreated, can lead to devastating damage of the remaining tissue. The current therapies of severe TBI (sTBI), as outlined by the Brain Trauma Foundation, are often ineffective, thus a new method for the treatment of sTBI is necessary. ⋯ Further, brain water content of TBI animals treated with an OTD was significantly reduced, compared to that of untreated TBI animals, TBI animals treated with a craniectomy and a hydrogel, and TBI animals treated with an OTD without BSA. Here, we demonstrate the successful reduction of cerebral edema, as determined by brain water content, after TBI using an OTD. These results demonstrate proof of principle for direct water extraction from edematous brain tissue by direct osmotherapy using an OTD.