Magnesium efficacy in a rat spinal cord injury model.

Object: Magnesium has been shown to have neuroprotective properties in short-term spinal cord injury (SCI) studies. The authors evaluated the efficacy of magnesium, methylprednisolone, and magnesium plus methylprednisolone in a rat SCI model.

Methods: A moderate-to-severe SCI was produced at T9-10 in rats, which then received saline, magnesium, methylprednisolone, or magnesium plus methylprednisolone within 10 minutes of injury.

Triage for the neurosurgeon.

Triage for the neurosurgeon is a misnomer. The neurosurgeon's role within a mass-casualty situation is one of a subspecialist surgeon instead of a triage officer. Unfortunately because of the events of September 11, 2001, civilian neurosurgeons and other medical specialists have been questioning their role within a mass-casualty situation or, worse, a situation created by biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons.

Paraparesis in a black man brought on by ossification of the ligamentum flavum: case report and review of the literature.

We present the second case of paraparesis secondary to ossification of the ligamentum flavum at the midthoracic region in a black man. Ossification of the ligamentum flavum is frequently described in the Japanese population where the presentation is often in the lower thoracic region. The patient is a 37-year-old black man who, over the 6 months before admission, noticed progressive paraparesis.