How much time is necessary to confirm the diagnosis of permanent complete cervical spinal cord injury?

Study Design: Retrospective chart audits.

Objective: To investigate the optimal timing at which permanent complete cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) can be confirmed when evaluating paralysis caused by traumatic CSCI.

Setting: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Spinal Injuries Center, Japan.

Progression of local kyphosis after conservative treatment for compressive cervical spine fracture with spinal cord injury.

Introduction: Compressive-flexion type cervical spine fracture is typically accompanied by apparent dislocation of the facet joints, undesirable cervical alignment, and devastating neurological dysfunction, which provides strong rationale for rendering prompt operative treatment. However, the validity of conservative treatment for compressive-flexion cervical spine injury in cases with preserved congruity of the facet joints has yet to be elucidated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term outcome of cervical alignment following conservative treatment for compressive-flexion cervical spine injury with preserved congruity of the facet joints.

Sequential neurological improvements after conservative treatment in patients with complete motor paralysis caused by cervical spinal cord injury without bone and disc injury.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated neurological improvements after conservative treatment in patients with complete motor paralysis caused by acute cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) without bone and disc injury. METHODS This study was retrospective. The authors evaluated neurological outcomes after conservative treatment of 62 patients with complete motor paralysis caused by cervical SCI without bone and disc injury within 72 hours after trauma.

A Safe Surgical Procedure for Old Distractive Flexion Injuries of the Subaxial Cervical Spine.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Purpose: To describe a safe and effective surgical procedure for old distractive flexion (DF) injuries of the subaxial cervical spine.

Overview Of Literature: Surgical treatment is required in old cases when a progression of the kyphotic deformity and/or persistent neck pain and/or the appearance of new neurological symptoms are observed.

TRAIL-R2 Superoligomerization Induced by Human Monoclonal Agonistic Antibody KMTR2.

The fully human monoclonal antibody KMTR2 acts as a strong direct agonist for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor 2 (TRAIL-R2), which is capable of inducing apoptotic cell death without cross-linking. To investigate the mechanism of direct agonistic activity induced by KMTR2, the crystal structure of the extracellular region of TRAIL-R2 and a Fab fragment derived from KMTR2 (KMTR2-Fab) was determined to 2.1 Å resolution.

Effect of preservation of the C-6 spinous process and its paraspinal muscular attachment on the prevention of postoperative axial neck pain in C3-6 laminoplasty.

Object: Axial neck pain after C3-6 laminoplasty has been reported to be significantly lesser than that after C3-7 laminoplasty because of the preservation of the C-7 spinous process and the attachment of nuchal muscles such as the trapezius and rhomboideus minor, which are connected to the scapula. The C-6 spinous process is the second longest spinous process after that of C-7, and it serves as an attachment point for these muscles. The effect of preserving the C-6 spinous process and its muscular attachment, in addition to preservation of the C-7 spinous process, on the prevention of axial neck pain is not well understood.

Influence of spinal cord compression and traumatic force on the severity of cervical spinal cord injury associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of static compression factors and dynamic factors based on the various degrees of traumatic force on the cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) in patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Summary Of Background Data: Spinal cord disorder occurs as a result of various factors, including static factors and traumatic force.

Clinical relationship between cervical spinal canal stenosis and traumatic cervical spinal cord injury without major fracture or dislocation.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the clinical relationship between cervical spinal canal stenosis (CSCS) and incidence of traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) without major fracture or dislocation, and to discuss the clinical management of traumatic CSCI.

Methods: Forty-seven patients with traumatic CSCI without major fracture or dislocation (30 out of 47 subjects; 63.83 %, had an injury at the C3-4 segment) and 607 healthy volunteers were measured the sagittal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) column diameter at five pedicle and five intervertebral disc levels using T2-weighted midsagittal magnetic resonance imaging.

Analysis of the risk factors for tracheostomy in traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.

Study Design: A retrospective, consecutive case series.

Objective: To determine the risk factors that have a statistically significant association with the need of tracheostomy in patients with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) at the acute stage.

Summary Of Background Data: Respiratory complications remain a major cause of further morbidity and mortality in patients with CSCI.

Spinous process-splitting open pedicle screw fusion provides favorable results in patients with low back discomfort and pain compared to conventional open pedicle screw fixation over 1 year after surgery.

Introduction: The conventional open pedicle screw fusion (PSF) requires an extensive detachment of the paraspinal muscle from the posterior aspect of the lumbar spine, which can cause muscle injury and subsequently lead to "approach-related morbidity". The spinous process-splitting (SPS) approach for decompression, unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression, and the Wiltse approach for pedicle screw insertion are considered to be less invasive to the paraspinal musculature. We investigated whether SPS open PSF combined with the abovementioned techniques attenuates the paraspinal muscle damage and yields favorable clinical results, including alleviation in the low back discomfort, in comparison to the conventional open PSF.

Evaluating (13)C enrichment data of free amino acids for precise metabolic flux analysis.

Metabolic flux analysis using (13)C enrichment data of intracellular free amino acids (FAAs) can improve the time resolution of flux estimation compared to analysis of proteinogenic amino acid data owing to the faster turnover times of FAAs. The nature of the (13)C enrichment dynamics of FAAs remains obscure, however, especially with regard to its dependence on culture conditions, even though an understanding of dynamic behavior is important for precise metabolic flux estimation. In this study, we analyzed the (13)C enrichment dynamics of free and proteinogenic amino acids in a series of continuous culture experiments with Escherichia coli.

Analysis of the risk factors for severity of neurologic status in 216 patients with thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures.

Study Design: A retrospective, consecutive case series.

Objective: To determine the risk factors that have a significant correlation with the severity of neurologic impairment in thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures.

Summary Of Background Data: The correlation between spinal canal stenosis due to bony fragments and the severity of neurologic deficits in thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures remains controversial.

Predominant antitumor effects by fully human anti-TRAIL-receptor 2 (DR5) monoclonal antibodies in human glioma cells in vitro and in vivo.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/Apo2 L) preferentially induces apoptosis in human tumor cells through its cognate death receptors DR4 or DR5, thereby being investigated as a potential agent for cancer therapy. Here, we applied fully human anti-human TRAIL receptor monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to specifically target one of death receptors for TRAIL in human glioma cells, which could also reduce potential TRAIL-induced toxicity in humans. Twelve human glioma cell lines treated with several fully human anti-human TRAIL receptor mAbs were sensitive to only anti-DR5 mAbs, whereas they were totally insensitive to anti-DR4 mAb.

Engineering of sugar metabolism of Corynebacterium glutamicum for production of amino acid L-alanine under oxygen deprivation.

Corynebacterium glutamicum was genetically engineered to produce L-alanine from sugar under oxygen deprivation. The genes associated with production of organic acids in C. glutamicum were inactivated and the alanine dehydrogenase gene (alaD) from Lysinibacillus sphaericus was overexpressed to direct carbon flux from organic acids to alanine.

Efficient antibody production upon suppression of O mannosylation in the yeast Ogataea minuta.

When antibodies were expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea minuta, we found that abnormal O mannosylation occurred in the secreted antibody. Yeast-specific O mannosylation is initiated by the addition of mannose at serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues in the endoplasmic reticulum via protein O mannosyltransferase (Pmt) activity. To suppress the addition of O-linked sugar chains on antibodies, we examined the possibility of inhibiting Pmt activity by the addition of a Pmt inhibitor during cultivation.

Antibody expression in protease-deficient strains of the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea minuta.

When human antibody genes were expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea minuta, the secreted antibody became partially degraded. To suppress the degradation, a vacuolar protease-deficient strain was constructed and its antibody production was evaluated. Although antibody productivity was improved in the vacuolar protease-deficient strain, the secreted antibody still became partially degraded.

Distinct function of monoclonal antibody to TRAIL-R2 as potentiator or inhibitor of the ligand TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) specifically induces apoptosis in tumor cells but may be toxic to human hepatocytes. Although hepatocytes are susceptible to apoptotic signals mediated by TRAIL-receptor 2 (TRAIL-R2), we previously reported that some anti-TRAIL-R2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produce little hepatocyte toxicity. Those mAbs neutralized the cytotoxic activity of TRAIL by inhibiting receptor-ligand binding.

Enhanced apoptosis and tumor regression induced by a direct agonist antibody to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2.

Purpose: Substantial evidence indicates that supraoligomerization of the death receptors for Fas ligand and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is necessary for efficient activation of the apoptotic pathway. Bivalent IgG antibodies can induce the efficient apoptosis by mimicking the natural ligands but only after these antibodies are further oligomerized by cross-linking. In this study, we generated a novel agonist antibody to TRAIL receptor 2 (TRAIL-R2) capable of inducing apoptosis without cross-linking and elucidated its mode of action and efficacy.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of thioflavone derivatives as specific inhibitors of the ERK-MAP kinase signaling pathway.

Condensation of nitrobenzaldehydes 3 and alpha-[o-(p-methoxybenzylthio)benzoyl] sulfoxide 4 gave alpha-sulfinyl enones 5. Treatment of 5 with formic acid caused cyclization followed by debenzylation to afford 3-(methylsulfinyl)thioflavanones 6. Double-bond formation with elimination of methanesulfenic acid was performed by refluxing 6 in benzene, and, finally, the nitro group of 2-phenyl-4H-1-benzothiopyran-4-one (thioflavones) 7 was reduced with tin in tetrafluoroboric acid.