The Role of Metals in the Neuroregenerative Action of BDNF, GDNF, NGF and Other Neurotrophic Factors.

Mature neurotrophic factors and their propeptides play key roles ranging from the regulation of neuronal growth and differentiation to prominent participation in neuronal survival and recovery after injury. Their signaling pathways sculpture neuronal circuits during brain development and regulate adaptive neuroplasticity. In addition, neurotrophic factors provide trophic support for damaged neurons, giving them a greater capacity to survive and maintain their potential to regenerate their axons.

Classification of Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: Recommendations of the Spine Section of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU).

Study Design: Expert opinion.

Objectives: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are of increasing medical importance. For an adequate treatment strategy, an easy and reliable classification is needed.

Preliminary findings on biomarker levels from extracerebral sources in patients undergoing trauma surgery: Potential implications for TBI outcome studies.

Background: Despite several experimental studies on the role of S100B and NSE in fractures, no studies on the influence of surgery on the biomarker serum levels have been performed yet.

Methods: The serum levels of S100B and NSE were analysed in patients with fractures that were located in the spine (group 1, n = 35) or in the lower extremity (group 2, n = 32) pre- and post-operatively.

Results: The mean S100B serum level showed a significant increase (p = 0.

Grafted murine induced pluripotent stem cells prevent death of injured rat motoneurons otherwise destined to die.

Human plexus injuries often include the avulsion of one or more ventral roots, resulting in debilitating conditions. In this study the effects of undifferentiated murine iPSCs on damaged motoneurons were investigated following avulsion of the lumbar 4 (L4) ventral root, an injury known to induce the death of the majority of the affected motoneurons. Avulsion and reimplantation of the L4 ventral root (AR procedure) were accompanied by the transplantation of murine iPSCs into the injured spinal cord segment in rats.

Analysis of S100 calcium binding protein B serum levels in different types of traumatic intracranial lesions.

The objective of this study was to determine whether the type of intracranial traumatic lesions, the number of simultaneous traumatic lesions, and the occurrence of skull and facial bone fractures have an influence on S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B) serum levels. Patients with blunt traumatic brain injury were prospectively enrolled into this cohort study over a period of 13 months. Venous blood samples were obtained prior to emergency cranial CT scan in all patients within 3 h after injury.