There is growing evidence indicating the need to combine the rehabilitation and regenerative medicine fields to maximize functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI), but there are limited methods to synergistically combine the fields. Conductive biomaterials may enable synergistic combination of biomaterials with electric stimulation (ES), which may enable direct ES of neurons to enhance axon regeneration and reorganization for better functional recovery; however, there are three major challenges in developing conductive biomaterials: (1) low conductivity of conductive composites, (2) many conductive components are cytotoxic, and (3) many conductive biomaterials are pre-formed scaffolds and are not injectable. Pre-formed, noninjectable scaffolds may hinder clinical translation in a surgical context for the most common contusion-type of SCI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntracranial aneurysms (ICAs) are focal dilatations that imply a weakening of the brain artery. Incidental rupture of an ICA is increasingly responsible for significant mortality and morbidity in the American's aging population. Previous studies have quantified the pressure-volume characteristics, uniaxial mechanical properties, and morphological features of human aneurysms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most malignant primary brain tumors. This neoplasm is the hardest to treat and has a bad prognosis. Because of the characteristics of genetic heterogeneity and frequent recurrence, a successful cure for the disease is unlikely.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: In the healthy spine, the spinal cord moves unimpeded with spinal fluid pulsation in the rostral and caudal directions. When a portion of the spinal cord becomes attached to lesions within the spinal column, excess strain can cause signs and symptoms such as pain, motor deficits, sensory deficits, bladder dysfunction, and bowel dysfunction. This condition is termed tethered cord syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone regeneration of large cranial defects, potentially including traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment, presents a major problem with non-crosslinking, clinically available products due to material migration outside the defect. Commercial products such as bone cements are permanent and thus not conducive to bone regeneration, and typical commercial bioactive materials for bone regeneration do not crosslink. Our previous work demonstrated that non-crosslinking materials may be prone to material migration following surgical placement, and the current study attempted to address these problems by introducing a new hydrogel system where tissue particles are themselves the crosslinker.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tumors protruding into the cerebral aqueduct are rare, and tumors arising from within the cerebral aqueduct are rarer still.
Case Description: In this report, we discuss the presentation and clinical outcome of a 65-year-old man who presented to us with symptoms of hydrocephalus. Prior imaging had revealed a small enhancing nodule within the cerebral aqueduct.