Publications by authors named "Joshua Britt"
Unlabelled: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by sensorimotor dysfunction. The neuropathology of PD includes a loss of dopamine (DA) neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway. Classic signs of the disease include rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction. The Weil osteotomy is commonly used for multiple forefoot pathologies yielding metatarsalgia. Despite its common use, the Weil osteotomy is associated with a high complication rate.
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- Researchers found that polyethylene glycol (PEG) can quickly restore axon integrity in severed rat nerves, enhancing both physiological functionality and motor behavior.
- The study demonstrated that PEG-fusion led to improved conduction in damaged axons and quicker recovery of hindlimb motor skills in rats compared to untreated groups.
- Behavioral assessments revealed that early tests (like the foot fault test) showed significant recovery in the first few days post-surgery, while longer-term tests (like the Sciatic Functional Index) highlighted improved motor control over several weeks.*
Article Synopsis
- This study explores the impact of various experimental compounds (melatonin, cyclosporin A, glial-derived neurotrophic factor, methylprednisolone) on the repair of crushed sciatic axons using polyethylene glycol-induced fusion.
- Results show that melatonin significantly enhances the repair rate of these axons in vitro, achieving 75% success compared to just 20% in controls.
- Additionally, melatonin also shows improved conduction of nerve signals (higher amplitude of compound action potentials) and enhances repair success in vivo when compared to control conditions.
Article Synopsis
- Protein synthesis inhibitors (PSIs) like anisomycin and cycloheximide speed up the degeneration of rat peripheral and central nervous system axons, as shown by reduced compound action potential (CAP) conduction times.* -
- In vitro studies reveal that sciatic axons retain CAPs for 24 hours without PSIs, whereas exposure to PSIs cuts this duration down to 8 hours; spinal axons show a similar effect, lasting 3 hours without PSIs and only 2 hours with them.* -
- Cooling the axons slows down the degeneration process, but even when cooled, PSIs lead to lower peak CAPs in sciatic axons compared to controls, indicating their detrimental impact.*
Article Synopsis
- Severed segments of rat peripheral (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) axons can still conduct action potentials when kept at low temperatures (6-9 degrees C) for longer periods compared to normal body temperature (37-38 degrees C).
- When PNS and CNS axons are crushed, treating them with polyethylene glycol (PEG) allows for rapid reconnection at the site of injury within minutes, especially if they were cooled beforehand.
- Cooling significantly extends both the survival time of severed axons and the duration they can be treated with PEG to re-establish connections, showing potential for better recovery in nerve injuries.