Single, high-dose intraspinal injection of chondroitinase reduces glycosaminoglycans in injured spinal cord and promotes corticospinal axonal regrowth after hemisection but not contusion.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) inhibit axonal growth, and treatment with chondroitinase ABC promotes axonal regeneration in some models of central nervous system (CNS) injury. The aims of this study were (1) to compare the spatiotemporal appearance of CSPG expression between spinal cord contusion and hemisection models, and (2) to evaluate chondroitinase treatment effects on axonal regrowth in the two injury models. After hemisection, CSPG-immunoreactivity (IR) in the injury site rose to peak levels at 18 days but then decreased dramatically by 49 days; in contrast, CSPG-IR remained high for at least 49 days after contusion.

Appearance of early venous filling during intra-arterial reperfusion therapy for acute middle cerebral artery occlusion: a predictive sign for hemorrhagic complications.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between appearance of angiographic early venous filling during intra-arterial reperfusion therapy and posttherapeutic hemorrhagic complications.

Methods: For the past 7 years, 104 patients prospectively underwent superselective local angiography via a microcatheter before and during intra-arterial reperfusion therapy for acute middle cerebral artery occlusion to evaluate the presence or absence of early venous filling. In principle, reperfusion therapy was discontinued just after appearance of early venous filling for fear of hemorrhage.

Effects of an embryonic repair graft on recovery from spinal cord injury.

It is widely believed that mammalian CNS axons have little regenerative capacity because their environment is non-permissive to regrowth. This viewpoint is based, in large part, on the fact that in virtually all previous studies on regeneration following spinal cord injury, regenerated axonal projections have been few in number, quite short, and considered to be mostly aberrant. As a result, motor recovery has been very limited in both experimental preparations and the human.

Secretion of tenascin-C by cultured astrocytes: regulation of cell proliferation and process elongation.

Tenascin-C (TNC), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, is involved in tissue morphogenesis like embryogenesis, wound healing or tumorigenesis. Quiescent astroglia in long-term primary cultures are known to show rapid morphological changes after subculture and serum deprivation/re-addition (SSDR). To elucidate roles of TNC in the morphogenetic processes of cultured astrocytes, we have revealed morphological changes in association with soluble TNC contents in the medium and expression of TNC mRNA, TNC, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and integrin beta1, one of its cell surface receptors, in glial cells after SSDR.

[Strategy for vascular reconstruction for failed indirect anastomosis in adult Moyamoya disease--a case report].

There exist moyamoya disease patients who require vascular reconstruction for failed indirect anastomosis. In the present study, a 36-year-old female required ipsilateral direct anastomosis for failed right fronto-temporo-parietal combined indirect bypass procedure. One of the frontal branches of the right superficial temporal artery (STA) was left intact between the other frontal branch and a parietal branch of the right STA, both of which had been used in the indirect anastomosis.

Spontaneous regeneration of the corticospinal tract after transection in young rats: collagen type IV deposition and astrocytic scar in the lesion site are not the cause but the effect of failure of regeneration.

In young rats the corticospinal tract regenerated after a single transection of the spinal cord with a sharp blade, but regeneration failed if the transection was repeated to make a more traumatic injury. To identify cells and associated molecules that promote or impede regeneration, we compared expression of collagen type IV, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and vimentin immunoreactivity (IR) at the lesion sites in combination with anterograde axonal tracing between animals with two types of transection. Axonal regeneration occurred as early as 18 hours after transection; regenerating axons penetrated vessel-like structures with collagen type IV-IR at the lesion site, while reactive astrocytes coexpressing GFAP- and vimentin-IR appeared in the lesioned white matter.

[Nutritional assessment in the surgical treatment of childhood moyamoya disease].

Pre- and postoperative values of total protein (TP), total cholesterol (TCH), hemoglobin (HGB), red blood cell (RBC) and hematocrit (HCT) were measured in the surgical treatment of seventeen patients with childhood moyamoya disease. Six out of the 17 patients had bypass surgery twice, so twenty-three cases in total were included in the present study. The postoperative parameters were measured 7 days after each operation.

Runx3 is essential for the target-specific axon pathfinding of trkc-expressing dorsal root ganglion neurons.

Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons project their axons to specific target layers in the gray matter of the spinal cord, according to their sensory modality (Neuron 30 (2001), 707; Cell 101 (2000), 485; Neuron 31 (2001), 59; J. Comp. Neurol.

Direct percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for acute middle cerebral artery trunk occlusion: an alternative option to intra-arterial thrombolysis.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of direct percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) trunk occlusion.

Methods: Over the past 9 years, a total of 70 patients with acute MCA trunk occlusion were treated with intra-arterial reperfusion therapy. In the last 5 years, 34 patients were treated with direct PTA, and subsequent thrombolytic therapy was added if necessary for distal embolization.

Runx3 controls the axonal projection of proprioceptive dorsal root ganglion neurons.

Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons specifically project axons to central and peripheral targets according to their sensory modality. The Runt-related genes Runx1 and Runx3 are expressed in DRG neuronal subpopulations, suggesting that they may regulate the trajectories of specific axons. Here we report that Runx3-deficient (Runx3(-/-)) mice displayed severe motor uncoordination and that few DRG neurons synthesized the proprioceptive neuronal marker parvalbumin.

Time-threshold curve determined by single photon emission CT in patients with acute middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Background And Purpose: In patients with ischemic stroke, not only the degree of ischemia but also its duration are key determinants of tissue survival. The purpose of this study was to show the synergistic effects of these two factors on tissue survival in humans.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed findings in 19 patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion who had clearly defined ischemic duration from onset to angiographic complete recanalization and who underwent pretreatment single photon emission CT.

Combined direct percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and low-dose native tissue plasminogen activator therapy for acute embolic middle cerebral artery trunk occlusion.

Background And Purpose: In embolic middle cerebral artery (MCA) trunk occlusion, recanalization with direct percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) may be preferable to time-consuming thrombolysis. However, distal embolization with small crushed fragments is a complication of direct PTA. We prospectively evaluated combined direct PTA and low-dose native tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) therapy for acute embolic MCA trunk occlusion.