Spinal cord injury is a devastating complication of aortic repair. Despite developments for the prevention and treatment of spinal cord injury, its incidence is still considerably high and therefore, influences patient outcome. Microcirculation plays a key role in tissue perfusion and oxygen supply and is often dissociated from macrohemodynamics. Thus, direct evaluation of spinal cord microcirculation is essential for the development of microcirculation-targeted therapies and the evaluation of existing approaches in regard to spinal cord microcirculation. However, most of the methods do not provide real-time assessment of spinal cord microcirculation. The aim of this study is to describe a standardized protocol for real-time spinal cord microcirculatory evaluation using laser-Doppler needle probes directly inserted in the spinal cord. We used a porcine model of ischemia/reperfusion to induce deterioration of the spinal cord microcirculation. In addition, a fluorescent microsphere injection technique was used. Initially, animals were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Thereafter, laser-Doppler needle probe insertion was performed, followed by the placement of cerebrospinal fluid drainage. A median sternotomy was performed for exposure of the descending aorta to perform aortic cross-clamping. Ischemia/reperfusion was induced by supra-celiac aortic cross-clamping for a total of 48 min, followed by reperfusion and hemodynamic stabilization. Laser-Doppler Flux was performed in parallel with macrohemodynamic evaluation. In addition, automated cerebrospinal fluid drainage was used to maintain a stable cerebrospinal pressure. After completion of the protocol, animals were sacrificed, and the spinal cord was harvested for histopathological and microsphere analysis. The protocol reveals the feasibility of spinal cord microperfusion measurements using laser-Doppler probes and shows a marked decrease during ischemia as well as recovery after reperfusion. Results showed comparable behavior to fluorescent microsphere evaluation. In conclusion, this new protocol might provide a useful large animal model for future studies using real-time spinal cord microperfusion assessment in ischemia/reperfusion conditions.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/62047 | DOI Listing |
Childs Nerv Syst
December 2024
NJ Craniofacial Center, Morristown, NJ, 07960, USA.
Background: Goldenhar syndrome is a clinically heterogeneous disorder defined by a rare combination of congenital anomalies-an eye abnormality, in addition to two of the following three: ear anomalies, mandibular malformations, and vertebral defects. Notably, children with Goldenhar syndrome present with a high incidence of cervical spine malformations.
Clinical Case: In this report, we present an unusual case of a 15-year-old child with Goldenhar syndrome, who additionally presents with some clinical features of VACTERL syndrome.
J Bone Miner Res
December 2024
Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Spaulding Hospital Cambridge, Cambridge, MA.
Bone vasculature is richly innervated by an extensive network of sympathetic nerves. However, our understanding of bone blood flow regulation and its contribution to human bone health is limited. Here, we further our previous findings by characterizing bone vascular responses in the absence of sympathetic control - studying individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), a population with known peripheral sympathetic disruption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosci Res
December 2024
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Medical Science, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder traditionally characterized by the selective loss of medium spiny neurons in the basal ganglia. However, it has become apparent that white matter injury and oligodendrocyte dysfunction precede the degeneration of medium spiny neurons, garnering interest as a key pathogenic mechanism of HD. Oligodendrocytes are glial cells found within the central nervous system involved in the production of myelin and the myelination of axons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Orthop
July 2025
Baylor University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedics, Dallas, TX, USA.
Objective: To perform a systematic review of the utility of exoskeleton robotic therapy on lower extremity recovery in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients.
Methods: We used the Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed databases and searched from to December 2023 for studies on exoskeleton robotic assist devices used in working with SCI patients. Only articles published in English were evaluated, and the retrieved articles were screened via our inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Neurooncol Adv
October 2024
Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Background: Ependymomas of the spinal cord are rare among children and adolescents, and the individual risk of disease progression is difficult to predict. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of molecular typing on pediatric spinal cord ependymomas.
Methods: Eighty-three patients with spinal ependymomas ≤22 years registered in the HIT-MED database (German brain tumor registry for children, adolescents, and adults with medulloblastoma, ependymoma, pineoblastoma, and CNS-primitive neuroectodermal tumors) between 1992 and 2022 were included.
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