Priorities of the Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Population: An International Study on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.

Background/objectives: Overall priorities of the international pediatric-onset spinal cord injury (SCI) population are unknown. The purpose was to describe and compare Life and Health (L&H) domain overall priorities of European youth with SCI and their parents and caregivers (P&C).

Methods: A survey with a cross-sectional design, prepared by the PEPSCI Collaboration, was conducted in six European countries.

A spatial threshold for astrocyte calcium surge.

Astrocytes are active cells involved in brain function through the bidirectional communication with neurons, in which astrocyte calcium plays a crucial role. Synaptically evoked calcium increases can be localized to independent subcellular domains or expand to the entire cell, i.e.

Tonic Cold Pain Temporal Summation and Translesional Cold Pressor Test-Induced Pronociception in Spinal Cord Injury: Association with Spontaneous and Below-Level Neuropathic Pain.

: Although increased nociceptive excitability and deficient endogenous pain modulation are considered key features of pronociception and central sensitization, their contribution to neuropathic pain (NP) characteristics in SCI is unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize tonic cold perception and endogenous pain modulation in individuals with and without SCI-NP, considering the stage and severity of SCI and, secondarily, NP phenotype. : Temporal summation of pain (TSP) and neuropathic features were assessed using the numerical rating scale (NRS) and Douleur Neuropathique 4 screening questionnaire (DN4) during the tonic cold pressor test (CPT, 12 °C 60 s) applied to the dominant hand and foot.

Stakeholder perspectives on non-invasive brain stimulation.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have made great progress in recent years and offer boundless potential for the neuroscientific research and treatment of disorders. However, the possible use of NIBS devices for neuro-doping and neuroenhancement in healthy individuals and the military are poorly regulated. The great potentials and diverse applications can have an impact on the future development of the technology and society.

The expanding horizon of neurotechnology: Is multimodal neuromodulation the future?

The clinical applications of neurotechnology are rapidly expanding, and the combination of different approaches could be more effective and precise to treat brain disorders. This Perspective discusses the potential and challenges of "multimodal neuromodulation," which combines modalities such as electrical, magnetic, and ultrasound stimulation.

Cardiac amyloidosis and red flags: natural history and its impact in morbimortality.

Introduction And Objectives: Red flags (RF) are typical cardiac and extracardiac manifestations that may precede the definitive diagnosis of cardiac amiloidosis (CA) by several years, playing a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of the disease. The principal aim of the research was to determine the chronology of onset of RF throughout the natural history of CA as well as its prognostic influence.

Patients And Methods: Observational, retrospective inquiry of consecutive patients with a definitive diagnosis of CA in a terciary hospital centre in Ciudad Real (Spain) between February 2016 and December 2023.

Local wakefulness-like activity of layer 5 cortex under general anaesthesia.

Consciousness, defined as being aware of and responsive to one's surroundings, is characteristic of normal waking life and typically is lost during sleep and general anaesthesia. The traditional view of consciousness as a global brain state has evolved toward a more sophisticated interplay between global and local states, with the presence of local sleep in the awake brain and local wakefulness in the sleeping brain. However, this interplay is not clear for general anaesthesia, where loss of consciousness was recently suggested to be associated with a global state of brain-wide synchrony that selectively involves layer 5 cortical pyramidal neurons across sensory, motor and associative areas.

Effect of spinal cord injury on the skin temperature of different regions of interest during a graded exercise test in a moderate temperature environment.

The gradient between core and skin temperature is a relevant factor in heat exchange between the human body and the environment, but people with spinal cord injury (SCI), due to their autonomic dysfunction, have impaired mechanisms that condition skin temperature response. This study aimed to determine how SCI affects skin temperature response in different ROIs during a graded exercise test in a moderate temperature environment. 32 participants were included in the study [SCI (N = 16); Non-SCI (N = 16)].

Chitosan-Coated Liposome Formulations for Encapsulation of Ciprofloxacin and Etoposide.

Cancer and bacterial infections rank among the most significant global health threats. accounting for roughly 25 million fatalities each year. This statistic underscores the urgent necessity for developing novel drugs, enhancing current treatments, and implementing systems that boost their bioavailability to achieve superior therapeutic outcomes.

Social Cognition in Parkinson's Disease after Focused Ultrasound Subthalamotomy: A Controlled Study.

Social cognition (SC) encompasses a set of cognitive functions that enable individuals to understand and respond appropriately to social interactions. Although focused ultrasound subthalamotomy (FUS-STN) effectively treats Parkinson's disease (PD) clinical motor features, its impact and safety on cognitive-behavioral interactions/interpersonal awareness are unknown. This study investigated the effects of unilateral FUS-STN on facial emotion recognition (FER) and affective and cognitive theory of mind (ToM) in PD patients from a randomized sham-controlled trial (NCT03454425).

Stability of Conducting Polymer-Coated Carbon Microfibers for Long-Term Electrical Stimulation of Injured Neural Tissue.

Electroactive microfiber-based scaffolds aid neural tissue repair. Carbon microfibers (CMFs) coated with the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly[(4-styrenesulfonic acid)--(maleic acid)] (PEDOT:PSS--MA) provide efficient support and guidance to regrowing axons across spinal cord lesions in rodents and pigs. We investigated the electrical and structural performance of PEDOT:PSS--MA-coated carbon MFs (PCMFs) for long-term, biphasic electrical stimulation (ES).

Untargeted blood serum proteomics identifies novel proteins related to neurological recovery after human spinal cord injury.

Background: The discovery of new prognostic biomarkers following spinal cord injury (SCI) is a rapidly growing field that could help uncover the underlying pathological mechanisms of SCI and aid in the development of new therapies. To date, this search has largely focused on the initial days after the lesion. However, during the subacute stage of SCI (weeks to months after the injury), there remains potential for sensorimotor recovery, and numerous secondary events develop in various organs.

Dysregulation of Lipid Metabolism Serves as A Link Between Alzheimer's and Cardiovascular Disease, As Witnessed in A Cross-Sectional Study.

Cardiovascular risk factors and established cardiovascular disease (CVD) increase the risk of suffering dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). Here, we set out to define specific molecular profiles of CVD in patients with DAT to better understand its relationship, to unravel the mechanisms underlying the high risk of developing DAT in CVD patients and to define new markers of early disease. Plasma samples from patients with DAT, with and without CVD, were analyzed through a multiomics approach, with integration of metabolomics and proteomics datasets using the OmicsNet web-based tool.

Unraveling the differential mechanisms of revascularization promoted by MSCs & ECFCs from adipose tissue or umbilical cord in a murine model of critical limb-threatening ischemia.

Background: Critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) constitutes the most severe manifestation of peripheral artery disease, usually induced by atherosclerosis. CLTI patients suffer from high risk of amputation of the lower extremities and elevated mortality rates, while they have low options for surgical revascularization due to associated comorbidities. Alternatively, cell-based therapeutic strategies represent an effective and safe approach to promote revascularization.

Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Spain: A ten-year analysis of trend of clinical and demographic characteristics.

Context: The study of epidemiological changes of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is needed due to its highly variable incidence.

Objective: To determine the incidence of TSCI in Spain and to describe the trend of clinical and demographic characteristics according to age group during a 10-year period.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted.

Reduced TMS-evoked EEG oscillatory activity in cortical motor regions in patients with post-COVID fatigue.

Objective: Persistent fatigue is a major symptom of the so-called 'long-COVID syndrome', but the pathophysiological processes that cause it remain unclear. We hypothesized that fatigue after COVID-19 would be associated with altered cortical activity in premotor and motor regions.

Methods: We used transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with EEG (TMS-EEG) to explore the neural oscillatory activity of the left primary motor area (l-M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) in a group of sixteen post-COVID patients complaining of lingering fatigue as compared to a sample of age-matched healthy controls.

Early poststroke clinically significant fatigue predicts functional independence: a prospective longitudinal study.

Background: Poststroke fatigue is a prevalent issue among stroke survivors, significantly impeding functional recovery and diminishing their quality of life.

Aim: This prospective cohort study aims to investigate the association between poststroke fatigue and the extent of functional recovery in survivors of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Additionally, it seeks to delineate the temporal progression of poststroke fatigue in these two stroke subtypes.

National record and analysis of pharmaceutical interventions in critical care units: PHARMACRITIC study.

Objective: To design a homogeneous methodology for the registration and analysis of pharmaceutical interventions performed in Spanish critical adults' care units.

Method: Observational, prospective and multicenter study. In the first stage, a national registry of pharmaceutical interventions will be agreed upon and subsequently all the pharmaceutical interventions performed on adult patients admitted to Spanish CCUs during eight weeks will be recorded.

From single to combinatorial therapies in spinal cord injuries for structural and functional restoration.

Spinal cord injury results in paralysis, sensory disturbances, sphincter dysfunction, and multiple systemic secondary conditions, most arising from autonomic dysregulation. All this produces profound negative psychosocial implications for affected people, their families, and their communities; the financial costs can be challenging for their families and health institutions. Treatments aimed at restoring the spinal cord after spinal cord injury, which have been tested in animal models or clinical trials, generally seek to counteract one or more of the secondary mechanisms of injury to limit the extent of the initial damage.

Enhancing motor functional recovery in spinal cord injury through pharmacological inhibition of Dickkopf-1 with BHQ880 antibody.

Background: Mounting experimental evidence has underscored the remarkable role played by the Wnt family of proteins in the spinal cord functioning and therapeutic potential in spinal cord injury (SCI). We aim to provide a therapeutic prospect associated with the modulation of canonical Wnt signaling, examining the spatio-temporal expression pattern of Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) and its neutralization after SCI. We employ an intraparenchymal injection of the clinically validated Dkk1-blocking antibody, BHQ880, to elucidate its effects in SCI.

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation of the supplementary motor area decreases corticospinal excitability in the motor cortex: a pilot study.

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that is portable and easy to use. Long-term, home-based treatments with tSMS of the supplementary motor area (SMA) are promising for movement disorders and other brain diseases. The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential of SMA-tSMS for reducing corticospinal excitability.