Review
Neurosciences
Rakib Uddin Ahmed, Chase A. Knibbe, Felicia Wilkins, Leslie C. Sherwood, Dena R. Howland, Maxwell Boakye
Summary: Animal models are important for spinal cord injury research. Small animal models have advantages in terms of management and cost, but their neurologic and anatomical differences may limit their translation to humans. In contrast, large animal models are more similar to humans and have greater translational value in studying spinal cord injury.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Mille Theo, Bonilla Aurelie, Guillaud Etienne, S. Bertrand Sandrine, Menuet Clement, Cazalets Jean-Rene
Summary: Spinal cord injury not only impairs sensorimotor control but also dys-regulates autonomic functions, leading to cardiovascular disturbances. A coupling mechanism between motor and sympathetic neuronal networks exists in the spinal cord, and cholinergic neurons may play a role in synchronized activation of both outputs. This study investigates the effects of cholinergic muscarinic agonists on cardiovascular parameters in rats with spinal cord injury.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Connor A. Wathen, Yohannes G. Ghenbot, Ali K. Ozturk, D. Kacy Cullen, John C. O'Donnell, Dmitriy Petrov
Summary: Large animal models, particularly porcine models, of spinal cord injury are valuable for translational research and evaluation of potential therapies. The anatomical and physiological similarities to humans allow for more representative models and accurate assessment of novel treatments, including biologics. Porcine models also facilitate the collection of physiological data in a clinical-like setting. This review provides an overview of porcine spinal cord injury research, including available models and outcome measures, as well as the strengths, limitations, and alternatives.
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Femke Streijger, Kyoung-Tae Kim, Kitty So, Neda Manouchehri, Katelyn Shortt, Elena B. Okon, Charlotte Morrison, Allan Fong, Rishab Gupta, Aysha Allard Brown, Seth Tigchelaar, Jenny Sun, Ella Liu, Martin Keung, Chris D. Daly, Peter A. Cripton, Mypinder S. Sekhon, Donald E. Griesdale, Brian K. Kwon
Summary: In a porcine model of SCI, duraplasty did not show clear evidence of long-term benefit in behavioral or tissue sparing outcomes after acute injury. The immediate effects of duraplasty on intraparenchymal hemodynamic and metabolic responses were observed, but there was no improvement in hindlimb locomotion or tissue damage reduction over the course of 12 weeks.
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryan Solinsky, Adina Draghici, Jason W. Hamner, Rich Goldstein, J. Andrew Taylor
Summary: The study investigated the impact of whole-body exercise on cardiovasovagal baroreflex sensitivity in individuals with spinal cord injury. Results showed that whole-body exercise significantly improved baroreflex sensitivity, especially for patients who initially received the whole-body exercise program.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tao Jiang, Tao Qin, Peng Gao, Zhiwen Tao, Xiaowei Wang, Mengyuan Wu, Jun Gu, Bo Chu, Ziyang Zheng, Jiang Yi, Tao Xu, Yifan Huang, Hao Liu, Shujie Zhao, Yongxin Ren, Jian Chen, Guoyong Yin
Summary: The expression of SIRT1 in spinal cord endothelial cells is decreased after spinal cord injury (SCI). SIRT1 has the ability to reduce endothelial reactive oxygen species production and protect endothelial barrier function, indicating its potential as a therapeutic target for promoting functional recovery against blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) disruption following SCI.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Perry Dhaliwal, Alwyn Gomez, Frederick Adam Zeiler
Summary: Acute traumatic spinal cord injury is commonly treated with surgical decompression and instrumentation of the spine. However, the evidence for these methods is limited. There is now interest in measuring spinal cord perfusion pressure through monitoring mean arterial pressure and intraspinal pressure. This study successfully used a strain gauge pressure transducer to measure intraspinal pressure and derive spinal cord perfusion pressure.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chase A. Knibbe, Rakib Uddin Ahmed, Felicia Wilkins, Mayur Sharma, Jay Ethridge, Monique Morgan, Destiny Gibson, Kimberly B. Cooper, Dena R. Howland, Manicka V. Vadhanam, Shirish S. Barve, Steven Davison, Leslie C. Sherwood, Jack Semler, Thomas Abell, Maxwell Boakye
Summary: Gastrointestinal (GI) complications following spinal cord injury (SCI) are associated with poor outcomes. The SmartPill (TM) capsule can be used to assess effects in GI function post-injury. Our minipig model allows us to evaluate these post-injury changes, optimizing interventions and improving GI function.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Bo Xu, Jiaqi Fang, Jianguang Wang, Xuehan Jin, Shengfu Liu, Kaihang Song, Ping Wang, Junjian Liu, Shuhao Liu
Summary: This study investigated the protective effect of edaravone on blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) disruption after spinal cord injury (SCI). The results showed that edaravone treatment promoted functional recovery, improved vascular damage, and up-regulated BSCB-associated proteins in rats with SCI. In vitro experiments also demonstrated that edaravone improved cell viability, restored intercellular junctions, and promoted angiogenic activities. The underlying mechanism may involve the improvement of autophagy and the phosphorylation of RIP1/RIP3/MLKL. Overall, edaravone can be a potential treatment option for SCI.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rikke Middelhede Hansen, Klaus Krogh, Joan Sundby, Andrei Krassioukov, Ellen Merete Hagen
Summary: Postprandial hypotension (PPH) occurs in almost half of SCI patients after meals, with 96% of episodes being asymptomatic. The study also found that PPH is associated with older age, level of injury, and complete SCI, but further research is needed to determine if PPH contributes to the increased cardiovascular mortality in the SCI population.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Abel Torres-Espin, Jenny Haefeli, Reza Ehsanian, Dolores Torres, Carlos A. Almeida, J. Russell Huie, Austin Chou, Dmitriy Morozov, Nicole Sanderson, Benjamin Dirlikov, Catherine G. Suen, Jessica L. Nielson, Nikos Kyritsis, Debra D. Hemmerle, Jason F. Talbott, Geoffrey T. Manley, Sanjay S. Dhall, William D. Whetstone, Jacqueline C. Bresnahan, Michael S. Beattie, Stephen L. McKenna, Jonathan Z. Pan, Adam R. Ferguson
Summary: The study found that controlling blood pressure in the range of 76 to 104-117 mmHg during spinal cord surgery is beneficial for neuronal recovery, while deviating from this range dramatically worsens the ability to recover. The findings suggest that dysregulation of blood pressure during surgery affects the odds of recovery in patients with a spinal cord injury.
Article
Immunology
Zhou Feng, Lingxia Min, Liang Liang, Beike Chen, Hui Chen, Yi Zhou, Weiwei Deng, Hongliang Liu, Jingming Hou
Summary: It has been discovered that infiltrated neutrophils in spinal cord injury produce NETs, promoting neuroinflammation and blood-spinal cord barrier disruption, exacerbating SCI. Inhibition or disruption of NETs formation can alleviate damage and promote functional recovery after SCI.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nicole M. Vecin, David R. Gater
Summary: This manuscript reviews the risk of pressure injuries caused by spinal cord injury and discusses the multidisciplinary approach required to prevent and treat these injuries in the vulnerable population.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Soshi Samejima, Claire Shackleton, Raza N. Malik, Kawami Cao, Anibal Bohorquez, Tom E. Nightingale, Rahul Sachdeva, Andrei V. Krassioukov
Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to severe cardiovascular dysfunction, and autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is one of the causes of high blood pressure in SCI patients. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been considered as a potential intervention to alleviate unstable blood pressure after SCI. This case series demonstrates the real-time effect of epidural SCS (eSCS) at the lumbosacral spinal cord in mitigating AD in individuals with SCI.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Benoit Beliard, Chaimae Ahmanna, Elodie Tiran, Kadia Kante, Thomas Deffieux, Mickael Tanter, Fatiha Nothias, Sylvia Soares, Sophie Pezet
Summary: Acute spinal cord injury results in severe damage to the microvascular network. This study uses ultrafast Doppler imaging and ultrasound localization microscopy to analyze the structural and functional vascular alterations during chronic SCI. The results show hemodynamic alterations in the spinal cord and correlations between vascular dysfunction biomarkers and SCI severity. This imaging modality can be used to evaluate vascular function recovery and predict treatment outcomes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sally Winther, Marie S. Isidor, Astrid L. Basse, Nina Skjoldborg, Amanda Cheung, Bjorn Quistorff, Jacob B. Hansen
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeffrey S. Dason, Amanda Cheung, Ina Anreiter, Vanessa A. Montemurri, Aaron M. Allen, Marla B. Sokolowski
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Tahereh Rashnavadi, Andrew Macnab, Amanda Cheung, Armita Shadgan, Brian K. Kwon, Babak Shadgan
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Amanda Cheung, Femke Streijger, Kitty So, Elena B. Okon, Neda Manouchehri, Katelyn Shortt, Kyoung-Tae Kim, Martin Sheung Man Keung, Ryan M. Chan, Allan Fong, Jenny Sun, Donald E. Griesdale, Mypinder S. Sehkon, Brian K. Kwon
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA
(2020)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Amanda Cheung, Lorna Tu, Neda Manouchehri, Kyoung-Tae Kim, Kitty So, Megan Webster, Shera Fisk, Seth Tigchelaar, Sara S. Dalkilic, Eric C. Sayre, Femke Streijger, Andrew Macnab, Brian K. Kwon, Babak Shadgan
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Amanda Cheung, Lorna Tu, Andrew Macnab, Brian K. Kwon, Babak Shadgan
Summary: In this study, researchers compared the response of transcutaneous muscle NIRS measures with pulse oximetry SpO(2) during hypoxia in Yucatan miniature pigs. They found that transcutaneous muscle NIRS detected the effects of hypoxia significantly sooner than pulse oximetry. This suggests that a transcutaneous NIRS sensor may be a useful tool in clinical settings for detecting changes in oxygen saturation earlier than the standard pulse oximeter.
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Biomedical
Amanda Cheung, Shahbaz Askari, Farnaz Sahragard, Katharina Raschdorf, Megan Webster, Audrey Warner, Jay Ethridge, Kitty So, Garret Frank, Julia Hill, Femke Streijger, Brian K. Kwon, Babak Shadgan
Summary: This study presents an implantable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor for real-time monitoring of spinal cord oxygenation and hemodynamics in acute spinal cord injury (SCI) models. The improved design of the sensor was fixed to the spinal cord for up to 14 days post-injury, providing a potential clinical application. The sensor was mounted on a flexible PCB and secured with a fibrin sealant, eliminating the need for additional spinal fixation devices.
BIOPHOTONICS IN EXERCISE SCIENCE, SPORTS MEDICINE, HEALTH MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES, AND WEARABLES III
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Biomedical
Farnaz Sahragard, Amanda Cheung, Femke Streijger, Shahbaz Askari, Brian Kwon, Babak Shadgan
Summary: This study developed an implantable optical sensor for monitoring spinal cord oxygenation and hemodynamics in patients with acute spinal cord injury. The sensor was evaluated for its potential compression damage to the spinal cord using histological analysis. After revisions, a refined sensor was found to have no compression damage to the porcine spinal cord after implantation for 4.5 hours.
BIOPHOTONICS IN EXERCISE SCIENCE, SPORTS MEDICINE, HEALTH MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES, AND WEARABLES III
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Biophysics
A. Cheung, L. Tu, F. Sahragard, B. Shadgan
BIOPHOTONICS IN EXERCISE SCIENCE, SPORTS MEDICINE, HEALTH MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES, AND WEARABLES
(2020)