Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Sheng-Ping Fu, Xiang-Chong Wu, Rui-Lin Yang, De-Zhi Zhao, Jie Cheng, Hu Qian, Jun Ao, Qian Zhang, Tao Zhang
Summary: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder with no effective treatment. Secondary inflammatory responses contribute to the difficulties in neurological recovery. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have shown therapeutic potential by regulating macrophage balance and facilitating tissue repair and regeneration.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qi Li, Yue Guo, Chang Xu, Jiachen Sun, Fanzhuo Zeng, Sen Lin, Yajiang Yuan
Summary: Excessively activated microglia/macrophages (M/Ms) exacerbate inflammation and motor and/or sensory dysfunction after spinal cord injury (SCI). The study shows that FA-PEG/ZIF-8 nanoparticles effectively reduce proinflammatory M/Ms and inflammation in the injured lesion, without targeting other nerve cells. Furthermore, the nanoparticles have minimal toxicity in SCI mice.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexander Younsi, Guoli Zheng, Lennart Riemann, Moritz Scherer, Hao Zhang, Mohamed Tail, Maryam Hatami, Thomas Skutella, Andreas Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: Despite the severity of the cervical spinal cord injury, transplantation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) showed long-term survival and some beneficial effects on functional recovery in a clinically relevant animal model, but did not significantly improve myelination of the injured spinal cord.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rui Lima, Andreia Monteiro, Antonio J. Salgado, Susana Monteiro, Nuno A. Silva
Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that lacks effective treatment options. Recent research has uncovered the complex mechanisms involved in SCI, leading to the development of new therapeutic approaches.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Yuanzhe Ding, Di Zhang, Sheng Wang, Xiaolei Zhang, Jingquan Yang
Summary: Spinal cord injury is a devastating disease causing loss of sensory and motor functions, with a pathological process involving mechanical primary injury and secondary injury. Macrophages play a crucial role in the pathology of SCI, and can be divided into different types. Hematogenous macrophages may have various roles in SCI but their specific function remains controversial.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cong Li, Wu Xiong, Bowen Wan, Guang Kong, Siming Wang, Yingying Wang, Jin Fan
Summary: Secondary spinal cord injury is caused by an irreversible inflammatory response cascade, and the immune system plays a crucial role in mediating inflammation. Investigating the mechanisms and functions of peripheral immune cells at the site of injury is significant for identifying clinical therapeutic targets.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erik Leemhuis, Francesca Favieri, Giuseppe Forte, Mariella Pazzaglia
Summary: This review article provides an overview of the latest interventions for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI), including rehabilitation, neuromodulation, and virtual reality applications. Combining existing resources has the potential to improve the short to medium-term living conditions of patients.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sen Lin, Dan Li, Zipeng Zhou, Chang Xu, Xifan Mei, He Tian
Summary: The study investigates the use of nanobiotechnology for treating spinal cord injury (SCI) and finds that R-DHLA-AuNCs-Zn have comprehensive therapeutic capabilities, especially in suppressing the immune response, which shows promising results in relieving pain and potentially recovering SCI in patients.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Yuanliang Xia, Jianshu Zhu, Ruohan Yang, Hengyi Wang, Yuehong Li, Changfeng Fu
Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) has a significant impact on patient health, and the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) shows promise in treating SCI. Preclinical studies have shown positive results, but the effectiveness of MSCs in clinical practice remains controversial. More research is needed to address the challenges and potential applications of MSCs in the treatment of SCI.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xiao Zhai, Kai Chen, Huan Yang, Bo Li, Tianjunke Zhou, Haojue Wang, Huipeng Zhou, Shaofeng Chen, Xiaoyi Zhou, Xiaozhao Wei, Yushu Bai, Ming Li
Summary: CD73+ hucMSC-EVs ameliorated inflammation after spinal cord injury by reducing extracellular ATP, promoting A2bR/cAMP/PKA pathway and M2/M1 polarization. They may be promising nano drugs for clinical application in SCI therapy.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Yuanliang Xia, Ruohan Yang, Hengyi Wang, Yulin Hou, Yuehong Li, Jianshu Zhu, Feng Xu, Changfeng Fu
Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes significant harm to patients' physical, mental, and financial health. Inflammation is an important factor affecting SCI recovery, and the modulation of macrophage phenotypes appears to be a meaningful therapeutic target. Biomaterials, with their targeting and bio-compatibility properties, hold potential in modulating macrophage phenotypes for SCI recovery.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Zhen Li, Zehui Li, Zhenyue Chen, He Sun, Zhagen Yuan, Xiaochao Wang, Jinqiang Wei, Xuewei Cao, Decai Zheng
Summary: Andro has shown neuroprotective effects against spinal cord injury (SCI) by reducing apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation, promoting axonal regeneration and remyelination, leading to tissue repair and functional recovery.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Agnes E. Haggerty, Ines Maldonado-Lasuncion, Yohshiro Nitobe, Kentaro Yamane, Megan M. Marlow, Hua You, Chi Zhang, Brian Cho, Xiaowei Li, Sashank Reddy, Hai-Quan Mao, Martin Oudega
Summary: The study found that combining MSC and NHC for treating spinal cord injuries can reduce the number of inflammatory cells, promote a shift from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory environment at the injury site, decrease injury size, increase the presence of astrocytes and axons, but has no significant impact on MSC transplant survival and hind limb function.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenjie Zhong, Dongjie Shi, Junjie Zhou, Yaying Yang, Bochu Wang, Xiaochuan Sun, Qian Shu, Wenfeng Li, Yongzhi Xia, Lei Ao, KangLin Xiong, Shilei Hao, Haijian Xia
Summary: This study explores the anti-inflammatory activity of 17 types of human hair keratins and finds that keratin 33A and 35 have superior anti-inflammatory effects. The in vivo experiments using a rat spinal cord injury model confirm the outstanding performance of recombinant keratin 33A nanofiber in promoting nerve regeneration and improving locomotor function recovery.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Pasquale Romanelli, Lara Bieler, Patrick Heimel, Sinisa Skokic, Dominika Jakubecova, Christina Kreutzer, Pia Zaunmair, Tomislav Smolcic, Bruno Benedetti, Eva Rohde, Mario Gimona, David Hercher, Marina Dobrivojevic Radmilovic, Sebastien Couillard-Despres
Summary: Intralesional application of EVs after spinal cord injury leads to better motor recovery and reduces inflammation and scarring more effectively than intravenous administration.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Emergency Medicine
Alexander Younsi, Jessica Fischer, Cleo Habel, Lennart Riemann, Moritz Scherer, Andreas Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: The incidence of acute subdural hematomas (aSDH) is increasing, and the beneficial effects of surgery for the oldest aSDH patients are unclear. A study compared the postoperative outcomes of octa- and nonagenarians with aSDH to a younger patient cohort, finding that predictors for a favorable outcome in older patients included a non-comatose state on admission, <= 1 preexisting comorbidity, and a lower aSDH volume. Surgical evacuation of aSDH might still be a treatment option even in elderly patients.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TRAUMA AND EMERGENCY SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alexander Younsi, Lennart Riemann, Basem Ishak, Moritz Scherer, Andreas W. Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed the neurological outcomes of patients with complete motor paralysis due to MSCC after decompressive surgery. The results showed neurological improvement in the majority of patients, with some even regaining the ability to walk post-surgery. The rate of complications was low, with the Karnofsky Performance Index demonstrating significant predictive value for ambulatory status at discharge.
CLINICAL NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSURGERY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Hao Zhang, Alexander Younsi, Guoli Zheng, Mohamed Tail, Anna-Kathrin Harms, Judith Roth, Maryam Hatami, Thomas Skutella, Andreas Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: Intrathecal administration of Sonic Hedgehog showed neuroprotective effects in rats after thoracic spinal cord injury, including attenuated neuroinflammation, reduced astrogliosis, and improved functional recovery. This study provides a new potential therapeutic strategy for treating spinal cord injuries with intrathecal administration of Sonic Hedgehog.
EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lennart Riemann, Daphne C. Voormolen, Katrin Rauen, Klaus Zweckberger, Andreas Unterberg, Alexander Younsi
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of postconcussive symptoms and their relation to health-related quality of life in pediatric and adolescent patients with mild traumatic brain injuries who received head CT imaging. The results showed that patients requiring head CT imaging exhibited signs of increased trauma severity, with one-third experiencing postconcussive symptoms and 13% being diagnosed with PCS 6 months after injury, which was significantly associated with decreased HRQOL.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY-PEDIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Guoli Zheng, Alexander Younsi, Moritz Scherer, Lennart Riemann, Johannes Walter, Thomas Skutella, Andreas Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: By studying the validity and relevance of CatWalk XT(R) gait analysis in a cervical SCI rat model, researchers found that severe spinal cord injury caused significant gait impairment, but most parameters showed significant spontaneous recovery in the following weeks, with a stronger correlation with the percentage of preserved tissue.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alexander Younsi, Lennart Riemann, Cleo Habel, Jessica Fischer, Christopher Beynon, Andreas W. Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: In an aging Western society, the incidence of chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH) is increasing. A study on 623 patients treated for cSDH from 2006 to 2016 found that comorbidities, not antithrombotic drugs, were an independent predictor for the need for reoperations. Patients on anticoagulants and antiplatelets may have more comorbidities, but their clinical outcomes after surgical evacuation of cSDH are comparable to those without antithrombotics.
NEUROSURGICAL REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mohammed Issa, Karl L. Kiening, Andreas W. Unterberg, Moritz Scherer, Alexander Younsi, Stepan Fedorko, Rod J. Oskouian, Jens R. Chapman, Basem Ishak
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed 15 patients over 90 years of age who underwent CT-guided posterior stabilization for unstable odontoid type II fractures, showing that the surgical treatment is safe and effective with low complications and mortality rates. The average follow-up time was 36 months.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Mohamed Tail, Hao Zhang, Guoli Zheng, Maryam Hatami, Thomas Skutella, Andreas Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger, Alexander Younsi
Summary: The Sonic Hedgehog protein plays a crucial role in the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of neural precursor cells, especially under inflammatory stress. Inhibition of the Shh pathway reduces NPC survival, neuronal differentiation, and increases astroglial differentiation.
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Johannes Walter, Olga Kovalenko, Alexander Younsi, Martin Grutza, Andreas Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of IL-4 deficiency on brain damage and functional impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. The results showed that IL-4 reduced structural damage and improved functional outcome in the acute phase after controlled cortical impact. Assessment of motor function in the first 3 days after trauma induction is important in IL-4-related studies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Thomas A. van Essen, Hester F. Lingsma, Dana Pisica, Ranjit D. Singh, Victor Volovici, Hugo F. den Boogert, Alexander Younsi, Lianne D. Peppel, Majanka H. Heijenbrok-Kal, Gerard M. Ribbers, Robert Walchenbach, David K. Menon, Peter Hutchinson, Bart Depreitere, Ewout W. Steyerberg, Andrew I. R. Maas, Godard C. W. de Ruiter, Wilco C. Peul
Summary: This study compared the effectiveness of a strategy preferring acute surgical evacuation with initial conservative treatment in acute subdural haematoma, finding that treatment approaches varied depending on the treating center and no superiority of acute surgical evacuation was observed over conservative treatment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Johannes Walter, Jannis Mende, Samuel Hutagalung, Martin Grutza, Alexander Younsi, Guoli Zheng, Andreas W. Unterberg, Klaus Zweckberger
Summary: This study evaluated the value of using CatWalk XT(R) for gait assessment in combination with histologic evaluation in experimental TBI. The results showed that the correlation between CatWalk XT(R) parameters and lesion size was poor, while dynamic single paw parameters were more relevant in the chronic phase.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lennart Riemann, Obada T. Alhalabi, Andreas W. W. Unterberg, Alexander Younsi
Summary: Spine injuries are common in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, they analyzed data from a European multi-center study to assess the prevalence and outcomes of patients with TBI and concurrent spinal injuries. They found that after 6 months, mortality, unfavorable outcomes, and full recovery rates were comparable between TBI patients with and without concomitant spinal injuries. However, in patients with mild TBI, concomitant spinal injuries were associated with a negative predictor for full recovery.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Katrin Rauen, Lara Reichelt, Philipp Probst, Alexander Younsi, Malte Claussen, Barbara Schapers, Friedemann Mueller, Klaus Jahn, Nikolaus Plesnila
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
Lennart Riemann, Erta Beqiri, Alexander Younsi, Marek Czosnyka, Peter Smielewski