scholarly journals A Simple and Cost-Effective Weight Drop Model to Induce Contusive Spinal Cord Injury: Functional and Histological Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiva Hashemizadeh ◽  
Saereh Hoseindoost ◽  
Khalil Pestei ◽  
Mahmoudreza Hadjighassem
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sensory Function ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Male Wistar Rats ◽  
Weight Drop ◽  
Contusive Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Hind Limb Paralysis

Background: Animal spinal cord injury (SCI) models have provided a better perception of the mechanisms related to traumatic SCI and evaluation of the effectiveness of experimental therapeutic interventions. Objectives: The aim of this study is to develop a cost-effective modified Allen's device to induce contusive spinal cord injury. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to contusive spinal cord injury using a customized weight drop model through 10-g weights delivered from a 25-mm height onto an exposed spinal cord. Locomotor and sensory function during 28 days were assessed. Moreover, histopathological changes were assessed at one week and 28 days post SCI. Results: All the SCI rats showed hind limb paralysis up to 48 h post SCI and neuropathic pain after injury. Histological changes similar to the previous reports for contusion model were observed. Conclusions: According to our findings, little variability was observed in the BBB score of individual rats at 28 days after injury. Our customized device to induce spinal cord injury is a simple and inexpensive alternative method to the highly sophisticated contusion device commonly used to induce SCI.

scholarly journals Involvement of Asc and Nlrp3 inflammasomes in the testes following spinal cord injury

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-108
Author(s):  
Hajar Ramezanikhah ◽  
Ahmad Farrokhi ◽  
Reza Nejatbakhsh ◽  
Saeed Shokri ◽  
Adib Zendedel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Tunel Staining ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Male Subfertility ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Male Wistar Rats ◽  
Weight Drop

AbstractObjective. The exact mechanism, by which spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to a male subfertility is not well-known. Present study was conducted to determine the mechanisms that lead to the elevated end-product cytokines and inflammasomes in the testes of an SCI rat model. Moreover, we evaluated the inflammasome components following SCI in testis over a defined time periods.Methods. Weight drop technique was used to induce SCI at the level of the T10 vertebra in male Wistar rats. The animals were sacrificed at specific time intervals (3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 day’s post-SCI). mRNA levels of inflammasomes and cytokines were measured by real-time PCR, germ cells apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL staining, and the epithelium of seminiferous tubules by Miller’s and Johnsen’s scores.Results. The results showed activation of Nlrp3 in the testes of SCI animals at different time points. Expression of Nlrp3 and IL-1β sharply increased 14 days after the SCI. Upregulation of IL-1β and IL-18 at days 14 and 21 post-SCI might disintegrate the epithelium of seminiferous tubules at day 14 and induce germ cells apoptosis, increase abnormal sperm cells, and attenuate motility and viability at 21 days post-SCI.Conclusion. This study provided further evidence of innate immunity activation in testes that could lead to more disruption of spermatogenesis in SCI patients at specific times.

scholarly journals Training-Induced Functional Gains following SCI

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Ward ◽  
A. N. Herrity ◽  
S. J. Harkema ◽  
C. H. Hubscher
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Bladder Function ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Contusion Injury ◽  
General Exercise ◽  
Male Wistar Rats ◽  
Limb Kinematics ◽  
Contusive Spinal Cord Injury

We previously demonstrated that daily, hour-long training sessions significantly improved both locomotor (limb kinematics, gait, and hindlimb flexor-extensor bursting patterns) and nonlocomotor (bladder function and at-level mechanical allodynia) functions following a moderate contusive spinal cord injury. The amount of training needed to achieve this recovery is unknown. Furthermore, whether this recovery is induced primarily by neuronal activity below the lesion or other aspects related to general exercise is unclear. Therefore, the current study objectives were to (1) test the efficacy of 30 minutes of step training for recovery following a clinically relevant contusion injury in male Wistar rats and (2) test the efficacy of training without hindlimb engagement. The results indicate that as little as 30 minutes of step training six days per week enhances overground locomotion in male rats with contusive spinal cord injury but does not alter allodynia or bladder function. Thirty minutes of forelimb-only exercise did not alter locomotion, allodynia, or bladder function, and neither training protocol altered the amount of in-cage activity. Taken together, locomotor improvements were facilitated by hindlimb step training for 30 minutes, but longer durations of training are required to affect nonlocomotor systems.

scholarly journals Spinal‐Cord Injury Treatment: Effective Modulation of CNS Inhibitory Microenvironment using Bioinspired Hybrid‐Nanoscaffold‐Based Therapeutic Interventions (Adv. Mater. 43/2020)

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (43) ◽  
pp. 2070325
Author(s):  
Letao Yang ◽  
Brian M. Conley ◽  
Susana R. Cerqueira ◽  
Thanapat Pongkulapa ◽  
Shenqiang Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Injury Treatment

scholarly journals The effect of spinal cord injury on the neurochemical properties of vagal sensory neurons

2015 ◽  
Vol 308 (12) ◽  
pp. R1021-R1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
April N. Herrity ◽  
Jeffrey C. Petruska ◽  
David P. Stirling ◽  
Kristofer K. Rau ◽  
Charles H. Hubscher
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Vagus Nerve ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Vagal Afferents ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Male Wistar Rats ◽  
Neurochemical Plasticity ◽  
Isolectin B4

The vagus nerve is composed primarily of nonmyelinated sensory neurons whose cell bodies are located in the nodose ganglion (NG). The vagus has widespread projections that supply most visceral organs, including the bladder. Because of its nonspinal route, the vagus nerve itself is not directly damaged from spinal cord injury (SCI). Because most viscera, including bladder, are dually innervated by spinal and vagal sensory neurons, an impact of SCI on the sensory component of vagal circuitry may contribute to post-SCI visceral pathologies. To determine whether SCI, in male Wistar rats, might impact neurochemical characteristics of NG neurons, immunohistochemical assessments were performed for P2X3 receptor expression, isolectin B4 (IB4) binding, and substance P expression, three known injury-responsive markers in sensory neuronal subpopulations. In addition to examining the overall population of NG neurons, those innervating the urinary bladder also were assessed separately. All three of the molecular markers were represented in the NG from noninjured animals, with the majority of the neurons binding IB4. In the chronically injured rats, there was a significant increase in the number of NG neurons expressing P2X3 and a significant decrease in the number binding IB4 compared with noninjured animals, a finding that held true also for the bladder-innervating population. Overall, these results indicate that vagal afferents, including those innervating the bladder, display neurochemical plasticity post-SCI that may have implications for visceral homeostatic mechanisms and nociceptive signaling.

scholarly journals LOTUS Inhibits Neuronal Apoptosis and Promotes Tract Regeneration in Contusive Spinal Cord Injury Model Mice

eNeuro ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. ENEURO.0303-18.2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhei Ito ◽  
Narihito Nagoshi ◽  
Osahiko Tsuji ◽  
Shinsuke Shibata ◽  
Munehisa Shinozaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Neuronal Apoptosis ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury Model ◽  
Injury Model ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Contusive Spinal Cord Injury

Ultrastructural scoring of graded acute spinal cord injury in the rat

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erkan Kaptanoglu ◽  
Selcuk Palaoglu ◽  
H. Selcuk Surucu ◽  
Mutlu Hayran ◽  
Etem Beskonakli
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Traumatic Injury ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Contusion Injury ◽  
Weight Drop ◽  
Fine Print

Object. There is a need for an accurate quantitative histological technique that also provides information on neurons, axons, vascular endothelium, and subcellular organelles after spinal cord injury (SCI). In this paper the authors describe an objective, quantifiable technique for determining the severity of SCI. The usefulness of ultrastructural scoring of acute SCI was assessed in a rat model of contusion injury. Methods. Spinal cords underwent acute contusion injury by using varying weights to produce graded SCI. Adult Wistar rats were divided into five groups. In the first group control animals underwent laminectomy only, after which nontraumatized spinal cord samples were obtained 8 hours postsurgery. The weight-drop technique was used to produce 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-g/cm injuries. Spinal cord samples were also obtained in the different trauma groups 8 hours after injury. Behavioral assessment and ultrastructural evaluation were performed in all groups. When the intensity of the traumatic injury was increased, behavioral responses showed a decreasing trend. A similar significant negative correlation was observed between trauma-related intensity and ultrastructural scores. Conclusions. In the present study the authors characterize quantitative ultrastructural scoring of SCI in the acute, early postinjury period. Analysis of these results suggests that this method is useful in evaluating the degree of trauma and the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in neuroprotection studies.

scholarly journals Prevention and treatment of pressure sore following spinal cord injury

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 623-632
Author(s):  
Myeong Ok Kim
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Pressure Ulcer ◽  
Wound Care ◽  
Pressure Sore ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Pressure Sores ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Pressure Injury

Pressure sores or pressure injury is a serious complication of a spinal cord injury (SCI), representing a challenging problem for patients, their caregivers, and their physicians. Persons with SCI are vulnerable to pressure sores throughout their life. Pressure sores can potentially interfere with the physical, psychosocial, and overall quality of life. Outcomes directly depend on education and prevention along with conservative and surgical management. Therefore, it is very important to understand everything about pressure sores following SCI. This review covers epidemiology, cost, pathophysiology, risk factors, staging, evaluation tools, prevention, education, conservative wound care methods, surgical treatment, and future trends in wound healing related to post-SCI pressure sores. A change in nomenclature was adopted by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel in 2016, replacing “pressure ulcer”with “pressure injury.” New concepts of pressure injury staging, such as suspected deep tissue injuries and unstageable pressure injuries, were also introduced. A systematic evidence-based review of the prevention of and therapeutic interventions for pressure sores was also discussed.

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