Amelioration of spinal cord compressive injury by pharmacological preconditioning with erythropoietin and a nonerythropoietic erythropoietin derivative.

Object Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating clinical syndrome for which no truly efficacious therapy has yet been identified. In preclinical studies, erythropoietin (EPO) and its nonerythropoietic derivatives asialoEPO and carbamylated EPO have markedly improved functional outcome when administered after compressive SCI. However, an optimum treatment paradigm is currently unknown. Because the uninjured spinal cord expresses a high density of EPO receptor (EPOR) in the basal state, signaling through these existing receptors in advance of injury (pharmacological preconditioning) might confer neuroprotection and therefore be potentially useful in situations of anticipated damage. Methods…

Role of Erythropoietin in Cerebral Glioma: An Innovative Target in Neuro-Oncology

Background: Erythropoietin (EPO) is a cytokine primarily involved in the regulation of erythropoiesis. In response to hypoxia–ischemia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 induces EPO production, which, in turn, inhibits apoptosis of erythroid progenitor cells. By the same mechanism and acting through other signaling pathways, EPO exerts neuroprotective effects. Increased resistance to hypoxia and decreased apoptosis are thought to be important mechanisms for tumor progression, including malignant glioma. Because recent studies have demonstrated that EPO and its receptor (EPOR) are expressed in several tumors and can promote tumor growth, in the present study, we investigated EPO and EPOR expression…

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in the assessment of cerebral circulation arrest: improving sensitivity by trancervical and transorbital carotid insonation and serial examinations

INTRODUCTION: Transcranial Doppler (TCD) can detect the cerebral circulation arrest (CCA) in brain death. TCD is highly specific, but less sensitive because of false-negatives accounting for up to 10%. The aim of the study was to explore the diagnostic accuracy of TCD and to determine whether it can be augmented by strategies such as the insonation of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) and sequential examinations. METHODS: Data of 184 patients, who met clinical criteria of brain death, observed from 1998 through 2006, were retrospectively reviewed. The study of cerebral arteries was performed through the transtemporal approach, suboccipital insonation of the vertebro-basilar sys…

Ruolo dell’imaging funzionale nel management delle emorragie cerebrali atipiche: proposta di un protocollo diagnostico derivato dalla sperimentazione clinica

Expression of the tumor necrosis factor receptor—associated factors 1 and 2 and regulation of the nuclear factor—kB antiapoptotic activity in human gliomas

Object. Tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)—associated factors (TRAFs) are a recently established group of proteins involved in the intracellular signaling of the TNFR superfamily members. The TRAFs have been implicated in promoting cell survival through the activation of transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)—κB. The authors investigated the expression of NF-κB, caspase 3, TRAF1, TRAF2, and TRAF-associated NF-κB activator/TRAF—interacting protein (TANK/I-TRAF), a regulator of TRAF activity, in human gliomas. Methods. Tumor samples were obtained in 27 adult patients harboring seven low-grade gliomas, nine anaplastic astrocytomas, and 11 glioblastomas multiforme. The NF-κB activation was…