Search results for "Spinal"
showing 10 items of 906 documents
Injections of Particulate Steroids for Nerve Root Blockade: Ultrastructural Examination of Complicating Factors
2014
Selective nerve root block by a transforaminal approach with radiological control allows injection of an appropriate corticosteroid next to the nerve root, although it has been associated with major neurological complications in a few cases. There have been several reports in which corticosteroid injections performed at the level of the cervical or lumbar spine have led to severe spinal cord ischemic infarction. These have occurred independently of whether the procedure was performed under radiological control, in which the tip of the needle is identified to prevent vascular spreading of the solution injected.
Cell expression of GDAP1 in the nervous system and pathogenesis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 4A disease
2007
Abstract Mutations in the mitochondrial protein GDAP1 are the cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 4A disease (CMT4A), a severe form of peripheral neuropathy associated with either demyelinating, axonal or intermediate pheno-types. GDAP1 is located in the outer mitochondrial membrane and it seems that may be related with the mitochondrial network dynamics. We are interested to define cell expression in the nervous system and the effect of mutations in mitochondrial morphology and pathogenesis of the disease. We investigated GDAP1 expression in the nervous system and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neuron cultures. GDAP1 is expressed in motor and sensory neurons of the spinal cord and other large neu…
Regulation of neurogenesis by neurotrophins in developing spinal sensory ganglia.
2002
Neurons and glia in spinal sensory ganglia derive from multipotent neural crest-derived stem cells. In contrast to neural progenitor cells in the central nervous system, neural crest progenitors coexist with differentiated sensory neurons all throughout the neurogenic period. Thus, developing sensory ganglia are advantageous for determining the possible influence of cell-cell interactions in the regulation of precursor proliferation and neurogenesis. Neurotrophins are important regulators of neuronal survival in the developing vertebrate nervous system and, in addition, they appear to influence precursor behavior in vitro. Studies in mice carrying mutations in neurotrophin genes provide a g…
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its soluble receptor support survival of sensory neurons
1999
The cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) has multiple functions in the immune and hematopoietic systems. IL-6 is related to ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), a trophic factor for motoneurons, sensory dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, and other neuronal subpopulations. Both act via related receptor complexes, consisting of one ligand-specific α-receptor subunit (IL-6R and CNTFR, respectively) and two signal-transducing receptor components. Even though IL-6 is expressed by neurons and glia, the functions of IL-6 in the nervous system are poorly understood. Here, we report that exogenous human IL-6 promotes the survival of dissociated newborn rat DRG neurons in vitro if supplemented with soluble …
The Role of Erythropoietin in Neuroprotection: Therapeutic Perspectives
2007
Nervous system diseases are very complex conditions comprising a large variety of local and systemic responses. Several therapeutic agents interfering with all or in part the biochemical steps that ultimately cause neuronal death have been demonstrated to be neuroprotective in preclinical models. However, all the agents so far investigated have inexorably failed in the phase III trials carried out. A large body of evidence suggests that the hormone erythropoietin (EPO), besides its well-known hematopoietic action, exerts beneficial effects in the central nervous system. EPO's effect has been assessed in several experimental models of brain and spinal cord injury thus becoming a serious cand…
Distribution of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) in the central and peripheral nervous systems of the rat.
1994
Expression of the acetylcholine biosynthetic enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), and the high-affinity plasma membrane choline transporter uniquely defines the cholinergic phenotype in the mammalian central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. The distribution of cells expressing the messenger RNA encoding the recently cloned VAChT in the rat CNS and PNS is described here. The pattern of expression of VAChT mRNA is consistent with anatomical, pharmacological, and histochemical information on the distribution of functional cholinergic neurons in the brain and peripheral tissues of the rat. VAChT mRNA-containing cells are present in…
Glial precursors clear sensory neuron corpses during development via Jedi-1, an engulfment receptor
2009
During the development of peripheral ganglia, 50% of the neurons that are generated undergo apoptosis. How the massive numbers of corpses are removed is unknown. We found that satellite glial cell precursors are the primary phagocytic cells for apoptotic corpse removal in developing mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Confocal and electron microscopic analysis revealed that glial precursors, rather than macrophages, were responsible for clearing most of the dead DRG neurons. Moreover, we identified Jedi-1, an engulfment receptor, and MEGF10, a purported engulfment receptor, as homologs of the invertebrate engulfment receptors Draper and CED-1 expressed in the glial precursor cells. Expression …
Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
2020
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating neurologic condition with tremendous socioeconomic impact on affected individuals and the health care system. The treatment of SCI principally includes surgical treatment and marginal pharmacologic and rehabilitation therapies targeting secondary events with minor clinical improvements. This unsuccessful result mainly reflects the complexity of SCI pathophysiology and the diverse biochemical and physiologic changes that occur in the injured spinal cord. Once the nervous system is injured, cascades of cellular and molecular events are triggered at varying times. Although the cascade of tissue reactions and cell injury develops over a period of days …
Engineered axon tracts within tubular biohybrid scaffolds
2021
[EN] Injuries to the nervous system that involve the disruption of axonal pathways are devastating to the individual and require specific tissue engineering strategies. Here we analyse a cells-biomaterials strategy to overcome the obstacles limiting axon regeneration in vivo, based on the combination of a hyaluronic acid (HA) single-channel tubular conduit filled with poly-L-lactide acid (PLA) fibres in its lumen, with pre-cultured Schwann cells (SCs) as cells supportive of axon extension. The HA conduit and PLA fibres sustain the proliferation of SC, which enhance axon growth acting as a feeder layer and growth factor pumps. The parallel unidirectional ensemble formed by PLA fibres and SC …
Neurofilament light chain levels reflect outcome in a patient with glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 antibody–positive autoimmune encephalitis under imm…
2020
Neurological immune-mediated side effects are rare but often severe complications of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment. This report describes a severe case of nivolumab/ipilimumab-associated glutamic acid decarboxylase 65-positive autoimmune encephalitis. It proposes neurofilament light chain levels, a biomarker indicating axonal damage, in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum as a putative novel biomarker for this diagnostically and therapeutically challenging entity with an often unfavorable outcome. Additionally, we provide an overview of previous reports of patients developing autoimmune encephalitis under ICI treatment.