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Objective To observe the expression of vimentin (Vim) after silence of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in rats with spinal cord contusion (SCC). Methods The model of SCC was established in 30 Sprague-Dawley rats with Allen's method. The rats were randomized into vector group (n=15) and silence group (n=15), which were injected blank lentivirus vector and vector of IL-1β siRNA, respectively; and divided in three, seven and 28 days subgroups. The relationship between IL-1βand Vim was predicted with GeneMANIA bioinformatics. The expression of Vim protein and mRNA in spinal cord was detected with immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results GeneMANIA bioinformatic analysis indicated that there was some direct and indirect relationship between IL-1β and Vim. The Vim protein and mRNA expressed in the spinal cord, and was less in the silence group than in the vector group (t>2.875, P<0.05). Conclusion Silence of IL-1β can inhibit the expression of Vim in SCC rats, which may promote the recovery of spinal cord function.
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Objective To explore the expression of aquaporin (AQP)-4 in white matter of spinal cord after spinal cord contusion (SCC). Methods 88 adult Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to sham operation group and SCC group. The model was established by Al-len's method. BBB sore was used to assess the motor function of rats. The relative expression of AQP-4 mRNA was determined by Q-PCR technique. The localization of AQP-4 was observed by immunohistochemistry. Results BBB score showed motor dysfunction in SCC group, and it increased 7 and 14 days after SCC (t>5.061, P50.44, P<0.001), and increased on the 5th day (t=-3.968, P=0.001), and lasted until the 28th day (t=-4.227, P=0.001) compared with that on the 3rd day. The immunohistochemistry showed AQP-4 was located on the process of glial cell and vascular endothelial cells in white matter of spi-nal cord. Conclusion AQP-4 may play various roles at different stages in SCC.
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Objective:To study the spinal cord injury, spinal cord transection and persistent placeholder damage on the influence of secondary neural cell apoptosis in rats.Methods: Select 60 healthy male Wistar rats, numbered after using the random number table method is divided into A (18,spinal cord contusion),B (18,spinal cord transection),C (18,continuous placeholder),D (6,control),E (6,the control group only) groups of five,were observed at the 1,4,7 D after 5 group of rats nerve cell apoptosis index, spinal cord tissue Bcl-2,the expression of Bax,caspase 3 protein.Results:A,B,C three groups of rats after building 1 d are gray and white matter positive markers, and the gray matter and white matter of three groups of rats nerve cell apoptosis index differences statistically significant ( P<0.05);4 d,7 d after building gray matter and white matter of three groups of rats tend to place increased ap-optotic cells in the spinal cord index ( P<0.05);in building 1,4,7 d group C after rat spinal cord grey matter and white matter of apoptotic cell index was significantly higher than that of group A and group B, group B were significantly higher in group A and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).1,4,7 d after building A,B,C,D,E five group rats the Bcl-2,Bax,caspase-3 protein expression differences were statistically significant (P<0.05),1,4,7 d after building A,B,C the Bcl-2 of three groups of rats, Bax,caspase-3 protein expression was significantly higher than that of group D and group E ( P<0.05).Conclusion: Secondary rats after spinal cord injury of nerve cells apoptosis,apoptosis time,severity,and damage type and severity.
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Osteochondroma is a rare condition in the spine that may be indolent due to its slow growth. The authors present a case of 32-year-old man with subclinical osteochondroma in the cervical spine presenting as Brown-Sequard syndrome after trivial neck trauma. After resection of the tumor through hemilaminectomy, his symptoms were improved with mild residual sequelae.
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Adult , Humans , Brown-Sequard Syndrome , Neck , Osteochondroma , Spinal Cord Injuries , SpineABSTRACT
Osteochondroma is a rare condition in the spine that may be indolent due to its slow growth. The authors present a case of 32-year-old man with subclinical osteochondroma in the cervical spine presenting as Brown-Sequard syndrome after trivial neck trauma. After resection of the tumor through hemilaminectomy, his symptoms were improved with mild residual sequelae.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Brown-Sequard Syndrome , Neck , Osteochondroma , Spinal Cord Injuries , SpineABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effects of treadmill training on hindlimb motor recovery and noradrenaline (NA) fibers in rats with spinal cord contusion.MethodsSpinal cord contusions at the T10 level were induced in 3-month old female SD rats by dropping a 10 g rod from a height of 25 mm.The injured rats were then randomly divided into a control group and a treadmill training group ( n =15 in each group).Treadmill training began 1 week post-injury.No treatment was administered to the control group rats.Hindlimb motor function was evaluated weekly from the 1 st to the 9th week post-injury using Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scores and average combined scores (ACOs).The expression of dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) in the spinal cord caudal to the injured area was detected by immunohistochemical staining.ResultsThe treadmill training group exhibited significantly greater improvement in BBB scores from the 3rd week to the 7th week and in ACOs from the 2nd to the 9th week post-injury compared with the control group.The number of DBH positive fibers in the injured spinal cords and the number of DBH positive neurons in the injured frontal horns were also significantly higher in the training group.ConclusionsTreadmill training can promote the recovery of hindlimb motor function in rats after spinal cord contusion,perhaps by increasing the number of DBH positive fibers and DBH positive neurons.
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@#ObjectiveTo explore the migration, effect on axon growth of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) transplanted in contused spinal cord of rats. Methods8 adult female rats were induced spinal cord contusion at T10 cord by NYU impactor (H=25 mm), and received OECs transplantation in 1 mm rostral and caudal to injury site，or injury site. Other 4 adult female rats were uncovered the spinal cord at T8-10 cord, and injected GFP+OECs at T10 cord. 1 week after transplantation, all animals were executed and the T8-11 cord (15 mm long) contained the entire injury site were observed for the migration of OECs and immunostained for neurofilament (NF) and myelin basic protein (MBP). ResultsThe OECs injected in injury site largely migrate longitudinally and laterally from the injection site, OECs injected in 1 mm rostral and caudal to injury site of contused spinal cord, migrate longitudinally and laterally from the injection site to the injury site in white and gray matter, and some along the central canal. OECs injected in normal spinal cord migrated longitudinally and laterally from injection site, too. The transplanted OECs expressed a little NF and MBP. ConclusionThe transplanted OECs are able to migrate in spinal cord and promote axon regeneration and remyelination.
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Objective To explore the effect of olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation combined with walking training on neurofunction recovery in rats after spinal cord contusion. Methods Forty adult female rats aged (75 ± 1 ) days were subjected to experimental spinal cord contusion at the T10 level using a New York University impactor at a height of 25 mm. They were then divided into 4 groups: ( 1 ) an OEC transplantation combined with walking training (OEC-walking training) group, (2) an OEC transplantation (OEC) group, (3) a walking training combined with Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium injection (DMEM) (walking training-DMEM) group, and (4) aDMEM injection (SCI-DMEM) group. The OEC transplants and DMEM injections were performed 2 weeks post-injury. Walking training began at the 7th day post-injury and consisted of daily sessions (once daily, 5 days a week for 10 weeks) of quadrupedal treadmill training, starting from 15 min and gradually increasing to 30 min daily, at speeds starting from 3 m/min and gradually increasing in accordance to the condition of the rats. Locomotor function recovery of the rats' hindlimbs was evaluated weekly using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale.The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase ( TH ) was detected in the injured region of the lumbar spinal cord. Results The BBB scores of rats in the OEC-walking training group and the walking training-DMEM group improved significantly from the 4th week post-injury compared to the SCI-DMEM injection group. Rats in the OEC transplantation group had a significant improvement in BBB scores at the 5th to 8th weeks post-injury. At the end of the 11th week post-injury, the average BBB scores were 13.14 ± 0.24 in the OEC-walking training group, 11. 64 ± 0.56 in the OEC transplantation group, 12.29 ±0.64 in the walking training-DMEM group and 11.07 ± 0.84 in the SCI-DMEM group.The OEC-walking training group scored significantly higher than the other 3 groups. Although the number of TH-positive neurons in the lumbar spinal cord was not significantly different among the groups, the morphology of TH-positiveneurons in the OEC-walking training group and the walking training-DMEM group was different from those in the OEC transplantation group and the SCI-DMEM group. Conclusions OEC transplantation combined with walking training can effectively promote the functional recovery of the hindlimb. The plasticity of the descending TH system and of motoneurons of the ventral horn of the lumbar spinal cord might mediate the changes.
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Sometimes, spinal cord injury (SCI) results in various chronic neuropathic pain syndromes that occur diffusely below the level of the injury. It has been reported that behavioral signs of neuropathic pain are expressed in the animal models of contusive SCI. However, the observation period is relatively short considering the natural course of pain in human SCI patients. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the time course of mechanical and cold allodynia in the hindpaw after a spinal cord contusion in rats for a long period of time (30 weeks). The hindpaw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation was applied to the plantar surface of the hindpaw, and the withdrawal frequency to the application of acetone was measured before and after a spinal contusion. The spinal cord contusion was produced by dropping a 10 g weight from a 6.25 and 12.5 mm height using a NYU impactor. After the injury, rats showed a decreased withdrawal threshold to von Frey stimulation, indicating the development of mechanical allodynia which persisted for 30 weeks. The withdrawal threshold between the two experimental groups was similar. The response frequencies to acetone increased after the SCI, but they were developed slowly. Cold allodynia persisted for 30 weeks in 12.5 mm group. The sham animals did not show any significant behavioral changes. These results provide behavioral evidence to indicate that the below-level pain was well developed and maintained in the contusion model for a long time, suggesting a model suitable for pain research, especially in the late stage of SCI or for long term effects of analgesic intervention.
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Animals , Humans , Rats , Acetone , Benzeneacetamides , Cold Temperature , Contusions , Follow-Up Studies , Hyperalgesia , Hypersensitivity , Models, Animal , Neuralgia , Piperidones , Salicylamides , Spinal Cord , Spinal Cord InjuriesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reproducibility of graded spinal cord contusion by a weight-drop device, and to establish a graded spinal cord contusive rat model based on the functional analysis and morphometric measurement. METHOD: The weight-drop device developed was composed of impactor with a guidance rod, stereotaxic frame and spine stabilizing device. We investigated the reproducibility of impact by reliability analysis two weeks later. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were injured by the weight-drop device from the height of 12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 mm. The three groups of each drop-height (n=10) as well as laminectomized sham group (n=10) were subjected to functional analysis by Basso Beattie Bresnahan Locomotor Scales (BBB scales) and inclined plane test after contusion for four weeks. The morphometric measurement was performed at regularly spaced intervals including the epicenter according to the graded drop-height. RESULTS: The impact of weight-drop was significantly increased according to the drop-height (p <0.05) and revealed high reproducibility. The changes of BBB scales and maximal angle of inclination had an inverse correlation with the contusion severity (p <0.05). There was an inverse correlation between the amount of residual white matter and drop-height (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: The weight-drop device newly developed provides a constant and reproducible spinal cord contusion model.
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Animals , Rats , Contusions , Models, Animal , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Spinal Cord Injuries , Spinal Cord , Spine , Weights and MeasuresABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic values of somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and electric motor evoked potential (eMEP) studies according to the varying spinal cord injury by incremental height of weight-drop impactor and progress of functional recovery METHOD: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats (300+/-50 grams, male) were used. The spinal cord injury was made by weight-drop device from 12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 mm height at T10 cord segment. The three groups of each drop-height (n=10) and laminectomized sham group (n=10) were subjected to functional analysis using inclined plane test and Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scales at the 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28th day after the contusive injury. SEP by sciatic nerve stimulation and eMEP at the gastrocnemius muscle were recorded. RESULTS: Maximal angle of inclination and BBB scales had an inverse relation with the contusion severity (p <0.05). There were significant correlations among the changes of peak latencies and amplitudes of SEP, contusion severity, and the motor recovery (p <0.05). The changes of onset latencies and amplitudes of eMEP were significantly correlated with the contusion severity and the motor recovery (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: The SEP and eMEP studies had significant values according to the contusion severity and functional recovery in contusive rat model of the spinal cord.
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Animals , Rats , Contusions , Evoked Potentials , Evoked Potentials, Motor , Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory , Models, Animal , Muscle, Skeletal , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Sciatic Nerve , Spinal Cord Injuries , Spinal Cord , Weights and MeasuresABSTRACT
Spinal Cord contusions in cats were produced experimentally by impact injuries to the surgically exposed cord at the second lumbar vertebral level. As a step in the investigation of the possible effect of spinal cord trauma on biochemical and ultrastructural changes in the injured cord, activities of lipid peroxidation were measured in the frozen-dried sample of the spinal cord and the fine structure of the myelinated nerve fiber in the white matter were observed before and after the cord injury. An increase of lipid peroxidation level was found as early as 30 minutes after the injury and the highest concentration was reached at 4 hours of injury. Fine structures of the myelinated nerve fibers were changed progressively with the lapse of time after the injury. By 1 hour after the contusion the myelinated nerve fibers showed moderately enlarged periaxonal space, attenuation and disarray of the myelin sheaths. By 4 hour after the contusion, there appeared disarray of the myelin sheaths, greatly enlarged periaxonal space and irregulary contoured axons. The effect of naloxone of the lipid peroxidation and fine ultrastructure of the myelinated nerve fibers were studied, and the results of this study suggested that naloxone have a beneficial effect on the change in lipid peroxidation and the preservation of the myelinated nerve fibers after injury.