Morphological and electrophysiological evidence for regeneration of transected spinal cord fibers and restoration of motor functions in adult rats

The evoked potentials are regarded as an efficientindex to evaluate the functional status of a nervoussystem[1]. When stimulating the motor area of cerebralcortex with transcranial magnetic stimulation, elec-tronic signals can be obtained at the spinal co…     

Fiber-Based Chitosan Tubular Scaffolds for Soft Tissue Engineering： Fabrication and in Vitro Evaluation

Porous, two-ply tubular chitosan conduits for guided tissue regeneration were fabricated by combining the textile technique （inner layer） with the thermally induced phase separation process （outer layer）. A hollow chitosan tube was prepared using an industrial warp knitting process with chitosan yarns. Then, an appropriate diameter mandrel was inserted into the pre-fabricated tube. The tube and the mandrel were dipped into the chitosan solution together, taken out, and freeze-dried. After being neutralized in alkaline solution and dried at room temperature, the mandrel was removed to create the chitosan tubular scaffold. Scanning electron micrographs show that the resulting tubes have a biphasic wall structure, with a fibrous inner layer and a semipermeable outer layer. The swelling properties and the mechanical strength before and after in vitro degradation were investigated. The biocompatibility of the scaffolds was also investigated by co-culturing neuroblastoma cells （N2A, mouse） with the scaffolds. The results suggest that these chitosan tubular scaffolds are useful for the regeneration of tissues requiring a tubular scaffold.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Chitosan Nerve Conduits with Microtubular Architectures

Porous multi-channel chitosan conduits were fabricated using a novel phase-separation technique with an axial temperature gradient. First, porous chitosan tubes were made with a mold that was composed of two concentric polytetrafiuoroethylene tubes. Then 1%-3% （w/v） chitosan solution was injected into the chitosan tube while the two ends of the tube were closed with steel rods. Then the outside of the tube was wrapped with a layer of thermal insulating material to reduce the heat transfer through the outside, and the tubes were placed in a freezer. The resulting phase separation then occurred in the presence of an axial temperature gradient. The porosity, microtubule diameter, and orientation were controlled by adjusting the polymer concentration and temperature gradient. After the preparation course, no poisonous substances remained on the conduits. The mechanical properties, swelling, and biodegradability of the chitosan conduits were investigated, and a scanning electron microscope was used to observe the tubular morphology and growth of neuroblastoma cells （N2A, mouse） in the conduits. The results demonstrate that the multi-channel chitosan conduits have suitable mechanical strength, swelling, degradation properties, and nerve cell affinity, so they hold promise for use as neural tissue engineering scaffolds.     

The mouse Dreher gene Lmx1a controls formation of the roof plate in the vertebrate CNS

In the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS), a cascade of signals that originates in the ectoderm adjacent to the neural tube is propagated by the roof plate to dorsalize the neural tube. Here we report that the phenotype of the spontaneous neurological mutant mouse dreher (dr) results from a failure of the roof plate to develop. Dorsalization of the neural tube is consequently affected: dorsal interneurons in the spinal cord and granule neurons in the cerebellar cortex are lost, and the dorsal vertebral neural arches fail to form. Positional cloning of dreher indicates that the LIM homeodomain protein, Lmx1a, is affected in three different alleles of dreher. Lmx1a is expressed in the roof plate along the neuraxis during development of the CNS. Thus, Lmx1a is required for development of the roof plate and, in turn, for specification of dorsal cell fates in the CNS and developing vertebrae.     

Preliminary animal studies on observation of injured spinal cord with intraoperative ultrasound backscatter microscopy

Many studies have shown that strategies of nerve regeneration and cell-based transplantation are valid based on animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI).To apply these strategies and bridge spinal cord defects,the identification and precise localization of lesions during spinal cord surgery is necessary.The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the capabilities of ultrasound backscatter microscopy (UBM) in identifying morphologic changes after SCI.After laminectomy,high-resolution ultrasound images of the spinal cord were obtained in one normal and seven spinal cord-injured adult Wistar rats using a UBM system with a 55-MHz center frequency scanner.Comparison between histoanatomic and UBM images was also performed.The results showed that UBM can identify cysts after the experimental SCI is removed in adult rats.In addition,the glial scar formed in secondary injury showed obvious hyperechoic speckle in the UBM image and correlated with the histoanatomic image.UBM has obvious clinical value in nerve regeneration and cell-based transplantation strategies in injured spinal cords.     

网球发球技术与腰背损伤关系的生物力学分析

为探讨网球发球技术与腰背损伤之间的关系,探寻导致腰背损伤的技术性原因,采用三维高速摄像法和图像解析法,以健康业余网球运动员为对照,对患有腰背部损伤业余网球运动员发球技术进行对比分析。结果表明搔背期末躯干扭转过大可能是造成业余网球运动员腰背损伤的直接原因,腰腹肌力量素质较差和抛球较偏是导致这一问题的主要技术性因素,并针对这些问题提出相应的解决办法,供教练员和业余运动员参考。     

挫伤型脊髓损伤动物模型制作方法研究进展

摘要:脊髓损伤目前尚无有效的治疗方法,因此建立一个理想的动物模型对于确定脊髓损伤机制和开发脊髓损伤患者的治疗方法具有重要意义。 本文系统地回顾和分析了挫伤型脊髓损伤造模装置的研究进展,并对其优缺点进行了评价,以供进一步研究。     

单开门椎管扩大术治疗颈髓压迫症疗效观察

目的：通过单开门椎管扩大成形术的手术治疗，探讨颈椎管狭窄症及颈髓压迫症的病因及治疗方法。方法：对17例颈髓压迫症患进行单开门颈椎管扩大成形术。经过6月—4a的随访，对术中术后所见进行回顾性研究和探讨。结果：本组17例压迫症经过6月-4a的随访，优10例，良5例，尚可2例，平均优良率88．2％。结论：单开门颈椎管扩大成形术可以扩大长段椎管，不但直接解除脊髓后方的压迫，由于脊髓的向后移动，来自前方的压迫也可以同时得到解除，进而恢复脊髓的血循环，改善脊髓的功能，并且减少了颈椎后部结构的损伤，术后颈髓压迫症恢复快，疗效好。     

Spinal cord decompression reduces rat neural cell apoptosis secondary to spinal cord injury

Objective: To determine whether spinal cord decompression plays a role in neural cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury. Study design: We used an animal model of compressive spinal cord injury with incomplete paraparesis to evaluate neural cell apoptosis after decompression. Apoptosis and cellular damage were assessed by staining with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labelling (TUNEL) and immunostaining for caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. Methods: Experiments were conducted in male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=78) weighing 300~400 g. The spinal cord was compressed posteriorly at T10 level using a custom-made screw for 6 h, 24 h or continuously, followed by decompression by removal of the screw. The rats were sacrificed on Day 1 or 3 or in Week 1 or 4 post-decompression. The spinal cord was removed en bloc and examined at lesion site, rostral site and caudal site (7.5 mm away from the lesion). Results: The numbers of TUNEL-positive cells were significantly lower at the site of decompression on Day 1, and also at the rostral and caudal sites between Day 3 and Week 4 post-decompression, compared with the persistently compressed group. The numbers of cells between Day 1 and Week 4 were immunoreactive to caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X-protein (Bax), but not to Bcl-2, correlated with those of TUNEL-positive cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that decompression reduces neural cell apoptosis following spinal cord injury.     

中国大鲵脊髓的形态学研究

用大体解剖及组织学方法研究了中国大鲵脊髓的形态结构及细胞构筑。其特点是:脊髓纵贯椎管全长;运动神经元分腹内侧群和背外侧群;中间神经元未分化成亚核;髓内感觉细胞尤存;白质中有散在的神经细胞。文中还就大鲵脊髓在进化历程中的位置作了讨论。     

Restoration of grasp following paralysis through brain-controlled stimulation of muscles

Patients with spinal cord injury lack the connections between brain and spinal cord circuits that are essential for voluntary movement. Clinical systems that achieve muscle contraction through functional electrical stimulation (FES) have proven to be effective in allowing patients with tetraplegia to regain control of hand movements and to achieve a greater measure of independence in daily activities. In existing clinical systems, the patient uses residual proximal limb movements to trigger pre-programmed stimulation that causes the paralysed muscles to contract, allowing use of one or two basic grasps. Instead, we have developed an FES system in primates that is controlled by recordings made from microelectrodes permanently implanted in the brain. We simulated some of the effects of the paralysis caused by C5 or C6 spinal cord injury by injecting rhesus monkeys with a local anaesthetic to block the median and ulnar nerves at the elbow. Then, using recordings from approximately 100 neurons in the motor cortex, we predicted the intended activity of several of the paralysed muscles, and used these predictions to control the intensity of stimulation of the same muscles. This process essentially bypassed the spinal cord, restoring to the monkeys voluntary control of their paralysed muscles. This achievement is a major advance towards similar restoration of hand function in human patients through brain-controlled FES. We anticipate that in human patients, this neuroprosthesis would allow much more flexible and dexterous use of the hand than is possible with existing FES systems.     

Tropic1808基因重组蛋白对损伤坐骨神经脊髓细胞凋亡的影响

探讨Tropic1808基因重组蛋白对损伤坐骨神经的新生大鼠脊髓细胞凋亡影响,将新生SD大鼠一侧坐骨神经切断后,用无菌止血海绵包裹断离的神经近侧端,海绵内加入Tropic1808基因重组蛋白,阳性用神经生长因子、阴性用生理盐水作为对照;术后3、6、12h经TUNEL法染色,在光镜、电镜和图像分析系统下,了解L4－L5段脊髓细胞凋亡情况。得到生理盐水组的脊髓出现大量绸亡细胞;Tropic1808基因重组蛋白组凋亡细胞数量较生理盐水组显减少;Tropic1808基因重组蛋白组与神经生长因子组之间凋亡细胞数量的差别无显性意义。说明Tropic1808基因重组蛋白有保护受损神经组织,减少细胞凋亡的作用。     

A VIP-containing system concentrated in the lumbosacral region of human spinal cord

Neuropeptides were first localized in the human spinal cord by immunocytochemistry and substance P has been shown, by the same method, to be reduced ipsilaterally in the dorsal horn after limb amputation and bilaterally in the Riley-Day syndrome. Several neuropeptides increasingly fulfil the criteria to establish them as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators, and they may also have trophic actions in the spinal cord. Using radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry, we present here for the first time a quantitative regional distribution and localization of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), substance P, somatostatin, bombesin and cholecystokinin (CCK-8) in normal postmortem human spinal cord. A comparison of the distribution of these peptides reveals an exceptional pattern for VIP, with relatively much higher levels in the lumbosacral region. Immunocytochemical analysis shows a distinctive distribution of VIP-containing fibres and terminals at the lumbosacral segments. This VIP-containing system may have an important role in the spinal control of urogenital function in man.     

扬子鳄胚胎脊髓胸段的组织发生

用尼氏染色及Ｈａｇｇｑｖｉｓｔ染色法观察了２４例孵育３～６２天的扬子鳄胚胎的脊髓胸段组织发生过程。孵育第３天,脊髓横断面近圆形,中央管呈长椭圆形。第６天脊髓呈卵圆形,中央管呈窄而长的梭形,套层明显。第１２天,脊髓灰质的腹角明显,脊髓外周出现一薄层白质。第１８～３０天中,灰质腹角进一步扩大,背角逐渐形成。两侧背角不断向正中靠拢并合并,中央管缩小呈圆形。白质明显增厚并形成背索、侧索和腹索。第３０～６２     

大鼠脊髓楔型半切空洞模型的建立及评估

摘要: 目的建立一种新型大鼠脊髓半切模型,为临床脊髓空洞损伤研究提供适宜的动物模型。方法25 只SD 大鼠随机分为脊髓楔型块状半切组( A 组,n = 10) 、假手术组( B 组,n = 10) 和正常对照组( C 组,n = 5) 。术后采用 BBB 运动功能评分、斜板试验、HE 染色和核磁共振( MRI) 检测综合评价脊髓半切模型的稳定性。结果术后A 组 大鼠伤侧后肢BBB 运动功能评分及斜板维持最大角度值显著低于B 组和C 组( P ＜ 0. 05) ,而这些指标在B 组和C 组之间没有明显差异; 术后28 d HE 和MRI 检测显示脊髓损伤区( A 组) 灰质和白质发生明显的形态学改变。结论 通过该方法建立的脊髓半切模型稳定、可靠,适于脊髓空洞性损伤的研究。     

Functional regeneration of respiratory pathways after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injuries often occur at the cervical level above the phrenic motor pools, which innervate the diaphragm. The effects of impaired breathing are a leading cause of death from spinal cord injuries, underscoring the importance of developing strategies to restore respiratory activity. Here we show that, after cervical spinal cord injury, the expression of chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs) associated with the perineuronal net (PNN) is upregulated around the phrenic motor neurons. Digestion of these potently inhibitory extracellular matrix molecules with chondroitinase ABC (denoted ChABC) could, by itself, promote the plasticity of tracts that were spared and restore limited activity to the paralysed diaphragm. However, when combined with a peripheral nerve autograft, ChABC treatment resulted in lengthy regeneration of serotonin-containing axons and other bulbospinal fibres and remarkable recovery of diaphragmatic function. After recovery and initial transection of the graft bridge, there was an unusual, overall increase in tonic electromyographic activity of the diaphragm, suggesting that considerable remodelling of the spinal cord circuitry occurs after regeneration. This increase was followed by complete elimination of the restored activity, proving that regeneration is crucial for the return of function. Overall, these experiments present a way to markedly restore the function of a single muscle after debilitating trauma to the central nervous system, through both promoting the plasticity of spared tracts and regenerating essential pathways.     

Neural Stem Cell Affinity of Chitosan and Feasibility of ChitosanBased Porous Conduits as Scaffolds for Nerve Tissue Engineering

Introduction Neural stem cells (NSCs) are known to have both self- proliferation potential and multiple differentiation po- tential[1]. Previous studies have shown that NSCs can differentiate into various cell types such as neurons, as- trocytes, oligoden…     

Same impact momentum causes different degrees of spinal cord injury

The weight-drop impact is widely used in making animal model of spinal cord injury （SCI）. But there has not yet been an appropriate unit for the quantification of the impact. In this study, we compared the degrees of the spinal cord injury caused by weight-drop impact with the same momentum but different combinations of drop weight and drop height, in order to test whether ＂momentum＂ is capable of being the unit for the quantification of weight- drop impact. Thirty adult rats were randomly allocated to three groups and were injured with 5 g-10 cm （group A）, 10g-2.5 cm （group B） and 15 g-l.ll cm （group C） impacts with the same momentum to the spinal cord, respectively. Open-field locomotor function was evaluated using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan （BBB） locomotor rat- ing scale. The percentage of spared tissue area （STA） at the epicenter, and 500, 1000 and 1500 gm from the epicenter was calculated using serial sections stained by hematoxylin and eosin. As a result, the behavioral recovery （BBB scores） and the STA percentage were similar in group B and group C. However, the BBB score in group A was significantly lower than that in groups B and C at the same time point post injury. The STA percentage was signifi- cantly less and the lesion/cavity length was significantlygreater in group A than in groups B and C. These suggested that the 5 g-10 cm weight-drop impact, compared with the other two impacts with different weights and heights, caused a greater damage of the spinal cord when the momentum was the same. So, these impacts with the same momentum but different weights and drop heights cause different degrees of spinal cord injury. Momentum alone is inadequate to be the unit for the qualification of weight- drop impact and to be used to predict the extent of injury.     

Prevention of natural motoneurone cell death by dibutyryl cyclic GMP

Natural neuronal cell death is a well-described developmental phenomenon common to many nerve centres in a variety of animal species. Neuronal survival has been shown to depend on the presence and size of the available target tissue and it has been suggested that neuronal survival is dependent on successful competition for either a limited number of synaptic sites or a limited amount of trophic factor(s). In the lateral motor column of the lumbar spinal cord in the chick embryo, the period of axon elongation and innervation of the periphery has been shown to precede that of natural motoneurone cell death. While muscle contractile activity appears to regulate the extent of motoneurone death, to date the intracellular molecular events that initiate and regulate the developmental process of natural neuronal cell death or, more importantly, neuronal survival are unknown. Our earlier studies suggested that either contact or association between spinal cord processes and muscle cells during neuromuscular junction formation in vivo leads to an increase in cyclic GMP in whole spinal cord. We now show that treatment of chick embryos with the membrane-permeable cyclic GMP analogue, dibutyryl cyclic GMP during the period of natural motoneurone cell death prevents greater than 58% of natural motoneurone cell death in the lumbar lateral motor column.