Breakthroughs in treatment of spine and back conditions
March 9, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Contact: Lauren L. Pearson
pearson@aaos.org
847-384-4031
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Read more
Scientists discover cause of destructive inflammations
March 2, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Contact: Dr. Sibylle Kohlstaedt
s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
The signaling molecule CD95L, known as “death messenger,” causes an inflammatory process in injured tissue after spinal cord injuries and prevents its healing. This discovery was published by scientists of the German Cancer Research Center. In mice, the researchers found out that if they switch off CD95L, the injured spinal cord heals and the animals regain better ability to move. Therefore, substances which block the death messenger might offer a new approach in the treatment of severe inflammatory diseases.
UTHealth research shows modified adult stem cells may be helpful in spinal cord injury
February 22, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Contact: Deborah Mann Lake
deborah.m.lake@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3304
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
HOUSTON-(Feb. 23, 2010)-Researchers at UTHealth have demonstrated in rats that transplanting genetically modified adult stem cells into an injured spinal cord can help restore the electrical pathways associated with movement. The results are published in the Feb. 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Researchers Explore New Ways to Prevent Spinal Cord Damage Using a Vitamin B3 Precursor
November 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. A recent $2.5 million grant from the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board will fund their research investigating this possibility. Read more
Regeneration can be achieved after chronic spinal cord injury
October 29, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved in rats even when treatment delayed is more than a year after the original spinal cord injury.
Researchers identify promising therapeutic target for central nervous system injuries
October 16, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Scars can serve as double-edged swords in spinal cord injuriessaving a victim’s life, but sealing his or her fate as a paraplegic or quadriplegic. The scar forms a wall around the wound, preventing the injury from spreading, but limiting opportunities for neural regeneration. Cells in the scar release molecules that keep severed nerve fibers from passing the damaged tissue, so they cannot connect with their original targets to restore motor and sensory function.
New drug targets for spinal cord injury?
September 22, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Traumatic spinal cord injury causes permanent disability or loss of movement (paralysis) and sensation below the site of the injury. Currently, there are no treatments that can reverse the damage to the spinal cord, there are only approaches to prevent further damage and to help people return to an active lifestyle. However, Philip Popovich and colleagues, at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, have studied the problem in mice and identified potential new therapeutic targets for minimizing injury and/or promoting repair after traumatic spinal cord injury
UCLA scientists make paralyzed rats walk again after spinal-cord injury
September 20, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
UCLA researchers have discovered that a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and regular exercise can enable paralyzed rats to walk and even run again while supporting their full weight on a treadmill.
Finding the right connection after spinal cord injury
August 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
In a major step in spinal cord injury research, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated that regenerating axons can be guided to their correct targets and re-form connections after spinal cord injury. Their findings will be published in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience on August 2.
Common food dye may hold promise in treating spinal cord injury
July 28, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
A common food additive that gives M&Ms and Gatorade their blue tint may offer promise for preventing the additional and serious secondary damage that immediately follows a traumatic injury to the spinal cord. In an article published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) stops the cascade of molecular events that cause secondary damage to the spinal cord in the hours following a spinal cord injury, an injury known to expand the injured area in the spinal cord and permanently worsen the paralysis for patients.
