BACKGROUND The effects of spinal implants on dose distribution have been studied for conformal treatment plans. However, the dosimetric impact of spinal implants in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treatments has not been studied in spatial orientation. In this study we evaluated the effect of spinal implants placed in sawbone vertebra models implanted as in vivo instrumentations. METHOD...

The brain shapes spinal cord function throughout life. Operant conditioning of the H-reflex, the electrical analog of the spinal stretch reflex (SSR), is a relatively simple model for exploring the spinal cord plasticity underlying this functional change and may provide a new method for modifying spinal cord reflexes after spinal cord injury. In response to an operant conditioning protocol, rat...

The prevalence of patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) has been reported as high as 68%. ASD often leads to significant pain and disability. Recent emphasis has been placed on sagittal plane balance and restoring normal sagittal alignment with regards to the three dimensional deformity of ASD. Optimal sagittal alignment has been known to increase spinal biomechanical efficiency, reduce en...

BACKGROUND Natural history of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs), that is, collapse, loads the rigid pedicle screw rod construct in the absence of anterior column reconstruction, often leading to implant back outs. Semi rigid spinal loop rectangle and sublaminar wire construct allows controlled axial collapse and does not require anterior column reconstruction. MATERIALS AND...

Rugose projections on the anterior and posterior aspects of vertebral neural spines appear throughout Amniota and result from the mineralization of the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments via metaplasia, the process of permanent tissue-type transformation. In mammals, this metaplasia is generally pathological or stress induced, but is a normal part of development in some clades of birds. Su...

Sensory axons in the adult spinal cord do not regenerate after injury. This is essentially because of inhibitory components in the damaged CNS, such as myelin-associated inhibitors and the glial scar. However, if the sciatic nerve is axotomized before injury of the dorsal column, injured axons can regenerate a short distance in the spinal cord. Here, we show that sciatic nerve transection resul...

Fractures of the spinal column during rugby matches of all codes are rare but catastrophic, especially when associated with spinal cord injury. The cervical spine is vulnerable during trauma to the head and neck in contact sports. Spinal injuries reported during rugby matches have almost exclusively involved the cervical region, often with neurological sequelae. This is the first reported case ...

Spinal trauma is a common indication for imaging of the spinal column. Plain radiographs and CT imaging are the most common types of imaging used to screen for spinal injury. MR imaging is less utilized because radiography and CT answer man of the important questions quickly and in a less expensive manner. Instead, MR is reserved at most institutions when new onset of neurological symptoms is p...

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are inhibitory extracellular matrix molecules that are upregulated after CNS injury. Degradation of CSPGs using the enzyme chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) can promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury. However, the mechanisms underlying this recovery are not clear. Here we investigated the effects of ChABC treatment on promoting plasticity within ...

Gangliosides were isolated from whole spinal cords and cord myelin of human, cat, and rabbit by a revised methodology. The method included the sequential application of DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography, base treatment, Sephadex G-50 column chromatography, and finally Iatrobeads column chromatography. The human whole spinal cord was found to contain about one-tenth of the ganglioside concentr...