The direct current (DC) potential and electroencephalographic (EEG) changes were continuously monitored following fluid percussion head injury (brain contusion) in 10 conscious rats. Local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) was measured by the autoradiographic [14C]deoxyglucose method. Measurement of LCGU was started at the lowest point of the first or second DC potential negative shift when i...

BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a major health care problem worldwide. Approximately 1.5 million new TBI cases occur annually in the United States, with mortality rates ranging between 35% and 40% in severe patients. Despite the incidence of these injuries and their substantial socioeconomic implications, no specific pharmacological intervention is available for clinical use. Sev...

Pulmonary contusion is a common injury following motor vehicle crash (MVC). The estimated mortality rates for this injury range from 10% to 20%. Another important clinical implication of this lesion is the potential for development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Studies have correlated an increased risk of ARDS with a pulmonary contusion extent exceeding 20% of the total lung vo...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) constitutes a major cause of death and long-term disability. At present, we lack methods to non-invasively track tissue biochemistry and hence select appropriate interventions for patients. We hypothesized that detailed label-free vibrational chemical analysis of focal TBI could provide such information. We assessed the early spatial and temporal changes in tissue b...

Intracerebral tension pneumocephalus is a rare disorder. Only five cases of them have been reported since 1985. We report two cases of intracerebral tension pneumocephalus with traumatic rhinorrhea. In the first case, intracerebral tension pneumocephalus was induced by lumbar puncture performed two months after trauma. In the second case, intracerebral tension pneumocephalus was observed on com...

Cardiac contusion is an infrequent but occasionally serious complication of deceleration injury. According to ATLS teaching, the true diagnosis of contusion can only be established by direct inspection of the myocardium. The clinically important sequelae of myocardial contusion are hypotension and arrhythmia. Despite recent advances in investigative techniques, myocardial trauma remains an impo...

In the present experiment we use a rat model of traumatic brain injury to evaluate the ability of low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to improve behavioral and neurobiological outcomes. The study employed an adaptation of the focal cortical contusion model. 64 Male Long-Evans rats received unilateral cortical contusion and were tested in the Morris Water Task (MWT) 31-33 days post inj...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes chronic pain in 65% of individuals. Unfortunately, current pain management is inadequate for many SCI patients. Rodent models could help identify how SCI pain develops, explore new treatment strategies, and reveal whether acute post-SCI morphine worsens chronic pain. However, few studies explore or compare SCI-elicited neuropathic pain in rats. Here, we sought to...

As part of a comprehensive study of brain damage in 635 fatal non-missile head injuries, the type and prevalence of brain damage occurring in the absence of high intracranial pressure were analysed. Of 71 such cases, 53 sustained their injury as a result of a road traffic accident; only 25 experienced a lucid interval. Thirty eight had a fractured skull, a mean total contusion index of 12.9 and...

[Purpose] The objective of the study was to compare the incidence, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of patients with spinal cord stab injury to those with the more common spinal cord contusion injury. [Subjects] Of patients hospitalized in China Rehabilitation Research Center from 1994 to 2014, 40 of those having a spinal cord stab injury and 50 with spinal cord contusion were selected. [Met...