obesity is one of the most prevalent diet-related problems and increases the risk for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis and dyslipidemia. cardio vascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in spinal cord injury (sci) patients. increased fat mass has also been identified as an important risk factor in chronic sci and weight management is recommended as a key cardi...

The aim of present study was to examine whether systemically delivered glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) was beneficial in reversing the spinal cord injury (SCI) in a spinal cord compression model. Rats were divided into three major groups: (1) sham operation (laminectomy only); (2) laminectomy+SCI+normal saline (1 ml/kg, i.v.); (3) laminectomy+SCI+GDNF (50 ng/kg, i.v.). Spinal cord...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating injury that leads to the total or partial loss of motor and sensory functions, but also affects the function of many body systems producing an almost total dependence and poor quality of life [1], although the level of the spinal cord in which the injury occurs and the degree of the injury are strong determinants of morbidity associated with the lesion....

Treatment with testosterone is neuroprotective/neurotherapeutic after a variety of motoneuron injuries. Here we assessed whether testosterone might have similar beneficial effects after spinal cord injury (SCI). Young adult female rats received either sham or T9 spinal cord contusion injuries and were implanted with blank or testosterone-filled Silastic capsules. Four weeks later, motoneurons i...

Neurological outcomes following spinal cord injury (SCI) are currently difficult to predict. While the initial American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade can give an estimate o...

According to the most recent report by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, hypertensive disorders and the resulting ischemic heart disease constitute the third leading cause of mortality in patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI).1 Increased vascular and inflammatory markers are indicators of increased cardiovascular risk.2 Abnormal cardiovascular control is related to the leve...

Neuroprosthetic approaches have tremendous potential for the treatment of injuries to the brain and spinal cord by inducing appropriate neural activity in otherwise disordered circuits. Substantial work has demonstrated that stimulation applied to both the central and peripheral nervous system leads to immediate and in some cases sustained benefits after injury. Here we focus on cervical intras...