Rehab Centers: Culture of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells for Central Nerve Repair: The Limitations and Potential of Endoscopic Olfactory Mucosal Biopsy.
Culture of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells for Central Nerve Repair: The Limitations and Potential of Endoscopic Olfactory Mucosal Biopsy.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Neurosurgery. 2012 Nov 10;
Kachramanoglou C, Law S, Andrews P, Li D, Choi D
BACKGROUND:: Autotransplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) into the damaged central nervous system is a potential therapeutic strategy for spinal cord and root cord injuries. One limiting factor has been the poor OEC yields from human mucosal biopsies. Previous studies have only commented on their success in obtaining mucosal specimens containing olfactory mucosa, but have not commented on the yield of OECs from those specimens. OBJECTIVE:: To describe a reproducible and safe surgical technique for obtaining human olfactory mucosa and identify patient factors that possibly affect the yield of OEC cultures from the human olfactory mucosa. METHODS:: We obtained mucosal biopsies from 43 consecutive patients using a novel reproducible surgical technique and our laboratory culture protocol. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between OECs and fibroblast yield with patient characteristics and specimen factors. RESULTS:: A greater yield of OECs was obtained from patients of younger age. In addition, patients with worse mucosal disease yielded poorer cell cultures. Greatest yields were found in patients with absence of mucosal disease. Furthermore, a higher yield of OECs was obtained from specimens harvested from the more caudal portions of the superior turbinate, and OEC yield did not correlate with the ventro-posterior location of the biopsy. CONCLUSION:: We have provided evidence that biopsies closer to the cribriform plate can produce larger yields of OECs, and that patient factors like age and mucosal disease adversely affect the culture yield.
HubMed – rehab
Temporal Healing in Rat Achilles Tendon: Ultrasound Correlations.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Ann Biomed Eng. 2012 Nov 13;
Chamberlain CS, Duenwald-Kuehl SE, Okotie G, Brounts SH, Baer GS, Vanderby R
The purpose of this study was to explore whether a new ultrasound-based technique correlates with mechanical and biological metrics that describe the tendon healing. Achilles tendons in 32 rats were unilaterally transected and allowed to heal without repair. At 7, 9, 14, or 29 days post-injury, tendons were collected and examined for healing via ultrasound image analysis, mechanical testing, and immunohistochemistry. Consistent with previous studies, we observe that the healing tendons are mechanically inferior (ultimate stress, ultimate load, and normalized stiffness) and biologically altered (cellular and ECM factors) compared to contralateral controls with an incomplete recovery over healing time. Unique to this study, we report: (1) Echo intensity (defined by gray-scale brightness in the ultrasound image) in the healing tissue is related to stress and normalized stiffness. (2) Elongation to failure is relatively constant so that tissue normalized stiffness is linearly correlated with ultimate stress. Together, 1 and 2 suggest a method to quantify mechanical compromise in healing tendons. (3) The amount and type of collagen in healing tendons associates with their strength and normalized stiffness as well as their ultrasound echo intensity. (4) A significant increase of periostin in the healing tissues suggests an important but unexplored role for this ECM protein in tendon healing.
HubMed – rehab
Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1? as a Novel Biomarker for Hyperlipidemia.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Tohoku J Exp Med. 2012; 228(4): 355-363
Li SL, Lin W, Zhang Y, Zheng ZC, Liu LJ, Fu H, Liu J, Wang GD, Chen SY, Feng LH
Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is expressed in a wide variety of organs, such as heart, and plays a pivotal role in the mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in bone marrow. SDF-1?, a common subtype of SDF-1, may control hematopoiesis and angiogenesis, but its role in the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the role of SDF-1? in the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia. First, log-transformed SDF-1? serum levels (logSDF-1?) were significantly higher in male patients with borderline high lipid profile (BHLP; n = 28; 2.15 ± 0.08 ng/ml) compared to control subjects (n = 37; 1.94 ± 0.06 ng/ml; P < 0.01). The logSDF-1? in male patients with high lipid profile (HLP; n = 33; 1.95 ± 0.08 ng/ml) were lower than BHLP patients (P < 0.01). The logSDF-1? was positively associated with HDL-C only in female patients (n = 125; r = 0.379, P = 0.016). These results suggest the different pathophysiology in male and female patients with hyperlipidemia. Moreover, flow cytometry analysis showed that expression of the SDF-1? receptor, CXC-chemokine receptor 4, was lower in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with BHLP (n = 10) and HLP (n = 10), compared to control subjects (n = 10; P < 0.001). Lastly, peripheral blood leukocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were higher in BHLP patients (n = 62; P < 0.05). Taken together, we suggest SDF-1? as a biomarker of hyperlipidemia that may be helpful to uncover the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia. HubMed – rehab
Structural modelling and mutant cycle analysis predict pharmacoresponsiveness of a Na(v)1.7 mutant channel.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Nat Commun. 2012 Nov 13; 3: 1186
Yang Y, Dib-Hajj SD, Zhang J, Zhang Y, Tyrrell L, Estacion M, Waxman SG
Sodium channel Na(V)1.7 is critical for human pain signalling. Gain-of-function mutations produce pain syndromes including inherited erythromelalgia, which is usually resistant to pharmacotherapy, but carbamazepine normalizes activation of Na(V)1.7-V400M mutant channels from a family with carbamazepine-responsive inherited erythromelalgia. Here we show that structural modelling and thermodynamic analysis predict pharmacoresponsiveness of another mutant channel (S241T) that is located 159 amino acids distant from V400M. Structural modelling reveals that Na(v)1.7-S241T is ~2.4?Å apart from V400M in the folded channel, and thermodynamic analysis demonstrates energetic coupling of V400M and S241T during activation. Atomic proximity and energetic coupling are paralleled by pharmacological coupling, as carbamazepine (30??M) depolarizes S214T activation, as previously reported for V400M. Pharmacoresponsiveness of S241T to carbamazepine was further evident at a cellular level, where carbamazepine normalized the hyperexcitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons expressing S241T. We suggest that this approach might identify variants that confer enhanced pharmacoresponsiveness on a variety of channels.
HubMed – rehab
Conejo Equine Assisted Learning Westlake Village, California Drug Rehab – Conejo Equine Assisted Learning of Westlake Village is dedicated to improving the mental health of individuals and families by setting the standard of excellence in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning, also known as “horse therapy” or “equine therapy.” Equine Assisted Psychotherapy pairs horses with people to overcome emotional issues, conditions, mental and physical trauma, drug addiction, autism and other issues – similar to traditional psychological counseling. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, or EAP as it is called, is a relatively new field. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy asks clients to access different aspects of themselves versus their rational/analytical mind. Located in Westlake Village, near Malibu, California in Los Angeles California. Specializing in addiction treatment, not just drug rehab.
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