Spiinal problems
a friend of mine suffered damage to vertebrae and spinal nerves from an accident at work
a year later she is happy to report huge improvement far beyond the original diagnosis thanks she says hugely to glucosamin - not something you can get proscribed on the NHS but the doctor told her it existed and to give it a go
she found it quite expensive - taking around 3 tablets a day but eventually found sources with sales and bulk purchase and she says definitely didn't feel a waste of her money although pretty cynical when she first started out
' reported to maintain viscosity in joints, stimulate cartilage repair mechanisms and inhibit enzymes that break down cartilage'
i have been looking at some sites and it seems that the liquid form is best
here is a site for bargain buys?
She also suggested a Tens machine but again have looked at sites and it seems that the Canadians may favour Ultrasound therapy to Tens repression :
also :
'Several potential therapies have been developed to reverse the devastating consequences of spinal cord injury. At present, each therapy alone provides relatively modest improvements in injury models. Simultaneous treatment with different therapies is likely to improve the outcome, but it is essential that we establish which therapies to combine to achieve the maximum benefit and limit potential harmful effects.
'Earlier studies by Drs Riddell and Barnet have demonstrated that transplanting olfactory ensheathing glia (OEGs) into the injury site stimulates damaged nerve fibres to grow into and across the transplanted cells, but few of the newly grown fibres cross back into the undamaged spinal cord to establish functional connections with undamaged nerve fibres beyond the injury site. It is likely that scar tissue, which is particularly dense at the junction between the injury and undamaged spinal cord, blocks growth. Combining transplants of OEGs with additional treatments to boost the growth potential of nerve fibres and minimise growth inhibition might overcome the inhibitory effects of this scar tissue. In this project, researchers will combine transplants of OEGs with:
- Chondroitinase, an enzyme that digest the inhibitory components in scar tissue, rendering it inactive
- Growth factors, which boost the intrinsic growth potential of growing nerve fibres
- LI> cAMP, which acts inside growing nerve fibres, making them more sensitive to growth factors and less sensitive to inhibitory molecules in the spinal cord.
'Combining the most promising treatments should maximise the regeneration potential of the spinal cord.'
but this research seems to be suggesting that Chondroitin is part of the problem :
Verhaagen J. Niclou S 2005 – 2008 Promoting axon regeneration in the injured spinal cord by RNAi-mediated knockdown of receptors for neurite growth inhibitors
'This project aims to stimulate the regeneration of nerve fibres in the injured spinal cord by using a powerful new technique called RNA interference to reduce the amount of inhibitory factors that are present at the injury site.
'In particular it will determine the contribution made by different types of inhibitory molecules to regeneration failure and proposes a combinatorial approach that blocks inhibitory influences at the injury site while, at the same time, stimulates the growth of injured nerve fibres with nerve growth factors.
'In the past 10 years, several inhibitors that block spinal cord regeneration after injury have been identified. The first two groups of inhibitors to be identified include myelin-based inhibitors (which include Nogo) and inhibitors in scar tissue, such as chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs for short). Another group of inhibitors associated with scar tissue, called semaphorins, has been identified more recently.
'We know that removing CSPGs from the lesion site promotes regeneration and functional recovery in rats with spinal cord injuries. In addition, blocking the effects of semaphorins increases the growth of nerve fibres in culture dishes, but the effect of preventing semaphoring activity in whole spinal cords has not been determined.
''Here, the objective is to promote the regeneration of nerve fibres in the injured spinal cord by blocking the effects of semaphorins as well as other types of inhibitory molecules that are associated with CNS myelin and scar tissue. Initially, this will involve a gene-therapy technique that will prevent cells in the spinal cord making the proteins that are involved with inhibitory effects. In a second stage, the group will combine this with growth factors to stimulate nerve growth.
Combining these two approaches should maximize regeneration following injury.'
meanwhile Dr Zheng seeks to contribute more on the subject of somaphorins - how do they work
Zheng 2005 – 2008 The role of chemorepulsive axon guidance molecules, the semaphorins, in adult CNS axon regeneration failure
'There are many reasons why nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord of adult mammals do not regenerate following injury. One reason is that these tissues contain many inhibitory factors. Some of these, such as Nogo, form part of the protective myelin coating that surrounds nerve fibres, whereas others, including CSPGs, are present in the scar tissue that forms at the injury site.
'Recently, it has been shown that another group of inhibitory factors, called semaphorins, are also present in scar tissue in the spinal cord.
'The inhibitory effects of semaphorins on the growth of nerve fibres when the nervous system develops have been studied extensively. These studies show that semaphorins both stop and ‘repulse’ the growth of nerve fibres in the developing foetus. Thus, during development, inhibition by semaphorins has a role in preventing the nerve fibres growing into inappropriate positions and ensuring they grow to their correct destinations.
'In adults, it is possible that these same molecules contribute to the regeneration failure following spinal cord injury. However, this has not been tested directly.
'Dr Zheng plans to assess the contribution of semaphorins in regeneration failure by identifying the location and concentration of semaphorins after spinal cord injuries in different species. If the pattern of changes is similar in different species, the role of these molecules after spinal cord injury might also be similar. However, if the pattern of changes differs significantly between species, the role of these molecules might also differ, which is important when we consider spinal cord injuries in humans.
'This work will establish whether semaphorins restrict spinal cord regeneration in adult mammals and could identify another inhibitory factor to be targeted to achieve spinal cord regeneration in humans.'
and Pokrupa et all develop their methods to use fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to actually trace and measure nerve activity in the spinal cord which might be useful in assessing further treatments
'Nerve activity in the brain can be measured accurately using a non-invasive technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this project scientists are developing fMRI further, to provide a sensitive way to measure nerve activity in the spinal cords of injured patients.
'In the early 1990s it was proposed that fMRI might be used to measure nerve activity in the brain. Since then, the technique has developed rapidly and it is now a proven method for mapping the small changes in brain activity that are associated with various physical and mental stimuli. More recently, it was proposed that fMRI might accurately measure nerve activity in various areas of the spinal cord.
'At present, the extent of damage to the spinal cord is assessed mainly by the extent of paralysis and whether a patient can feel sensation at various points on the body. Although useful clinically, these techniques provide relatively gross indications of the exact damage within the spinal cord. Using fMRI it should be possible to map exact changes anywhere in the spinal cord, including above, below and at the injury site. As a result, small changes in nerve activity in the spinal cord that occur as a result of treatment might be detected, even though the patient’s sensory or motor abilities might not change. This information could be used to assess the effectiveness of a treatment, and to alter the treatment strategy if necessary to achieve the best possible outcome.
'Although based on the methods developed for the brain, fMRI of the spinal cord requires special modifications, and Dr Stroman is the leading expert on the use of fMRI in the spinal cord. In normal individuals, he has developed spinal fMRI to detect changes in the spinal cord evoked by changes in temperature and, in patients with complete spinal cord injuries he can measure nerve activity in the spinal cord above the injury site. Recent data images up to 12 cm of the cord in three dimensions.
'However, the results vary, even in repeated experiments in the same subject, so the existing method is not yet adequate for clinical assessment. In order to achieve this, the group intend to determine the sources of error, which will be used to further develop data acquisition and analysis methods to increase the accuracy and reproducibility of the technique.'
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posted by quoifish @ 1:10 PM
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