Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

If you ever ate a jelly doughnut, you know how the jelly filling can ooze out and make a mess on your hands and fingers. Well, your cervical discs are much like jelly doughnuts, and when the gel-like substance inside the disc leaks out or dries up, it can cause chronic pain and reduced mobility. Cervical disc disorders are common, especially as you grow older, but they are often treatable with physical therapy or steroid injections. However, for patients with severe disc problems, University Medical Center of Princeton offers advanced options for cervical disc surgery, including artificial disc replacement. Your cervical spine is composed of seven small vertebrae that along with various muscles and ligaments form your neck. These vertebrae protect your spinal cord and the nerves that branch out from the cord, and provide support for your head. Between each vertebra are cervical discs, which are made of a tough flexible outer ring and a soft, jelly-like center. These discs cushion your vertebrae and serve as shock absorbers when you walk or run. But wear and tear as you age, and damage from accidents or injuries sustained from physical activities, can cause discs to break down or bulge and … Continue reading →

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - Anchorage Fire Department firefighter-paramedic Ben Schultz, who was critically injured a month ago, will be flown Thursday to a hospital in Colorado that specializes in treating patients with spinal cord and brain injuries. In an email, Schultz's father, Jeff Schultz, says his son will be taken to Craig Hospital, near Denver, for treatment and rehabilitation. The hospital's website says the facility "provides a comprehensive system of inpatient and outpatient medical care, rehabilitation and long-term follow up services." Ben Schultz was injured on June 5, when he fell during a training exercise at AFD Station 5 in Spenard. He was found next to a fire engine that has a 100-foot tall ladder. Fellow firefighters have been at, or near, his bedside, since the accident. "We've been holding a vigil - if you will - or a stand-by at the hospital 24/7, to support the family," said Mike Stumbaugh, president of the Anchorage Firefighter's Union. "So they can go home and take a break, and know that Ben is being looked out for by his brothers and sisters." "We have been able to get sleep, because they have been here," wrote Jeff Schultz in an email to Channel 2 … Continue reading →

This past holiday, my son and I decided to build a computer. Nowadays this is not a daunting task. Its something even a biologist can accomplish. It started with a trip to the electronics store where we purchased the various components needed. The pieces are designed to work together and after a few hours, we had a functioning computer. This demonstrates the power of standardized components which allow you to build something complex, functional and sophisticated. If only repairing tissues and growing human organs were this simple. Scientists have been experimenting with stem cells for many years and there have been some amazing advances. One of the major limitations is the lack of standardization in procedures for producing and manipulating stem cells. This can make it difficult to get the same results in different laboratories. Recent advances through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are helping to resolve this issue. Researchers have been producing stem cells in individual laboratories for many years. Through an initiative with the Common Funds Regenerative Medicine program, the NIH is now providing standardized stem cells directly for academic or commercial research or production. This standardization represents a huge step forward and will undoubtedly lead to … Continue reading →

Narayan Raghava,1 Bhaskar C Das,2 Swapan K Ray1 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA; 2Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA Abstract: Among the estrogens that are biosynthesized in the human body, 17-estradiol (estradiol or E2) is the most common and the best estrogen for neuroprotection in animal models of the central nervous system (CNS) injuries such as spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and ischemic brain injury (IBI). These CNS injuries are not only serious health problems, but also enormous economic burden on the patients, their families, and the society at large. Studies from animal models of these CNS injuries provide insights into the multiple neuroprotective mechanisms of E2 and also suggest the possibility of translating the therapeutic efficacy of E2 in the treatment SCI, TBI, and IBI in humans in the near future. The pathophysiology of these injuries includes loss of motor function in the limbs, arms and their extremities, cognitive deficit, and many other serious consequences including life-threatening paralysis, infection, and even death. The potential application of E2 therapy to treat the CNS injuries may become a trend … Continue reading →

"We are pleased the EMA recognized the clinically significant benefit that RDD-0315 may offer spinal cord injury patients," stated Jason Laufer, Chief Executive Officer, RDD Pharma. 'We have the potential to positively impact the health, well-being and quality of life in this patient population. ' The Orphan Designation provides potential incentives from the European Union to develop a medicine with a prevalence of less than 5 in 10,000, such as protocol assistance, reduced fees, funding from the European Commission for clinical trials, and protection from competition once the medicine is placed on the market, including 10 years of market exclusivity. Positive Phase 2a results in evaluating the safety and efficacy of RDD-0315 for the treatment of fecal incontinence in spinal cord injury patients have previously been reported with a statistically significant reduction in the number of fecal incontinence episodes at 8 and 12 hours post-administration. "We are thrilled with the EMA's recognition of positive results seen in our Phase 2a study and the potential of a treatment such as RDD-0315 for patients who suffer from fecal incontinence," said Nir Barak, Chief Medical Officer of RDD Pharma. "We look forward to advancing our studies in the EU and to filing an … Continue reading →

By Suzanne Laurent news@seacoastonline.com PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Jim Scotts eyes light up when he talks about his family business, RAWZ Natural Pet Food. It is the story of three generations who have been involved in pet nutrition. But it is so much more than that. Because Scott and his younger brother sustained life-altering injuries 15 months apart in 2005 and 2006, his parents have decided to give 100 percent of the profits of RAWZ back to specific nonprofits. Seacoast Media Group caught up with Scott recently during lunch at the Krempels Center, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he attends the day program three times a week. Krempels Center was founded by David Krempels in 1995, after he sustained a traumatic brain injury himself in 1992. I was so depressed because I was trying to accept the fact that it was tough for me to walk and even talk, Scott said. Krempels saved my life. Scott, now 34, was in a car accident in July 2006. He had been drinking and driving and suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him paralyzed on his left side. His parents, Jim Scott Jr. and Janet, of Cape Neddick, were already coping with Scotts younger … Continue reading →

Share Share Share Email Invivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp (NVIV), the biotechnology company, has become, over the years, one of the most popular biotech companies on social media. Examples include articles on Seeking Alpha, such as Why I think InVivo Shares Are Worth A Double written by Jason Napodano, CFA, the Yahoo Finance Forum, which includes 1,618 reactions as of July 1, 2017, or the iHub Forum. Last month, the company released a new patient enrollment into the INSPIRE study to treat Thoracic AIS, A Spinal Cord Injury, as well as the positive results of the trial with two patients. Additionally, it was put out that UCHealth Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO, will be another clinical site, where the company will be running INSPIRE study. A total of 32 clinical sites are participating in the study at the moment. What was the market reaction to this exciting news? Market participants pushed up the share price by 13% in one day. Have a look at the recent price action. Source InVivo Therapeutics and its recent announcements The company is a clinical-stage biomaterials and biotechnology company, researching and developing treatments for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. The treatment is based on … Continue reading →

Image: A new study shows magnetic stimulation to the brain can reduce post-surgical spasticity (Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto). Researchers at Paracelsus Medical University (Salzburg, Austria), the University of Verona (Italy), and other institutions conducted a study to investigate if iTBS, a safe, non-invasive and well-tolerated protocol of excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), is effective in modulating spasticity. The study included ten subjects with incomplete cervical or thoracic SCI. Five patients received 10 days of real or iTBS, and the remaining five received sham treatment. After two months, the sham group was switched to real iTBS and the study continued. The researchers measured motor-evoked potentials (MEP) in the soleus (calf muscle), during magnetic stimulation over the most responsive area of the scalp. M-wave and H reflexes, which are measures of muscle contractions due to stimulation of the tibial nerve, were assessed for each subject, and an H/M amplitude ratio was determined. Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and the Spinal Cord Injury Assessment Tool for Spasticity (SCAT) were also compared before and after the stimulation protocols. The results showed that patients receiving real iTBS showed significant increased resting and active MEPs amplitude and a significant reduction of the H/M amplitude ratio. In … Continue reading →

Zhongju Shi,1,2 Hongyun Huang,3 Shiqing Feng1,2 1Department of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 2Institute of Neurology, Key Laboratory of Post-Neuroinjury Neuro-Repair and Regeneration in Central Nervous System, Ministry of Education, Tianjin City, Tianjin, 3Institute of Neurorestoratology, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition and major burden on society and individuals. Currently, neurorestorative strategies, including stem cell therapy products or mature/functionally differentiated cell-derived cell therapy products, can restore patients with chronic complete SCI to some degree of neurological functions. The stem cells for neurorestoration include neural stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, etc. A better understanding of the merits, demerits and precise function of different stem cells in the treatment of SCI may aid in the development of neurorestorative strategies. However, the efficacy, safety and ethical concerns of stem cell-based therapy continue to be challenged. Nonetheless, stem cell-based therapies hold promise of widespread applications, particularly in areas of SCI, and have the potential to be novel therapeutics, which contributes to the repair of SCI. This review mainly focused on recent advances regarding the stem cell-based therapies in the treatment of SCI … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV)today announced that two patients in the INSPIRE study of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold have improved from sensory incomplete AIS B spinal cord injury (SCI) to motor incomplete AIS C SCI in their most recent INSPIRE assessments. These are the second and third patients in the INSPIRE study to have reached AIS C motor incomplete classification. One of these patients was enrolled in May 2016 and converted from complete AIS A SCI to incomplete AIS B SCI at the three-month exam in August 2016. At the 12-month visit, the patient regained motor function associated with the most sacral segments of the spinal cord and was assessed to be AIS C. Stuart Lee, M.D., is the Principal Investigator at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, where this patient was implanted with the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold. Dr. Lee said, The patients continued improvement at the one year exam is encouraging. Return of sacral motor function may be related to improvements in bowel and bladder function that can have an appreciable impact on a patients quality of life. We look forward to monitoring this patients recovery and hope for continued progress. The second patient was enrolled in June … Continue reading →