3 +/- 15 5 vs 65 5 +/- 14 2 years, p = 0 94) Mean log blood har

3 +/- 15.5 vs. 65.5 +/- 14.2 years, p = 0.94). Mean log blood harmane concentration was similar to 50% higher in cases than controls (0.50 +/- 0.54 g(-10)/ml vs. 0.35 +/- 0.62 g(-10)/ml, p = 0.038). In a logistic regression analysis, log blood harmane concentration was associated with ET (ORadjusted 1.56, 95% CI 1.01-2.42, p = 0.04), and odds of ET was 1.90 (95% CI 1.07-3.39, p = 0.029) in the highest versus lowest log blood harmane tertile. Log blood harmane was highest

in ET cases with familial ET (0.53 +/- 0.57 g(-10)/ml), intermediate in cases with sporadic ET (0.43 +/- 0.45 g(-10)/ml) and lowest in controls (0.35 +/- 0.62 g(-10)/ml) (test for trend, p = 0.026). Blood harmane appears to be elevated in ET. The higher concentrations in familial ET suggests that the mechanism may involve genetic factors. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Patients E7080 concentration on hemodialysis depend on durable, easily maintained vascular access. The autologous arteriovenous fistula (AVF) has been the gold standard since the introduction of the Brecia-Cimino fistula in 1966 and is echoed in the current Kidney Disease Outcomes and Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guidelines. The purpose of

this study is to determine the natural history of AVF in patients requiring first-time permanent access in a large academic vascular surgery practice.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing new access creation from January 1, 2005 to June 30, 2005. The study

group consisted of patients with no prior permanent access that underwent AVF creation. Categorical data was compared using chi(2) https://www.selleckchem.com/products/pci-32765.html analysis, nominal data was compared using Student t-test, and patency was determined by Kaplan-Meier curves.

Results: During the 6-month period, there were 80 first time AVF creations. The majority of patients were male (69%), African American (55%), and a history of diabetes this website (55%) and hypertension (96%). Seventy-five percent of patients were already undergoing hemodialysis via catheter access. Seventy-six percent of patients underwent preoperative vein mapping with a mean vein diameter of 3.1 mm. Twenty-six radiocephalic AVF (RCAVF) and 54 brachiocephalic AVF (BCAVF) were created with a mean follow-up of 278 days. At the end of follow-up, 38 (48%) AVF were being used for hemodialysis and only nine (11%) matured without the need for additional intervention. Mean time for AVF maturation was 146 days. Thirty AVF (37%) were abandoned, 16 (20%) of which were primary failures. Mean time to abandonment was 162 days. Twelve (15%) AVF remained patent but were never cannulated. The intervention rate was 1.33 interventions/patient/year and 75% of interventions were percutaneous. Kaplan-Meier analysis determined primary, primary-assisted, and secondary patency was 36% +/- 8.3, 55% +/- 6.5, and 55% +/- 6.5 at 1 year, respectively. Cumulative functional patency was 63% at 1 year.

Therefore, to examine and compare results obtained from RM models

Therefore, to examine and compare results obtained from RM models of Indian and Chinese origins should lead to further validation and improvement

of these animal models for HIV/AIDS research.”
“Background: Intrapartum administration of single-dose nevirapine (sdNVP) reduces perinatal HIV-1 transmission in resource-limiting settings by half. Yet this strategy has limited effect on subsequent breast milk transmission, making the case for new treatment approaches to extend maternal/infant antiretroviral prophylaxis through the period of lactation. Maternal and transmitted infant HIV-1 variants frequently develop NVP resistance mutations following sdNVP, complicating subsequent treatment/prophylaxis regimens. However, it is not clear whether NVP-resistant viruses are transmitted via breastfeeding or arise de novo see more in the infant.

Findings: We performed a detailed HIV genetic analysis using single genome sequencing to identify the origin of drug-resistant variants in an sdNVP-treated postnatally-transmitting mother-infant pair. Phylogenetic analysis

of HIV sequences from the child revealed low-diversity variants indicating infection by a subtype C single BGJ398 transmitted/founder virus that shared full-length sequence identity with a clonally-amplified maternal breast milk virus variant harboring the K103N NVP resistance mutation.

Conclusion: In this mother/child pair, clonal amplification of maternal NVP-resistant HIV variants present in systemic and mammary gland compartments following intrapartum

sdNVP represents one source of transmitted NVP-resistant variants that is responsible for the acquisition of drug resistant virus by the breastfeeding infant. This finding emphasizes the need for combination antiretroviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.”
“Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) PF299804 purchase has been recognized as a metabolic disorder, manifested by abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), a member of the serine protease inhibitor family, is a pleiotropic protein known for its antiangiogenic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties and has been shown to induce insulin resistance and play a role in glucose metabolism. Recent studies investigating circulating PEDF levels show elevated serum PEDF in association with insulin resistance in normal-weight women with PCOS, but not in obese PCOS patients. The aims of this study were 1) to assess PEDF gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (scAT) from women with PCOS and nonhirsute, ovulatory controls, and 2) to determine the circulating levels of PEDF in these groups.

Methods: Total RNA was extracted from adipose tissue biopsy samples and reverse-transcribed to cDNA. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to determine relative gene expression levels.

Methods:

An asymmetric, funnel-shaped flow path was creat

Methods:

An asymmetric, funnel-shaped flow path was created by constricting the infrarenal AA segment of Taiwanese Lanyu mini pigs (age, 7-10 months; male and female) wrapped with an 8-mm-wide expanded polytetrafluoroethylene Teflon strip for 4 weeks (4w), 8 weeks (8w), and 12 weeks (12w) (seven pigs per group). This mimics the tortuous aneurysm neck in human AAA, which increases downstream flow-mediated stress. Significant flow disturbance resulting from moderate coarctation was indicated by a pulsatility index reduced to one third the inherent levels. Sham control pigs received Teflon wrapping without coarctation.

Results: Aneurysm characterized by progressive medial selleck screening library degeneration occurred at the terminal AA after 12w coarctation. The outer dimension enlargement of the distal AA exceeded 50% compared with that of the proximal AA at 4w, 8w, and 12w postcoarctation (sham, 1.0; 4w, 1.7 +/- 0.08; 8w, 1.5 +/- 0.09; 12w, 1.7 +/- 0.01). Lumen ratio of the distal-to-suprarenal AA increased time dependently, with 12w postcoarctation exhibiting significant increase (sham, 1.0 +/- 0.05; 4w, 1.1 +/- 0.11; 8w, 1.4 +/- 0.20; 12w, 1.5 +/- 0.09). In the distal AA, elastic lamellae exhibited fragmentation at

4w and more pronounced fragmentation with decreased density at 8w and 12w postcoarctation. Medial collagen density exhibited the trend to increase at 4w and 8w but was Ispinesib order reversed at 12w postcoarctation. Smooth muscle exhibited disarray and nuclear density decrease at 8w and 12w Adriamycin supplier postcoarctation (sham, 6966 +/- 888/mm(2); 4w, 5747 +/- 1340/mm(2); 8w, 4153 +/- 323/mm(2); 12w, 4083 +/- 465/mm(2)). Gelatin zymography revealed that matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity markedly increased at 4w postcoarctation.

Conclusions: Prolonged moderate coarctation caused regional hemodynamic stress and thereby induced degenerative AAA in the terminal AA.

(J Vasc Surg 2013;57:806-15.)”
“Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) allows for reliable quantification of global protein abundance changes. The threshold of significance for protein abundance changes depends on the experimental variation (biological and technical). This study estimates biological, technical and total variation inherent to 2-D DIGE analysis of environmental bacteria, using the model organisms “”Aromatoleum aromaticum” EbN1 and Phaeobacter gallaeciensis DSM 17395. Of both bacteria the soluble proteomes were analyzed from replicate cultures. For strains EbN1 and DSM 17395, respectively, CV revealed a total variation of below 19 and 15%, an average technical variation of 12 and 7%, and an average biological variation of 18 and 17%. Multivariate analysis of variance confirmed domination of biological over technical variance to be significant in most cases. To visualize variances, the complex protein data have been plotted with a multidimensional scaling technique.

The mechanism of action involves suppression of MA-induced apopto

The mechanism of action involves suppression of MA-induced apoptosis. Published by Elsevier Inc.”
“Olfactory

transport of represents an important mechanism for direct delivery of certain metals to the central nervous system (CNS). The objective of this study was to determine whether inhaled Selleck LY3009104 tungsten (W) undergoes olfactory uptake and transport to the rat brain. Male, 16-week-old, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a single, 90-min, nose-only exposure to a (Na2WO4)-W-188 aerosol (256 mg W/m(3)). Rats had the right nostril plugged to prevent nasal deposition of W-188 on the occluded side. The left and right sides of the nose and brain, including the olfactory pathway and striatum, were sampled at 0, 1, 3, 7, and 21 days post-exposure. Gamma spectrometry (n = 7 rats/time point) was used to compare the levels of W-188 found on the left and right sides of the nose and brain and blood to determine the contribution of olfactory uptake to brain W-188 levels. Respiratory and olfactory epithelial samples from the side with the occluded nostril had significantly lower end-of-exposure 188 W levels confirming the occlusion procedure. Olfactory bulb, olfactory tract/tubercle, striatum, cerebellum, rest of brain W-188 levels paralleled blood W-188 concentrations at approximately 2-3% of

measured blood levels. Brain W-188 concentrations were highest immediately following exposure, and returned to near background concentrations within 3 days. Pifithrin �� A statistically significant difference in olfactory bulb W-188 Y-27632 concentration was seen at 3 days post-exposure. At this time, W-188 concentrations in the olfactory bulb from the side ipsilateral to the unoccluded nostril were approximately 4-fold higher than those seen in the contralateral olfactory bulb. Our data suggest that the concentration of W-188 in

the olfactory bulb remained low throughout the experiment, i.e., approximately 1-3% of the amount of tungsten seen in the olfactory epithelium suggesting that olfactory transport plays a minimal role in delivering tungsten to the rat brain. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Pentachlorophenol (PCP) (C6HCl5O) is a synthetic toxic organochloride fungicide for humans which exhibit neurotoxic properties. In the present research, we describe the potential pathways implicated in PCP-induced apoptosis in an acute model of toxicity in rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). In our experiments, acute exposure of CGNs to micromolar concentrations of PCP induced the transcriptional activity of genes related to the classical apoptosis pathway (caspase 3, caspase 8, Bad), oxidative stress and glutathione metabolism (glutathione peroxidase-1, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase-3 and superoxide dismutase-1), and mitogenic response (cyclin D1, cdk2, cdk4, cdkn2b). Results from Western blot also shown significative increases in the expression of cyclins D1, E and A and cdk4.


“Prior research suggests that abrupt initiation of abstine


“Prior research suggests that abrupt initiation of abstinence from cigarette smoking reduces neural cognitive efficiency. When cognitive efficiency is high, processing speed and accuracy are maximized with minimal allocation of cognitive resources. The study presented here tested the effects of resumption of smoking on cognitive response conflict after overnight abstinence from smoking, hypothesizing that smoking would enhance cognitive efficiency. Twenty paid research volunteers who were chronic cigarette smokers abstained from smoking overnight (> 12 h) before undergoing fMRI while Liproxstatin-1 cost performing a color-word Stroop task during two separate test sessions: one that did not

include smoking before testing and another one that did. Statistical analyses were performed by modeling the Stroop effect (incongruent > congruent) BOLD response within a collection of a priori regions of interest that have consistently been associated with cognitive control. Behavioral assessment alone did not reveal any significant differences in the Stroop effect between the two sessions. BOLD activations, however, indicated that in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), smokers had significantly less task-related activity following smoking (p < 0.02). In contrast, the right middle frontal gyrus exhibited significantly greater activity after smoking as compared to the no-smoking session (p < 0.003). Exaggerated neural activity

in the ACC during nicotine withdrawal may reflect a compensatory mechanism by which cognitive control networks expend AP24534 manufacturer excessive energy to support selective attention processes. Resumption of smoking may enhance cognitive control in smokers, involving a reduction in ACC response conflict activity together with improvement in conflict resolution involving the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuropsychopharmacology (2010) 35, 775-782; doi:10.1038/npp.2009.186; published online 11 November 2009″
“In the two decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, see more former communist countries in Europe have pursued wide-ranging changes to their health systems. We describe three key aspects of these changes-an almost universal switch to

health insurance systems, a growing reliance on out-of-pocket payments (both formal and informal), and efforts to strengthen primary health care, often with a model of family medicine delivered by general practitioners. Many decisions about health policy, such as the introduction of health insurance systems or general practice, took into account political issues more than they did evidence. Evidence for whether health reforms have achieved their intended results is sparse. Of crucial importance is that lessons are learnt from experiences of countries to enable development of health systems that meet present and future health needs of populations.”
“Conditioned responding to drug-predictive discrete cues can be strongly modulated by drug-associated contexts.

An independent data coordinating centre randomly allocated patien

An independent data coordinating centre randomly allocated patients in a 2: 1 ratio to receive CDCs or standard care. For patients assigned to receive CDCs, autologous cells grown from endomyocardial biopsy specimens were infused into the infarct-related artery 1.5-3 months after myocardial infarction. The primary endpoint was proportion of patients at 6 months who died due to ventricular tachycardia,

ventricular fibrillation, or sudden unexpected death, or had myocardial infarction after cell infusion, new cardiac tumour formation on MRI, or a major adverse cardiac event (MACE; composite of death and hospital admission for heart failure or non-fatal recurrent myocardial infarction). We also assessed preliminary efficacy endpoints on MRI by 6 months. Data analysers were masked to group assignment. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00893360.

Findings Between Ispinesib chemical structure Nocodazole molecular weight May 5, 2009, and Dec 16, 2010, we randomly

allocated 31 eligible participants of whom 25 were included in a per-protocol analysis (17 to CDC group and eight to standard of care). Mean baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 39% (SD 12) and scar occupied 24% (10) of left ventricular mass. Biopsy samples yielded prescribed cell doses within 36 days (SD 6). No complications were reported within 24 h of CDC infusion. By 6 months, no patients had died, developed cardiac tumours, or MACE in either group. Four patients (24%) in the CDC group had serious adverse events compared with one control (13%; p=1.00). Compared with controls at 6 months, MRI analysis of patients treated with CDCs

showed reductions in scar mass (p=0.001), increases in viable heart Necrostatin-1 chemical structure mass (p=0.01) and regional contractility (p=0.02), and regional systolic wall thickening (p=0.015). However, changes in end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and LVEF did not differ between groups by 6 months.

Interpretation We show intracoronary infusion of autologous CDCs after myocardial infarction is safe, warranting the expansion of such therapy to phase 2 study. The unprecedented increases we noted in viable myocardium, which are consistent with therapeutic regeneration, merit further assessment of clinical outcomes.”
“The influence of dietary fatty acids (I-As) other than omega-3 FAs on mood has been largely overlooked. The authors prospectively assessed the association between dietary linoleic and oleic FAs and the risk of severe depressed mood (SDM) among 4856 adults aged 25-74 years who were examined in 1971-1975 as a part of a national survey. intakes of FAs were obtained at baseline from a 24-hour recall and categorized into thirds. SDM was defined as Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores at follow-up survey >= 22 or taking anti-depression medication. After an average of 10.


“Structure-function


“Structure-function PARP inhibitor studies of neuronal networks have recently benefited from considerable progress in different areas of investigation. Advances in molecular genetics and imaging have allowed for the dissection of neuronal connectivity with unprecedented detail whereas in vivo recordings are providing much needed clues as to how sensory,

motor and cognitive function is encoded in neuronal firing. However, bridging the gap between the cellular and behavioral levels will ultimately require an understanding of the functional organization of the underlying neuronal circuits. One way to unravel the complexity of neuronal networks is to understand how their connectivity emerges during brain maturation. In this review, we will describe how graph theory provides experimentalists with novel

concepts that can be used to describe and interpret these developing connectivity schemes.”
“This study was designed to document eating disorder symptoms in a well-defined sample of patients with bipolar disorder and to evaluate the relationship of current loss of control over eating (LOC) to demographic and clinical features 5-Fluoracil purchase hypothesized to characterize bipolar patients at risk for disordered eating. Eighty-one patients enrolled in the Bipolar Disorder Center for Pennsylvanians provided demographic information and completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. The Eating Disorder Examination was administered by independent clinicians to evaluate current and lifetime eating disorder symptomatology. Twenty-one percent of participants met DSM-IV criteria for a lifetime eating disorder,

and 44% reported a history of LOC. Patients who endorsed weekly LOC during the past six months (n = 18) were heavier, had more atypical depressive symptoms, and were more likely to have a lifetime substance selleckchem use disorder compared to patients in the rest of the sample (n=63). These findings indicate that eating disorder symptoms are prevalent in patients with bipolar disorder and are associated with obesity and other psychiatric morbidity. Screening for eating disorders in bipolar patients is warranted, as intervention may minimize distress and improve treatment outcome. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Many of our fatal “”civilization”" infectious diseases have arisen from domesticated animals. Although picornaviruses infect most mammals, infection of a companion animal is not known. Here we describe the identification and genomic characterization of the first canine picornavirus. Canine kobuvirus (CKoV), identified in stool samples from dogs with diarrhea, has a genomic organization typical of a picornavirus and encodes a 2,469-amino-acid polyprotein flanked by 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions.

The results demonstrate that BDNF does not affect cell motility p

The results demonstrate that BDNF does not affect cell motility per se but alters the phasic behavior

of cell movement by promoting periods of high motility in a defined subpopulation of cells which give a robust Ca2+ response to NMDA and GABA. (C) 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“This article reviews evidence from studies employing colchicine-induced granule cell loss in the adult rat brain, and irradiation-induced Elacridar chemical structure hypoplasia of the neonatal dentate gyrus, on the performance of spatial and non-spatial behavioral tasks. The general picture emerging from this analysis reveals that the dentate gyrus granule cells are critically involved in spatial behavior, particularly when this requires the adoption of place strategies. This notion also provides an explanation for the behavioral effects of dentate gyrus granule cell loss seen in apparently non-spatial tasks. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Endemic (Balkan) nephropathy is a chronic tubulointerstitial disease frequently accompanied by urothelial cell carcinomas of the

upper urinary tract. This disorder has recently been linked to exposure to aristolochic acid, a powerful nephrotoxin and human carcinogen. Following metabolic activation, aristolochic acid reacts with genomic DNA to form aristolactam-DNA adducts that generate a unique TP53 mutational spectrum in the urothelium. The aristolactam-DNA adducts are concentrated in the renal cortex, thus serving as biomarkers of internal exposure to aristolochic acid. Here, we present molecular Fedratinib datasheet epidemiologic evidence relating carcinomas of the upper urinary tract to dietary exposure to aristolochic acid. DNA was extracted buy MK-8931 from the renal cortex and urothelial tumor tissue of 67 patients that underwent nephroureterectomy for carcinomas of the upper urinary tract and resided in regions of known endemic nephropathy. Ten patients from nonendemic regions with carcinomas of the upper urinary tract served as controls. Aristolactam-DNA adducts were quantified by P-32-postlabeling, the adduct was confirmed by mass spectrometry, and TP53 mutations

in tumor tissues were identified by chip sequencing. Adducts were present in 70% of the endemic cohort and in 94% of patients with specific A: T to T: A mutations in TP53. In contrast, neither aristolactam-DNA adducts nor specific mutations were detected in tissues of patients residing in nonendemic regions. Thus, in genetically susceptible individuals, dietary exposure to aristolochic acid is causally related to endemic nephropathy and carcinomas of the upper urinary tract. Kidney International (2012) 81, 559-567; doi: 10.1038/ki.2011.371; published online 9 November 2011″
“Activation of neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptors in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) can facilitate pain transmission in conditions such as inflammation, and thereby contribute to hyperalgesia.

This review focuses on the use of aqueous two-phase extraction as

This review focuses on the use of aqueous two-phase extraction as an option for the downstream processing of therapeutic proteins. It is a potential and promising liquid-liquid extraction technique for the purification of biomolecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, growth factors and hormones, that combines a high selectivity and biocompatibility with an easy scale-up and continuous operation mode.”
“Regulations of hormonal stress responses entail the

initiation, amplitude and termination of the reaction, as well as its integration with other stress response systems. This study investigates the role of endogenous opioids in the regulation and integration of behavioral, STI571 cell line thermal and hormonal stress responses, as these neuromodulators and their receptors are expressed in limbic structures responsible for stress responses. For this purpose, we subjected mice with selective deletion of beta-endorphin, enkephatin or dynorphin to the zero-maze test, a mildly stressful situation, and registered behaviors and stress hormone CB-5083 clinical trial levels. Behavioral stress reactivity

was assessed using zero-maze, light-dark and startle-reactivity paradigms. Animals lacking enkephalin displayed increased anxiety-related behavioral responses in each three, dynorphin knockouts in two models, whereas the responses of beta-endorphin knockouts indicated tower anxiety level in the zero-maze test. All knockout strains showed marked changes in hormonal stress reactivity. Increase in ACTH level after zero-maze test situation, unlike in wild type animals, failed to reach the level of significance in Penk1(-/-) and Pdyn(-/-) mice. Corticosterone selleck inhibitor plasma levels rapidly increased in all strains, with a lower peak

response in knockouts. In wild-type and beta-endorphin-deficient mice, corticosterone levels returned to baseline within 60 min after stress exposure. In contrast, mice lacking dynorphin and enkephalin showed longer-lasting elevated corticosterone levels, indicating a delayed termination of the stress reaction. Importantly, the behavioral and hormonal responses correlated in wild-type but not in knockout mice. Hyperthermia elicited by stress was reduced in animals lacking dynorphin and absent in Penk1(-/-) mice, despite of the heightened behavioral anxiety level of these strains. These results demonstrate an important role on the endogenous opioid system in the integration of behavioral and hormonal stress responses. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Skeletal muscle hosts all of the isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). It is well documented that nitric oxide (NO) regulates force generation and satellite cell activation, and therefore, damage repair of skeletal muscle. NO can also activate nociceptors of C-fibers, thereby causing the sensation of pain.

Less is known about the impact Of Subthreshold depression, and wh

Less is known about the impact Of Subthreshold depression, and whether more symptoms center significantly greater risk compared to fewer symptoms.

Method. Using data from the Duke Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) collected over 10 years, we used repeated-measures mixed models to predict functional change by depression status at the prior (index) in-person interview. Depressive symptoms were measured using a modified version of the Center for Epidermologic Dactolisib cost Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Subthreshold depression was operationalized as 6-8 symptoms and CES-D-defined depression as 9-20 symptoms in the previous week. Three domains of functional status were assessed at

the subsequent in-person interview: limitations in basic activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (IADL) and mobility.

Results. Controlling for race, sex, age, education, marital status, cognitive status, health status, self-perceived health, perceived social support and functional status at the index interview, having >= 6 depressive symptoms predicted an increase of 0.12 IADL limitations 3-4 years later (p=0.03). The incremental effect of CES-D-defined depression (>= 9 symptoms compared to 6-8 symptoms) was not significant, Suggesting that the effect of more symptomatic depression

did not add to that Of Subthreshold depression. CES-D score modeled as a Continuous variable predicted check details Ferrostatin-1 order functional change for all domains, but the relationship was not linear, Supporting a possible threshold effect.

Conclusions. The relationship between depressive symptoms and

functional change is complex, not necessarily linear, and may vary by tasks assessed.”
“Objective: The mechanism underlying ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protection against spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is unclear. We investigated the role of spinal cord autoregulation in tolerance to spinal cord I/R injury induced by IPC in a rat model.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups. IPC (P) group animals received IPC by temporary thoracic aortic occlusion (AO) with a 2F Fogarty arterial embolectomy catheter (Baxter Healthcare, Irvine, Calif) for 3 minutes. The I/R injury (I/R) group animals were treated with blood withdrawal and temporary AO for 12 minutes, and shed blood reinfusion at the end of the procedures. The P + I/R animals received IPC, followed by 5 minutes reperfusion, and then I/R procedures for 12 minutes. Sham (S) group animals received anesthesia and underwent surgical preparation, but without preconditioning or I/R injury. Neurologic function on postprocedure days 1, 3, 5, and 7 was evaluated by Tarlov scoring. Lumbar segments were harvested for histopathologic examination on day 7. To evaluate the role of autoregulation in IPC, spinal cord blood flow and tissue oxygenation were continuously monitored throughout the procedure duration.