Optic neuropathy is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, and a paradigm for central nervous system axonal disease. The primary event is damage to retinal ganglion cell axons, with subsequent death of the cell body by apoptosis. Trials of neuroprotection for these and other neuronal diseases have mostly failed, primarily because mechanisms of neuroprotection in animals do not necessarily...

Melanopsin is found in only approximately 2% of mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), making these RGCs uniquely and directly photosensitive. Given that the majority of RGCs die after axotomy and that grafting of a peripheral nerve to the eye provides a permissive environment for axon regrowth, the present study examined the survival and axonal regrowth of melanopsin-containing RGCs in mice. One...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Although routine transection of the C2 nerve root during atlantoaxial segmental screw fixation has been recommended by some surgeons, it remains controversial and to our knowledge no comparative studies have been performed to determine whether transection or preservation of the C2 nerve root affects patient-derived sensory outcomes. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to s...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Histopathological and radiological analysis revealed that neurodegeneration occurs early in the disease course. However, the pathological mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration are poorly understood. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelit...

PURPOSE The main purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of postenucleation adjuvant therapy in preventing metastasis in cases of high-risk retinoblastoma. METHODS This was a retrospective, nonrandomized comparative study. Of 1020 consecutive patients with retinoblastoma had were managed at a referral center between January 1974 and December 1999, 80 (8%) of those analyzed had uni...

Because of its variable origin and course, the thenar branch median nerve is at risk during carpal tunnel release. Transection results in atrophy non-functioning opponens pollicis, abductor pollicis brevis flexor muscles. A late neurorrhaphy hypothenar fat pad flap were performed to restore conduction thus muscle function after accidental transection an open release 216 days earlier. During eig...

PURPOSE To examine the involvement of c-Jun and c-Jun N-terminal phosphorylation (JNP) in apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after the optic nerve (ON) transection. METHODS The expression and phosphorylation of c-Jun protein and apoptosis in RGCs were examined after ON transection in wild-type mice and mice in which both phosphoacceptor serines of Jun have mutated to alanines (c-Jun[A...