Moderate exercise in the form of treadmill training and brief electrical nerve stimulation both enhance axon regeneration after peripheral nerve injury. Different regimens of exercise are required to enhance axon regeneration in male and female mice (Wood et al.: Dev Neurobiol 72 (2012) 688-698), and androgens are suspected to be involved. We treated mice with the androgen receptor blocker, flu...

Background:   Valproic acid (VPA) is used to be an effective anti-epileptic drug and mood stabilizer. It has recently been demonstrated that VPA could promote neurite outgrowth, activate the extracellular signal regulated kinase pathway, and increases bcl-2 and growth cone-associated protein 43 levels in spinal cord. In the present research we demonstrate the effect of VPA on peripheral nerve r...

Recent studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with CD34+ hematopoietic/stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) can function as surrogate urinary bladder cells to synergistically promote multi-faceted bladder tissue regeneration. However, the molecular pathways governing these events are unknown. The pleiotropic effects of Wnt5a and Cyr61 are known to affect aspects of hemat...

BACKGROUND Several types of artificial nerve conduit have been used for bridging peripheral nerve gaps as an alternative to autologous nerves. However, their efficacy in repairing nerve injuries accompanied by surrounding tissue damage remains unclear. We fabricated a novel nerve conduit vascularized by superficial inferior epigastric (SIE) vessels and evaluated whether it could promote axonal ...

After peripheral nerve injury, neurotrophins play a key role in the regeneration of damaged axons that can be augmented by exercise, although the distinct roles played by neurons and Schwann cells are unclear. In this study, we evaluated the requirement for the neurotrophin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in neurons and Schwann cells for the regeneration of peripheral axons after inj...

conclusions our results support the use of pns in some patients with refractory chronic headaches. appropriate surgical planning and technique are important to achieve good clinical outcome and to minimize complications. background subcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (pns) has emerged as a useful tool in the treatment of intractable headaches. however, complications such as skin erosion, ...

Our previous study showed that systemic administration of the traditional Chinese medicine Epimedium extract promotes peripheral nerve regeneration. Here, we sought to explore the therapeutic effects of local administration of icariin, a major component of Epimedium extract, on peripheral nerve regeneration. A poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) biological conduit sleeve was used to bridge a 5 mm rig...

excessive scarring; paralleling the process in tendon reconstruction of the hand. inspired by the advantages of the two-stage technique in tendon grafting and with encouraging preliminary results, we aimed to investigate the two-stage nerve grafting technique as an alternative method of secondary nerve repair. methods:  thirty female rats (~200 g) were randomly distributed into two groups (n=15...

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common source of pain and disability in patients. While many patients are affected by PNI, peripheral surgery advancements the lower extremity have lagged behind upper extremity. Subsequently, principles that demonstrated success been implemented Interventions with recent advances include advent novel transfers using stem cells electrical stimulation (ES) for ...