INTRODUCTION The spectrum of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not fully defined and no effective treatments for TBI-induced CIRCI are available to date. Despite growing interest in the use of stress-dose hydrocortisone as a potential therapy for CIRCI, there remains a paucity of data regarding its benefits following severe T...

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major public health problem and a devastating event for individuals. Because the central nervous system has a limited capacity for endogenous regeneration and repair, it is necessary to identify factors that exacerbate SCI to prevent any further deterioration of neurological function and improve the outcomes of injuries [1]. We previously demonstrated ...

increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines have been recorded after the onset  of transient  or  permanent  brain  ischemia and  are  usually associated with  exacerbation  of ischemic injury. embolic stroke model is more relevant to the pathophysiological situation in such  patients, because the  majority of  ischemic injuries in humans  are induced  by old thrombi that originate from the h...

Introduction Neurological disturbances and acute kidney injury (AKI) commonly co-exist in critically ill patients. However, it is unclear if AKI directly contributes to neurological disturbances (uremic encephalopathy) or if neurological disturbances and AKI are both reflections of multiorgan failure. Furthermore, it is unclear if renal replacement therapy (RRT) improves outcome, especially if ...