Traumatic brain injury is the leading killer after trauma, in part because of coagulopathy. Factor VIIa may be a useful therapy in this setting, depending on the relative risk for thromboembolic complications. Kluger and coworkers recently conducted a retrospective review of patients with traumatic brain injury from a previous factor VIIa and trauma trial. It documents an encouragingly low rate...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is often complicated by secondary ischemic injury as a result of the innate inflammatory response to traumatic injury and tissue swelling. Prior studies have shown that excessive ATP release from peri-traumatic regions contributes to the inflammatory response to SCI by activation of low affinity P2X7 receptors. Since connexin hemichannels constitute an important route f...

BACKGROUND Little empiric research has investigated the interrelationship between homelessness and traumatic brain injury. The objectives of this study were to determine the rate, mechanisms and associated outcomes of traumatic brain injury among men in an urban homeless shelter. METHODS We recruited participants from an urban men's shelter in Toronto, Ontario. Researchers administered the Br...

OBJECTIVE Head injury is a leading cause of death and disability in subjects who suffer a traumatic accident. Contralateral hematomas after surgery for traumatic brain injury are rare. However, an unrecognized, these hematomas can cause devastating results. We presented our experience of these patients and discussed diagnosis and management. METHODS This study included 12 traumatic patients w...

Microglia is one of the first innate immune components. These cells account about 5 to 10% of the entire adult brain cells and are activated by trauma. Complex-mediated inflammatory responses occur through cellular and molecular events during and after the traumatic brain injury (TBI). In-lesion area astrocytes, microglia, and damaged neurons begin to secrete cytokines and chemokines. Microglia...

BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injuries are common and costly to hospital systems. Most of the guidelines on management of traumatic brain injuries are taken from the Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines. This is a review of the current literature discussing the evolving practice of traumatic brain injury. DATA SOURCES A literature search using multiple databases was performed for articles publishe...

...........................................................................................................................ix Introduction......................................................................................................................1 The Exciting but Risky Lives of Dendritic Spines..................................................1 Calcium and Dendritic Spine Plasticity....