Gene therapy develops very rapidly during the resent years. Great prospects have been demonstrated from basic study and clinic test. However, the gene therapy in CNS is still in stage of laboratory. The research status and prospects of gene therapy in spinal cord injury (SCI) were introduced. The basic principle is to transplant certain cells genetically modified with NTFs to the site of the injuried spinal cord, then NTFs are expressed in vivo and stimulate axon regrowing. Virus vectors are usually used for gene transfer because of their high rate of transfection, and the receptor cells include fibroblast, myoblast, etc. Nowadays, gene therapy in SCI is studied in many laboratories and the problems include: 1. The ideal components of transfer gene. 2. The choice of carrier. 3. Immune reaction, and prolonged survival and persistent expression of the receptor cells in the spinal cord. If these problems could be solved, the gene therapy would become the key method in the therapy of SCI.
Objective To discuss the feasibility of treating the brain ischemic stroke by the co-transplantation of the neural stem cells(NSCs) and the endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs). Methods The original biomedical articles concerned with the treatment of the brain ischemic therapy by the use of the NSCs and the EPCs were extensively reviewed as well as retrieved and analyzed. Results The review revealed that the NSCs and the EPCs could migrate to the injured area due to brain ischemic stroke, the environment of the local microcirculation could induce the neurogenesis and the vasculogenesis to repair the injury, and the neurogenesis and vasculogenesis could promote each other. Conclusion The co-transplantation of the NSCs and the EPCscan represent a new promising strategy formore effectively solving the two difficult problems of the neural cell loss andthe vascular obstruction caused by the brain ischemic stroke.
Objective To establish and evaluate a hydrocephalus model in dogs. Methods Twelve healthy adult male mongrel dogs (weight, 10-15 kg) were randomly divided into the control group (n=6) and the experimental group (n=6). All the dogs were given CT and neurological examination to exclude congenital ventricular enlargement and neurological abnormity before they received hydrocephalus induction. Surgical procedures included the exposing of the foramen magnum area, the opening of the atlantooccipita anadesma, and the injecting of silicone oil (0.3 ml/kg) into the fourth ventricle through a silicone tube. Normal saline was injected in the control group. The Tarlov neurological fitness assessment and the Evan’s ratio were used to evaluatethe degree of hydrocephalus at 3, 14 and 56 days after operation. Results In the experimental group, the dogs were dull and unsteady in walking,and they drank and ate less. The lateral ventricle began to expand 3 days afteroperation, and then the temple horn of the lateral ventricle and the third ventricle were also affected 14 days after operation. The ventricles were enlarged progressively after operation. The Tarlov scores measured at 3, 14 and 56 days afteroperation had a significant difference at the same time point between the control group(5.83±0.75，6.50±0.55，6.00±0.63) and the experimental group (4.00±0.89，4.83±1.17，4.50±1.05，P＜0.01), but had no significant difference within the same group at different time points (P＞0.05). The Evan’s ratios measured at 3, 14 and 56 days after operation were 0.33±0.04,0.39±006，0.44±0.03，respectively,in the experimental group; and were 0.27±0.06，0.25±0.09, 0.26±0.05,respectively,in the control group. There was a significant difference atthe same time point between the two groups, and at different time points within the experimental group (P＜0.05).Conclusion The dog model of hydrocephalus induced by the injecting of silicone oil into the fourth ventricle has a highsuccess rate, and the model is appropriate for the studies on diagnosis and therapy of hydrocephalus.
In recent years, the system of standardized resident training has been set up and improved gradually in our country.However, the medical specialist training system for neurosurgeons is still at the stage of exploration.It is important to cultivate and select the best neurologic surgery specialists in China.Mayo Clinic is one of the best teaching hospitals in the United States, which has been ranking the second in the United States for the recent 20 years.Analyzing the neurologic surgery specialist training program of the world's top hospital and learning from its advanced experiences are beneficial for the establishment of medical specialist training system and the production of the highest caliber neurosurgeons in the Department of Neurosurgery in West China Hospital of Sichuan University.The Department of Neurosurgery in West China Hospital of Sichuan University is advantageous in its advanced technology and equipment, sufficient operations, rich teaching resources and independent laboratories.Our goal is to establish strict accessing, management and assessment system, perfecting security and feedback system, focusing on the cultivation of humanistic spirit, building neurosurgery specialist personnel, and establishing a unique brand of West China in the field of teaching.
As the intensity of clinical and research work is high, teaching is gradually paid less attention to and the quality of education cannot be ensured. In this context, a full-time teaching position is set up in West China Hospital which is taken responsibility by qualified clinicians, to improve the teaching quality by strict management and omni-directional teaching. We introduce the setting and running of the full-time teaching position in West China Hospital in this paper.