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Calibrated Forceps Model of Spinal Cord Compression Injury
Published on: April 24, 2015
Correlation between Pathological Characteristics and Young's Modulus Value of Spastic Gastrocnemius in a Spinal Cord
Li Jiang1, Yu-Jue Wang1, Qiao-Yuan Wang2
1Department of Rehabilitation, The 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Biomed Research International
|February 16, 2018
Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats alters gastrocnemius muscle (GM) characteristics, increasing stiffness and type II fibers. Shear wave sonoelastography effectively measures these changes in GM tissue.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Muscle Physiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to significant secondary complications, including muscle atrophy and changes in muscle fiber composition.
- Quantifying changes in muscle tissue properties, such as stiffness, is crucial for understanding the pathological cascade following SCI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pathological characteristics and tissue stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle (GM) in a rat model of SCI.
- To explore the correlation between observed pathological changes and the Young's modulus of GM tissue.
Main Methods:
- Utilized shear wave sonoelastography to quantitatively assess GM tissue stiffness in normal control and SCI rat models.
- Conducted pathological examinations of GM tissue, including fiber type analysis and electrophoretic analysis of MyHC isoforms.
- Allocated 24 Sprague Dawley male rats into normal control and SCI model groups.
Main Results:
- SCI model rats exhibited decreased GM weight, reduced ratio of type I fibers, and increased ratio of type II fibers.
- Electrophoretic analysis revealed decreased MyHC-I and increased MyHC-II in SCI model subgroups.
- GM tissue in the SCI model group showed increased elastic modulus, indicating greater stiffness.
- A significant negative correlation was found between GM Young's modulus and the ratio of type I fibers.
Conclusions:
- Muscle stiffness in the gastrocnemius muscle is correlated with pathological characteristics during the initial stages of SCI in rats.
- Shear wave sonoelastography is identified as a valuable tool for assessing GM stiffness in SCI rat models.
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