In a study population of 45 adult patients with multiple trauma and lung contusion, we obtained bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (blind suctioning of 20 ml NaCl (0.9%) via jet catheter) and collected blood samples at two time points (16 hours and 40 hours) after trauma.
The pathologic outcome of spinal cord transection and contusion injury can be manipulated and intrinsic wound repair obtained by specific elimination of some cells generated at the lesion site [3], [19] [20].
JNK activation was investigated by western blot analysis performed on brain samples obtained from four TBI patients who underwent surgical removal of a cerebral contusion, and on injured cortex and hippocampus of mice subjected to anesthesia followed by controlled cortical impact brain injury at 1, 4 and 48 hours post injury.
Samples were obtained on day 1 and day 2 after severe chest trauma, and lung contusion was assessed by CT scan.
Non-tumoral white matter samples (a pool of two), isolated from the same brain area of the tumors and obtained from pediatric patients undergoing focal brain resection for head injury sequelae (e.g. brain contusion), were used as normal control after being anonymized.
Control synovial fluid was obtained from 21 patients (aged 36 to 88 years) with noninflammatory joint diseases (osteoarthritis, 8 patients; chondrocalcinosis, 2; villonodular synovitis, 1; knee contusion, 4; rupture of meniscus, 4; and rupture of cruciate ligament, 2).
By implanting human MSCs into the contusion rat model, more rapid restoration of hindlimb function was achieved when compared with other control groups, but significant differences of BBB scores and coupling scores among all groups were not obtained.
As normal controls, we used six non-tumoral white matter samples obtained from six anonymized patients (age range at the time of diagnosis, 21 54 years) undergoing focal brain resection during acute internal decompression operation for severe traumatic brain injury such as brain contusions [ 5, 32].
The joint pathology was defined by clinical knee magnetic resonance images obtained prior to the baseline assessments, and included, in addition to evidence of ACL tear in all patients, other knee joint tissue damage including bone contusions, medial collateral ligament tears, meniscal tears and chondral defects.
A patient with mild head injury and pulmonary contusion was submitted to a T-tube trial after obtaining stability on day 5.
As the probes are not positioned until after obtaining a control CT scan approximately 24 hours after TBI, placement within a growing contusion is avoided.
