Ghreline et obesite

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2005), 60(1), 35-40

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone secreted by the stomach. It was initially described as a stimulant of growth hormone secretion. Soon, however, it was discovered to play an important role in feeding behaviour ... [more ▼]

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone secreted by the stomach. It was initially described as a stimulant of growth hormone secretion. Soon, however, it was discovered to play an important role in feeding behaviour in animals and in appetite regulation in man: ghrelin stimulates appetite, and as such is an orexigenic peptide implicated in energy balance mechanisms and weight gain. Abnormal ghrelin activity leads to over- or underweight. Additionally, the efficacy of different treatment strategies against obesity seems to be related to modifications in plasma ghrelin levels. This review summarizes the current knowledge about ghrelin and its implications in obesity medicine. [less ▲]

Post-mortem, high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (9.4T) correlates with histopathology after traumatic spinal cord injury.

Conference (2004, October 08)

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves open field locomotor recovery after low but not high thoracic spinal cord compression-injury in adult rats

in Journal of Neuroscience Research (2004), 75(2), 253-261

Electromagnetic fields are able to promote axonal regeneration in vitro and in vivo. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used routinely in neuropsychiatric conditions and as an ... [more ▼]

Electromagnetic fields are able to promote axonal regeneration in vitro and in vivo. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used routinely in neuropsychiatric conditions and as an atraumatic method to activate descending motor pathways. After spinal cord injury, these pathways are disconnected from the spinal locomotor generator, resulting in most of the functional deficit. We have applied daily 10 Hz rTMS for 8 weeks immediately after an incomplete high (T4-5; n = 5) or low (T10-11; n = 6) thoracic closed spinal cord compression -injury in adult rats, using 6 high- and 6 low-lesioned non-stimulated animals as controls. Functional recovery of hindlimbs was assessed using the BBB locomotor rating scale. In the control group, the BBB score was significantly better from the 7th week post-injury in animals lesioned at T4-5 compared to those lesioned at T10-11. rTMS significantly improved locomotor recovery in T10-11-injured rats, but not in rats with a high thoracic injury. In rTMS-treated rats, there was significant positive correlation between final BBB score and grey matter density of serotonergic fibres in the spinal segment just caudal to the lesion. We propose that low thoracic lesions produce a greater functional deficit because they interfere with the locomotor centre and that rTMS is beneficial in such lesions because it activates this central pattern generator, presumably via descending serotonin pathways. The benefits of rTMS shown here suggest strongly that this non-invasive intervention strategy merits consideration for clinical trials in human paraplegics with low spinal cord lesions. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [less ▲]

Increased expression of the putative axon growth-repulsive extracellular matrix molecule, keratan sulphate proteoglycan, following traumatic injury of the adult rat spinal cord

in Acta Neuropathologica (2002), 104(6), 592-600

Keratan sulphate proteoglycan (KSPG) is a developmentally regulated barrier molecule, directing axonal growth during central nervous system (CNS) formation. The possible re-expression and functional ... [more ▼]

Keratan sulphate proteoglycan (KSPG) is a developmentally regulated barrier molecule, directing axonal growth during central nervous system (CNS) formation. The possible re-expression and functional significance of KSPG in preventing axon regeneration following spinal cord injury (SCI) is poorly understood. In the present investigation, the spatio-temporal expression of KSPG was studied following experimental SCI. There was no indication of sparing of axons at the lesion epicentre following severe compression injury. By 7 days post operation (p.o.) a diffuse increase of KSPG immunoreactivity (KSPG-IR) was observed in the parenchyma surrounding the lesion. This was followed by a delayed (21-28 days p.o.) and largely heterogeneous increase of KSPG-IR in the lesion epicentre, which revealed both cellular and extracellular matrix-like distribution patterns. Although no re-growth of anterogradely labelled corticospinal axons was observed, many 200-kDa neurofilament (NF)-positive axon could be detected growing into the connective tissue scar. This phase of spontaneous axonal re-growth was closely associated with a framework of glial cells (including Schwann cells from damaged local spinal nerve roots) that had migrated into the lesion site. The spontaneous nerve fibre re-growth could be detected in both KSPG-rich and KSPG-poor territories. The present data suggest that the lesion-induced up-regulation of KSPG-IR may have contributed to the lack of corticospinal axon re-growth. However, the lack of any direct spatio-temporal correlation between the distribution of raised KSPG-IR and spontaneous NF-positive axonal regeneration suggests that at least some populations of axons can resist the putative inhibitory effects of this extracellular matrix molecule. [less ▲]

Poly(D,L-lactide) foams modified by poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(D,L-lactide) copolymers and a-FGF: in vitro and in vivo evaluation for spinal cord regeneration

in Biomaterials (2001), 22(10), 1137-1146

The first goal of this study was to examine the influence that poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(D,L-lactide) (PELA) copolymer can have on the wettability, the in vitro controlled delivery capability, and ... [more ▼]

The first goal of this study was to examine the influence that poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(D,L-lactide) (PELA) copolymer can have on the wettability, the in vitro controlled delivery capability, and the degradation of poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) foams. These foams were prepared by freeze-drying and contain micropores (10 μm) in addition of macropores (100 μm) organized longitudinally. Weight loss, water absorption, changes in molecular weight, polymolecularity (Mw/Mn) and glass transition temperature ( Tg) of PDLLA foams mixed with various amounts of PELA were followed with time. It was found that 10 wt% of PELA increased the wettability and the degradation rate of the polymer foams. The release of sulforhodamine (SR) was compared for PDLLA and PDLLA-PELA foams in relation with the foam porosity. An initial burst release was observed only in the case of the 90:10 PDLLA/PELA foam. The ability of the foam of this composition to be integrated and to promote tissue repair and axonal regeneration in the transected rat spinal cord was investigated. After implantation of ca. 20 polymer rods assembled with fibrin-glue, the polymer construct was able to bridge the cord stumps by forming a permissive support for cellular migration, angiogenesis and axonal regrowth. [less ▲]