[ SHOWGSD-L ] FW: Scientists Reverse Paralysis in Dogs
- From: "MARGERY GOLANT" <mgolant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2004 20:41:22 -0500
Scientists Reverse Paralysis in Dogs
By RICK CALLAHAN, Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Dogs with paralyzed hind legs regained the ability to walk
after getting a shot of a chemical cousin of antifreeze that helped repair
nerve cells in their damaged spinal cords, scientists reported.
Related Links
. Research offers hope for spinal injuries (Purdue University)
Purdue University researchers who led the project hope the approach can soon
be tried in people, but caution that there are significant differences
between human and canine spinal cords.
The treatment only worked on dogs given the injections within about three
days of their injury. Some dogs not given the injections eventually walked
again, but those getting the new treatment had a dramatically higher
recovery rate.
In one case, a dachshund named Oscar was initially sent home with a wheel
cart and little hope of recovery after a serious injury.
Soon after the dog got the chemical treatment, he began walking, although
his back legs work in unison, giving him an unusual gait.
"I used to make fun of him, saying he walks like a drunken sailor," said
Oscar's owner, Dan Paulin of Boonville, Ind. "I don't think he'll ever be
normal, but at least he's not confined to the wheel cart."
In the study, 19 paraplegic dogs were injected with polyethylene glycol, or
PEG - a nontoxic liquid polymer composed of long strings of the same type of
molecules found in antifreeze.
Within eight weeks, 13 of the 19 canines, about 68 percent, regained the use
of their hind legs and were able to walk, some almost as well as before
their injury.
The dogs were injected twice with PEG, first soon after their owners brought
them to the researchers' labs and then after standard surgery and steroids
to reduce inflammation.
Among a group of 24 dogs that received just the standard surgery and
rehabilitation therapies, only about 25 percent regained the same level of
mobility, feeling and bodily functions, with about 62 percent remaining
paraplegic.
The study's findings appear in the December issue of the Journal of
Neurotrauma.
Scientists at Purdue, Indiana University's Indianapolis campus and Texas A&M
University took part in the research on dogs ages 2 to 8 between 2001-03.
Richard Borgens, the Purdue professor of neuroscience who oversaw the study,
said his West Lafayette, Ind., lab had previously used PEG to repair damaged
spinal cords in guinea pigs with about a 90 percent success rate.
His team has even fused severed guinea pig spinal cords using PEG, although
the dogs in the study had spinal disc ruptures that crushed, but did not
sever, their spinal cords.
Although exactly how PEG works remains unclear, Borgens said it appears to
act as a sort of "molecular Band-Aid" that forms a temporary seal over
breaches in nerve cells in the spinal cord, aiding their healing process.
"This stuff is kind of like a radiator stop-leak for the nervous system. The
polymer spreads out and forms a seal over the damaged areas in the nerve
cells and allows the membrane below to reconstruct itself," said Borgens,
director of Purdue's Center for Paralysis Research.
He said PEG also appears to prevent secondary tissue death that often causes
more damage than the original injury. Borgens said the agent only covers
damaged cells and tissues when injected into the blood stream.
Purdue has enlisted a yet-to-be-announced corporate sponsor that will make
PEG in a form suitable for human clinical trials. Pending federal approval,
Borgens hopes those trials can begin within about 18 months on people with
hours-old or days-old spinal injuries.
W. Dalton Dietrich, the scientific director of The Miami Project To Cure
Paralysis, said the rapid improvements in the dogs are intriguing, but point
to the need for follow-up work to learn more about how PEG works and
evaluate its safety. "Although the results are very provocative, additional
studies are required," he said.
Karen Kline, an associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Iowa
State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, Iowa, called the
findings promising. She said PEG, which she plans to test on dogs at her
lab, appears to stabilize damaged tissue to allow more rapid healing than
typically occurs naturally.
"It has such promise, but I think we need to look at more animals and make
sure that we're getting a positive outcome," Kline said.
_
Purdue Center for Paralysis Research: http://www.vet.purdue.edu/cpr/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Copyright C 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2004. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org
============================================================================
Other related posts:
