Traumatic brain injury (TBI) from penetrating or closed forces to the cranium can result in a range of forms of neural damage, which culminate in mortality or impart mild to significant neurological disability. In this regard, diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a major neuronal pathophenotype of TBI and is associated with a complex set of cytoskeletal changes. The neurofilament triplet proteins are key structural cytoskeletal elements, which may also be important contributors to the tensile strength of axons. This has significant implications with respect to how axons may respond to TBI. It is not known, however, whether neurofilament compaction and the cytoskeletal changes that evolve following axonal injury represent a component of a protective mechanism following damage, or whether they serve to augment degeneration and progression to secondary axotomy. Here we review the structure and role of neurofilament proteins in normal neuronal function. We also discuss the processes that characterize DAI and the resultant alterations in neurofilaments, highlighting potential clues to a possible protective or degenerative influence of specific neurofilament alterations within injured neurons. The potential utility of neurofilament assays as biomarkers for axonal injury is also discussed. Insights into the complex alterations in neurofilaments will contribute to future efforts in developing therapeutic strategies to prevent, ameliorate or reverse neuronal degeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) following traumatic injury.
INTRODUCTIONVentral incisional hernia (VIH) is one of the most common post-operative complications following abdominal surgery. Patients with symptomatic ventral incision hernia have unsatisfactory cosmetic results and impaired quality of life with serious life-threatening disorders including incarceration and bowel strangulation. Long term follow-up after abdominal surgery reveals an incidence rate of 5-25% for ventral incisional hernias.
1Various risk factors for development of VIH have been reported in previous studies. These include patient factors ABSTRACT Background: Ventral incisional hernia (VIH) is one of the most common post-operative complications following abdominal surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the rate and risk factors associated with development of a ventral incisional hernia (VIH). Methods: Patients who underwent major abdominal surgery between 2010 and 2012 at a single institution were included in this retrospective cohort study. Data were collected from medical records. The primary outcome was clinical or radiological evidence of incisional hernia; explanatory variables were patient demographics and potential clinico-pathological risk factors for hernia development. Results: A total of 295 patients who underwent laparotomy were analysed. 45 (15.25%) patients were found to have a ventral incisional hernia on follow-up. The median time to development of hernia was 351 days. There were equal numbers of elective (N=22) and emergency (N=23) operations that developed an incisional hernia. Of the explanatory variables considered diabetes, hypertension (HTN) and body mass index (BMI) had persistent significant positive associations with the development of an incisional hernia. On univariable analysis diabetes (HR = 2.73, p-value = 0.004) and hypertension (HR =2.17, p-value = 0.016) were identified as independent risk factors for hernia development. BMI was also significantly associated with development of an incisional hernia on univariate analysis, but due to missing data this did not reach statistical significance on multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Although there are several risk factors to development of VIH, diabetes and HTN were associated with development of incisional hernia in our study. BMI also appears to be an important determinant of development of VIH. Further research in this area is likely to identify an at-risk subset of patients, who may benefit from weight loss prior to surgery or prophylactic mesh post-laparotomy.
Highlights
Early post-operative trans-anal shunt protrusion is a rare presentation.
Patients may be asymptomatic.
With concomitant bowel surgery, it may indicate intraoperative occult bowel injury.
Early post-operative follow up shunt imaging is recommended in this group.
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