For Immediate Release
New Treatment Significantly Improved Bladder Activity After Spinal Cord Injury
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
New Rochelle, NY, September 6, 2017—Researchers have shown that compared to placebo, a drug treatment intended to prevent remodeling of the bladder wall and given within 48 hours after spinal cord injury (SCI) in dogs was associated with significantly higher bladder compliance. The long-term improvement seen in animals that had experienced intervertebral disc herniation and were treated with blockade of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is reported in in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Neurotrauma website until October 6, 2017.
Jonathan Levine, DVM and coauthors from the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX and University of California, San Francisco designed a study to assess the effectiveness of the broad spectrum MMP inhibitor GM6001 in dogs with naturally occurring spinal cord injuries that are often accompanied by decreased bladder compliance, in which the bladder wall cannot stretch normally and pressure increases at lower fluid volumes. Reduced compliance is a major contributor to complications such as urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, and ureteral reflux, as the researchers explain in the article entitled “Early Blockade of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Spinal-Cord-Injured Dogs Results in a Long-Term Increase in Bladder Compliance.”
“This study reports on an exciting treatment for canines with low bladder compliance due to spontaneous spinal cord injury. Not only can this drug be potentially used by veterinarians as a therapy, but there is also the possibility of translating this treatment to the clinical SCI population as well,” says W. Dalton Dietrich, III, PhD, Deputy Editor of Journal of Neurotrauma and Professor, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
About the Journal
Journal of Neurotrauma is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online that focuses on the latest advances in the clinical and laboratory investigation of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Emphasis is on the basic pathobiology of injury to the nervous system, and the papers and reviews evaluate preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving the early management and long-term care and recovery of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma is the official journal of the National Neurotrauma Society and the International Neurotrauma Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Neurotrauma website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, Brain Connectivity, and Tissue Engineering. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.