Zambia, previously Northern Rhodesia, has exhibited a remarkable consistencyin the focus of its agricultural policies throughout the colonial and independenceeras. Assessing the 100 year period from 1915, this study applies a political economy framework to present evidence on the extent to which, and throughwhat mechanisms, initial natural resource endowments have influenced statepolicies in Zambi

Deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) is central to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis and associated with progressive neurodegeneration in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We analyzed predisposing factors for Aβ deposition including monomeric Aβ40, Aβ42 and Aβ oligomers/protofibrils, Aβ species with pronounced neurotoxic properties, following human TBI. Highly selective ELISAs were used to analyze N-termi

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective quasi-experimental study, pre- and post-design.OBJECTIVES: Assess safety, feasibility, training characteristics and changes in gait function for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) using the robotic exoskeletons from Ekso Bionics.SETTING: Nine European rehabilitation centres.METHODS: Robotic exoskeleton gait training, three times weekly over 8 weeks. Time upright, time

BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is one of the most common conditions encountered in neurosurgical practice. Recurrence, observed in 5-30% of patients, is a major clinical problem. The temperature of the irrigation fluid used during evacuation of the hematoma might theoretically influence recurrence rates since irrigation fluid at body temperature (37oC) may beneficially influence coag

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating condition, often leading to life-long consequences for patients. Even though modern neurointensive care has improved functional and cognitive outcomes, efficient pharmacological therapies are still lacking. Targeting peripherally derived, or resident inflammatory, cells that are rapid responders to brain injury is promising, but complex, given that the

OBJECTIVE The authors conducted a study to test if the cortical brain tissue levels of soluble amyloid beta (Aβ) reflect the propensity of cortical Aβ aggregate formation and may be an additional factor predicting surgical outcome following idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) treatment. METHODS Highly selective ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) were used to quantify soluble A

alpha-Phenyl-tert-N-butyl nitrone (PBN), a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, has shown robust neuroprotective properties in several models of acute brain injury, although not previously evaluated in traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we assessed the potential efficacy of PBN in a weight drop model producing a controlled cortical contusion. Sham operation, mild or severe inj

Adult rats were subjected to a moderate lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI), followed by survival periods of 2 and 12 h. Regional NMDA subtype glutamate, muscarinic acetylcholine and GABA(A) receptor binding in various brain regions was analysed by quantitative in vitro autoradiography and short-lived positron emission tomography tracers [11C]cyano-dizocilpine, 4-N-[11C]methylpiperidylbenzilate

OBJECTIVE: The hippocampus is essential to the processing and formation of memory. This study analyzed the relationship among memory dysfunction as revealed by Morris water maze (MWM) trial, cortical lesion volume, and regional hippocampal morphological changes after controlled cortical contusion (CCC). We also analyzed the influence of pretreatment with the nitrone radical scavenger alpha-phenyl-

Traumatic brain injury causes long-term neurological motor and cognitive deficits, often with limited recovery. The inability of CNS axons to regenerate following traumatic brain injury may be due, in part, to inhibitory molecules associated with myelin. One of these myelin-associated proteins, Nogo-A, inhibits neurite outgrowth in vitro, and inhibition of Nogo-A in vivo enhances axonal outgrowth

Kainate-induced seizures result in hippocampal neurodegeneration and spatial learning deficits in rodents. Previous studies show that rofecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, protects against kainate-induced hippocampal cell death 3 days after seizures. Our aim was to determine whether rofecoxib attenuates visuospatial learning deficits and late neuronal death after kainate-induced seizu

Approximately 4000 human beings experience a traumatic brain injury each day in the United States ranging in severity from mild to fatal. Improvements in initial management, surgical treatment, and neurointensive care have resulted in a better prognosis for traumatic brain injury patients but, to date, there is no available pharmaceutical treatment with proven efficacy, and prevention is the major

PURPOSE: As deficits in memory and cognition are commonly observed in survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI), causing reduced quality of life for the patient, a major goal in experimental TBI research is to identify and evaluate cognitive dysfunction. The present study assessed the applicability of the serial Morris water maze (MWM) test to determine cognitive function following experimental TB

Following experimental and clinical traumatic brain injury (TBI), the local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (lCMR(Glc)) is commonly estimated using the 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) method. The adequate estimation of lCMR(Glc) using FDG requires a correction factor, the lumped constant (LC), to convert FDG net uptake into lCMR(Glc). The LC, and thus lCMR(Glc) calculations, require a s

BACKGROUND: Although large spontaneous cerebellar haematomas are associated with high mortality, surgical treatment may be life-saving. We evaluated the clinical outcome and identified prognostic factors in 76 patients with cerebellar haematoma, all treated with suboccipital decompression, haematoma evacuation and external ventricular drainage.METHODS: Patients receiving surgical and neurocritical