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Biomedical subjects

A C Lu

Publications and source records attributed to A C Lu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Benefits of rehabilitation for traumatic spinal cord injury: a case report.

Many studies report significant functional improvements in tetraplegic patients during rehabilitation. The majority of these studies, obviously, are limited by the lack of control groups. Thus, it has always been difficult to differentiate between effects of a rehabilitation program and natural muscle recovery or independent learning. In this case report, a 25 year old man with right C7 motor, left C8 motor, C6 sensory complete tetraplegia was admitted to a tertiary care rehabilitation facility 16 months after discharge from an acute care hospital. Following a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program, this patient's functional status improved from near complete dependence to virtual independence in most areas of self care and mobility as scored by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), without any change in motor or sensory function. This case, in which the patient served as his own control, illustrates the effectiveness and importance of aggressive inpatient rehabilitation following spinal cord injury.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1988

Insulin administration protects from paraplegia in the rat aortic occlusion model.

The effect of insulin induced hypoglycemia was evaluated in a rat aortic occlusion model of ischemic paraplegia. One hour before aortic occlusion, 200-250 g Sprague-Dawley rats received either 1 cc of saline or 0.5 units regular insulin in 1 cc saline. Rats were then anesthetized, intubated, and ventilated with halothane (1-1.5%). The aortic arch was exposed and snares were placed on the right and left subclavian arteries and the aorta distal to the left subclavian. The three vessels were occluded for 10 min. Lower extremity neurologic deficit was evaluated at 1, 4, 18, and 24 hr postocclusion based on a 15-point scale (0 = normal, 15 = severe deficit). Lower extremity neurologic deficit was significantly decreased in the insulin-treated group at 18 and 24 hr postocclusion (P = 0.005 and 0.006, respectively, Student's test). Blood glucose concentration was significantly lower at the time of occlusion in the insulin-treated group when compared to the saline-treated group (P = 0.001). We conclude that in this rat model of paraplegia, insulin induced hypoglycemia is associated with a reduction in lower extremity neurologic deficit produced by temporary aortic occlusion.

Animals↗