The spinal cord Essay Example

The spinal cord Essay Example The spinal cord Essay The spinal cord Essay The spinal cord, which connects the brain and the peripheral nervous system, contains millions of neurons responsible for sending information throughout the body. Included in these nerve cells are those for balance and movement. When the spinal cord is injured, the organism may suffer paralysis and recovery from this can be aided by nerve growth factors also called neutrophins. This study aims to demonstrate the effect of spinal cord transection to test animals and the recovery of these animals with the aid of neutrophins (Coumans, et al.).MethodsSpinal cord transection was done using the procedures of Bregman and McAtee (1993) except that the tissue transplantation part was not performed. The test organisms are adult female rats, around 6-8 weeks old, with a weight of 200-250 grams before surgery. The spinal cord was transected with iridectomy scissors. Neutrophin was then administered to the animals subcutaneously. A gel foam soaked in saline solution was placed on top of the trans planted tissue and the muscle and skin covering the transection area were stitched back in place.   Ten rats were used in this set-up. For comparative purposes, ten rats were subjected into the same transection surgery procedure, but were not given neutrophins. Ten rats were used as a control, which did not undergo transection and neutrophin administration. The 30 rats were given 20 cc/d of D5 lactated Ringer’s solution for hydration. The test animals were given antibiotics [sulfamethoxazole (4  mg/100 gm)-trimethoprim (0.8  mg/100 gm)] to prevent infection. They were also given food and water inside their cages. The locomotor behavior of the animals was observed   to determine the recovery of their spinal cord after the injury (Coumans et al., 2001).ResultsBehavior of the test animals which were subjected to transection only, transection with neutrophin administration, and not subjected to both transection and neutrophin administration (control) were observed and rec orded. Observation of movement and locomotor functions to determine the recovery of the rats were started right after the surgical procedure. The results agreed with those of Coumans et al. (2001). All the rats exhibited no voluntary movement of their hind limbs while taking steps. The animals dragged their extended hind limbs passively while being supported by their forelimbs. However, their locomotion functions started to vary 3 to 4 weeks after the transection. The animals which received transection only did not show improvement of their hind limb function. On the other hand, those which received neutrophin together with trasnsection showed improvement of hind limb weight support, nearly showing a pattern similar to that of the control rats. The test animals’ limb movements were further observed using stairs. The control animals (C) showed full support of their weight using their limbs in each step. The animals which were subjected to transection only (T) dragged their hin d limbs while climbing. Those which were subjected to transection and were also administered neutrophins (T+N) exhibited improved hind limb function, with their weight supported in each step while climbing (Fig. 1).Fig. 1. Comparison of the mean total of steps with supported weight of the test animals. Control animals (C) showed 100% weight support, rats which received transection only (T) showed no weight support, and those which were transected and given neutrophins showed increased weight support in their steps.T  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   T+N  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CDiscussion/ConclusionsIn the experiment, rats were used as models as they provide consistency or results when it comes to spinal cord injuries (Adamson, 2000). Results show that the test animals were able to recover well with the aid of neutrophins. These also agree with the established fact that neutrophins are important requirements for the survival neurons. These neurons are especially developed in the v estibular ganglia. Since these neurons are located in the inner ear, they are of particular importance for the sense for motion and balance. Since neutrophins are nerve growth factors (NGFs), they help in the recovery of the injured spinal cord (Lodish, et al., 2000).When the spinal cord is damaged, cytokines are induced in response to the damage. Together with this, growth factors which would function for recovery are also induced.   One example is neutrophin, which aided the administered test animals to regain a considerable improvement in their locomotor functions. This would explain the poor recovery of the rats which were subjected only to transection and did not receive neutrophins. Since they are not given the growth factor, their neurons and spinal cord tissues did not improve after the injury promoted by the transection. As opposed to those which received neutrophins, their hind limbs did not heal enough to provide weight-supported steps (Friedman, 2000).The improvement o f locomotor functions of the hind limbs of the test rats can be correlated to the restoration of the neuron connections present in the spinal column. This restoration is further supported by the administered neutrophins (Coumans, 2001).Results derived from this study as well as from other recent studies on neutrophin receptors, apoptosis, and spinal cord injury can provide mechanisms on how to prevent degeneration of neurons. This would aid in the discovery of therapeutic means to help an injured spinal cord recover (Friedman, 2000).

Jimmy Hoffa, Legendary Teamsters Boss

Jimmy Hoffa, Legendary Teamsters Boss Jimmy Hoffa was the controversial boss of the Teamsters Union when he became nationally famous for sparring with John and Robert Kennedy during televised Senate hearings in the late 1950s. He was always rumored to have substantial organized crime connections, and eventually served a sentence in federal prison. When Hoffa first became famous, he projected an aura of a tough guy who was fighting for the little guy. And he did get better deals for the truck drivers who belonged to the Teamsters. But rumors about his links to the mob always overshadowed whatever legitimate accomplishments he had as a labor leader. One day in 1975, a few years after his release from prison, Hoffa went out to lunch and disappeared. At the time it was widely believed he was planning a return to active involvement in the Teamsters, and it was widely assumed that he was the victim of a gangland execution. The search for Jimmy Hoffa became a national sensation and searches for his body have periodically popped up in the news ever since. The mystery about his whereabouts spawned countless conspiracy theories, bad jokes, and enduring urban legends. Early Life James Riddle Hoffa was born in Brazil, Indiana, on February 14, 1913. His father, who labored in the coal industry, died of a related respiratory disease when Hoffa was a child. His mother and Hoffas three siblings lived in relative poverty, and as a teenager Hoffa left school to take a job as a freight worker for the Kroger grocery store chain. In Hoffas early union days he showed a talent for exploiting an opponents weakness. While still a teenager, Hoffa called a strike just as trucks carrying strawberries arrived at a grocery warehouse. Knowing the strawberries wouldnt keep for long, the store had no choice but to negotiate on Hoffas terms. Rise to Prominence The group Hoffa represented, known locally as the Strawberry Boys, joined a Teamsters local, which later merged with other Teamsters groups. Under Hoffas leadership, the local grew from a few dozen members to more than 5,000. In 1932, Hoffa moved to Detroit, along with some friends who worked with him at Krogers, to take a position with Teamsters locals in Detroit. In the labor unrest during the Great Depression, union organizers were targeted for violence by company goons. Hoffa was attacked and beaten, by his count, 24 times. Hoffa picked up a reputation as someone who wouldnt be intimidated. In the early 1940s  Hoffa began to establish links with organized crime. In one incident, he enlisted Detroit gangsters to  run off a rival union from the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Hoffas connections with mobsters made sense. The mob protected Hoffa, and the implicit threat of violence meant his words carried serious weight. In return, Hoffas power in the union locals let mobsters intimidate local business owners. If they didnt pay tribute, the truckers who made deliveries could go out on strike and bring business to a standstill. Connections with mobsters became even more important as the Teamsters amassed a vast amount of money from dues and payments into pension funds. That cash could finance mob ventures, such as the building of casino hotels in Las Vegas. The Teamsters, with Hoffas help, became a piggy bank for organized crime families. Sparring With the Kennedys Hoffas power within the Teamsters grew in the early 1950s. He became the unions top negotiator in 20 states, where he famously fought for the rights of the truck drivers he represented. The rank and file workers came to love Hoffa, often clamoring to shake his hand at union conventions. In speeches delivered in a gravelly voice, Hoffa projected a tough guy persona. In 1957, a powerful U.S. Senate committee investigating labor racketeering began to hold hearings focused on the Teamsters. Jimmy Hoffa came up against the Kennedy brothers, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, and his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy, a counsel to the committee. In dramatic hearings, Hoffa tangled with the senators, parrying their questions with streetwise quips.  And nobody could miss  the particular dislike Robert Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa had for each other. When Robert Kennedy became attorney general in his brothers administration, one of his priorities was to put Jimmy Hoffa behind bars. A federal case against Hoffa finally did convict him in 1964. After a series of appeals, Hoffa began serving a federal prison sentence in March 1967.   Pardon and Attempted Comeback In December 1971, President Richard Nixon commuted Hoffas sentence and he was released from prison. The Nixon administration included a provision with the commutation that he not become involved with union activity until 1980. By 1975, Hoffa was  rumored to be exerting influence within the Teamsters while officially having no involvement. He told associates, and even a few journalists, that he was going to get even with those in the union and the mob who had betrayed him and helped send him to prison. On July 30, 1975, Hoffa  told family members he was going to meet someone for lunch at a restaurant in suburban Detroit. He never returned from his lunch date, and he was never seen or heard from again. His disappearance quickly became a major news story across America. The FBI and local authorities chased down countless tips, but actual clues were scant. Hoffa had vanished, and was widely assumed to have been the victim of a mob hit. Disappearance As a peculiar coda to such a tumultuous life, Hoffa became eternally famous. Every few years another theory of his murder would emerge. And periodically the FBI would receive a tip from mob informant and send crews to dig up backyards or remote fields. One supposed tip from a mobster grew into a classic urban legend: Hoffas body was rumored to be buried under the end zone of Giants Stadium, which had been built in the New Jersey Meadowlands at roughly the time Hoffa had disappeared. Comedians told jokes playing on Hoffas disappearance for years. According to a New York Giants fan site, sportscaster Marv Albert, while broadcasting a Giants game, said a team was kicking toward the Hoffa end of the stadium. For the record, the stadium was demolished in 2010, and no trace of Jimmy Hoffa was discovered under the end zones.