Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapies for Paraplegia: Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Paraplegia is the damage or loss of function in motor and/or sensory abilities. This insult can be observed in the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral parts of spinal column. Besides, paraplegia may be occurring because of any injuries or diseases of the lower segments or peripheral nerves or by cerebral palsy (CP). This damage can be seen as a result of a tumor or blood clot on the spinal cord. By now, there is not any curative treatment for paraplegia. Using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of spinal cord injury is a promising tested strategy because of their simplicity of isolation/preservation and their properties. Several preclinical studies in this field can be found; however, MSCs showed weak and conflicting outcomes in trials. In this chapter book, we will discuss about the therapeutic role of these cells in the treatment of paraplegia, with emphasis on their characterization, relevance, boundaries, and prospect views.

Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Pre-Clinical Models of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a devastating disease that causes disruption of sensorimotor function below the site of injury. Current management is based on surgical decompression of the neural tissue and pharmacotherapy; however, there is no gold standard treatment readily available for patients in the clinic. This indicates that novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment are still needed in the clinical setting. There are several alternatives that are currently under investigation for the treatment of this disease, with increasing focus in regenerative medicine treatments. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the most promising candidates for stem cell therapy in SCI, as they are easily obtained, have high safety profiles, and help with neural regeneration in SCI mainly via release of trophic factors, neovascularization, and immunomodulation. In this work, authors provide an insight of the available MSC for neural regeneration, their therapeutic role, and the potential MSC-based therapies for SCI.

Development of an Intelligent Standing Wheelchair with Reclining Characteristics

The widespread of motor neurone weakness has become a major concern as a result of accidents, ageing, birth defects and other hereditary diseases. A huge number of paraplegics can barely do activities for themselves without assistance from helpers. This study seeks to develop an intelligent wheelchair that has an assistive lifting and multi-posture reclining mechanisms to help in elevating the user from sit to stand posture as well as recline the seat for angles between 90 and 180 degrees through use of hydraulic linear actuators. The design would incorporate strain gauge sensors on the lower back area of the seat to enable the user to stand by merely leaning forward; thereby decreasing the strain on the lower back seat to trigger the lift mechanism until the required height is attained. While pressing the sit button on the console would enable the lowering of the user to a sitting position. The wheelchair development would also enable intelligent mobility through use of ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles and assist in the braking effort by the user. An economic analysis was done to assess the feasibility viability of the design for local production. Some user requirement validation was undertaken to establish the extent to which the design would satisfy the key requirements of the intended beneficiaries.