(HealthDay News) — A drug called Cethrin shows promise in treating people with spinal cord injury (SCI), according to a study by American and Canadian researchers.

Cethrin inhibits Rho, a signaling master switch that, when activated, triggers cell death and increases damage after SCI. Tests in animals with SCI have found that Cethrin inhibits cell death and promotes neural Regeneration.

This one-year study looked at the use of Cethrin (a recombinant protein) formulated with a fibrin sealant in 37 patients who had just suffered an SCI that left them with no sensory or Motor function below the area of the injury. Continue Reading »

ThinkFirst program targets brain and spinal cord injuries in teens, young adults

In one split second eight years ago Chad Thomas’ life changed forever. Driving home at night after work, he fell asleep at the wheel. The next morning, he learned he would never walk again.

As a teenager, Thomas wasn’t so different from many of the local high school students he spoke to in West Hancock’s packed gym Monday afternoon. He was a four-sport athlete, excelling in track. He had just graduated from high school where he grew up in Spirit Lake, and planned to start college in the fall. But a lapse in judgment when he got in his car one night changed all that.

At the time of his accident, Thomas was not wearing a seat belt. Continue Reading »