A mathematical model of cellular swelling in Neuromyelitis optica.

Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is a severe neuro-inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by predominant damage to the optic nerve and of the spinal cord. The pathogenic antibody found in the majority of patients targets the AQP4 channels on astrocytic endfeet and causes the cells to swell. Although, the pathophysiology of the disease is broadly known, there are no specific targeted treatments for this process clinically available nor accurate prognostic markers both during attacks and for predicting long term neuronal damage. This lack is, in part, due to the rarity of the disease and its relatively recent pathogenic clarity. Hence, the ability to mathematically model the progress of the condition to test prospective therapies in silico would be a step forward. This paper combines state of the art models of cellular metabolism and cytotoxic oedema in neurons and astrocytes and augments it with a detailed characterization of water transport across the cellular membrane. In particular, we capture the process of perforation of the cell through the human complement cascade and resulting water and ionic fluxes. Simulating NMO by injecting its antibody and human complement into the extracellular space showed a 25% increase of the astrocytic volume after 12 h from onset. Most of the volume change occurred during the first 30 min of simulation with a peak volume change of 38%. The model was further adapted to simulate the therapeutic potential of CD59. It was found that there is a threshold of CD59 concentration that can prevent the swelling of astrocytes. Since the astrocyte volume changes mostly during the first hour, further experimental work should focus on this time scale to provide data for further model refinement and validation.

In silico model for automated calculation of functional metrics in animal models of peripheral nerve injury repair.

The rat sciatic nerve model is commonly used to test novel therapies for nerve injury repair. The static sciatic index (SSI) is a useful metric for quantifying functional recovery, and involves comparing an operated paw versus a control paw using a weighted ratio between the toe spread and the internal toe spread. To calculate it, rats are placed in a transparent box, photos are taken from underneath and the toe distances measured manually. This is labour intensive and subject to human error due to the challenge of consistently taking photos, identifying digits and making manual measurements. Although several commercial kits have been developed to address this challenge, they have seen little dissemination due to cost. Here we develop a novel algorithm for automatic measurement of SSI metrics based on video data using casted U-Nets. The algorithm consists of three U-Nets, one to segment the hind paws and two for the two pairs of digits which input into the SSI calculation. A training intersection over union error of 60 % and 80 % was achieved for the back paws and for both digit segmentation U-Nets, respectfully. The algorithm was tested against video data from three separate experiments. Compared to manual measurements, the algorithm provides the same profile of recovery for every experiment but with a tighter standard deviation in the SSI measure. Through the open-source release of this algorithm, we aim to provide an inexpensive tool to more reliably quantify functional recovery metrics to the nerve repair research community.

Perspectives on optimizing local delivery of drugs to peripheral nerves using mathematical models.

Drug therapies for treating peripheral nerve injury repair have shown significant promise in preclinical studies. Despite this, drug treatments are not used routinely clinically to treat patients with peripheral nerve injuries. Drugs delivered systemically are often associated with adverse effects to other tissues and organs; it remains challenging to predict the effective concentration needed at an injured nerve and the appropriate delivery strategy. Local drug delivery approaches are being developed to mitigate this, for example via injections or biomaterial-mediated release. We propose the integration of mathematical modeling into the development of local drug delivery protocols for peripheral nerve injury repair. Mathematical models have the potential to inform understanding of the different transport mechanisms at play, as well as quantitative predictions around the efficacy of individual local delivery protocols. We discuss existing approaches in the literature, including drawing from other research fields, and present a process for taking forward an integrated mathematical-experimental approach to accelerate local drug delivery approaches for peripheral nerve injury repair. This article is categorized under: Neurological Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology Neurological Diseases > Computational Models Neurological Diseases > Biomedical Engineering.

How to assess the recovery of muscular function following nerve injury: A view from surgeons and patients.

Patient experience of motor recovery from denervation paralysis is complex and textured. The Medical Research Council (MRC) system of grading muscle peak volitional force is widely used as a single measure of assessment. However, it is becoming clear that current motor function assessments are not reflecting the patient lived experience of muscle reinnervation. Therefore, this study aimed to engage international expert nerve surgeons in a classical Delphi process to achieve a consensus of opinion on the ideal clinical assessment of motor function. This was compared with patient-reported impairments of reinnervated muscle. Invitations to engage in the Delphi process were extended to expert peripheral nerve surgeons across two international specialist meetings. For comparison, patients who attended a "Nerve Injury Community Day" were invited to complete a questionnaire on patient-reported impairments of reinnervated muscle. Questions were designed on the basis of a literature review and the clinical experiences of a specialist nerve injury unit. A combination of direct yes/no, multiple choice, open-ended and Likert questions were employed throughout the questionnaires. Eighteen surgeons engaged with the Delphi process; 18 and 11 responded to the first and second rounds respectively. Thirty-one patients responded to the questionnaire. It was found that clinicians were strongly biased towards efferent assessments of muscular function, while patients strongly favoured muscular fatigue, co-contraction and pain when monitoring their own recovery. The findings suggest that current clinical assessments of muscular function are inadequate and should embody measurements of afferent muscular function to better reflect the lived experience of muscle reinnervation.

Characterising cellular and molecular features of human peripheral nerve degeneration.

Nerve regeneration is a key biological process in those recovering from neural trauma. From animal models it is known that the regenerative capacity of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) relies heavily on the remarkable ability of Schwann cells to undergo a phenotypic shift from a myelinating phenotype to one that is supportive of neural regeneration. In rodents, a great deal is known about the molecules that control this process, such as the transcription factors c-Jun and early growth response protein 2 (EGR2/KROX20), or mark the cells and cellular changes involved, including SOX10 and P75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR). However, ethical and practical challenges associated with studying human nerve injury have meant that little is known about human nerve regeneration.The present study addresses this issue, analysing 34 denervated and five healthy nerve samples from 27 patients retrieved during reconstructive nerve procedures. Using immunohistochemistry and Real-Time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), the expression of SOX10, c-Jun, p75NTR and EGR2 was assessed in denervated samples and compared to healthy nerve. Nonparametric smoothing linear regression was implemented to better visualise trends in the expression of these markers across denervated samples.It was found, first, that two major genes associated with repair Schwann cells in rodents, c-Jun and p75NTR, are also up-regulated in acutely injured human nerves, while the myelin associated transcription factor EGR2 is down-regulated, observations that encourage the view that rodent models are relevant for learning about human nerve injury. Second, as in rodents, the expression of c-Jun and p75NTR declines during long-term denervation. In rodents, diminishing c-Jun and p75NTR levels mark the general deterioration of repair cells during chronic denervation, a process thought to be a major obstacle to effective nerve repair. The down-regulation of c-Jun and p75NTR reported here provides the first molecular evidence that also in humans, repair cells deteriorate during chronic denervation.

Developing an In Vitro Model to Screen Drugs for Nerve Regeneration.

Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) have a high prevalence and can be debilitating, resulting in life-long loss or disturbance in end-organ function, which compromises quality of life for patients. Current therapies use microsurgical approaches but there is the potential for enhancing recovery through other therapeutic modalities such as; cell-based conduits, gene therapy and small molecules. A number of molecular targets and drugs which have the potential to improve nerve regeneration have been identified, however, there are challenges associated with moving therapies toward clinical translation. Due to the lack of detailed knowledge about the pro-regenerative effect of potential drug treatments, there is a need for effective in vitro models to screen compounds to inform future pre-clinical and clinical studies. The interaction between regenerating neurites and supporting Schwann cells is a key feature of the nerve environment, therefore, in vitro models that mimic this cellular association are useful tools. In this study, we have investigated various cell culture models, including simple monolayer systems and more complex 3D-engineered co-cultures, as models for use in PNI drug development. Anat Rec, 301:1628-1637, 2018. © 2018 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists.

A model for the optimization of anti-inflammatory treatment with chemerin.

Routine treatment of mild to moderate pain with a combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as paracetamol in combination with corticoid opioids can lead to severe complications including death from gastrointestinal injury or to drug dependence. There is a need for the development of new safer drugs. Chemerin is a mediator promoting resolution of inflammation and it is then a promising candidate for a new treatment. A pilot experimental work using the zymosan-induced peritonitis model has found that injecting extra chemerin resulted in an approximately 1% reduction in the total number of inflammatory cells recruited. This paper combines and adapts existing mathematical models of inflammation to reproduce these results and to explore the therapeutic potential of chemerin through simulations. Analysis of the model predicts that the injection of chemerin at a concentration of 2000 ng ml-1 within the first 5 min of inflammation onset leads to maximal inflammation inhibition. The degree of inhibition is shown to be sensitive to data used for the fit with a mean inhibition of 22 ± 3.7% for a series of remove-one bootstrap tests, whereas optimal chemerin injection parameters were not. Overall sensitivity analysis identifies parameters of the model that need to be measured more accurately or with increased sampling rate to improve model robustness and confirm chemerin's therapeutic potential.