CSF and Blood Neurofilament Levels in Athletes Participating in Physical Contact Sports: A Systematic Review

Cranio-Maxillofacial Injuries in Mixed Martial Arts

PURPOSE

To describe a case of a maxillofacial trauma that occurred during a mixed martial arts (MMA) match and to perform a literature review of maxillofacial injuries related to MMA match to determine whether preventive models are applicable.

METHODS

The authors described a maxillofacial injury with orbital and optic nerve involvement that happened during a professional MMA match. A literature review on maxillofacial trauma in MMA was conducted on Scopus and Pubmed with specific keywords.

RESULTS

Open reduction and internal fixation of the maxillofacial complex fractures with right eye optic neuropathy following an MMA match is described. Six articles were selected for the description of trauma in the maxillofacial complex associated with MMA fights.

DISCUSSION

Literature has paid little attention to injuries during MMA matches. The most common injury locations that emerged from the literature review were the head, face, and neck. Middle facial third injuries were the most common type. Frequently the injury involved the ophthalmic area.

CONCLUSIONS

The timing of maxillofacial trauma in MMA is critical. Protective devices should be strongly promoted to prevent catastrophic consequences.

Imaging blood-brain barrier dysfunction: A state-of-the-art review from a clinical perspective

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) consists of specialized cells that tightly regulate the in- and outflow of molecules from the blood to brain parenchyma, protecting the brain's microenvironment. If one of the BBB components starts to fail, its dysfunction can lead to a cascade of neuroinflammatory events leading to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. Preliminary imaging findings suggest that BBB dysfunction could serve as an early diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for a number of neurological diseases. This review aims to provide clinicians with an overview of the emerging field of BBB imaging in humans by answering three key questions: (1. Disease) In which diseases could BBB imaging be useful? (2. Device) What are currently available imaging methods for evaluating BBB integrity? And (3. Distribution) what is the potential of BBB imaging in different environments, particularly in resource limited settings? We conclude that further advances are needed, such as the validation, standardization and implementation of readily available, low-cost and non-contrast BBB imaging techniques, for BBB imaging to be a useful clinical biomarker in both resource-limited and well-resourced settings.

Neurofilaments contribution in clinic: state of the art

Neurological biomarkers are particularly valuable to clinicians as they can be used for diagnosis, prognosis, or response to treatment. This field of neurology has evolved considerably in recent years with the improvement of analytical methods, allowing the detection of biomarkers not only in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) but also in less invasive fluids like blood. These advances greatly facilitate the repeated quantification of biomarkers, including at asymptomatic stages of the disease. Among the various informative biomarkers of neurological disorders, neurofilaments (NfL) have proven to be of particular interest in many contexts, such as neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and cancer. Here we discuss these different pathologies and the potential value of NfL assay in the management of these patients, both for diagnosis and prognosis. We also describe the added value of NfL compared to other biomarkers currently used to monitor the diseases described in this review.

Concussion vs. resignation by submission: Technical–tactical behavior analysis considering injury in mixed martial arts

This research study verified the technical–tactical actions during the mixed martial arts (MMA) fights to generate serious enough injury to stop the MMA round, determining technical-tactical potential risk factors for injury in official MMA combats, according to Concussion or Resignation per Submission. A total of 990 rounds with concussions and 627 resignations per submission were considered with severe injury (i.e., a fight ended by a doctor or referee). All injuries were diagnosed and managed by attending ringside physicians during the MMA fights and rounds and had a continuous technical–tactical behavior analysis, p ≤ 0.05. The leading cause of concussion was due to head trauma (~90%), with higher dependence on head strikes scored actions. Comparisons between Concussion and Resignation per Submission combats demonstrated differences between distance head strikes actions [13(6,25) vs. 9(4,18) frequencies], clinch head strikes actions [1(0;4) vs. 1(0;3) frequencies], ground head strikes actions [1(0;8) vs. 2(0;10) frequencies] and takedowns actions [0(0;1) vs. 1(0;2) frequencies]. This information may provide significant evidence regarding the doctor stoppage in concussion combats and when it could be called by officials supervising MMA.

Cytokines in the Brain and Neuroinflammation: We Didn’t Starve the Fire!

In spite of the brain-protecting tissues of the skull, meninges, and blood-brain barrier, some forms of injury to or infection of the CNS can give rise to cerebral cytokine production and action and result in drastic changes in brain function and behavior. Interestingly, peripheral infection-induced systemic inflammation can also be accompanied by increased cerebral cytokine production. Furthermore, it has been recently proposed that some forms of psychological stress may have similar CNS effects. Different conditions of cerebral cytokine production and action will be reviewed here against the background of neuroinflammation. Within this context, it is important to both deepen our understanding along already taken paths as well as to explore new ways in which neural functioning can be modified by cytokines. This, in turn, should enable us to put forward different modes of cerebral cytokine production and action in relation to distinct forms of neuroinflammation.

Extracellular fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma biomarkers of axonal and neuronal injury following intracerebral hemorrhage

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most devastating form of stroke. To refine treatments, improved understanding of the secondary injury processes is needed. We compared energy metabolic, amyloid and neuroaxonal injury biomarkers in extracellular fluid (ECF) from the perihemorrhagic zone (PHZ) and non-injured (NCX) brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma. Patients (n = 11; age 61 ± 10 years) undergoing ICH surgery received two microdialysis (MD) catheters, one in PHZ, and one in NCX. ECF was analysed at three time intervals within the first 60 h post- surgery, as were CSF and plasma samples. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) 40 and 42, microtubule associated protein tau (tau), and neurofilament-light (NF-L) were analysed using Single molecule array (Simoa) technology. Median biomarker concentrations were lowest in plasma, higher in ECF and highest in CSF. Biomarker levels varied over time, with different dynamics in the three fluid compartments. In the PHZ, ECF levels of Aβ40 were lower, and tau higher when compared to the NCX. Altered levels of Aβ peptides, NF-L and tau may reflect brain tissue injury following ICH surgery. However, the dynamics of biomarker levels in the different fluid compartments should be considered in the study of pathophysiology or biomarkers in ICH patients.

Increased Serum Neurofilament Light and Thin Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer Are Additive Risk Factors for Disease Activity in Early Multiple Sclerosis

Objective

To investigate the association of combined serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements with future disease activity in patients with early multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

We analyzed sNfL by single molecule array technology and performed OCT measurements in a prospective cohort of 78 patients with clinically isolated syndrome and early relapsing-remitting MS with a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 23.9 (23.3–24.7) months. Patients were grouped into those with abnormal or normal sNfL levels, defined as sNfL ≥/<80th percentile of age-corrected reference values. Likewise, patients were grouped by a median split into those with thin or thick ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIP), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, and inner nuclear layer in nonoptic neuritis eyes. Outcome parameters were violation of no evidence of disease activity (NEDA-3) criteria or its components.

Results

Patients with abnormal baseline sNfL had a higher risk of violating NEDA-3 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.28, 95% CI 1.27–4.09, p = 0.006) and developing a new brain lesion (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.30–4.69, p = 0.006), but not for a new relapse (HR 2.21, 95% CI 0.97–5.03, p = 0.058). Patients with both abnormal sNfL and thin GCIP had an even higher risk for NEDA-3 violation (HR 3.61, 95% CI 1.77–7.36, p = 4.2e⁻⁴), new brain lesion (HR 3.19, 95% CI 1.51–6.76, p = 0.002), and new relapse (HR 5.38, 95% CI 1.61–17.98, p = 0.006) than patients with abnormal sNfL alone.

Conclusions

In patients with early MS, the presence of both abnormal sNfL and thin GCIP is a stronger risk factor for future disease activity than the presence of each parameter alone.