title: A pilot study on temporal changes in IL-1β and TNF-α serum levels after spinal cord injury: the serum level of TNF-α in acute SCI patients as a possible marker for neurological remission.
abstract: METHODS
  Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured over a 12-week period in 23 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with and without neurological improvement.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the course of IL-1β and TNF-α in patients with SCI and observe a possible relationship between improvements in neurological functioning and cytokine levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients were treated at the BG Trauma Centre, Ludwigshafen, Germany. All lab work was done at the University Hospital, Heidelberg.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spinal cord injury was classified according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale (AIS) in 23 patients. TNF-α and IL-1β levels were measured upon arrival at the hospital, after 4 h, 9 h and 12 h, on days 1 and 3 and at the end of weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Temporal changes in TNF-α and IL-1β in SCI patients were seen. Patients with AIS improvement (Group 1) had significantly lower TNF-α levels at 9 h compared with patients without AIS improvement (Group 2; P<0.01). The course of IL-1β fluctuated greatly between 4 h and week 1 in the groups; however, between 2 and 12 weeks post trauma, there was an overall decline in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measuring serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β over time could be useful in tracking the course of SCI. Our data show differences in measured cytokines over a 12-week period for SCI patients with and without neurological improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraplegiolog, BG Trauma center Ludwigshafen, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Biglari
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Swing
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Child
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Büchler
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Westhauser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bruckner
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ferbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jürgen Gerner
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Paraplegiology, HTRG-Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012074:Remission Induction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508585:IL1B protein, human; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; C439524:TNF protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha