Derby City Area Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.
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OFFICERS
PRESIDENT David Allgood - (502) 589-6620
VICE PRESIDENT Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206
TREASURER Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865
LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE Dr. Bill Kraft – (502) 582-5865
FUNDRAISING CHAIR Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368
PAST PRESIDENT Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE- Mike Perry Kelly Young
NSCIA DERBY CITY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
Editor- Barbara Davis
Contributor- David Allgood
WITHIN THE REALM, CONT’D
training in Portugal and Germany. In addition to olfactory tissue physiology, he is an authority on the neuropathology of HIV infection and brain disorders similar to mad-cow disease.
Lima seemed destined to work on olfactory processes. For example, before he was a medical student, he was a rock-and-roll singer, and, with prescient forsight composed, “Nose, Nose, Nose”, a song based on a poem written by eighteenth century Portugese poet Manuel Bocage.
Lima’s guitar still stands out among his home-office computer equipment, and it was only the pleading of his exam-studying son that prevented Lima from giving an impromptu rendition of the song during my visit with him. The incident reminded me again that scientific inspiration reflects the soul’s creativity just as much as the mind’s intellect.
Lima’s scientific epiphany came 15 years ago when, after reading about olfactory tissue’s unique neurological properties, he immediately envisioned its potential for bridging injured spinal cords. Since then, he has unswaveringly directed his research toward this goal, carrying out extensive studies in animals as well as human cadavers.
Lima emphasizes the project is a multidisciplinary collaboration that also includes Pedro Escada, an ear-nose-and-throat specialist who collects the patient’s olfactory tissue; Prata Vital or Hasse Ferreira, neurosurgeons who implant this tissue into the patient’s spinal cord; and other Egaz Moniz Hospital specialists.
Possessing a panoramic vista of the Tejo River estuary, Egaz Moniz Hospital has a historical association with neurological innovation, including being named after a 1949 Portugese Nobel Laureate who developed cerebral angiography for visualizing brain blood vessels. Based on Lima’s extensive preliminary research, the hospital’s Ethics Committee approved human clinical trials. Patients underwent various neurological, neurophysiological, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bladder-functioning, and psychological assessments before and after treatment.
Assessments included the “gold standard” ASIA (American Spinal Cord Injury Association) scales for measuring SCI-related sensory and MotorImpairment. With these scales, patient improvement due to a specific intervention can be assessed in a consistent fashion and more readily compared to other studies. Patients were excluded if they had psychological disturbances, multiple spinal-cord lesions, confounding medical conditions, arm or leg denervation, or severe spinal cord Atrophy.
