If you haven't seen or heard about it yet: Spinal Cord Series and Cases launched in full last month with its own website, detailing the journal's aims and editorial process. This new ISCOS journal is published quarterly online, and is accepting papers now. Please give it a look at www.nature.com/scsandc. It is a unique project that fills a need in SCI literature.

Spinal Cord (www.nature.com/sc) remains the journal for original research and clinical studies of SCI management, as it has been for 53 years now. Spinal Cord does not take case reports or small series studies which will find a better home in Spinal Cord Series and Cases. Such manuscripts will, in the transition period, be suggested to transfer to Spinal Cord Series and Cases, but some may still appear in Spinal Cord. This new journal complements Spinal Cord in providing a forum for the breadth of research and case studies to be published and disseminated widely. We hope you will support this endeavour.

A second important publication of ISCOS, launched during the outstanding Annual Scientific Meeting in Montreal, is the ISCOS Textbook on Comprehensive Management of SCI. This work is authored by specialists from around the globe, has 70 Chapters, in 10 different sections, and is the most complete textbook today. It addresses not only physicians but all other health professionals involved in the management of SCI: Gurgaon Haryana India, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, editor in chief HS Chhabra, ISBN 9789351294405. A must have!

In this Spinal Cord July issue you will find several interesting contributions.

Review/urology: Liu Nan et al. reviewed iatrogenic urological triggers of autonomic dysreflexia (AD) in diagnosis and urologic treatment. Such autonomic dysreflexia is not rare; AD was more prevalent in cervical than in thoracic SCI. To detect this potential life threatening complication, routine BP monitoring during urological procedures is highly recommended. Everyone who performs such tests and treatments in SCI individuals should be aware and prepared to counter these events. Losco et al. found in women with neurogenic bladder disease and stress urinary incontinence, Trans Obturator Tape to be safe and effective with very good medium/long-term outcomes. There may be an increased risk of intermittent self-catheterization in women who void by straining pre-operatively.

Neuropathophysiology/outcome: Biglari et al. found serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β over time to be useful in tracking the recovery of SCI. This warrants further evaluation in larger groups of patients. Le Hua et al. saw thoracic spinal cord lesions to be predicated on the degree of cervical spine involvement in patients with MS, independent of brain findings or clinical features. Yaeshima et al. describe plantar-flexor elasticity loss in chronic SCI patients with increased injury duration. Nardone et al. found that impaired ability of the motor cortex to generate proper voluntary movement may be compensated by increasing spinal excitability. Romero Ganuza et al. evaluated an intermediate respiratory care unit and found encouraging results of such facility. Dolbow and Figoni state that compliance of the Americans with Disabilities Act and accommodation of wheelchair reliant individuals needs to be improved. Parashar explains that psychologists and rehabilitation counselors need to focus on instilling realistic hope, goal setting, sustaining motivation, enabling adaptive appraisals, and problem solving.

Complications: van Asbeck et al. found that measurement of pressure ulcers with the ‘Decu-stick’ provides a reliable, quick, cheap and easy-to-learn bedside method to predict the progress of healing in PU’s in SCI patients after 4 weeks of conservative treatment. This provides a scientific basis for the decision on operative or alternative conservative treatment. Pannek et al. experienced a demand for adjunctive complementary and alternative medicine for treatment of medical complications after SCI.

Re-education: Vanmulken et al. tested the feasibility of haptic robot technology to improve arm-hand function and arm-hand skill performance. Sawatzky et al. determine the relationships between wheeling parameters- skills, and push effectiveness.

Sexuality: Otero Villaverde et al. present data on sexual satisfaction in women with SCI.

Enjoy reading.