Neurological research
-
Neurological research · Nov 2013
Lipoxin A4 ameliorates cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury through upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2.
Lipoxin A4 (LXA4) is a potent anti-inflammatory mediator that exerts a neuroprotective effect following cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is generally considered to reduce cerebral I/R injury. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 can induce haeme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and glutathione (GSH) expression to combat increased oxidative stress. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Nrf2 signalling on LXA4-mediated neuroprotection. ⋯ Overall, our data suggest that Nrf2 upregulation is involved in the neuroprotective effects of LXA4 and may be ALXR independent.
-
Neurological research · Nov 2013
Evaluation of analgesic, antioxidant, cytotoxic and metabolic effects of pregabalin for the use in neuropathic pain.
The aim of this research was to evaluate analgesic, antioxidant, metabolic, and cytotoxic effects of pregabalin (PGB), which is widely applied for the treatment of neuropathic pain syndromes in diabetic patients. ⋯ Our experiments demonstrated significant antiallodynic and analgesic properties of PGB in mice. In vitro studies showed that this drug is metabolically neutral. It did not cause motor coordination impairments in diabetic animals either. These effects might be of great importance for diabetic patients.
-
Neurological research · Nov 2013
Overriding role of parent over daughter vessel dimension in size ratio detection performance of bifurcation aneurysms ruptured status.
Aneurysm-to-vessel size ratio (SR) predicts rupture status based on the premise that large aneurysms on small vessels are more likely to rupture compared to small aneurysms on larger vessels. While simpler for sidewall-type (function of proximal vessel [PV] only), SR methodology for bifurcation aneurysms requires the overhead of daughter vessels measurement. This study sets to evaluate SR performance on bifurcation aneurysms, and determine the added value of including daughters' measurements. ⋯ Not only is the inclusion of daughter measurements not statistically justified, it may be detrimental to SR performance. Parent-only SR definitions simplify the aneurysmal morphological evaluation at no performance loss. It is reasonable to employ a unified approach regardless of sidewall/bifurcation labeling, by defining SR as aneurysm size to parent vessel ratio and omitting the measurements of the daughter branches.
-
Neurological research · Nov 2013
The diagnostic accuracy of TCD for intracranial arterial stenosis/occlusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke: the importance of time interval between detection of TCD and CTA.
To evaluate prospectively the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial doppler (TCD) as an additional screening tool for intracranial arterial steno-occlusive disease against computed tomography angiography (CTA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) if both are performed in a short time interval. ⋯ Transcranial doppler shows high diagnostic accuracy against CTA if both are performed in a short time interval in evaluating intracranial arterial stenosis/occlusion in patients with AIS, especially for MCA obstruction. Transcranial doppler can also provide additional real-time dynamic findings complementary to the information provided by CTA. This can result in changes in the management in some of these patients.
-
Neurological research · Nov 2013
Survey of prophylactic antiseizure drug use for non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage.
Prophylactic antiseizure drugs (PAD) are commonly prescribed for non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) despite limited evidence for this indication. We sought to determine the current prescribing patterns of the use of a PAD for ICH. ⋯ We found variability of multiple aspects of the current prescribing patterns and opinions regarding the use of a PAD for ICH. This variability is likely secondary to insufficient data. Clinical equipoise exists for this issue, and controlled trials would be both justified and useful.