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Journal Article 2015; 36(2): 161-164 PubMed PMID: 26071587 Citation  Keywords:  Chronic Pain:therapy, Female, High-Energy Shock Waves:therapeutic use, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pain Measurement, Treatment Outcome,.   

: The method of shock wave therapy (ESWT) was used for the treatment of several symptoms of chronic pain. There were especially: cervical syndromes, lumbago, plantar fasciitis, achillodynia, metatarsalgia and humeral epicondylitis. We confirmed the positive effect of shock wave therapy for pain relief on these syndromes. This method is also effective in other pain syndromes. The effect of this application is very individual and therefore it is necessary to indicate differing numbers of therapeutic applications. We recommend this method as a very useful tool for completion possibilities in the treatment of chronic pain....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(5): 393-397 PubMed PMID: 25275264 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenal Cortex Hormones:therapeutic use, Arthralgia:diagnostic imaging, Combined Modality Therapy, Denervation:methods, Female, High-Energy Shock Waves:therapeutic use, Humans, Low Back Pain:diagnostic imaging, Lumbar Vertebrae:diagnostic imaging, Male, M.   

OBJECTIVE: Lumbar facet joints (FJ) is a common source of low back pain and contributes approximmately on one third of chronic low back pain. Medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy is considered as a gold standard in the treatment of facet joint pain. Corticosteroid injections have also presented effect in FJ pain. As an interventional procedures, they carry not-negligible risk of possible complications including infection, damage to nerve root or medial branch structures. Shockwave therapy (SWT) is a non-invasive method for treatment of various musculoskeletal disorders. Its effect is based on transduction of mechanical energy, transferred to cascade of various biochemical processes in target tissue. Its efficacy was proved in the treatment of different painful conditions. The efficacy of SWT was not yet studied in FJ pain. Aim of our work was to compare the efficacy of SWT against interventional treatment procedures - radiofrequency neurotomy and corticosteroid FJ injections.

METHODS: A retrospective study was done on 62 selected patients with unilateral chronic lumbar facet pain. There were 32 women and 30 men, divided into SWT group, corticosteroid injections group radiofrequency group. Nociceptive and neuropathic pain intensity and severity of pain were measured.

RESULTS: Shockwave therapy had shown better longterm results compared to FJ injections group and little inferior efficacy compared to RMBN. We did not observe any adverse effects and complications in SWT group. Moreover, in SWT and RMBN groups, significant longterm improvement in daily activities limitation, was observed.

CONCLUSIONS: SWT appears to be a safe and perspective option in the treatment of FJ pain with negligible side effects....

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Journal Article 2013; 34(5): 359-365 PubMed PMID: 23922036 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Apoptosis:drug effects, Caspase 3:metabolism, Cell Survival:drug effects, HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins:metabolism, Neurons:drug effects, Neuroprotective Agents:pharmacology, PC12 Cells, Phosphorylation:drug effects, Phthalimides:pharmacology, Proto-.   

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to reveal the effects of 4,5-dianilinophthalimide (DAPH), which inhibits amyloid β fibrillization, against serum deprivation (SD)-induced apoptosis and the possible mechanisms in differentiated PC12 neuron cells.

METHODS: Firstly, we evaluated whether DAPH protects cell viability exposed to SD by MTT assay. Next, we examined the changes of phospho-p38 MAPK (Thr180/Tyr182), phospho-HSP27 (Ser82), phospho-c-JUN (Ser73) and cleaved-CASP3 (Asp175) profiles by immunoblotting, in PC12 cells exposed to SD. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was also measured.

RESULTS: SD induced apoptosis accompanied by up-regulation of phospho-p38 MAPK (Thr180/Tyr182), phospho-HSP27 (Ser82), phospho-c-JUN (Ser73), cleaved-CASP3 (Asp175) and intracellular ROS content. Co-treatment with non-toxic doses of DAPH prevented apoptosis by the attenuation of activated proteins and reduction of ROS level. These results suggest that serum deprivation-induced apoptosis inhibited by DAPH administration.

CONCLUSION: We have provided for the first evidence that DAPH has a neuroprotective effect on SD-caused stress, probably via contributing the re-establishment of redox homeostasis....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(2): 133-137 PubMed PMID: 22592193 Citation  Keywords:  Anticarcinogenic Agents:pharmacology, Cell Movement:drug effects, Cells, Cultured, Female, Gene Expression:drug effects, Heat-Shock Proteins:biosynthesis, Humans, Indoles:pharmacology, Matrix Metalloproteinases:biosynthesis, Pregnancy, Trophoblasts:drug e.   

OBJECTIVES: During implantation, human trophoblastic cells have to proliferate, migrate and invade pregnant uterus. A natural product of cruciferous vegetables, 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), is known to induce some stress response genes (such as glucose-regulated protein 78 kDa (GRP78)) and to have anti-invasive and pro-apoptotic effects on tumor cells. Therefore, we have investigated the potential effect of DIM on invasive extravillous cytotrophoblasts (evCTBs) cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: evCTBs were purified from first trimester trophoblasts and cultured in presence or not of DIM for 48h. In order to evaluate invasive properties of cells, they were seeded on collagen-coated insert following boyden chamber principle and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and GRP78 expression was evaluated by qPCR.

RESULTS: We showed that DIM decreases (p=0.013) invasive properties of evCTBs. In parallel, we determined that MMP-2, -7 and -9 which are involved in evCTBs invasion and known to be regulated by DIM, are not affected by DIM in evCTBs. In contrast, MMP-1 mRNA is induced (p=0.03) and MMP-12 is decreased (p=0.01) in DIM treated cells. Moreover, DIM treatment does not affect GRP78 mRNA expression in evCTBs.

CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the present results provide evidence that DIM does not impact evenly on evCTBs and cancer cells....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(2): 121-130 PubMed PMID: 17435676 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Conditioning (Psychology), Dental Pulp:innervation, Electroshock, Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory:physiology, Jaw, Male, Movement, Pain Measurement, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Reflex, Tooth, Wakefulness,.   

OBJECTIVE: Investigation of pain and nociception refers to different models. Depending upon the intensity of stimulation, unmyelinated pulpal fibers or periodontal A-fibers can be stimulated producing a short or a long latency jaw opening reflex of the digastric muscle. This paper investigates the different components of the jaw opening reflex in addition to the correlation between afferent fibers involved in the cortical evoked response.

DESIGN AND SETTING: Fifteen awake male rats were implanted with tooth pulp stimulation electrodes, digastric and cortical recording electrodes. Ten rats were submitted to recordings after a single tooth pulp stimulation, while five rats were using conditioning and test stimulation. Tooth pulp evoked potentials and digastric EMG were simultaneously recorded. A multiresolution denoising method was used for signal processing.

RESULTS: Following tooth pulp stimulation, a cortical response was produced including the following peaks: P6.5 +/- 1.1, N11 +/- 1.2, P17 +/- 1.2, P27 +/- 2.9, N53 +/- 7.5, P69 +/- 5.8, P88 +/- 13, N160 +/- 9.7, P204 +/- 14.2. The distribution and amplitude of these peaks are correlated to the stimulation intensity (r=0.96, p<0.01). An interaction between the different components of the jaw opening reflex was identified on EMG, following a conditioning shock, where a cortical evoked response showed a P30 +/- 2.7 peak which was observed concurrently with the jaw opening long latency reflex.

CONCLUSION: Our results identify the interaction between the different components of the jaw opening reflex and the correlation to the cortical evoked response....

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Journal Article 2005; 26(4): 407-412 PubMed PMID: 16136000 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Blood Pressure:drug effects, Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors:pharmacology, Disease Models, Animal, Hypotension:blood, Ibuprofen:pharmacology, Nitrates:blood, Nitrites:blood, Rabbits, Shock, Septic:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ibuprofen on plasma nitrite/nitrate levels, as indirect indicators of nitric oxide, in correlation with blood pressure in a rabbit model of endotoxin-induced shock.

METHODS: A total of 28 rabbits were randomly divided into four groups. Control group received physiological saline, while endotoxin (ETX, E. Coli, 055:B5, 2 mg/kg, i.v.) was administered to the rabbits in the other groups: group II receiving only ETX, in addition to ETX group III received ibuprofen (30 mg/kg) 30 minutes after ETX administration, whilst the group IV received ibuprofen (30 mg/kg) 30 minutes before ETX. Arterial blood pressure and plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate were determined immediately before (time 0) and 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after ETX administration.

RESULTS: ETX administered groups had significantly higher plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate than the control group, at all consecutive measurements except at time O. Treatment with ibuprofen, either before or after ETX, partly restored the elevated levels of nitrite/nitrate. ETX also caused a significant decrease in blood pressure which was prevented in ibuprofen treated groups.

CONCLUSION: Results from this study indicate that administration of ibuprofen prevents sudden reductions in blood pressure by inhibiting excessive production of nitric oxide in rabbit model of endotoxin-induced shock and this may be of importance for providing crucial time for therapeutic intervention and survival in septic shock....

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Comparative Study 2003; 24(1-2): 97-103 PubMed PMID: 12743542 Citation  Keywords:  Acute Disease, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone:blood, Animals, Chronic Disease, Corticosterone:blood, Electroshock, Environment, Food Deprivation:physiology, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System:physiopathology, Male, Noise:adverse effects, Organ Size:physiology, R.   

OBJECTIVES: We examined the role that novelty plays in determining interactions between chronic and acute stress, when both the chronic and acute stressors emphasize emotional processing (i.e. stressful stimuli that do not present immediate threats to somatic homeostasis, and are processed primarily by limbic and forebrain circuits).

METHODS: Rats were exposed to a chronic variable stress (CVS) regimen, and were subsequently tested to evaluate responses to novel and familiar acute stressors. One group was exposed to CVS that included restraint, and was then tested with this familiar stressor. Another group was exposed to CVS that did not include restraint, and were tested with restraint as a novel stressor. Additional rats were not chronically stressed. Plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) were assayed.

RESULTS: When the rats were exposed to familiar acute stress after CVS, ACTH responses were blunted. The ACTH responses were normal in the rats that were tested with novel acute stress--the responses resembled those of rats that had no prior stress experience. CORT responses did not differ between the groups, regardless of stress history.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that all the chronic and acute stressors emphasized emotional processing of aversive stimuli, and thus likely involved overlapping limbic and forebrain circuits, the hormonal responses differed depending upon familiarity with the acute stressor. Further research is required to identify the neuronal mechanisms that mediate these differing responses to novel and familiar emotional stressors....

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