Ultrasound-Guided Hydraulic Release Associated With Corticosteroids in Radial Tunnel Syndrome: Description of Technique and Preliminary Clinical Results

The aim of this study was to describe a perineural ultrasound-guided infiltration technique for management of radial tunnel syndrome and to report its preliminary results in 54 patients. A mixture of a saline solution, a local anesthetic, and a corticosteroid solution was infiltrated in the perineural region at the arcade of Frohse. Pain was reported in 100% of patients before the procedure versus 1.9% after the procedure. Scratch collapse and Cozen test results were positive in 98.1% and 66.7% of patients before infiltration, respectively, versus 5.6% and 9.2% after infiltration. All variables had statistically significant differences between preprocedure and postprocedure evaluations (P < .01).     

Visualization of electrophysiological activity at the carpal tunnel area using magnetoneurography

ObjectiveTo establish a noninvasive method to measure the neuromagnetic fields of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel after electrical digital nerve stimulation and evaluate peripheral nerve function.MethodsUsing a vector-type biomagnetometer system with a superconducting quantum interference device, neuromagnetic fields at the carpal tunnel were recorded after electrical stimulation of the index or middle digital nerve in five healthy volunteers. A novel technique for removing stimulus-induced artifacts was applied, and current distributions were calculated using a spatial filter algorithm and superimposed on X-ray.ResultsA neuromagnetic field propagating from the palm to the carpal tunnel was observed in all participants. Current distributions estimated from the magnetic fields had five components: leading and trailing components parallel to the conduction pathway, outward current preceding the leading component, inward currents between the leading and trailing components, and outward current following the trailing component. The conduction velocity and peak latency of the inward current agreed well with those of sensory nerve action potentials.ConclusionRemoving stimulus-induced artifacts enabled magnetoneurography to noninvasively visualize with high spatial resolution the electrophysiological neural activity from the palm to the carpal tunnel.SignificanceThis is the first report of using magnetoneurography to visualize electrophysiological nerve activity at the palm and carpal tunnel.     

Excitability of motor and sensory axons in multifocal motor neuropathy

ObjectiveTo assess excitability differences between motor and sensory axons of affected nerves in patients with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN).MethodsWe performed motor and sensory excitability tests in affected median nerves of 20 MMN patients and in 20 age-matched normal subjects. CMAPs were recorded from the thenar and SNAPs from the 3rd digit. Clinical tests included assessment of muscle strength, two-point discrimination and joint position.ResultsAll MMN patients had weakness of the thenar muscle and normal sensory tests. Motor excitability testing in MMN showed an increased threshold for a 50% CMAP, increased rheobase, decreased stimulus-response slope, fanning-out of threshold electrotonus, decreased resting I/V slope, shortened refractory period, and more pronounced superexcitability. Sensory excitability testing in MMN revealed decreased accommodation half-time and S2-accommodation and less pronounced subexcitability. Mathematical modeling indicated increased Barrett-Barrett conductance for motor fibers and increase in internodal fast potassium conductance for sensory fibers.ConclusionsExcitability findings in MMN suggest myelin sheath or paranodal seal involvement in motor fibers and, possibly, paranodal detachment in sensory fibers.SignificanceExcitability properties of affected nerves in MMN differ between motor and sensory nerve fibers.     

Expression and effect of sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter on dorsal root ganglion neurons in a rat model of chronic constriction injury

Sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) and potassium-chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2) are associated with the transmission of peripheral pain.We investigated whether the increase of NKCC1 and KCC2 is associated with peripheral pain transmission in dorsal root ganglion neurons.To this aim,rats with persistent hyperalgesia were randomly divided into four groups.Rats in the control group received no treatment,and the rat sciatic nerve was only exposed in the sham group.Rats in the chronic constriction injury group were established into chronic constriction injury models by ligating sciatic nerve and rats were given bumetanide,an inhibitor of NKCC1,based on chronic constriction injury modeling in the chronic constriction injury + bumetanide group.In the experiment measuring thermal withdrawal latency,bumetanide (15 mg/kg) was intravenously administered.In the patch clamp experiment,bumetanide (10 μg/μL) and acutely isolated dorsal root ganglion neurons (on day 14) were incubated for 1 hour,or bumetanide (5 μg/μL) was intrathecally injected.The Hargreaves test was conducted to detect changes in thermal hyperalgesia in rats.We found that the thermal withdrawal latency of rats was significantly decreased on days 7,14,and 21 after model establishment.After intravenous injection of bumetanide,the reduction in thermal retraction latency caused by model establishment was significantly inhibited.Immunohistochemistry and western blot assay results revealed that the immune response and protein expression of NKCC1 in dorsal root ganglion neurons of the chronic constriction injury group increased significantly on days 7,14,and 21 after model establishment.No immune response or protein expression of KCC2 was observed in dorsal root ganglion neurons before and after model establishment.The Cl^– (chloride ion) fluorescent probe technique was used to evaluate the change of Cl^– concentration in dorsal root ganglion neurons of chronic constriction injury model rats.We found that the relative optical density of N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide (a Cl^– fluorescent probe whose fluorescence Cenintensity decreases as Cl– concentration increases) in the dorsal root ganglion neurons of the chronic constriction injury group was significantly decreased on days 7 and 14 after model establishment.The whole-cell patch clamp technique revealed that the resting potential and action potential frequency of dorsal root ganglion neurons increased,and the threshold and rheobase of action potentials decreased in the chronic constriction injury group on day 14 after model establishment.After bumetanide administration,the above indicators were significantly suppressed.These results confirm that CCI can induce abnormal overexpression of NKCC1,thereby increasing the Cl^– concentration in dorsal root ganglion neurons;this then enhances the excitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons and ultimately promotes hyperalgesia and allodynia.In addition,bumetanide can achieve analgesic effects.All experiments were approved by the Institutional Ethics Review Board at the First Affiliated Hospital,College of Medicine,Shihezi University,China on February 22,2017 (approval No.A2017-169-01).     

中西医联合治疗糖尿病周围神经病变效果观察

目的研究中西医联合治疗糖尿病周围神经病变患者的临床效果。方法按照随机数字表法将2017年7月-2018年6月期间本院收治的72例糖尿病周围神经病变患者分为两组,对照组36例采用常规西医治疗,观察组36例采用中西医联合治疗。将两组的神经传导速度、临床疗效、用药安全性进行比对。结果观察组糖尿病周围神经病变患者治疗后正中神经、尺神经的MNCV、SNCV均快于对照组,临床总有效率高于对照组,P<0.05;两组的不良反应发生率进行比较差异无统计学意义,P>0.05。结论中西医联合治疗糖尿病周围神经病变患者具有较高的有效性和安全性。     

琥珀酰胆碱与罗库溴铵用于麻醉诱导对甲状腺手术患者术中喉返神经监测的影响[论著]

目的　比较常规剂量琥珀酰胆碱与小剂量罗库溴铵用于麻醉诱导对甲状腺手术患者术中喉返神经监测的影响。方法　选取2019年4月至2019年7月本院120例同一外科医师团队甲状腺手术喉返神经监测患者，随机分为A组：麻醉诱导肌松药物为琥珀胆碱1.5 mg/kg；B组：麻醉诱导肌松药物为罗库溴铵0.3 mg/kg。麻醉医师待肌松监测显示到最大抑制后，通过气管插管条件评分评估两组患者气管插管条件。记录各组插管时间、等待时间；迷走神经和喉返神经电信号基础值；以及术中血压波动、术后咽痛、声音嘶哑、低氧血症、苏醒延迟等并发症。外科医师通过神经肌电监测仪进行喉返神经刺激评估两组患者喉返神经监测情况。结果　A组患者气管插管条件优于B组，A组插管时间、肌松监测时间小于B组，两组手术监测时间差异无统计学意义。A组首次神经监测信号值大于B组，A组首次监测例数多于B组，两组患者术中无体动，血压下降差异无统计学意义。麻醉术后并发症，A组咽痛少于B组，A组有少量患者发生肌痛，差异无统计学意义。结论　1.5 mg/kg琥珀酰胆碱用于甲状腺手术患者的麻醉诱导，可以提供较好的插管条件，不影响外科医师术中行喉返神经监测，同时减少患者术后咽痛的发生。     

Exendin-4 attenuates pain-induced cognitive impairment by alleviating hippocampal neuroinflammation in a rat model of spinal nerve ligation

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor has anti-apoptotic,anti-inflammatory,and neuroprotective effects.It is now recognized that the occurrence and development of chronic pain are strongly associated with anti-inflammatory responses;however,it is not clear whether glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor regulates chronic pain via anti-inflammatory mechanisms.We explored the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor on nociception,cognition,and neuroinflammation in chronic pain.A rat model of chronic pain was established using left L5 spinal nerve ligation.The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist exendin-4 was intrathecally injected into rats from 10 to 21 days after spinal nerve ligation.Electrophysiological examinations showed that,after treatment with exendin-4,paw withdrawal frequency of the left limb was significantly reduced,and pain was relieved.In addition,in the Morris water maze test,escape latency increased and the time to reach the platform decreased following exendin-4 treatment.Immunohistochemical staining and western blot assays revealed an increase in the numbers of activated microglia and astrocytes in the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampus,as well as an increase in the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha,interleukin 1 beta,and interleukin 6.All of these effects could be reversed by exendin-4 treatment.These findings suggest that exendin-4 can alleviate pain-induced neuroinflammatory responses and promote the recovery of cognitive function via the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor pathway.All experimental procedures and protocols were approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University of China(approval No.WDRM 20171214)on September 22,2017.