The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on refractory neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury

Objective

To investigate the analgesic effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on intractable neuropathic pain in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design

A single center, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled study.

Setting

SCI rehabilitation unit of university rehabilitation center.

Participants

Seventeen patients with SCI and chronic neuropathic pain who met the inclusion criteria recruited between April 2010 and January 2012.

Interventions

Ten daily treatment sessions of real or sham rTMS (30 trains of 10-Hz stimuli for a duration of 5 seconds; a total of 1500 pulses at intensity equal to 110% of the resting motor threshold) was applied over vertex using a figure-of-8-shaped coil.

Outcome measures

Pain was assessed with visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline and 10 days, 6 weeks and 6 months after the treatment. Patients’ satisfactions obtained using a 5-point Likert scale at 6 months.

Results

Both real and sham rTMS provided a significant reduction in the VAS scores (real rTMS group, P = 0.004; sham rTMS group, P = 0.020). Post hoc analysis revealed the significant difference was at 10 days and 6 weeks compared to baseline in the real rTMS group and only at 10 days compared to baseline in the sham rTMS group. Comparison of VAS scores and patient satisfaction did not show any significant difference at each assessment point (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated analgesic effect of rTMS on intractable neuropathic pain in SCI was not superior to placebo. However, middle-term (over 6 weeks) pain relief by rTMS is encouraging and suggests the need for future studies with a larger sample size.     

Mid to Distal Small Bowel Resection with the Preservation of the Terminal Ileum Improves Glucose Homeostasis in Diabetic Rats by Activating the Hindgut-Dependent Mechanism

Background

The aim of this study was to develop a novel surgical model to test the “hindgut hypothesis” and thereby study the role of the gut in glucose homeostasis and the mechanism of action of bariatric surgery.

Method

Sprague-Dawley rats were given a high-fat and high-sugar diet and treated with 25 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). The fat-sugar-fed/STZ-treated rats were randomized into mid to distal small bowel resection with the preservation of the terminal ileum (DBRPI) and sham operation (which had a formal celiotomy with bowel manipulation only) groups. Rats were observed for 12 weeks after the operation. The main outcome measures were weight, food intake, non-fasting glucose, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), an insulin tolerance test (ITT), the levels of fasting and glucose-induced insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), serum bile acids, and lipid profile.

Result

The DBRPI and sham groups exhibited no difference in weight and food intake after surgery. When compared to the sham controls, the DBRPI group displayed an improvement in non-fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance, and insulin tolerance at 4 and 12 weeks postresection. DBRPI elicited an increased serum insulin, PYY and GLP-1 levels at 12 weeks postoperation; furthermore, DBRPI resulted in higher serum levels of triglyceride, total bile acids, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin levels and lower free fatty acid level at 12 weeks.

Conclusions

This study provides strong evidences for the key role of hindgut in the amelioration of diabetes after bariatric surgery. Moreover, these findings confirm that DBRPI is a simple and effective surgical model for testing the “hindgut hypothesis” and focused study of biliary enterohepatic recycling in the context of bariatric operations.     

颈部三角吻合术在微创食管切除术中的应用

目的：评价三角吻合术在微创食管切除、食管胃颈部吻合术中应用的安全性和有效性。方法回顾性分析2013年1月至2014年3月在复旦大学附属中山医院胸外科接受胸腹腔镜食管癌根治切除加食管胃颈部吻合术的137例患者的临床资料,其中三角吻合77例（三角吻合组）,管状吻合60例（管状吻合组）。结果三角吻合组和管状吻合组术中吻合时间分别为（18．0±3．9） min 和（17．0±2．9） min,差异无统计学意义（P＝0．099）;术后吻合口瘘发生率分别为3．9％（3/77）和10．0％（6/60）,差异无统计学差异（P＝0．152）;吻合口狭窄发生率分别为1．3％（1/77）和15．0％（9/60）,差异有统计学意义（P＝0．002）。两组患者在围手术期死亡率、心血管并发症、肺部并发症等方面的差异均无统计学意义（P＞0．05）。结论颈部三角吻合术是一种安全、有效的吻合方法,可以降低术后吻合口狭窄的发生。     

Robotic Trans‐Abdominal Transplant Nephrectomy for a Failed Renal Allograft

Minimally invasive surgery for removal of a failed renal allograft has not previously been reported. Herein, we report the first robotic trans‐abdominal transplant nephrectomy (TN). A 34‐year‐old male with Alport's syndrome lost function of his deceased donor allograft after 12 years and presented with fever, pain over his allograft and hematuria. The operation was performed intra‐abdominally using the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System with four trocars. The total operative time was 235 min and the estimated blood loss was less than 25 cm³. There were no peri‐operative complications observed and the patient was discharged to home less than 24 h postoperatively. The utilization of robotic technology facilitated the successful performance of a minimally invasive, trans‐abdominal TN.     

毛面乳房假体和光面乳房假体隆乳术后包膜挛缩率的Meta分析

目的 利用Meta分析方法定量比较光面乳房假体和毛面乳房假体隆乳术后的包膜挛缩发生率.方法 以breast augmentation、capsular contracture、smooth implant、textured implant、隆乳、乳房假体等检索词在MEDLINE数据库、EMBASE数据库、Cochrane图书馆、中国生物医学文献数据库、维普生物数据库等检索,最大限度地收集毛面乳房假体和光面乳房假体隆乳的文献,提取其包膜挛缩和其他并发症的数据进行整合,以获得比值比（odds ratio,OR）合并值.各合并数据使用RevMan 5.2软件进行分析.结果 对11项研究毛面乳房假体和光面乳房假体的临床对照试验进行Meta分析后得出,包膜挛缩发生率的合并OR值为0.32,95％可信区间（CI）为0.18～0.58,P=0.0002.除包膜挛缩外,其他并发症发生率的合并OR值为1.31,95％ CI为0.96～1.77,P=0.09.结论 毛面乳房假体隆乳术后发生包膜挛缩风险低于光面乳房假体.     

Protective effect of vitexin compound B-1 against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced injury in differentiated PC12 cells via NADPH oxidase inhibition

Vitexin compound B-1 (VB-1) is a novel member of the vitexins family isolated from the seeds of the Chinese herb Vitex negundo. This study aims to investigate whether VB-1 is able to protect nerve cells against oxidative injury and whether the antioxidative effects of VB-1 occur through a mechanism involving the inhibition of NADPH oxidase (NOX) in a manner of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α)-dependent. To establish a neuronal in vitro model of oxidative stress, the differentiated PC12 cells were subjected to 5 h of hypoxia followed by 20 h of reoxygenation (H/R). Three dosages of VB-1 (10^?8, 10^?7, and 10^?6 M) were chosen to evaluate the effect of VB-1 on H/R-induced injury and the underlying mechanisms. At the end of the experiments, culture mediums and cells were collected for analysis of cellular apoptosis, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and caspase 3/7-like activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehye (MDA) contents, and HIF-1α and NOX expression, respectively. Our results showed that cell injury (indicated by apoptosis ratio, caspase 3/7-like activity, and LDH release), oxidative stress (indicated by ROS production, 4-HNE, and MDA contents), NOX activity, and NOX expression (NOX2 and NOX4 isoforms) were dramatically increased in PC12 cells following H/R, which were attenuated in the presence of VB-1 at dosage of 10^?7 or 10^?6 M. There was no significant change in HIF-1α expression in all experimental groups. These results provide evidence that VB-1 is able to protect the PC12 cells against H/R-induced injury through a mechanism involving the suppression of NOX expression and subsequent reduction of ROS production. The effect of VB-1 on H/R-induced NOX expression is independent on HIF-1α inhibition.