RESUMO
Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) plus oxiracetam in treating mild vascular dementia (VD) and seek its underlying mechanism. Methods: Ninety-six patients with mild VD were randomized into an observation group and a control group, with 47 cases in the observation group and 49 cases in the control group. The control group received oral oxiracetam capsules for treatment, and the observation group was given additional Tuina treatment. Before and after treatment, the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was adopted to assess the patient's cognitive function; the activities of daily living (ADL) scale was used to evaluate their ability to conduct daily activities; changes in the serum inflammatory factors and oxidative stress indicators were also detected. Results: After treatment, the serum content of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased in both groups (P<0.05) and was lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05); the serum contents of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) increased in both groups (P<0.05) and were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05); the serum contents of interleukin (IL)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, and IL-8 declined in both groups (P<0.05) and were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). After the intervention, the levels of systolic velocity (Vs) and mean velocity (Vm) of the middle cerebral artery elevated, and the pulsatility index (PI) dropped in patients in the two groups, showing significant intra-group differences (P<0.05); the levels of Vs and Vm in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the PI was lower in the observation group than in the control group, showing significant between-group differences (P<0.05). The MMSE and ADL scores increased in both groups after the intervention (P<0.05) and were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: In the treatment of mild VD, Tuina plus oxiracetam can improve the cerebral blood supply, ADL, and cognitive function; the mechanism may be associated with the reduction of oxidative stress damages and inflammatory reactions.
RESUMO
Objective To evaluate the effect of oxycodone on function of GABAA receptors in dor-sal root ganglion ( DRG ) neurons of rats with neuropathic pain ( NP ) . Methods Thirty-six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 180-220 g, aged 10 weeks, were allocated into 3 groups ( n=12 each) u-sing a random number table method: sham operation group ( group S ) , group NP and oxycodone group ( group O) . The sciatic nerve was only isolated but not ligated in group S. NP was induced by chronic con-striction injury. The sciatic nerve was exposed and 4 loose ligatures were placed on the sciatic nerve at 1 mm intervals with 4-0 chromic catgut. Oxycodone 15μg∕kg was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 14 con-secutive days from ligating the sciatic nerve to satisfaction in group O. The thermal paw withdrawal latency( TWL) was measured at 1 day before establishing the model ( T0 ) and 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days after es-tablishing the model ( T1-5 ) . The rats were sacrificed after measurement of pain threshold at T5 , and DRG neurons were acutely isolated for recording the amplitude of GABAA receptors-activated currents using whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Results Compared with group S, the TWL was significantly shortened at T1-5, and the amplitude of GABAA receptors-activated currents in DRG neurons was decreased in NP and O groups (P<0. 05). Compared with group NP, the TWL was significantly prolonged at T1-5, and the ampli-tude of GABAA receptors-activated currents in DRG neurons was increased in group O ( P<0. 05) . Conclu-sion Oxycodone can enhance the function of GABAA receptors-activated currents in DRG neurons and thus enhance GABAA receptors-mediated presynaptic inhibition, which may be related to the mechanism of oxyc-odone-induced reduction of NP in rats.