A comparison of water-based and land-based core stability exercises in patients with lumbar disc herniation: a pilot study

Purpose: To determine and compare the effects of core stability exercise programs performed in two different environments in lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients. Method: Thirty-one patients who were diagnosed with LDH and were experiencing pain or functional disability for at least 3 months were randomly divided into two groups as land-based exercises or water specific therapy. Also, 15 age-sex-matched healthy individuals were recruited as healthy controls. Both groups underwent an 8-week (3 times/week) core stabilization exercise program. Primary outcomes were pain, trunk muscle static endurance and perceived disability level. The secondary outcome was health-related quality of life. Results: Level of static endurance of trunk muscles was found to be lower in the patients compared to the controls at baseline (p 0.05). After the treatment, static endurance of trunk muscles of the LDH patients became similar to controls (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to these results, core stabilization exercise training performed on land or in water both could be beneficial in LDH patients and there is no difference between the environments

Effects of Atorvastatin on Experimental Spinal Cord lschemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rabbits

AIM: Extent of secondary injury is the determinant of tissue destruction and functional worsening after primary spinal cord injury (SCI). Data have accumulated on alleviation of secondary injury in SCI from many studies on the subject. Besides its cholesterol lowering effects, statins are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects which are the main targets of spinal cord research. This study aims to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin on experimental spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury. MATERIAL and METHODS: Thirty adult male New Zealand rabbits were allocated into control, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) and treatment groups. Treatment group received 5 mg/kg of atorvastatin via lavage for the preceding 14 days. Other groups received placebo during the same time period. After two weeks, animals in the I/R and treatment groups underwent abdominal temporary aorta occlusion for 30 minutes. Neurological condition of the animals was recorded during the 48 hours of observation. Afterwards, animals were sacrificed and levels of malondialdehyde, glutathione and nitric oxide in spinal cord tissue and plasma and the histopathological tissue changes were determined. RESULTS: Animals in the treatment groups demonstrated significantly better results than the I/R group regarding biochemical markers. Neurological evaluation using the Tarlov scale demonstrated significantly better results at the 48th hour in treatment group. Histopathological results were also better in the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Results of this study demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of atorvastatin. Atorvastatin has favorable effects on biochemical markers of oxidative stress in SCI. Further studies with larger cohorts and different time periods are also needed

Usefulness of End-to-Side Bridging Anastomosis of Sural Nerve to Tibial Nerve : An Experimental Research

Objective : Repair of sensorial nerve defect is an important issue on peripheric nerve surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of sensory-motor nerve bridging on the denervated dermatomal area, in rats with sensory nerve defects, using a neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). Methods : We compared the efficacy of end-to-side (ETS) coaptation of the tibial nerve for sural nerve defect repair, in 32 Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were assigned to 1 of 4 groups : group A was the sham operated group, group B rats had sural nerves sectioned and buried in neighboring muscles, group C experienced nerve sectioning and end-to-end (ETE) anastomosis, and group D had sural nerves sectioned and ETS anastomosis was performed using atibial nerve bridge. Neurological evaluation included the skin pinch test and histological evaluation was performed by assessing NCAM expression in nerve terminals. Results : Rats in the denervated group yielded negative results for the skin pinch tests, while animals in the surgical intervention groups (group C and D) demonstrated positive results. As predicted, there were no positively stained skin specimens in the denervated group (group B); however, the surgery groups demonstrated significant staining. NCAM expression was also significantly higher in the surgery groups. However, the mean NCAM values were not significantly different between group C and group D. Conclusion : Previous research indicates that ETE nerve repair is the gold standard for peripheral nerve defect repair. However, ETS repair is an effective alternative method in cases of sensorial nerve defect when ETE repair is not possible

Comparison of Thalamus Volume on Magnetic Resonance and Cadaveric Section Images

ARSLAN, YUSUF KEMAL/0000-0003-1308-8569WOS: 000551172600004PubMed: 30649832AIM: To measure and to compare the volume of thalamus using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the anatomical sections. MATERIAL and METHODS: in this study, 13 brain specimens were used. First, the images were taken in 3 mm sections on MRI, the thickness of the thalamus was measured. Subsequently, 4 mm coronal sections were prepared using amicrotome. the thalamic volumes calculated from cadaveric specimens were compared with the measurements obtained using MRI. RESULTS: on MRI, the mean thalamic volumes on the right and left hemispheres were found to be 5843.4. 361.6 mm(3) and 5377.0 +/- 666.2 mm(3) respectively. the mean volumes of the cadaveric sections were 5610.8 +/- 401.3 mm(3) on the right side and 5618.5 +/- 604.1 mm(3) on the left hemisphere. No statistically significant difference was found between the volume calculated from MRI and that obtained from the cadaveric section (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study shows a correlation between measurement of thalamus volume based on MRI and those calculated from anatomical sections. Our findings support the reliability of DBS procedures using MRI and stereotactic method

Management of brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer

Purpose: The purpose of the following study is to evaluate the treatment modalities, clinical status and prognostic factors affecting survival rates in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and Methods: NSCLC patients with a new diagnosis of one to four brain metastasis evaluated retrospectively for the effects of treatment regimens on local failure-relapse-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS). The relationship between age, gender, performance status, recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) classification, the primary tumor under control, number of metastatic tumors in the brain and total volume of brain metastasis and prognosis is analyzed. Results: Out of a total of 138 (121 male and 17 female) patients, nearly 44.2% received only gamma-knife (GK); 24.6% were received both GK and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), 2.9% had GK and surgery, 3.6% received GK, surgery and WBRT, 10.9% had surgery and WBRT and 12.3% received only WBRT for treatment. Median LRFS of surgery plus WBRT group was significantly higher when compared with WBRT group (P < 0.0001). The OS was significantly longer for surgery plus WBRT group than the other treatment groups (P = 0.037). When median survival of WBRT-only group compared with surgery plus WBRT, it was significantly higher (29.6 months vs. 16.7 months, P = 0.006). Median OS of surgery plus WBRT group was significantly higher than GK plus WBRT group (29.6 months vs. 9.3 months, P = 0.007). Conclusion: WBRT is still the most effective treatment method following surgery in selected patients according to their age, performance status and spread of the primary disease with NSCLC had limited number brain metastasis. Adding WBRT treatment after surgery significantly improved OS and LRFS