Duloxetine Protects against Oxaliplatin-Induced Neuropathic Pain and Spinal Neuron Hyperexcitability in Rodents

Oxaliplatin is a widely used chemotherapy agent, but induces serious peripheral neuropathy. Duloxetine is a dual reuptake inhibitor of serotonin and norepinephrine, and is shown to be effective against pain. However, whether and how duloxetine can attenuate oxaliplatin-induced allodynia in rodents is not clearly understood. A single injection of oxaliplatin (6 mg/kg, intraperitoneal; i.p.) induced a cold and mechanical allodynia, which was assessed by acetone and von Frey filament tests, respectively. When significant allodynic signs were observed, three different doses of duloxetine (10, 30, and 60 mg/kg, i.p.) were injected. Administration of 30 and 60 mg/kg of duloxetine significantly reduced the allodynia, whereas 10 mg/kg did not. By using an in vivo extracellular recording method, we further confirmed that 30 mg/kg of duloxetine could significantly inhibit the hyperexcitability of spinal wide dynamic range (WDR) cells. The anti-allodynic effect of duloxetine was completely blocked by an intrathecal injection of phentolamine (non-selective α-adrenergic receptor antagonist, 20 μg), or prazosin (α1-adrenergic receptor antagonists, 10 μg); however, idazoxan (α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist, 10 μg) did not block it. In conclusion, we suggest that duloxetine may have an effective protective action against oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain and spinal hyperexcitability, which is mediated by spinal α1-adrenergic receptors

The influence of the dietary intake of vitamin C and vitamin E on the risk of gastric intestinal metaplasia in a cohort of Koreans

OBJECTIVES Studies have suggested that the dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, has a potential role in inhibiting gastric carcinogenesis. The present study investigated the effect of antioxidant vitamins on the incidence of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). METHODS This study included 67,657 Koreans free of GIM who periodically underwent health check-ups. Dietary intake was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire based on the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were categorized into 4 groups by quartiles of dietary vitamin C and vitamin E intake. The Cox proportional hazard assumption was used to determine the multivariable hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for GIM. RESULTS The third and fourth quartiles of vitamin C intake had a lower risk of GIM than the first quartile (multivariable-adjusted HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.03 in the second quartile, HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.97 in the third quartile, and HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.95 in the fourth quartile). Vitamin E intake greater than the second quartile level was significantly associated with a lower risk of GIM than the first quartile (multivariable-adjusted HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.97 in the second quartile, HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.99 in the third quartile, and HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.94 in the fourth quartile). This association was observed only in the subgroup analysis for men. CONCLUSIONS Higher dietary intake of vitamin C and vitamin E was associated with a lower risk of GIM

Longitudinal analysis for the risk of depression according to the consumption of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage in non-diabetic and diabetic population

Abstract Studies have presented that high intake of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage (SSCB) was more associated with the prevalence of depression. However, longitudinal evidence is still insufficient to identify whether the effect of SSCB on incident depression is independent of metabolic factors. Therefore, to evaluate the effect of SSCB consumption on the risk of depression, we analyzed the risk of depression according to the consumption of SSCB in 87,115 working aged Koreans who responded to Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. They were categorized into 5 groups by SSCB consumption based on one serving dose (200 ml) with never/almost never, < 1 serving/week, 1 ≤ serving/week < 3, 3 ≤ serving/week < 5, and 5 ≤ serving/week. During follow-up, CES-D ≥ 16 was determined as incident depressive symptom. Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for depressive symptom. In analysis for all study participants, the risk of depressive symptom significantly increased proportionally to SSCB consumption (never/almost never: reference, < 1 serving/week: 1.12 [1.07–1.17], 1 ≤  ~  < 3 serving/week: 1.26 [1.19–1.33], 3 ≤  ~  < 5 serving/week: 1.32 [1.23–1.42], and ≥ 5 serving/week: 1.45 [1.33–1.59]). This association was identically observed in men, women, normal glycemic subgroup and prediabetes subgroup

The efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia in patients with poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background This study evaluates the effectiveness of Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) in treating poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), focusing on functional outcomes, mortality, and complications such as vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and hydrocephalus. Methods Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central, up to November 2023. Nine studies involving 368 patients were selected based on eligibility criteria focusing on TH in poor-grade SAH patients. Data extraction, bias assessment, and evidence certainty were systematically performed. Results The primary analysis of unfavorable outcomes in 271 participants showed no significant difference between the TH and standard care groups (risk ratio [RR], 0.87). However, a significant reduction in vasospasm was observed in the TH group (RR, 0.63) among 174 participants. No significant differences were found in DCI, hydrocephalus, and mortality rates in the respective participant groups. Conclusions TH did not significantly improve primary unfavorable outcomes in poor-grade SAH patients. However, the reduction in vasospasm rates indicates potential specific benefits. The absence of significant findings in other secondary outcomes and mortality highlights the need for further research to better understand TH's role in treating this patient population

Long-term Non-Anesthetic Preclinical Study Available Extra-Cranial Brain Activator (ECBA) System for the Future Minimally-Invasive Human Neuro-Modulation

Long-term preclinical study available extracranial brain activator (ECBA) system, ECBAv2, is proposed for the non-anesthetic canine models. The titanium-packaged module shows enhanced durability, even after a year of implantation in the scalp. In addition, the wearable helmet type base station provides a stable experimental environment without anesthesia. In this work, HFS stimulation is induced to six canine models for 30 minutes every day over 4 weeks (10Hz, 40Hz and no stimulation for each pair of subjects). Pre- and post-HFS stimulation PET-CT image shows remarkable increases of glucose metabolism in the temporal and parietal lobes. Moreover, both the 40-Hz and 10-Hz groups shows noticeable increase and the former group has more increments than the latter. Our results establish that HFS stimulation definitely worked as facilitating brain activity which may affect memory and sensory skills, respectively.11Nsciescopu