Synergistic efficacy of tramadol and meloxicam on alleviation of pain and selected immunological variables after sciatic nerve ligation in rats

This study was performed for evaluation of the effect of pre-operative and post-operative administration of tramadol and meloxicam combination on hyperalgesia and selected inflammatory responses after sciatic nerve ligation in rats. An eighty male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into two groups; preemptive analgesic group, in which the rats received analgesic agents 30 min before nerve ligation. Also the nociceptive pain tests were detected before surgery, 120 and 150 min post-analgesics injection. The serum IL-6 and PGE-2 concentrations were detected at 150 min post-analgesics injection. The second group was post-operative analgesic group; in which the rats exposed for the nerve ligation then the rats received analgesic agents at 5 till 11 day’s post-operative. Behavioral tests were performed before surgery and on each even days post-operatively. The serum concentration of IL-6 and PGE-2 was determined at 5, 10 and 14 days post-operative. Tramadol and meloxicam combination had a statistically significant (P < 0.05) reverse hyperalgesia while preemptive administration of tramadol and meloxicam significantly decreased (P < 0.05) serum IL-6 production compared to post-operative treatment. In conclusion, the preemptive combination of tramadol and meloxicam produced a potent analgesic effect post nerve ligation in rats

Clinical and biomechanical evaluation of three bioscaffold augmentation devices used for superficial digital flexor tenorrhaphy in donkeys (Equus asinus): An experimental study

The present study was designed to carry out an in vivo and in vitro comparative evaluation of three bio-scaffold augmentation devices used for superficial digital flexor tenorrhaphy in donkeys. Twenty-four clinically healthy donkeys were assigned for three treatment trials (n = 8) using one of three bioscaffold materials (glycerolized bovine pericardium xenograft, tendon allograft and allograft with glycerolized by bovine pericardium). In addition, eight clinically healthy donkeys were selected to serve as control. Clinical signs of each animal were scored and the sum of all clinical indexes was calculated at each time point of the experiment. Four donkeys from each group were euthanized at 45 and 90 days postoperatively, respectively, for biomechanical and histopathological evaluation of treated superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). The failure stress in allograft shielding group significantly increased compared to the corresponding values of the other groups at 45 (62.7 ± 6.5 N mm−2) and 90 (88.8 ± 3.5 N mm−2) days postoperatively. The fetlock angle in the allograft shielding group at both 45 (112.8° ± 4.4) and 90 (123.8° ± 1.1) days postoperatively showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) relative to the values of the other groups and a significant decrease (p < 0.05) when compared to normal angle (125° ± 0). However, the histomorphological findings revealed no remarkable changes between the treatment groups. In conclusion, the failure stress, fetlock angle and histomorphological findings may provide useful information about the healing characteristics of SDFT tenorrhaphy. The bio-scaffold augmentation devices, either xenogenic or allogenic, provide good alternative techniques accelerating SDFT healing with minimal adhesions in donkeys

Prosthetics and Techniques in Repair of Animal’s Abdominal Wall

The management of abdominal wall repair continues to present a challenging problem, especially in the repair of major defects. Many abdominal wall defects can be repaired by primary closure; however, if the defect is large and there is a tension on the closure of the wound, the use of prosthetic materials becomes indispensable. Many studies have been performed with various materials and implant techniques, without the comparison of their degrees of success, based on sound meta-analysis and/or inclusive epidemiologic studies. This review covered the effectiveness of recent advances in prosthetic materials and implant procedures used in repair of abdominal wall, based on biomechanical properties and economic aspects of reconstructed large abdominal wall defects and hernias in animals. The presented results in this review helped to reach treatment algorithms that could maximize outcomes and minimize morbidity

IMPACT OF REFLEXOLOGY ON MECHANICAL LOW BACK PAIN

Background: Low-back pain (LBP) is one of the highest common and costly musculoskeletal conditions in current society. Seventy to 85% of the populations will exhibits LBP at some time in their lives. There is little known about specific manual therapy techniques used to treat chronic LBP. Reflexology is a treatment that involves using gentle pressure to reflex points located on all of the outsides of the feet and hands. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of reflexology technique in subjects with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods: Twenty patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain were included in the study and were assessed regarding range of motion via goniometer and pain threshold (via modified Oswestery scale and visual analogue scale), the 20 patients were allocated into two groups 10 patients in each group. Group A received reflexology sittings at rate of 3 days per week, and the duration of each sitting was 30 minutes. While group B were control. The study was continued for 3 weeks Results: According to VAS, the results revealed a non-significant variance between the study group and control group before intervention (p= 0.43). While after intervention, there was a significant decline of pain in the study group compared to that of the control group (p=0.000). Moreover, there was a very highly significant decrease in pain within the study group after treatment (p= 0.005). Conclusion: The present study indicated that the reflexology technique was effective and safe to be applied for cases of mechanical low back pain. It results in a significant decrease in pain within the study group after treatment

IMPACT OF REFLEXOLOGY ON MECHANICAL LOW BACK PAIN

Background: Low-back pain (LBP) is one of the highest common and costly musculoskeletal conditions in current society. Seventy to 85% of the populations will exhibits LBP at some time in their lives. There is little known about specific manual therapy techniques used to treat chronic LBP. Reflexology is a treatment that involves using gentle pressure to reflex points located on all of the outsides of the feet and hands. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of reflexology technique in subjects with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods: Twenty patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain were included in the study and were assessed regarding range of motion via goniometer and pain threshold (via modified Oswestery scale and visual analogue scale), the 20 patients were allocated into two groups 10 patients in each group. Group A received reflexology sittings at rate of 3 days per week, and the duration of each sitting was 30 minutes. While group B were control. The study was continued for 3 weeks Results: According to VAS, the results revealed a non-significant variance between the study group and control group before intervention (p= 0.43). While after intervention, there was a significant decline of pain in the study group compared to that of the control group (p=0.000). Moreover, there was a very highly significant decrease in pain within the study group after treatment (p= 0.005). Conclusion: The present study indicated that the reflexology technique was effective and safe to be applied for cases of mechanical low back pain. It results in a significant decrease in pain within the study group after treatment

Ameliorative effects of l-carnitine on rats raised on a diet supplemented with lead acetate

Lead intoxication has been a major health hazard in humans. It affects people at all ages. Its toxicity is associated with various organs of the body and affects different metabolic pathways. Based on histological data, l-carnitine reduced the severity of tissue damage produced as a result of exposure of rats to lead acetate. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the underlying mechanism of protection offered by l-carnitine against lead acetate intoxication using male Sprague–Dawley rats.Forty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups with ten rats in each. The first group (G1) served as the control group and animals received standard diet only. The second group (G2) received lead acetate in their diet. The third group (G3) was the l-carnitine treated group and received the normal standard diet supplemented with l-carnitine. While the fourth group (G4) had a diet supplemented with both lead acetate and l-carnitine. At the end of each experiment, blood (serum and whole blood) were collected from each animal and analyzed for the following parameters: serum testosterone levels, serum nitric oxide and serum malondialdehyde. This is in addition to looking at the enzymatic activities of two important enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and on (glutathione reductase) which are indicative of the antioxidant activities in the whole blood. The results indicated that l-carnitine will counteract the undesirable effects of lead intoxication. It exerted its antioxidant potential by reducing the production of ROS and scavenging free radicals by maintaining and protecting the level of the of antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT and glutathione peroxidase.Conclusion:l-Carnitine may play an important role in reversing the undesirable effects of lead intoxication. Future studies should be conducted to see whether such an effect is applicable in humans exposed to lead poising. Keywords: l-Carnitine, Sprague–Dawley rats, Lead toxicity, Antioxidants, Lead acetat