Background: Cancer patients present various physiological, metabolic, social and
emotional changes as a consequence of the disease’s own catabolism, and may
be potentiated in the gastrointestinal tract cancer by their interference
with food intake, digestion and absorption. Aim: To evaluate the functionality of upper gastrointestinal cancer patients which
have undertaken surgery and analyze the factors associated with changes in
strength and functionality during hospitalization time. Methods: Prospective analytical study in patients with cancer of the upper
gastrointestinal tract which have undertaken surgery. Was evaluated the
handgrip strength using a hand dynamometer and functionality through the
functional independence measure and Functional Status Scale for Intensive
Care Unit in the preoperative period, 2nd and 7th
postoperative day. Results:Were included 12 patients, 75% men, and mean age was 58.17 years old. The
most prevalent tumor site was stomach (66.7%). There was a progressive
reduction from the pre-operative palmar grip strength to the 2nd
and 7th postoperative day, respectively. There was a decrease in
functional performance from the preoperative period to the 2nd
and a gain from the 2nd to the 7th postoperative day
(p<0.001). Conclusion: An important reduction in the handgrip strength and functionality was
evidenced during the postoperative period in relation to the basal value in
the pre-operative period.
Introduction: Compressive root lesions are characterized by changes in the spinal cord microenvironment, which include motoneuron chromatolysis and degeneration, chronic gliosis, and glutamatergic excitotoxicity. Since excessive NMDAr stimulation by glutamate leads to neuronal degeneration, the use of NMDAr antagonists has been proposed as a promissing treatment central and peripheral nerve injuries. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of memantine, following compressive spinal root axotomy. Methods: Adult C57BL/6J mice were subjected to unilateral ventral root crush (VRC) and divided into four groups: VRC+Vehicle, VRC+Memantine 30 mg/kg, 45 mg/kg, and 60 mg/kg. The treatment was administered orally for 14 days, starting immediately after injury. Twenty-eight days after the lesion, lumbar intumescences were collected and processed for motoneuron counting (toluidine blue staining), together with astrogliosis and microglial reaction assessment (immunohistochemistry for GFAP and Iba-1, respectively). The protocols for animal use and handling were approved by the local ethical committee (CEUA/UNICAMP, protocol no 5740-1). Results: Memantine rescued spinal motoneurons at all the studied doses when compared with the vehicle counterpart, being the 45 mg/kg group the most effective (P < 0.001). Memantine also downregulated microglial reactions at the doses of 45 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg (P < 0.01, and P < 0.05, respectively). Astrogliosis also decreased in all treated groups as compared to the control (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The memantine has a significant antiinflammatory effect on glial cells, coupled with neuroprotection of motoneurons, indicating a possible translation to the clinic.
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