Background: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is presently one of the main methods of treatment for neuropathic pain in type II diabetes mellitus. The discussion about which TENS frequency is more effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain has been ongoing for many years. Despite this, the response of different aspects of neuropathic pain to various TENS modalities has not been sufficiently studied. Aim: To analyze changes in characteristics of neuropathic pain depending on the frequency of TENS. Materials and methods: Seventy-five Russian diabetic patients with painful distal axonal neuropathy were enrolled in the study. Patients were assigned to three groups: in the HF TENS group, 25 patients received standard drug therapy (Alpha-lipoic acid, Pentoxifylline, Vitamin B12, Gabapentin) + high-frequency TENS (HF); in the LF TENS group, 25 patients received standard drug therapy (Alpha-lipoic acid, Pentoxifylline, Vitamin B12, Gabapentin) + low-frequency TENS (LF); in the control group, 25 patients underwent just standard drug therapy (Alpha-lipoic acid, Pentoxifylline, Vitamin B12, Gabapentin). Pain intensity was calculated before and after treatment with visual analogue scale (VAS), McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions (DN4) and Pain Drawing. Results: TENS increased the therapeutic effect of standard drug therapy, in the treatment of neuropathic pain, by 65.9% and prolonged its efficacy by 31% for up to 6 months after treatment. HF TENS had a more pronounced analgesic effect than LF TENS based on VAS (34.7%), sensory (57.6%) MPQ dimensions and DN4 (21%). Affective MPQ dimension with the use of LF TENS was lower than HF TENS by 34.7% immediately after treatment, by 47.3% after 2 months and by 34.8% after 6 months of the follow-up period. Conclusion: There are significant differences between HF and LF TENS based on pain assessment using various pain scales. This reflects the distinctive effects of different TENS modalities on different aspects of neuropathic pain.
The aim of the present research was to evaluate the main characteristics of tempo-rhythm in healthy adults. Materials and methods:A total of 33 healthy adult volunteers (20 males and 13 females) participated in the study. The technique involved wrist tapping on the surface of the device (Android smartphone), followed by the registration of the time parameters of this process in the original program based on the modified technique "Method of exogenous rhythmic stimulation influence on an individual human rhythm." The reference boundaries of the wrist tapping characteristics were studied. Conclusion: The obtained data can be used in neurorehabilitation for patients with a wide range of neurological disorders, including epilepsy. (International Journal of Biomedicine. 2018;8(2):155-158.)
Stimulation of the vagal nerve is an effective treatment option in patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Objective: to analyze the efficacy and safety of the Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) procedure in patients suffering from pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Materials and Methods: The study included 13 patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy, aged 5 to 38 years. Results: among these patients, 25% reported a decrease in the number of epileptic seizures within one-month time after the first session of VNS. The efficacy of the treatment improved with a prolonged use of the VNS-therapy. Despite the long duration of the current pharmacoresistant form of epilepsy in most patients, a decrease in the severity of epileptic seizures and post-seizure disorientation was noted. Side effects of VNS-therapy were recorded in 38.5% of patients; in those, a correction of VNS parameters was performed. This approach allowed us to maintain the effective VNS-therapy and correct the arising side effects. Conclusion: vagal stimulation is an effective non-pharmacological option in patients with pharmacoresistant therapy who have contraindications for surgical treatment. The VNS-therapy reduces the occurrence rate of epileptic seizures by >50% in 20-50% of patients. The VNS therapy has a good long-term efficacy in patients of any age. Stimulation of the vagal nerve is usually well tolerated.
Background: Patients with schizophrenia have an increased risk of depressive disorders compared to the general population. The comorbidity between schizophrenia and depression suggests a potential coincidence of the pathophysiology and/or genetic predictors of these mental disorders. The aim of this study was to review the potential genetic predictors of schizophrenia and depression comorbidity. Materials and Methods: We carried out research and analysis of publications in the databases PubMed, Springer, Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis Online, Science Direct, and eLIBRARY.RU using keywords and their combinations. The search depth was the last 10 years (2010–2020). Full-text original articles, reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical observations were analyzed. A total of 459 articles were found, of which 45 articles corresponding to the purpose of this study were analyzed in this topic review. Results: Overlap in the symptoms and genetic predictors between these disorders suggests that a common etiological mechanism may underlie the presentation of comorbid depression in schizophrenia. The molecular mechanisms linking schizophrenia and depression are polygenic. The most studied candidate genes are GRIN1, GPM6A, SEPTIN4, TPH1, TPH2, CACNA1C, CACNB2, and BCL9.Conclusion: Planning and conducting genome-wide and associative genetic studies of the comorbid conditions under consideration in psychiatry is important for the development of biological and clinical predictors and a personalized therapy strategy for schizophrenia. However, it should be recognized that the problems of predictive and personalized psychiatry in the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia and comorbid disorders are far from being resolved.
The review is devoted to the issue of nondrug epilepsy treatment in the adult population in Russia and abroad. The conducted literature review allowed us to reveal the basic nondrug epilepsy treatment options. However, not all of these options have a sufficient evidence base, and some of them are not always safe. Particularly, methods with low level of evidence include acupuncture and aromatherapy. Further studies are needed to explore the methods aimed to eliminate the epileptic system dominant through the development of a new, more powerful dominant. One of the methods, which can influence the pathogenesis of epilepsy, is physical activity for patients with epilepsy, since epileptiform activity on the EEG is reported to disappear during exercises. The positive results of the application of art therapy (music therapy) are also described in the modern literature. Tеmporhythm correction methods hold a specific place in neurorehabilitation. There are considerable amount of studies concerning the application of tempo-rhythmic methods in neurology and psychiatry. It can be concluded that these methods are relevant worldwide and can be used in diagnostics and correction of neurological and psychiatric diseases (such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy).
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