Effect of pregabalin in preventing secondary damage in traumatic brain injury: an experimental study.

BACKGROUND: In this study we aimed to explore the effects of pregabalin on a traumatic brain injury model in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 40 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats randomized into 4 groups, each of which contained equal numbers of animals. The control group had no head trauma and thus was not treated. The trauma group had head trauma but was not treated. The pregabalin group had no head trauma but was treated by pregabalin. The trauma + pregabalin group had head trauma treated with pregabalin. The biopsy samples taken from the study animals were histopathologically examined for the presence of edema, inflammation, and neuronal damage. RESULTS: All animals in the trauma group had edema, inflammation, and neuronal damage. Four subjects in the control group, 6 in the pregabalin group, and 4 in the trauma + pregabalin group had edema; inflammation was present in 1 subject in the control group, 3 subjects in the pregabalin group, and 3 subjects in the trauma + pregabalin group; neuronal damage existed in 1 subject in the control group, 1 subject in the pregabalin group, and 6 subjects in the trauma+pregabalin group. The trauma group had significantly higher edema and neuronal damage scores than the other groups. Similarly, inflammation was significantly more prevalent in the trauma group than the control and trauma+pregabalin groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicated anti-edema, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects of pregabalin in an experimental head trauma model in rats. Pregabalin may thus be beneficial in humans with acute TBI by relieving concomitant edema and inflammation.

Simvastatin reduces VEGF and NO levels in acute stages of experimental traumatic brain injury.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering agent, on vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), nitric oxide (NO) levels and neuroprotection, in rats with experimentally induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). Forty Wistar albino rats were categorized into four groups: sham operated (S), trauma (T), trauma + vehicle (T + V) and trauma + simvastatin (T + S). The T, T + V and T + S groups were subjected to TBI. The T + V group was administered vehicle [ethanol:saline (1/2)] and the T + S group was administered 1 mg/kg of simvastatin 3 h after the injury insult. Blood and brain tissue specimens were obtained 24 h after the trauma to measure VEGFs and NO levels and perform histopathological examinations. The histopathological injury scores of brain tissues were significantly higher in the T group, and simvastatin significantly prevented brain injury in the T + S group. In the T group, significant increases of VEGF levels in serum and brain tissues were noted, which were prevented with simvastatin treatment in the T + S group. The markedly high levels of NO in brain tissues of the T group were decreased by simvastatin treatment in the T + S group. It can be concluded that, as evidenced by histopathological findings, simvastatin treatment improves neuropathology in acute stages of TBI.

Thoracic intradural cystic schwannoma: a case report.

Spinal schwannomas are benign tumors arising from spinal nerve root sheaths. These are the most common intradural extramedullary spinal tumors. Schwannomas are mostly solid or heterogeneous solid tumors. Cystic schwannomas are rare lesions. We present a 27-year-old woman with an intradural extramedullary cystic tumor in the lower thoracic region who complained of back pain and walking difficulty. The patient was operated and the tumor was totally removed. The postoperative course was uneventful. The histopathological diagnosis was cystic schwannoma. Differentiation of cystic schwannomas from other cystic mass lesions can be difficult. Magnetic resonance imaging and histopathological findings are important for evaluating these tumors.