Accuracy and Feasibility of Ultrasound-Guided Intra-articular Injection of the Rat Hip Joint.

Intra-articular injection is frequently used as an effective diagnostic and treatment tool for hip joint diseases. However, the underlying treatment mechanism remains unclear because of a lack of experimental animal models. A challenge facing researchers is how to accurately and consistently perform injections involving animal hip joints. The purpose of this study, then, was to establish an ultrasound (US)-guided intra-articular (IA) injection technique using rat hip joints and to evaluate its accuracy and feasibility versus a fluoroscopy (FL)-guided technique. For this study, 20 US-guided and 20 FL-guided IA injections were administered to separate groups of Sprague-Dawley rats. For each procedure, 50 µL of iohexol was injected into the hip joint using a 25G needle. The US-guided injections were performed using a linear probe, and the FL-guided IA injections were performed using C-arm X-ray fluoroscopy. All injections were verified by computed tomography imaging. The number of successful injections and needle repositions per injection, as well as operating times, were recorded, and the rats were observed for complications for 10 d after the injections. Statistical analysis was used to compare US-guided and FL-guided techniques with significance set at p < 0.05. The success rate was markedly higher for the US-guided interventions (90%) than for the FL-guided interventions (75%) (p<0.05). The intervention time was shorter in the US-guided group (95.95 ± 8.376 s) than in the FL-guided group (110.70 ± 20.236 s) (p < 0.05), and the median number of needles repositioned per injection in the US-guided group (1.20 ± 0.41) was notably less than that in the FL-guided group (1.60 ± 0.68) (p < 0.05). A puncture site hematoma was noted in two rat hips (10%) the day after injection in the FL-guided group. Overall, the study indicated that ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection of the hip is a feasible, accurate and safe method for use in rats. This makes it a promising tool for diagnosing coxofemoral pain, producing hip osteoarthritis animal models and administering intra-articular medication.

Trigeminal nerve electrical stimulation: An effective arousal treatment for loss of consciousness.

BACKGROUND: To determine if trigeminal nerve electrical stimulation (TNS) would be an effective arousal treatment for loss of consciousness (LOC), we applied neuroscientific methods to investigate the role of potential brain circuit and neuropeptide pathway in regulating level of consciousness. METHODS: Consciousness behavioral analysis, Electroencephalogram (EEG) recording, Chemogenetics, Microarray analysis, Milliplex MAP rat peptide assay, Chromatin immune-precipitation (ChIP), Dual-luciferase reporter experiment, Western blot, PCR and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS: TNS can markedly activate the neuronal activities of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5), as well as improve rat consciousness level and EEG activities. Then we proved that LH activation and upregulated neuropeptide hypocretin are beneficial for promotion of consciousness recovery. We then applied gene microarray experiment and found hypocretin might be mediated by a well-known transcription factor Early growth response gene 1 (EGR1), and the results were confirmed by ChIP and Dual-luciferase reporter experiment. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates that TNS is an effective arousal strategy Treatment for LOC state via the activation of Sp5 and LH neurons and upregulation of hypocretin expression.

Effect of Core Stability Training Monitored by Rehabilitative Ultrasound Image and Surface Electromyogram in Local Core Muscles of Healthy People.

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of transverses abdominis and lumbar multifidus thickness activation and electromyogram signal characteristics after core stability training monitored by rehabilitative ultrasound imaging and surface electromyogram. Methods: 60 healthy volunteers were allocated randomly into two groups, one of which received monitoring training and the other participated identical training without monitoring. Ultrasound image and surface electromyogram signal were collected at 0, 4, and 8 weeks during training. The muscle thickness activation ratio value and integrated electromyogram value were then extracted. During the training, the monitoring group was monitored by real-time rehabilitative ultrasound imaging and surface electromyogram while the control group was not. Results: There are no differences in performance of local core muscles between both groups before training (p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the thickness contraction ratio value and integrated electromyogram value of core muscles in the monitoring group were higher after 8 weeks' training (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Together, the core stability training monitored by rehabilitative ultrasound imaging and surface electromyogram can markedly activate and enhance local core muscles in healthy people, providing a potential strategy to treat low back pain more effectively.

Synergistic Interaction Between Dexmedetomidine and Ulinastatin Against Vincristine-Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats.

Antimicrotubulin chemotherapeutic agents such as vincristine (VCR), often induce peripheral neuropathic pain. It is usually permanent and seriously harmful to cancer patients' quality of life and can result in the hampering of clinical treatments. Currently, there is no definitive therapy, and many of the drugs approved for the treatment of other neuropathic pain have shown little or no analgesic effect. It is therefore vital to find new and novel therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from chemotherapeutic agent-induced neuropathic pain to improve patients' quality of life. This study shows that intrathecal injections of dexmedetomidine (DEX), or intraperitoneally administered ulinastatin (UTI) significantly reduces Sprague Dawley rats' mechanical allodynia induced by VCR via upregulation of interleukin-10 expression and activating the α2-adrenergic receptor in dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Moreover, when combined there is a synergistic interaction between DEX and UTI, which acts against VCR-induced neuropathic pain. This synergistic interaction between DEX and UTI may be partly attributed to a common analgesic pathway in which the upregulation of interleukin -10 plays an important role via activating α2-adrenergic receptor in rat dorsal root ganglion. The combined use of DEX and UTI does not affect the rat's blood pressure, heart rate, sedation, motor score, spatial learning, or memory function. All of these show that the combined use of DEX and UTI is an effective method in relieving VCR-induced neuropathic pain in rats. PERSPECTIVE: This article documents the synergistic interaction between 2 widely used drugs, DEX and UTI, against VCR-induced neuropathic pain. The results provide a potential target and novel drug administrated method for the clinical treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain.