Influencia del estrés oxidativo en la evolución de la aterosclerosis carotídea / Influence of oxidative stress on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis

Introducción y objetivo: el estrés oxidativo (EO) ha demostrado clara influencia en el desarrollo de las placas de ateroma por daños provocados en endotelio vascular. El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar un estudio de los principales marcadores de estrés oxidativo en pacientes con enfermedad aterosclerótica de la arteria carótida como signo de vulnerabilidad, analizar la implicación de la situación redox y el estado metabólico mitocondrial en patología aterosclerótica de la arteria carótida y su relación con clínica neurológica. Pacientes y métodos: se estudiaron las placas de ateroma obtenidas de pacientes intervenidos de endarectomía carotídea (asintomáticos y sintomáticos) en el Servicio de Angiología del Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid en el año 2020. Se recogieron variables clínicas y demográficas y la existencia de sintomatología neurológica. Las características anatómicas y hemodinámicas se estudiaron mediante estudio eco Doppler y angiografía mediante tomografía computarizada en el preoperatorio. Se analizaron placas de ateroma como estimadores del grado de peroxidación lipídica que reflejaron el estado redox. Se ha estimado un tamaño muestral de 45 muestras en cada grupo, con una tasa de pérdidas de seguimiento del 5 %. Se estudiaron las diferencias entre los grupos mediante χ2 y la t de Student para determinar relación entre el potencial redox con las características morfológicas de placa de ateroma. Se utilizó el programa estadístico SPSS 27.0, aceptando como significativo un valor p < 0,05. Resultados: las placas de ateroma calcificadas mostraron mayor capacidad antioxidante con respecto a las placas de ateroma no calcificadas en el parámetro ABTS: 2,2-ácino-bis(ácido 3-etilbenzotiazolina-6-sulfónico) (2635,08 frente a 2803,28). La relación es estadísticamente significativa (p = 0,007)...(AU)

Introduction and objective: oxidative Stress (OS) has proven to have a clear impact on the development of atherosclerotic plaques due to the damage it causes to vascular endothelium. The aim of this study is to conduct a research on key oxidative stress markers in patients with carotid artery atherosclerotic disease as a sign of vulnerability, analyze the implications of the redox status and mitochondrial metabolic state in carotid artery atherosclerotic disease, and its relationship with neurological clinical presentation. Patients and methods: atherosclerotic plaques obtained from carotid endarterectomy patients (both asymptomatic and symptomatic) performed the Department of Angiology, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery of Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valladolid, Spain in 2020 will be examined. The clinical-demographic variables and the presence of neurological symptoms will be recorded. Anatomical and hemodynamic characteristics will be studied using Doppler ultrasound and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) preoperatively. Atherosclerotic plaques will be analyzed as estimators of the degree of lipid peroxidation showing the redox state. A sample size of 45 speciments from each group has been estimated with a loss to follow-up rate of 5 %. Inter-group differences will be studied using the chi-square and Student’s t tests to establish the relationship between redox potential and morphological characteristics of the atheromatous plaque. SPSS 27.0 statistical software will be used, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: calcified atherosclerotic plaques showed higher antioxidant capacity compared to non-calcified plaques in the ABTS parameter (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthioziozline-6-sulfonic)) (2635.08 vs 2803.28), with statistically significant relationship (p = 0.007). They also exhibited greater antioxidant defense when analyzing catalase activity (160.73 vs 175.13) and SOD activity (1.11 vs 1.49) (p = 0.049)...(AU)

A study to evaluate the effect of ultrasound treatment on nodules in multiple sclerosis patients.

Purpose/aim: Ultrasound has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and pain-relief benefits in several conditions such as cellulite or trauma events. We assessed the efficacy of ultrasound therapy on nodules associated with first-line treatments in multiple sclerosis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two multiple sclerosis patients were enrolled during 2013 and randomized to two groups: in the control group patients were treated only with a conventional gel prescribed for cellulite and nodules, while in the experimental group the gel was combined with ultrasound therapy. Patients were treated during 10 weeks and followed up for 10 additional weeks. Three nodules were assessed for each patient, measuring size, pain and redness at 0, 10 and 20 weeks. RESULTS: We found a significant decrease in both groups in size, pain and redness across the three visits (p < 0.0001 for size, p = 0.01 and p < 0.0001 for pain, and p = 0.0002 and p < 0.0001 for redness, respectively for the difference at visit 2 and 3 with respect to visit 1). More interestingly, we observed a greater reduction in pain and redness in the ultrasound-treated group, but the difference was only statistically significant at 10 weeks (p = 0.01 for both pain and redness). On the third visit, no differences between control and experimental groups were detected, both achieving the same levels in measured variables. CONCLUSIONS: Both treatments are useful to improve skin reaction after first-line treatments, but ultrasound in combination with gel achieves a faster reduction in pain and redness, suggesting that ultrasound treatment might be a good analgesic for nodule management in multiple sclerosis patients.