Efeitos da eletroestimulação percutânea na incontinência urinária e qualidade de vida pós-prostatectomia: registro de seis casos

Introduction: Radical prostatectomy surgery is the best treatment currently adopted by detecting prostate cancer. The urinary incontinence is one more common and difficult to treat postoperative complications, which causes a negative impact on quality of life of the individual prostatectomy . The surface electrical nerve stimulation involves the transmission of electrical impulses from an external stimulator for peripheral nerve through surface electrodes attached to skin. It is an easy and efficient technique, widely used for pain relief, rehabilitation and muscle strengthening. Objective: To analyze the effect of T10-L2 percutaneous electrical stimulation, in individuals with urinary incontinence who underwent radical prostatectomy by the laparoscopic technique. Methods: Six patients had previously undergone radical prostatectomy were submitted to 20 sections of surface electrical stimulation with frequency of 4 Hz, pulse width of 1ms during 20 minutes. All subjects fillid a quality of life - International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Short FormI - ICIQ-SF questionnaire evaluating. Results: Results showed reduction in the use of the number of pads, number of leaks before and after treatment, and reduced voiding frequency and consequent improvement in quality of life. No side effects were reported. Conclusion: Percutanous electrical stimulation in T10-L2 may be an effective technique to treat urinary incontinence (UI) after radical prostatectomy video laparoscopy

Retinal nerve fiber layer analysis using GDx® in 49 patients with chronic phase DUSN

To describe retinal nerve fiber layer changes in late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis eyes and compare these results with healthy eyes observed through nerve fiber analyzer (GDx®). Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study in which 49 eyes in late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were examined from May/97 to December/ 01. First, eyes with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis and healthy contralateral eyes (Control Group I) were statistically matched. Subsequently, eyes with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were compared with eyes of healthy patients (Control Group II). Results: Eyes from Control Groups I and II had higher relative frequency of “within normal limits” status. Eyes from the diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) Group had higher frequency of “outside normal limits” and “borderline” status. Control Groups I and II had absolute values different from the DUSN Group regarding all parameters (p<0.05), except for Symmetry in Control Groups I and II, Average thickness and Superior Integral in control group II. Conclusion: Patients with late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis presented presumed decrease in nerve fiber layer thickness shown by GDx®. Retinal zones with larger vascular support and larger amount of nerve fibers presented higher decrease in the delay of the reflected light measured by the nerve fiber analyzer

Plasticidade de células tronco mesenquimais de medula óssea de ratos na presença de meio condicionado do nervo facial e do fator de crescimento fibroblástico 2

A number of evidences show the influence of the growth of injured nerve fibers in Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) as well as potential implant stem cells (SCs) to make it more suitable for nerve regeneration medium. In this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the plasticity of mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow of mice in the presence of culture medium conditioned with facial nerve explants (D-10) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). In this perspective, the cells were cultivated only with DMEM (group 1), only with D-10(group 2), only with FGF-2(group 3) or with D-10 and FGF-2(group 4). The growth and morphology were assessed over 72 hours. Quantitative phenotypic analysis was taken from the immunocytochemistry for GFAP, OX-42, MAP-2, β-tubulin III, NeuN and NF-200 on the fourth day of cultivation. Cells cultured with conditioned medium alone or combined with FGF-2 showed distinct morphological features similar apparent at certain times with neurons and glial cells and a significant proliferative activity in groups 2 and 4 throughout the days. Cells cultived only with conditioned medium acquired a glial phenotype. Cells cultured with FGF-2 and conditioned medium expressed GFAP, OX-42, MAP-2, β-tubulin III, NeuN and NF-200. On average, area and perimeter fo the group of cells positive for GFAP and the área of the cells immunostained for OX-42 were higher than those of the group 4. This study enabled the plasticity of mesenchymal cells (MCs) in neuronal and glial nineage and opened prospects for the search with cell therapy and transdifferentiation