Neurohabilitation of Cognitive Functions in Pediatric Epilepsy Patients through LEGO-Based Therapy.

In the pediatric population, epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders that often results in cognitive dysfunction. It affects patients' life quality by limiting academic performance and self-esteem and increasing social rejection. There are several interventions for the neurohabilitation of cognitive impairment, including LEGO-based therapy (LEGO B-T), which promotes neuronal connectivity and cortical plasticity through the use of assembly sets and robotic programming.

N-Acetylcysteine Attenuates Cisplatin Toxicity in the Cerebrum and Lung of Young Rats with Artificially Induced Protein Deficiency.

Neurotoxicity is a major obstacle in the effectiveness of Cisplatin in cancer chemotherapy. In this process, oxidative stress and inflammation are considered to be the main mechanisms involved in brain and lung toxicity. The aim of the present work was to study the influence of the amount of protein on some oxidative parameters in the brain and lungs of rats treated with Cisplatin (CP) and N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) as neuroprotectors.

Oleic acid reduces oxidative stress in rat brain induced by some anticancer drugs.

Oleic acid (OA) is a monounsaturated compound with many health-benefitting properties such as obesity prevention, increased insulin sensitivity, antihypertensive and immune-boosting properties, etc. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of oleic acid (OA) and some anticancer drugs against oxidative damage induced by nitropropionic acid (NPA) in rat brain. Six groups of Wistar rats were treated as follows: Group 1, (control); group 2, OA; group 3, NPA + OA; group 4, cyclophosphamide (CPP) + OA; group 5, daunorubicin (DRB) + OA; and group 6, dexrazoxane (DXZ) + OA.

Intake of oligoelements with cytarabine or etoposide alters dopamine levels and oxidative damage in rat brain.

Research on the relationships between oligoelements (OE) and the development of cancer or its prevention is a field that is gaining increasing relevance. The aim was to evaluate OE and their interactions with oncology treatments (cytarabine or etoposide) to determine the effects of this combination on biogenic amines and oxidative stress biomarkers in the brain regions of young Wistar rats. Dopamine (DA), 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-Hiaa), Glutathione (Gsh), Tiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and Ca, Mg ATPase enzyme activity were measured in brain regions tissues using spectrophometric and fluorometric methods previously validated.

Habilitation of Executive Functions in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Patients through LEGO-Based Therapy: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Congenital heart disease is defined as an abnormality in the cardiocirculatory structure or function. Various studies have shown that patients with this condition may present cognitive deficits. To compensate for this, several therapeutic strategies have been developed, among them, the LEGO® Education sets, which use the pedagogic enginery to modify cognitive function by didactic material based on mechanics and robotics principles.

Comparative study of brain damage and oxidative stress using two animal models of the shaken baby syndrome.

The objective was compare the morphological damages in brain and to evaluate the participation of oxidative stress, using two animal models of shaken baby syndrome (SBS). Five-day-old Wistar rats were used to develop two models of SBS as follows: Gyrotwister (GT) group was subjected to low intensity, high duration rotating movements and Ratshaker (RS) group made to undergo high intensity, low duration anteroposterior movements. Both groups presented respiratory distress, weight loss and shorter stature compared with the control group.

Oseltamivir and indomethacin reduce the oxidative stress in brain and stomach of infected rats.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of oseltamivir and indomethacin on lipid peroxidation (LP), GABA levels, and ATPase activity in brain and stomach of normal and infected rats (IR), as novel inflammation model. Female Sprague Dawley rats grouped five each, either in the absence or presence of a live culture of Salmonella typhimurium (S. typh), were treated as follows: group 1 (control), PBS buffer; group 2, oseltamivir (100 mg/kg); group 3, indomethacin (67 μg/rat); group 4, oseltamivir (100 mg/kg) + indomethacin (67 μg/rat).

Assessment of Mexican Arnica () and Rosemary () Extracts on Dopamine and Selected Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Stomach and Brain of Infected rats.

Background: The effects of some natural products on dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in brain of infected models are still unclear.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of Mexican arnica/rosemary (MAR) water extract and oseltamivir on both biogenic amines and some oxidative biomarkers in the brain and stomach of young rats under infection condition.

Methods: Female Wistar rats (weight 80 g) in the presence of MAR or absence (no-MAR) were treated as follows: group 1, buffer solution (controls); oseltamivir (100 mg/kg), group 2; culture of () (1 × 10 colony-forming units/rat) group 3; oseltamivir (100 mg/kg) + (same dose) group 4.

Effect of cerebrolysin on dopaminergic neurodegeneration of rat with oxidative stress induced by 3-nitropropionic acid.

The study tested the hypothesis that cerebrolysin protects the brain from free radicals in rats treated with 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA). To address this hypothesis, the levels of dopamine (DA) and some oxidative stress biomarkers were measured after administration of 3-NPA. Young male Fischer rats were treated for three days with cerebrolysin, 3-NPA or both substances.

Comparative effects of catechin, epicatechin and N-Ω-nitroarginine on quinolinic acid-induced oxidative stress in rat striatum slices.

Unlabelled: The aim of this work was to compare the effects of catechin (CAT), epicatechin (EPI) and N-ω-l-nitroarginine (L-NARG) on different endpoints of oxidative stress induced by quinolinic acid (QUIN) in a simple tissue preparation, rat striatal slices - with particular emphasis in the glutathione system - in order to provide revealing information on the antioxidant efficacy of these agents in an excitotoxic model.

Methods: Rat striatal slices were incubated for 1h in the presence of 100 μM QUIN and/or 85 μM CAT or EPI, or 100 μM L-NARG. Lipid peroxidation (LP) and the levels of reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH and GSSG) were determined.

The administration of food supplemented with cocoa powder during nutritional recovery reduces damage caused by oxidative stress in rat brain.

Malnutrition contributes to the development of oxidative damage in the central nervous system. The selective administration of nutrients tends to show positive results in individuals who have suffered from malnutrition. To determine the effect of the administration of cocoa powder on the peroxidation of lipids and glutathione level during the nutritional recovery in brain, rats of 21 days old were subjected to a protocol that resembles malnutrition (MN) by feeding them with 60% of the daily food consumption of the control group (WN) and later to nutritional recovery with regular rodent feed (RFR) or added with cocoa (10 g of cocoa powder/kg of regular rodent feed) (CCR).

Levels of 5-hydroxyindol acetic acid and lipid peroxidation in brain after administration of marijuana and nalbuphine in male and female rat.

We analyzed the effect of marijuana and nalbuphine on levels of 5-hydroxyindol acetic acid and lipid peroxidation in rat brain. Single and repeated dosages of 250 mg/kg marijuana extract or 10 mg/kg nalbuphine were administered to male and female Wistar rats. Animals were sacrificed and brains were obtained to measure the content of 5-hydroxyindol acetic acid, reduced glutathione, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, total ATPase and Na+/K+ ATPase activities.

Neuro-protective effects of carbamazepine on sleep patterns and head and body shakes in kainic acid-treated rats.

Unlabelled: The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of carbamazepine (CBZ) on sleep patterns and on "head and body shakes" and to determine the role of serotonin (5-HT) in a model of kainic-induced seizures. Thirty male Wistar rats (280-300 g) were used for polygraphic sleep recording. After a basal recording, the rats were allocated into three groups: kainic acid-treated animals (KA; 10 mg/kg; n=10), carbamazepine-treated animals (CBZ; 30 mg/kg; n=10) and animals injected with KA 30 min after pretreatment with CBZ (CBZ+KA; n=10).

Kainic acid does not modify the oral pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine in rats.

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a widely used antiepileptic agent that frequently interacts with other drugs. Recently, it has been reported that CBZ is able to modify the disturbed sleep patterns induced by kainic acid in epileptics. As a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic characterization in the same animal is not possible due to the stress induced by blood sampling, it is important to establish if kainic acid is able to modify the pharmacokinetics of CBZ.

Tissue-specific induction of the carcinogen-inducible cytochrome P450 isoforms in the gastrointestinal tract.

Gastrointestinal tissues are directly exposed to dietary xenobiotics. In spite of this, modulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract is not well established. CYP induction could facilitate transformation of chemical agents to potentially toxic or carcinogenic metabolites.

Antioxidant effects of selenium in rat brain and the stimulating role of nitric oxide.

Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant effect of selenium on Na+, K(+)-ATPase in rat brain in the presence of nitric oxide.

Methods: Male Wistar rats (70 g) were treated as follows: group 1 received 1 microg of i.p.

Effect of nutritional status and ozone exposure on rat brain serotonin.

Background: Ozone is an environmental pollutant that has widely documented deleterious effects on exposed organisms. In Mexico City, this pollutant frequently reaches concentrations that surpass safe health limits. In addition, it has been reported that the prevalence of malnutrition remains high in our childhood population.