Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status in Patients with Bell's Palsy

Serum levels of heavy metals in patients with Bell's palsy: a case-control study

PURPOSE

The exact etiology of Bell's palsy (BP) remains unknown, while its potential etiopathology includes neuritis and inflammation-related demyelination as in optic neuritis. It has been reported that disruption of heavy metal homeostasis may be associated with the inflammatory process of optic neuritis; therefore, heavy metals may be involved in the pathogenesis of facial nerve neuritis. In this study, we aimed to investigate serum levels of heavy metals including essential elements [iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn)], and nonessential elements [lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd)] in patients with BP.

METHODS

The study included 25 patients with BP and 31 healthy volunteers. For each participant, serum levels of essential and nonessential elements were measured using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer method.

RESULTS

Serum levels of essential elements were significantly lower in the patient group compared to the control group (p < 0.001, for each). Serum levels of Pb increased in the patient group compared to the control group although no significant difference was achieved (p = 0.105). In contrast, serum Cd levels increased significantly in the patient group compared to the control group (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that decreased essential and increased nonessential elements may be associated with BP and thus, serum concentrations of these elements should be taken into account in BP. Studies are warranted to determine the role of these elements in treatment of BP.

The Importance of Physical Therapy in the Treatment of Unilateral Congenital Bell Paralysis – A Case Report

Peripheral paralysis of facial nerve in the newly-born can be congenital and developed. In clinical sense, paralysis of facial nerve is characterised by paralysis of mimic face muscles that are controlled by a facial nerve. A female newly-born, delivered by caesarean section was clinically diagnosed weakness on the right side of the face. Thirteen days after the birth the newly-born was examined by a physiatrist for the first time due to the weakness of the right facial side. During the first year of life a severe congenital lesion of facial nerve was diagnosed. Rehabilitation treatments were administered during the first year of life, with partial clinical improvement. The seriousness of facial nerve lesion hasa significant influence on the degree of recovery. It is very important to identify the type of lesion by using efficient technology, since it is the only way to provide early and adequate therapy

Investigating the correlation between serum albumin level and the prognosis of Bell's palsy

To investigate the correlation between the serum albumin level and the prognosis of patients with Bell's palsy.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 311 inpatients with Bell's palsy (BP) in our hospital between September 2018 and October 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups: the recovered group (with the House-Brackmann grade ≤ 2) and the unrecovered group (with the House-Brackmann grade > 2), according to the follow-up results within 3 months after discharge. Blood test indicators (white blood cell count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, red cell distribution width, serum albumin level, globulin level) and basic clinical data (age, sex, course of the disease, inpatient days, comorbidity of hypertension, diabetes, and hepatitis B) of the 2 groups were compared to explore whether they were correlated with the prognosis of patients with Bell's palsy.The serum albumin level of patients with BP in the unrecovered group was significantly lower than that of the recovered group (medians [interquartile range], 40.75 [38.40, 43.85] vs 44 [42.10, 46.20], P < .001). Multivariate binary logistic regression revealed that serum albumin (odds ratio 0.772, 95% confidence interval 0.711-0.839, P < .001) was a protective factor for BP prognosis.Serum albumin is a protective factor for the prognosis of BP. Although more prospective clinical controlled trials are needed, our study provides valuable and crucial prognostic information for physicians.

Complete and Fast Recovery from Idiopathic Facial Paralysis Using Laser-Photobiomodulation

Idiopathic facial paralysis, also known as Bell's palsy, exerts a negative effect on the quality of life. Although the prognosis is good in the majority of cases, a significant percentage of affected individuals may have sequelae that can negatively affect their lives. The use of therapeutic measures as early as possible can improve the prognosis. This article describes the successful use of laser-photobiomodulation as a single therapy in a patient with Bell's palsy and confirms the possibility of using this therapeutic modality as a good choice, since it is a therapy that is painless, comfortable, and without systemic side effects. The findings demonstrate that the adequate use of laser-photobiomodulation can be an effective therapeutic option for patients with Bell's palsy, regardless of the age, shortening the recovery time obtained with conventional therapies and avoiding sequelae. Further studies are needed for the establishment of adequate protocols.

Air pollution by NO2 is associated with the risk of Bell's palsy: A nested case-controlled study

This study investigated the relationship of weather and air pollution with the onset of Bell’s palsy. The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Sample Cohort (HIRA-NSC) data from 2002 through 2013 were used. The 3,935 Bell’s palsy patients were matched with 15,740 control participants. The meteorological data, including daily mean temperature (°C), daily mean highest temperature (°C), daily mean lowest temperature (°C), daily mean temperature difference (°C), relative humidity (%), spot atmospheric pressure (hPa), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) (ppm), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) (ppm), ozone (O₃) (ppm), carbon monoxide (CO) (ppm), and PM₁₀ (particulate matter ≤ 10 μg/m³) for 60 days, 30 days, 14 days, 7 days, and 3 days prior to the index date were analyzed for Bell’s palsy cases and controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of the association between the meteorological data and Bell’s palsy. The mean NO₂ and PM₁₀ concentrations for 60 days were higher, while that of O₃ was lower in the Bell’s palsy group than in the control group (both P < 0.001). The Bell’s palsy group showed 16.63-fold higher odds of NO₂ for 60 days (0.1 ppm) than the control group (95% CI = 10.18–27.16, P < 0.001). The ORs of PM₁₀, and O₃ for 60 days showed inconsistent results according to the included variables. Bell’s palsy was related to high concentrations of NO₂.

Evaluation of serum ischaemia-modified albumin levels in patients with Bell's palsy

OBJECTIVE

This prospective study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum ischaemia-modified albumin levels and Bell's palsy severity.

METHODS

The study included 30 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy and 30 healthy individuals. The patients were separated into three disease severity groups (grades 2, 3 and 4) according to House-Brackmann classification. Blood samples were collected from all participants and the results compared between groups.

RESULTS

Significant differences in serum ischaemia-modified albumin were found between the study and control groups (p < 0.001); values were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The significantly higher levels of serum ischaemia-modified albumin in the study group suggest that Bell's palsy pathogenesis is associated with oxidative stress.

Increased risk of Bell palsy in patient with migraine: A longitudinal follow-up study

Migraine is thought to be associated with Bell palsy. This study aimed to investigate the risk of Bell palsy in migraine patients.The Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort was collected from 2002 to 2013. A total of 45,164 migraine patients were matched for age, sex, income, region of residence, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia and compared with 180,656 controls. The migraine group included participants diagnosed with migraine [International Classification of Disease (ICD)-10: G43] who underwent treatment more than once. Participants with Bell palsy were included on the basis of the ICD-10 (G510) and treatment with steroids. A history of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia was determined using ICD-10 codes. Crude (simple) and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of Bell palsy in migraine patients were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age and sex.Bell palsy occurred in 0.6% (262/44,902) of the migraine group and 0.5% (903/179,753) of the control group. The adjusted HR of Bell palsy was 1.16 in the migraine group compared with the control group [95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.01-1.33, P = .34]. Among age-related subgroups, participants ≥30 and <60 years old in the migraine subgroup demonstrated a 1.28-times higher risk of Bell palsy than the control group (95% CI = 1.05-1.57, P = .014).Migraine increased the risk of Bell palsy in the total population. Among age subgroups, migraine patients ≥30 and <60 years old had an increased risk of Bell palsy.

Lipid Peroxidation, Antioxidative Defense and Level of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine in Cervical Cancer Patients

Background

Oxidative stress has been associated with cervical cancer. Our aim was to examine lipid peroxidation and the extent of oxidative stress in women diagnosed with different stages of cervical cancer in order to evaluate its potential role in the evolution of cancer.

Methods

We measured the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, activities of antioxidative enzymes and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine in 153 subjects. Enzymatic activity as well as TBARS concentration were measured spectrophotometrically, while 8-OHdG was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. PPatients were categorized: group II H-SIL; group III FIGO Ia-Ib and group IV FIGO IIa-IV.

Results

Our results showed highly significant increase in the level of lipid peroxidation in group IV when com pared to the control group, group II and group III (p<0.001). Activity of superoxide dismutase was also significantly higher in group IV when compared to control group (p<0.01), group II (p<0.01) and group III (p<0.05). Activity of catalase was also significantly higher in group IV when compared to control group (p<0.005), group II (p<0.005) and group III (p<0.05). Activity of glutathione-S-transferase was also significantly higher in group IV when compared to control group (p<0.05), group II (p<0.05) and group III (p<0.05). Activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase showed no significant differences among the groups. Level of 8-OHdG was significantly higher in group IV than in the other groups (p<0.01).

Conclusions

It can be concluded that oxidative stress is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, demonstrated by increased lipid peroxidation and an altered antioxidant defense system and higher levels of 8-OHdG.