[The efficacy and safety study of Mexidol and Mexidol FORTE 250 in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia]

Acupoint catgut embedding attenuates oxidative stress and cognitive impairment in chronic cerebral ischemia by inhibiting the Ang II/AT1R/NOX axis

Chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI) is a common neurological disorder, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment. Acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) represents a modern acupuncture form that has shown neuroprotective effects; nevertheless, its effects on CCI and the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we aimed to explore the therapeutic action of ACE in CCI-induced cognitive impairment and its mechanisms. The cognitive function of CCI rats was determined using Morris water maze test, and histopathological changes in the brain were assessed through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. To further explore the molecular mechanisms, the expression levels of oxidative stress markers and the Ang II/AT1R/NOX axis-associated molecules in the hippocampus were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Here, we observed that ACE treatment alleviated cognitive dysfunction and histopathological injury in CCI rats. Intriguingly, candesartan (an AT1R blocker) enhanced the beneficial effects of ACE on ameliorating cognitive impairment in CCI rats. Mechanistically, ACE treatment blocked the Ang II/AT1R/NOX pathway and subsequently suppressed oxidative stress, thus mitigating cognitive impairment in CCI. Our findings first reveal that ACE treatment could suppress cognitive impairment in CCI, which might be partly due to the suppression of Ang II/AT1R/NOX axis.

[The use of Mexidol in patients with mild (moderate) cognitive impairment: results of a meta-analysis]

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of Mexidol therapy in patients with chronic brain ischemia (CBI) and cognitive disorders (CD).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This meta-analysis included the results of studies on the effectiveness of Mexidol in patients with CD measured with Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). The pooled effect assessment included all publications from independent clinical trials that provided efficacy data on the MoCA scale with a level of detail sufficient for further mathematical analysis. The main result of the meta-analysis was obtained for the final values of the effectiveness indicator in the Mexidol groups compared with the basic therapy groups. Data from 10 prospective randomized trials containing information on the final scores on the MoCA scale after therapy was analyzed.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis of ten prospective clinical studies of the effectiveness of Mexidol against the background of basic therapy in patients with CCI and CD was carried out. The total number of patients taking Mexidol was 482; the comparison group consisted of 455 patients. According to the results of a statistical model of random effects, the effect size was 2.06; 95% confidence interval for the difference in effectiveness between the groups of the study drug and the control groups [0.98; 3.14] (p=0.0002).

CONCLUSION

A statistically significant and clinically significant improvement in the cognitive functions of patients with CBI, was demonstrated after treatment with Mexidol.

Neurological Signs of Postcovid Syndrome

The challenge of postcovid syndrome (PCS) is of great interest due to its wide distribution and variety of clinical signs. The main neurological signs of PCS are discussed. Data on the presumptive mechanisms forming PCS are presented. The potential for using the drug Mexidol to treat patients with PCS is addressed.