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F Morin

Publications and source records attributed to F Morin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Dopamine-D1 and -D2 receptors differentially regulate synapsin II expression in the rat brain.

We previously demonstrated that chronic treatment with the dopamine-D2 receptor antagonist, haloperidol, increases mRNA and protein content of the phosphoprotein, synapsin II, in the rat striatum. Since dopamine-D2 receptor antagonism and dopamine-D1 receptor blockade can have opposing effects on gene expression, the present investigation compared the effects of haloperidol with those of the dopamine-D1 receptor antagonist, R-[+]-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine (SCH23390), on the expression of synapsin II protein. Haloperidol and SCH23390 respectively elevated and reduced concentrations of the molecule in mouse primary midbrain cell cultures. Additional experiments revealed that the dopamine-D1 receptor agonist, R-[+]-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-(1H)-3-benzapezine-7,8-diol (SKF38393), upregulated the phosphoprotein in these cells. Furthermore, in vivo rat studies demonstrated that chronic haloperidol treatment increases synapsin II protein expression in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, as was observed in the striatum. In contrast, chronic SCH23390 administration reduced concentrations of this protein in all of these regions, although the reductions seen in the medial prefrontal cortex were insignificant. Neither haloperidol nor the dopamine-D1 receptor antagonist affected synapsin I protein expression in any of the studied brain areas. Based on these findings, we propose dopamine receptors may specifically regulate synapsin II expression through a cyclic AMP-dependent pathway. Since synapsin II is involved in neurotransmitter release and synaptogenesis, and changes in synaptic efficacy and structure are suggested in schizophrenia as well as in haloperidol treatment, our findings offer insight into the mechanistic actions of the antipsychotic agent at the synaptic level.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗
PubMed2006

Participation of French general practitioners in end-of-life decisions for their hospitalised patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Assuming the hypothesis that the general practitioner (GP) can and should be a key player in making end-of-life decisions for hospitalised patients, perceptions of GPs' role assigned to them by hospital doctors in making withdrawal decisions for such patients were surveyed. DESIGN: Questionnaire survey. SETTING: Urban (districts located near Paris) and rural (southern France) areas. PARTICIPANTS: GPs. RESULTS: The response rate was 32.2% (161/500), and it was observed that 70.8% of respondents believed that their participation in withdrawal decisions for their hospitalised patients was essential, whereas 42.1% believed that the hospital doctors were sufficiently skilled to make withdrawal decisions without input from the GPs. Most respondents were found to believe that they had the necessary skills (91.9%) and enough time (87.6%) to participate in withdrawal decisions. The last case of treatment withdrawal in hospital for one of their patients was described by 40% (65/161) of respondents, of whom only 40.0% (26/65) believed that they had participated actively in the decision process. The major factors in the multivariate analysis were the GP's strong belief that his or her participation was essential (p = 0.01), information on admission of the patient given to the GP by the hospital department (p = 0.007), rural practice (p = 0.03), visit to the patient dying in hospital (p = 0.02) and a request by the family to be kept informed about the patient (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Strong interest was evinced among GPs regarding end-of-life issues, as well as considerable experience of patients dying at home. As GPs are more closely corrected to patients' families, they may be a good choice for third-party intervention in making end-of-life decisions for hospitalised patients.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2003

[Direct and indirect effects of epoietin alpha in an experimental model of thrombosis and bleeding in the rabbit].

OBJECTIVES: To study direct and indirect effects of EPO on haemostasis. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental, randomised. ANIMALS: Forty-eight New Zealand rabbits. METHOD: Animals were anaesthetised, ventilated and monitored continuously for blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and carotid blood flow variations and were randomised into four groups: control, EPO bolus 2400 IU kg(-1), fractionated EPO (one injection a week of 600 IU kg(-1) for 4 weeks), homologous red blood cell transfusion to reach the Ht level of the fractionated EPO group. A compression injury and a 75% stenosis of the carotid artery triggered a series of cyclic flow reductions (CFRs). CFRs were observed for a 20 min period in each group. Ear immersion bleeding time (BT) and hepato-splenic bleeding were performed at the end of the experiment. Biology was performed at the end of the thrombosis period: blood cells count, Hte, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, arachidonic-induced platelet aggregation, EPO dosages. RESULTS: No significant increase in thrombosis (CFRs) in the two EPO groups and in the transfused group. Increase in Hte in the fractionated EPO group versus control. Group EPO bolus: decrease in BT and hepato-splenic bleeding versus control; decrease in hepato-splenic bleeding versus fractionated EPO group, increase in platelet aggregation velocity versus control. CONCLUSION: EPO did not increase the thrombotic risk in this rabbit model. EPO bolus decreased BT and hepato-splenic bleeding.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

14-3-3 proteins in pineal photoneuroendocrine transduction: how many roles?

Recent studies suggest that a common theme links the diverse elements of pineal photoneuroendocrine transduction--regulation via binding to 14-3-3 proteins. The elements include photoreception, neurotransmission, signal transduction and the synthesis of melatonin from tryptophan. We review general aspects of 14-3-3 proteins and their biological function as binding partners, and also focus on their roles in pineal photoneuroendocrine transduction.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed2003

Long-term survival of patients given hormonal therapy for metastatic endometrial stromal sarcoma.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare neoplasm, mainly observed in premenopausal women. We describe two women 44 and 34 years old at the time ESS diagnosis, who developed lung metastases 3 and 6 years, respectively, after initial treatment: hysterectomy without (case 1) or with oophorectomy (case 2), followed by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the latter. Their estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) were analyzed biochemically in metastatic lung tissue, yielding respective concentrations of ER 242 and 184, and PR 910 and 100 fmol/mg of cytosol protein. Both patients started treatment with the aromatase inhibitor aminoglutethimide (500 mg qid) after surgery for the first patient and after stopping HRT for the second. Under aromatase-inhibitor therapy, both patients achieved a complete response, patient 1 remains disease- free with 14+ years of follow-up, and patient 2 with 7+ years. Our data suggest that an aromatase inhibitor may be an effective treatment for ESS. Furthermore, routine ER and PR analyses could be useful to predict the response to hormonal therapy in ESS.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A hebbian form of long-term potentiation dependent on mGluR1a in hippocampal inhibitory interneurons.

Hippocampal inhibitory interneurons play important roles in controlling the excitability and synchronization of pyramidal cells, but whether they express long-term synaptic plasticity that contributes to hippocampal network function remains uncertain. We found that pairing postsynaptic depolarization with theta-burst stimulation induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of putative single-fiber excitatory postsynaptic currents in interneurons. Either postsynaptic depolarization or theta-burst stimulation alone failed to induce LTP. LTP was expressed as a decrease in failure rates and an increase in excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude, independent of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, and dependent on metabotropic glutamate receptors subtype 1a. LTP was induced specifically in interneurons in stratum oriens and not in interneurons of stratum radiatum/lacunosum-moleculare. Thus, excitatory synapses onto specific subtypes of inhibitory interneurons express a new form of hebbian LTP that will contribute to hippocampal network plasticity.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Bacterial toxins and enteral feeding of premature infants at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis.

Concordance between gram-negative enteric and other toxin-producing bacteria in blood and stool culture, endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) was measured in 60 preterm infants (600-1600 g) as a clinical index in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Clostridium spp, identified by routine bacteriology, were each strongly associated with elevated concentrations of endotoxin (P < 0.01) in stool filtrates with Clostridium spp most strongly associated with NEC disease. Stool filtrate endotoxin (endotoxin units [EU] per gram) measured by a Limulus amebocyte lysate assay was age-dependent. Samples from stage I NEC (61%) and infants with advanced disease (67%) had notably elevated levels of stool endotoxin (>10 ln EU/g) compared with NEC-negative (47%) samples tested. Plasma and stool IL-6 generally tested at the low, nonmeasurable limit of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for NEC-negative (88%) and stage I NEC (93%), although a small proportion of samples (25%) from infants with stage II or II NEC had elevated stool concentrations of IL-6. We conclude that identification of toxin-producing organisms and endotoxin elevations in stool filtrates are more useful than circulating levels of endotoxin in plasma in predicting mucosally limited disease in the gastrointestinal tract. The prognostic value of monitoring stool endotoxin in infants with overgrowth of gram-negative bacteria has implications for therapeutic strategies for patients with early and advanced stages of disease. Monitoring inflammatory cytokines (IL-6) in relation to endotoxin values in stool appears of limited clinical value in controlling this devastating disease in preterm neonates.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed2001

Postnatal differentiation of unipolar brush cells and mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses in rat cerebellum.

The unipolar brush cells are excitatory, cerebellar granular layer interneurons that receive mossy fiber input on their dendritic brushes in the form of a giant glutamatergic synapse. We investigated the postnatal development of the brush of the unipolar brush cell in lobules IX and X by light microscopy and defined the maturation of mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses and mossy fiber-granule cell synapses by electron microscopy using calretinin immunocytochemistry to identify unipolar brush cells. During the first postnatal week, unipolar brush cells possessed one or two short, branched dendrites. The brush differentiated primarily during the successive 21 postnatal (P) days, during which it underwent progressive maturation. This developmental process was subdivided into stages 1-4, which were descriptively termed protodendritic unipolar brush cell (P2-12), filopodial brush (P12-16), intermediate brush (P16-21), and dendriolar brush (P21-28) stages. Electron microscopic measurements of individual mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell and mossy fiber-granule cell synaptic junctions were made at P12, 16, 21, and 28. While the average length of mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses increased during development, that of mossy fiber-granule cell synapses decreased. Comparisons of the lengths of mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell and mossy fiber-granule cell synapses demonstrated that mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses were longer on average than mossy fiber-granule cell synapses for all ages. Frequency distribution histograms also showed that the percentage of mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses longer than 0.5 microm was lower in the pooled P12-P16 groups than in the pooled P21-P28 groups (8 versus 20%). In contrast, mossy fiber-granule cell synapses longer than 0.5 microm were a small minority at P12, 16, and 21, and occurred rarely at P28. The present study indicates that mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses increase in length with the differentiation of the brush dendrioles, while that of mossy fiber-granule cell synapses decrease with differentiation of the granule cell dendritic claws. The finding that mossy fiber-unipolar brush cell synapses were generally longer than mossy fiber-granule cell synapses may indicate that the properties of the postsynaptic targets play a major role in shaping synaptic appositions within cerebellar glomeruli.

Aging↗
PubMed2001

Expression and role of phosphodiesterase 6 in the chicken pineal gland.

The chicken pineal gland is directly photosensitive, with light causing an inhibition of melatonin synthesis. A possible role of phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6, the primary effector of retinal phototransduction) in mediating this response was investigated. RT-PCR, DNA sequencing and northern blots revealed the presence of RNA encoding both catalytic and regulatory subunits of PDE6 in the chicken pineal gland. Both rod and cone forms of PDE6 subunits mRNA were detected. The concentration of the transcripts encoding PDE6 catalytic subunits peaked at night. Western blot analysis of chicken pineal proteins with an antibody directed against the catalytic subunits of bovine rod PDE6 identified a single immunoreactive protein of 97 kDa. Anion exchange chromatography of chicken pineal soluble proteins revealed a peak of PDE6 activity that accounted for about 30% of cyclic GMP-hydrolysis. In cultured chick pineal glands, arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT), the rate-limiting enzyme of melatonin synthesis, was protected from inhibition by light when selective PDE5/6 inhibitors (zaprinast, DMPPO) were added to the culture medium. PDE5/6 inhibitors did not affect AA-NAT activity in the dark. In contrast, a general PDE inhibitor (IBMX) increased AA-NAT in a light-independent manner. Together, the data indicate that rod and cone forms of PDE6 are expressed in chick pineal cells and that this enzyme plays a role in the inhibition of melatonin synthesis by light.

3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed2000

Spanning or looping? The order and conformation of bipolar phospholipids in lipid membranes using 2H NMR spectroscopy.

Solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy was used to study and characterize the conformation and order of bolaform lipid membranes. A series of 2H-labeled bolaform phosphatidylcholines has been synthesized and their properties compared to a [D4]dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and a [D8]-32 macrocyclic phosphatidylcholine. 31P NMR measurements establish that the aqueous dispersions of these lipids adopt lamellar phases. Computational dePakeing was used to extract the spectrum of the oriented system from spectra consisting of a superposition of randomly oriented domains in an unoriented sample. A large (> 90 %) and constant value for the normalized segmental order parameter (Smol) was observed for all positions along the diacyl chain of the bolaform lipids and only a small population (< 10%) of a less ordered conformer was observed. The less ordered conformer is assigned to the looping conformation on the basis of comparison with the deuterated macrocyclic phospholipid which has an enforced loop in its diacyl chain. The predominant population(> 90%) of the bolaform lipids is assigned to a highly ordered, spanning conformer.

Deuterium↗
PubMed2000

Tc-99m MAG3 evaluation of recipients with En bloc renal grafts from pediatric cadavers.

Tc-99m MAG3 scintigraphy is a well-established test to monitor patients who have received renal grafts. The shortage of available kidneys has forced the development of alternative sources of donors. En bloc pediatric renal grafts have been used for more than 10 years with good results, but mechanical complications are still a concern. No reports have illustrated the Tc-99m MAG3 scintigraphic aspect of the most common complications resulting from en bloc pediatric renal grafts. The authors describe three recipients of en bloc renal graft. One patient had thrombosis of one of the two grafts, one patient had postrenal obstruction of only one of the grafts, and a third patient progressed normally.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[The cost of breast cancer screening in France].

PURPOSE: This paper presents the cost of two decentralised breast cancer screening programmes in France, in the Bas-Rhin and the Bouches du Rhône districts. Materials and methods. The costs directly related to running the two screening programmes were collected for the time period 1990-1997. Only direct costs of each programme, excluding assessment and treatment costs, are included in the cost analysis. Costs are presented per screening period, per programme attender and per cancer detected by screening. RESULTS: The screening programme costs an average of 397 francs per woman screened and 90,828 francs per cancer detected in the Bas-Rhin, and 379 francs and 76,159 francs, respectively, in the Bouches du Rhône. CONCLUSIONS: These costs are high compared to those of existing centralised programmes. Further research is needed to investigate means of ensuring the optimal efficiency of these programmes. The results of this study may help guide future decisions on the further development of breast cancer screening in France.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1999

Alterations of perisomatic GABA synapses on hippocampal CA1 inhibitory interneurons and pyramidal cells in the kainate model of epilepsy.

In the kainate model of epilepsy, electrophysiological and anatomical modifications occur in inhibitory circuits of the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus. Using postembedding GABA immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy, we characterized perisomatic GABA and non-GABA synaptic contacts in CA pyramidal cells, and GABAergic interneurons of stratum oriens/alveus and stratum lacunosum-moleculare, and examined if changes occurred at these synapses at two weeks post-kainate treatment. We found that, in control rats, the number and total length of perisomatic GABA synapses were significantly smaller (approximately 40-50%) in lacunosum-moleculare interneurons than in oriens/alveus interneurons and pyramidal cells. Additionally, the number and total length of perisomatic non-GABA synapses were different among all cell types, with these parameters increasing significantly in the following order: pyramidal cells<lacunosum-moleculare interneurons<oriens/alveus interneurons. Following kainate treatment, we found that the number and total length of GABA synapses were significantly increased in lacunosum-moleculare interneurons (by 76% and 100%, respectively), but were unchanged in pyramidal cells and oriens/alveus interneurons. In addition, the mean length of individual GABA synapses was significantly increased (by 17%) in pyramidal cells after kainate treatment. In contrast, no changes were observed at non-GABA synapses in any cell type examined after kainate treatment. These results indicate that, in control animals, the ultrastructural correlates of perisomatic GABA inhibition are less pronounced in lacunosum-moleculare than oriens/alveus interneurons or pyramidal cells, whereas those of perisomatic excitation are more prominent in oriens/alveus than lacunosum-moleculare interneurons, and much less present in pyramidal cells. In addition, our results with kainate-treated animals suggest that cell-specific changes in perisomatic inhibition may occur in CA1 inhibitory interneurons in the chronically hyperexcitable hippocampus. The ultrastructural correlates of perisomatic inhibition were increased in lacunosum-moleculare interneurons, which may thus suggest some disinhibition of pyramidal cells. However, the ultrastructural correlates of perisomatic inhibition were increased in pyramidal cells, implying some enhancement of perisomatic inhibition of principal cells in the hyperexcitable hippocampus.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

High-dose nitric oxide inhalation increases lung injury after gastric aspiration.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled nitric oxide is often used in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome. However, nitric oxide also may be significantly toxic, especially if administered concurrently with hyperoxia. The authors evaluated the isolated effect of nitric oxide and the combined effects of nitric oxide and hyperoxia on lung injury in rats after acid aspiration. METHODS: Animals were injured by instillation of 1.2 ml/kg hydrogen chloride in low-pH saline (the acid group) or acidified gastric particles (the casp group) into the lungs under halothane anesthesia via a tracheal catheter. Controls received no injury vehicle but rather underwent the surgical process. After recovery from anesthesia, the animals were exposed to 20% or 90% oxygen with or without 20, 40, or 80 ppm nitric oxide for 5 h. The permeability index, alveolar-arterial oxygen difference, the ratio of oxygen pressure to the inspired fraction of oxygen, and the ratio of wet to dry weight were assessed 5 h after injury as indices of lung injury. Data were assessed using analysis of variance. RESULTS: Each group included 6-10 rats. Exposure to nitric oxide (80 ppm) in air increased protein permeability in the lungs to a permeability index of 1.42+/-0.12 after acid aspiration. The combination of nitric oxide (80 ppm) and hyperoxia further increased protein leakage to a permeability index of 2.1+/-0.25. Exposure to lower concentrations of nitric oxide (e.g., 20 and 40 ppm) increased the permeability index of the lungs (1.44+/-0.21, 1.75+/-0.29, respectively) in the presence of hyperoxia, although it did not affect the permeability index of the lungs during exposure to air. Pretreatment of animals with deferoxamine and methylene blue partially inhibited the adverse effect of hyperoxia and nitric oxide, which suggested a complex underlying mechanism involving both reactive-species generation and pulmonary vasomotor changes. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that inhaled nitric oxide at 80 ppm for a short duration (5 h) increases the severity of the inflammatory microvascular lung injury after acid aspiration. The pulmonary damage is exacerbated further in the presence of high oxygen concentrations. Although lower concentrations of nitric oxide did not increase the extent of lung injury, longer exposure times need to be assessed.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1998

Selective loss of GABA neurons in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus after intraventricular kainate.

The intraventricular injection of kainic acid (KA) in rats produces a loss of dentate hilar neurons and hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells, and renders the dentate granule cells and the CA1 pyramidal cells hyperexcitable. We have used immunocytochemical detection of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), a marker of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cells, as well as stereological cell counting techniques, to determine whether inhibitory cell loss was present 2 weeks after KA treatment. In area CA1, we found that the density of GAD-positive cells was reduced by KA, but only in stratum oriens and the alveus. Counts of Nissl-stained neurons were also significantly reduced in this layer. These results demonstrate a loss of GABA cells in the basal dendritic layer of the CA1 region, which may underlie the hyperexcitability of CA1 pyramidal cells following KA treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Cell-specific alterations in synaptic properties of hippocampal CA1 interneurons after kainate treatment.

Cell-specific alterations in synaptic properties of hippocampal CA1 interneurons after kainate treatment. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 2836-2847, 1998. Hippocampal sclerosis and hyperexcitability are neuropathological features of human temporal lobe epilepsy that are reproduced in the kainic acid (KA) model of epilepsy in rats. To assess directly the role of inhibitory interneurons in the KA model, the membrane and synaptic properties of interneurons located in 1) stratum oriens near the alveus (O/A) and 2) at the border of stratum radiatum and stratum lacunosum-moleculare (LM), as well as those of pyramidal cells, were examined with whole cell recordings in slices of control and KA-lesioned rats. In current-clamp recordings, intrinsic cell properties such as action potential amplitude and duration, amplitude of fast and medium duration afterhyperpolarizations, membrane time constant, and input resistance were generally unchanged in all cell types after KA treatment. In voltage-clamp recordings, the amplitude and conductance of pharmacologically isolated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were significantly reduced in LM interneurons of KA-treated animals but were not significantly changed in O/A and pyramidal cells. The rise time of EPSCs was not significantly changed in any cell type after KA treatment. In contrast, the decay time constant of EPSCs was significantly faster in O/A interneurons of KA-treated rats but was unchanged in LM and pyramidal cells. The amplitude and conductance of pharmacologically isolated gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were not significantly changed in any cell type of KA-treated rats. The rise time and decay time constant of GABAA IPSCs were significantly faster in pyramidal cells of KA-treated rats but were not significantly changed in O/A and LM interneurons. These results suggest that complex alterations in synaptic currents occur in specific subpopulations of inhibitory interneurons in the CA1 region after KA lesions. A reduction of evoked excitatory drive onto inhibitory cells located at the border of stratum radiatum and stratum lacunosum-moleculare may contribute to disinhibition and polysynaptic epileptiform activity in the CA1 region. Compensatory changes, involving excitatory synaptic transmission on other interneuron subtypes and inhibitory synaptic transmission on pyramidal cells, may also take place and contribute to the residual, functional monosynaptic inhibition observed in principal cells after KA treatment.

6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione↗
PubMed1997

Epidural corticosteroid injections for sciatica due to herniated nucleus pulposus.

BACKGROUND: Although epidural corticosteroid injections are commonly used for sciatica, their efficacy has not been established. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind trial, we administered up to three epidural injections of methylprednisolone acetate (80 mg in 8 ml of isotonic saline) or isotonic saline (1 ml) to 158 patients with sciatica due to a herniated nucleus pulposus. All patients had Oswestry disability scores higher than 20 (on a scale of 1 to 100, with scores of 20 or less indicating minimal disability, and higher scores greater disability). RESULTS: At three weeks, the Oswestry score had improved by a mean of -8.0 in the methylprednisolone group and -5.5 in the placebo group (95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -7.1 to 2.2). Differences in improvements between the groups were not significant, except for improvements in the finger-to-floor distance (P=0.006) and sensory deficits (P=0.03), which were greater in the methylprednisolone group. After six weeks, the only significant difference was the improvement in leg pain, which was greater in the methylprednisolone group (P=0.03). After three months, there were no significant differences between the groups. The Oswestry score had improved by a mean of -17.3 in the methylprednisolone group and -15.4 in the placebo group (95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -9.3 to 5.4). At 12 months, the cumulative probability of back surgery was 25.8 percent in the methylprednisolone group and 24.8 percent in the placebo group (P=0.90). CONCLUSIONS: Although epidural injections of methylprednisolone may afford short-term improvement in leg pain and sensory deficits in patients with sciatica due to a herniated nucleus pulposus, this treatment offers no significant functional benefit, nor does it reduce the need for surgery.

Adult↗