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Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is defined asneurode-velopmental disorder that occurs due to disturbance in the development of the central nervous system. Laser acupuncture is a technique with minimal side effects and safe for chil-drenand can be used as an alternative line of treatment in several chronic pediatric diseases. Aim of Study: To assess the efficacy of using a six weeks course of laser acupuncture on muscle strength in children with diplegic or quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Patients and Methods: A randomized controlled trial; that was conducted in the neuropediatric clinic of the National Research Centre, Egypt and Outpatient Clinic of Ain Shams Children Hospital from 2018 to February 2020. It included 40 children with spastic CP. They were randomly assigned to two equal groups (n=20), laser acupuncture group and control group. Both groups received physiotherapy for successive 6 weeks; while only the study group also received low-level laser 650nm with 50mW powers that was applied at each acupoint for 30s giving an energy density of 1.8J/cm2). Results: Power of hip flexors and knee extensors were significantly increased in laser acupuncture group compared to the control group, p < 0.001. Conclusion: Laser acupuncture has a beneficial effect on hip flexors and knee extensors muscles strength compared with the control group in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

Patients are at risk of malnutrition as a result of their, disease and the treatment. Support and intervention Nutrition is important for those patients. The aim of this study was to formulate and evaluate types of biscuits formed from mixture of oat flour, wheat germ, flaxseed, pomegranate peel and wheat flour with different percentages for supporting nutrition for patients. Methods: by using :oat flour, wheat germ, flaxseed, pomegranate peel and wheat flour and their blends for production of biscuits from functional flour blend suitable for nutritional support for patients. Biscuit made of 100% wheat flour was prepared for control sample. For all chemical composition, starch gelatinization, diffraction scanning colorimetry (DSC), colour attributes and sensory properties of biscuits were studied. Oat flour was added to wheat flour at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% level. Results: Farinograph parameters showed that water absorption was increased as the percentage of oat flour increased in wheat flour. Diffraction Scanning Colorimetry and Visco-amylograph parameters were significantly affected. Results also showed that Hunter colour parameters (L*, a* & b*) of biscuits were darker as mixing level of oat flour increased, but sample which contained oat flour, wheat germ, flaxseed and Pomegranate peel had an excellent nutritional values and (good) acceptable characters that made it to be suitable for patients for support their nutritional defects due to the treatments( chemo & radiotherapy) with difficulty in having their nutritional requirements. It could be concluded that: oat flour + wheat germ+ flaxseed + Pomegranate peel could be used with wheat flour to formulate biscuit characterized with its good sensorial properties, higher nutritive value, in addition to their positive effect on the rheological characteristics.

Background Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is the damage and dysfunction of neurons of the peripheral nervous system. The present study was conducted to estimate the effectiveness of low-power laser therapy (LPLT) in the management of PN in a rats’ model. Methods PN was induced by giving dichloroacetate (DCA) (250 mg/kg/day) for up to 12 weeks. Four groups of rats were used: control group, PN group, PN group treated with gabapentin and PN group treated with LPLT. The study was conducted for 8 weeks. The management of PN was estimated by behavioral tests which included hot plate and Morris water maze tests. Blood biochemical analysis were carried out. Results Using of hot plate test indicated thermal hypoalgesia and using Morris water maze test showed cognitive decline in PN rats. Treatment with LPLT or gabapentin improved both the pain sensations and deteriorated memory that occurred in the PN rats. Biochemical analysis showed that LPLT significantly decreased the elevated beta-endorphin level in PN rats, while gabapentin could not reduce it. Treatment PN rats with LPLT or gabapentin shifted the high levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10 cytokines back to their normal values. Serum nitric oxide and MDA significantly increased in the PN group together with significant reduction in the rGSH level, these values were significantly improved by LPLT application while this was not the case with gabapentin treatment. Furthermore, treatment with gabapentin or LPLT significantly reduced serum ALAT and ASAT activities which are otherwise increased in the PN group. S100B, PGE2, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, urea and creatinine showed insignificant changes among all groups. Conclusions Our results showed that treatment with LPLT is more efficient than gabapentin in ameliorating the peripheral neuropathy induced by xenobiotics.

Micronutrients play an important role in enhancing the immune system, therefore, proper nutritional support of micronutrients could have a positive impact on COVID-19 outcome.

Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is the highly occurred complication of diabetes mellitus; it has been defined as an event of peripheral nerve dysfunction characterized by pain, allodynia, hyperalgesia, and paraesthesia. The current study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in the management of neuropathy in diabetic rats. The used animals were divided into the following groups: negative control, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, and diabetic rats with peripheral neuropathy (DNP) and DNP treated with gabapentin or with LLLT. Behavioral tests were carried out through hotplate test for the determination of pain sensations and the Morris water maze test for spatial reference memory evaluation. Blood samples were collected at the end of treatment for biochemical determinations. In the current study, the latency of hind-paw lick decreased significantly when DNP are treated with gabapentin or LLLT. The Morris water maze test showed that LLLT treatment improved memory that deteriorated in DNP more than gabapentin do. The results of the biochemical study revealed that LLLT could not affect the level of beta-endorphin that decreased in DNP but significantly decreased S100B that rose in DNP. PGE2 and cytokines IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α showed significant increase in DNP compared with control group. The gabapentin administration or LLLT application significantly reversed the levels of the mentioned markers towards the normal values of the controls. Levels of serum MDA and nitric oxide increased significantly in the DNP but rGSH showed significant decrease. These markers were improved significantly when the DNP were treated with gabapentin or LLLT. The treatment with gabapentin or LLLT significantly decreased the raised level in total cholesterol in DNP but could not decrease the elevated level of triglycerides, while LDL cholesterol decreased significantly in DNP treated with gabapentin but not affected by LLLT. Values of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), urea, and creatinine increased significantly in the DPN and diabetic rats without peripheral neuropathy (PN) compared with control group. The treatment of DNP with gabapentin induced significant increases in ALAT and ASAT activities but LLLT treatment induced significant decreases in ALAT and ASAT activities as compared with DNP group. Neither gabapentin nor LLLT could improve the elevated levels of serum urea and creatinine in the DNP. It could be concluded that LLLT is more safe and effective than gabapentin in the management of neuropathy in diabetic rats.

This prospective cohort study aimed to compare the efficiency of laser versus traditional acupuncture in treating cervical spondylosis (CS) pain. Forty female patients were randomized into two equal groups that received 3 sessions / week for 4 weeks. Group A received needle acupuncture therapy with electrical stimulation for 20 min at standard acupoints, ear points and Ashi point on the average 3 points. Group B received low level laser therapy (LLLT) acupuncture at the same acupoints. The results demonstrated that tenderness disappeared in 65% of patients in group A and 75% of patients in group B with improved percentage of 85.5% and 89.2%. Pain on VAS related to direction of motion at 6 directions was improved in all cases where with improvement percentage 76.45% and 85.88%. Pain on VAS at rest was improved in all patients with improvement percentage of 80.41% and 84.28%. NDIQ score improved in all patients with improvement percentage of 69.78% and 73.77%. Follow up of VAS after 6 months from the last session revealed persistent improvement in 55% of patients of group A vs 80% of patients of group B. Mean serum TNF-α was decreased in 85% of patients of group A vs 95% of patients of group B where serum beta endorphins was increased in all patients. It is concluded that both modes of treatment for CS gave improvement regarding pain intensity, disability and quality of life being more evident in LLLT followed for 6 months supported with improved serum TNFα and beta endorphin.