European surgical research. Europäische chirurgische Forschung. Recherches chirurgicales européennes
-
Surgical trauma induces nociceptive sensitization leading to amplification and prolongation of postoperative pain. In experimental studies, preinjury (e.g. pre-emptive) neural blockade using local anaesthetics or opioids has been shown to prevent or to reduce postinjury sensitization of the central nervous system, while similar techniques applied after the injury had less or no effect. Several clinical studies have evaluated possible pre-emptive analgesic effects by administering prior to surgery a variety of analgesic drugs both systemically or epidurally. ⋯ In general, the results from these studies have been disappointing, although some clinical studies have confirmed the impressive results from animal studies. The present paper discusses deficiencies in study design of clinical trials, since the question regarding the effectiveness of pre-emptive analgesic regimens lies not so much in the timing of analgesic administration (e.g. preinjury vs. postinjury treatment), but in the effective prevention of altered central sensitization. Recent evidence suggests that administration of analgesics in order to effectively pre-empt postoperative pain should start before surgery and furthermore, this treatment should be extended into the early postoperative period.
-
The associations between serum beta-endorphin levels and clinical and metabolic variables as well as beta-endorphin changes after surgically induced weight loss were investigated in 43 morbidly obese patients. A significant positive correlation between beta-endorphin and body weight, degree of body weight increase and ACTH was found preoperatively. ⋯ Twelve months following vertical banded gastroplasty, there was an extensive weight loss in all patients and improvement in their metabolic profile. A significant reduction in beta-endorphin levels which was proportional to the extent of weight loss was also observed.
-
We examined whether warm ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) damage of the rat steatotic liver can be reduced by administration of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe). We examined the effect of SAMe on the mitochondrial reduced-glutathione (GSH) pool. Sixty minutes of partial left lobar vascular clamping followed by 2 h of reperfusion were employed for a model of hepatic warm ischemia. ⋯ The adenosine triphosphate concentration was higher in the S-SAMe group than in the S-D5% group (p = 0.0515). These results show that hepatocellular and mitochondrial oxidative stress after I/R in the steatotic liver can be reduced by administration of SAMe. The results also show that mitochondrial function and hepatocellular integrity can be restored by administration of SAMe in steatotic rats.
-
Bacteria transfer to the blood from the peritoneum is thought to be augmented when the diaphragmatic stomata are activated by an increased intra-abdominal pressure. Therefore, it may be expected that the increase in intra-abdominal pressure during laparoscopic surgery can augment the absorption of bacteria from the peritoneum to the blood. The present study examines the effect of pneumoperitoneum on bacteremia in experimental Escherichia coli peritonitis in rabbits. ⋯ In all groups, the growth value (GV) was measured in the 3rd- and 6th-hour blood cultures using the Bactec NR 730 system. There was no difference in the 3rd- and 6th-hour GVs (p > 0.05) among the three groups. In conclusion, pneumoperitoneum with 15 mm Hg CO2 in experimental E. coli peritonitis did not increase the bacteremia when compared with the control and laparotomy groups.