Anesthesiology
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Integrating opioid risk and benefit into a single function may give a useful single measure of the opioid's positive and negative effects. An explorative study on the effects of fentanyl on antinociception and respiratory depression was performed to construct fentanyl risk-benefit (utility) functions. ⋯ Utility functions based on fentanyl's experimental effects on respiration and pain relief were successfully constructed. These functions are useful in multiple effect comparisons among experimental drugs. Further studies are required to assess whether this risk-benefit analysis is valuable in clinical practice.
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Oxytocin receptor desensitization has been shown to occur in humans at biomolecular level and in isolated rat myometrium; however, its effect on human myometrial contractility has not been demonstrated. The objective of this in vitro study was to investigate the contractile response of human pregnant myometrium to oxytocin after pretreatment with different concentrations of oxytocin for variable durations. ⋯ Pretreatment with oxytocin decreases oxytocin-induced myometrial contractions in a concentration and time-dependent manner, likely as a function of the oxytocin receptor desensitization phenomenon.
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MicroRNAs participate in the regulation of numerous physiological and disease processes. The in vivo role of microRNAs in anesthetics-conferred organoprotection is unknown. ⋯ These results indicate that miR-21 contributes to the renoprotective effect of xenon preconditioning.
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MicroRNAs participate in the regulation of numerous physiological and disease processes. The in vivo role of microRNAs in anesthetics-conferred organoprotection is unknown. ⋯ These results indicate that miR-21 contributes to the renoprotective effect of xenon preconditioning.