Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor β3 subunit forebrain-specific knockout mice are resistant to the amnestic effect of isoflurane.
β3 containing γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA(A)-Rs) mediate behavioral end points of IV anesthetics such as immobility and hypnosis. A knockout mouse with targeted forebrain deletion of the β3 subunit of the GABA(A)-R shows reduced sensitivity to the hypnotic effect of etomidate, as measured by the loss of righting reflex. The end points of amnesia and immobility produced by an inhaled anesthetic have yet to be evaluated in this conditional knockout. ⋯ These results suggest that β3 containing GABA(A)-Rs in the forebrain contribute to hippocampal-dependent memory suppressed by isoflurane, but not etomidate.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Immune cell populations decrease during craniotomy under general anesthesia.
Postoperative infections are common and potentially fatal complications in neurosurgical intensive care medicine. An impairment of immune function after central nervous system surgery is associated with higher risk of infection and postoperative complications. The aim of our study was to investigate how the immune cell population changes during the anesthesia process in patients undergoing craniotomy surgery. ⋯ Our results showed that anesthesia and surgery upset the balance of the immune system during craniotomy, and a significant decrease in immune cell populations emerged after induction under general anesthesia.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Reduction of spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury with simvastatin in rats.
Surgery of the thoracic or thoracoabdominal aorta may cause spinal cord ischemia and subsequent paraplegia. However, conventional strategies for preventing paraplegia due to spinal cord ischemia provide insufficient protection and cause additional side effects. We hypothesized that simvastatin, a drug recently shown to be neuroprotective against brain ischemia/reperfusion, would be neuroprotective in a rat spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion model. ⋯ Simvastatin treatment can attenuate hindlimb motor dysfunction and histopathological changes in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Early thoracic sympathetic block improves the treatment effect for upper extremity neuropathic pain.
The sympathetic nervous system has important roles in mediating many neuropathic pain conditions. A thoracic sympathetic block (TSB) is a useful therapeutic procedure for neuropathic pain in the upper extremities and thorax. However, no studies have examined the factors related to an improved therapeutic effect of TSB. In this study, we evaluated the influence of potential prognostic factors for a better TSB effect and identified clinically important prognostic factors. ⋯ The results showed that an earlier TSB produced a better outcome for patients with chronic pain syndrome. Thus, early TSB should be performed in patients with chronic pain in the upper extremities.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Application of pulsed radiofrequency currents to rat dorsal root ganglia modulates nerve injury-induced tactile allodynia.
Application of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) currents to the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) has been reported to produce relief from certain pain states without causing thermal ablation. In this study, we examined the direct correlation between PRF application to DRG associated with spinal nerve injury and reversal of injury-induced behavioral hypersensitivity in a rat neuropathic pain model. ⋯ Findings from this study support that PRF of the DRG causes reversal of nerve injury (spinal nerve ligation)-induced tactile allodynia in rats. This allodynia reversal indicates that nonablative PRF acting via modulation of the DRG can speed recovery in nerve injury-induced pain.