JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
-
To examine the effects of giving up smoking, years since quitting smoking and the quantity of cigarettes smoked, and primary pipe or cigar smoking on the risk of stroke. ⋯ Smoking cessation is associated with a considerable and rapid benefit in decreasing the risk of stroke, particularly in light smokers (< 20 cigarettes/d); a complete loss of risk is not seen in heavy smokers. Switching to pipe or cigar smoking confers little benefit, emphasizing the need for complete cessation of smoking. The absolute benefit of quitting smoking on risk of stroke is most marked in hypertensive subjects.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Cognitive effects after epidural vs general anesthesia in older adults. A randomized trial.
To compare the effect of epidural vs general anesthesia on the incidence of long-term cognitive dysfunction after total knee replacement surgery in older adults. ⋯ The type of anesthesia, general or epidural, does not affect the magnitude or pattern of postoperative cognitive dysfunction or the incidence of major cardiovascular complications in older adults undergoing elective total knee replacement. This is the largest trial of the effects of general vs regional anesthesia on cerebral function reported to date, with more than 99% power to detect a clinically significant difference on any of the neuropsychological tests.
-
Leukocyte adhesion plays an important role in inflammation. Adhesion molecules such as CD11b on polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMNs) up-regulate in response to tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and other mediators that are involved in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). This study examined the behavior of CD11b and other membrane molecules in SIRS in relation to serum cytokines and the severity of illness. ⋯ In human SIRS, the circulating monocyte and PMN pools undergo alterations suggestive of leukocyte activation, including up-regulation of PMN CD11b in correlation with the serum IL-6 level and severity of organ dysfunction.