The Tokai journal of experimental and clinical medicine
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Jul 2013
Amplitude spectral area: predicting the success of electric shock delivered by defibrillators with different waveforms.
Prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF) is associated with a low rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following electric shock. Moreover, electric shock that does not reestablish spontaneous circulation causes myocardial dysfunction even if ROSC is subsequently achieved. Amplitude spectral area (AMSA), calculated by analysis of VF waveforms immediately before electric shock, is considered to predict the outcome of electric shock. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of AMSA in relation to waveforms of defibrillators in prehospital settings. ⋯ AMSA may serve as a predictive measure for ROSC following electric shock delivered by a biphasic defibrillator.
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Jul 2013
Increase in antinociceptive effect of [leu5]enkephalin after intrathecal administration of mixture of three peptidase inhibitors.
Previous in vitro studies have shown that the degradation of [Leu5]enkephalin during incubation with cerebral membrane preparations is almost completely prevented by a mixture of three peptidase inhibitors such as amastatin, captopril, and phosphoramidon. The present in vivo study was performed to examine the antinociceptive effect of [Leu5]enkephalin administered intrathecally under pretreatment with these three peptidase inhibitors. ⋯ The present data, together with those of earlier studies, clearly demonstrate that amastatin-, captopril-, and phosphoramidon-sensitive enzymes play an important role in the inactivation of [Leu5]enkephalin administered intrathecally in rat.
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Apr 2013
Changes in cortical excitability during and just before motor imagery.
Changes in cortical excitability during motor imagery were investigated in order to reveal the effect of hand dominance. During motor imagery, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of the dominant hand using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). ⋯ The left primary motor cortex (M1) was more excited than M1 during MITs of the hand muscles. Cortical excitability increased just before MIT of the contralateral hand and leg muscles.
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Jan 2013
A stable in vitro method for assessing the toxicity of potassium cyanide and its antidote.
Hydrogen cyanide possesses a high acid-dissociation constant of 9.14, favoring its vaporization and depletion from the culture media at physiological pH, which may cause the cyanide toxicity unstable in vitro. ⋯ Adjustment of culture medium pH to 9.2 could stabilize cyanide concentration and decrease the effective concentration of KCN, allowing stable evaluation of KCN toxicity and antidotal efficacy.
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Sep 2012
Case ReportsEarly diagnosis of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis in a young woman with psychiatric symptoms.
A previously healthy 21-year-old woman, transported to our medical emergency center for excluding organic brain disease, had undergone medical examination 9 days before for trembling in her left hand, which was caused by stress. The patient exhibited fever and strange behaviors, e.g., wandering around, babbling, and making smoking gestures; hence, psychiatric examination was performed. The patient's Glasgow Coma Scale score was 4-3-5, and involuntary movement was observed. ⋯ Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is not uncommon; however, this disease must be considered for young encephalitis patients exhibiting psychiatric symptoms. If patients (aged ≤ 30 years) presents with encephalitis of uncertain etiology, psychiatric symptoms, seizures, movement disorders, or psychosis, clinicians should consider anti-NMDA encephalitis as a possible diagnosis. Clinical diagnosis should be waged early to ensure timely treatment.