Advances in therapy
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Advances in therapy · Jan 2006
Application of physiology-based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling to individualized target-controlled propofol infusions.
This study compared the ability of the physiology-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model with that of compartmental models used in propofol infusion devices to predict the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of propofol in various patient groups (children, pregnant women, young men, normal weight adults, and obese adults). With a PBPK model, loss of consciousness (LOC) and recovery of consciousness (ROC) corresponded to a narrow range of brain tissue concentrations (2.2-4.0 mg/L). With the compartmental models, predicted effect concentrations were also within a narrow range at LOC, but were outside the range at ROC. ⋯ In obese individuals, however, interindividual CV values for brain or effect concentrations were 41% (PBPK) and 93% (compartmental). This comparison suggests the increased flexibility of PBPK models over compartmental models, the latter of which rely heavily on the patient group from which the model was derived. The incorporation of PBPK models may provide target-controlled infusions with enhanced ability to predict response in a wide variety of patients.
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Advances in therapy · Jan 2006
Tau protein as a serum marker of brain damage in mild traumatic brain injury: preliminary results.
The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of serum tau protein in determining the severity of traumatic brain injury in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and high-risk patients. Adult patients who presented to our emergency department (ED) with mTBI over 1 year were prospectively enrolled. Patients underwent cranial computed tomography (CT) and were subdivided into high- and low-risk groups, according to the probability of resultant intracranial injury. ⋯ Investigators of the present study noted that serum tau levels in patients with mTBI were increased. Therefore, it is believed that this biomarker may prove helpful in identifying high-risk patients with mTBI. However, additional studies are needed to establish the diagnostic value of serum tau in detecting traumatic brain injury in patients with mTBI.