Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jan 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialMagnesium repletion and its effect on potassium homeostasis in critically ill adults: results of a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.
The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of magnesium replacement therapy and to determine its effect on potassium retention in hypokalemic, critically ill patients. ⋯ Magnesium sulfate administered according to the above regimen safety and significantly increases the circulating magnesium concentration. Despite greater urine magnesium losses in the treatment group, this group exhibited significantly better magnesium retention.
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Critical care medicine · Jan 1996
Burn injury alters beta-adrenergic receptor and second messenger function in rat ventricular muscle.
The molecular pharmacologic bases for the attenuated cardiovascular and metabolic responses to catecholamines, after burn injury, have not been elucidated. In the present study, myocardial tissues were used as a model of beta-adrenergic receptors to study burn injury-induced alterations in receptors and in signal transduction. ⋯ The etiology of the decreased responses in the myocardium to exogenous and endogenous beta-adrenergic receptor agonists after burn injury may be attributed to decreased affinity for ligands, and also to impaired receptor-mediated signal transduction and to decreased adenylate cyclase enzyme activity, resulting in decreased basal and stimulated second messenger (cAMP) production.
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Critical care medicine · Jan 1996
Comment Letter Comparative StudyPropofol vs. midazolam for sedation.
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Critical care medicine · Jan 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialUse of predicted risk of mortality to evaluate the efficacy of anticytokine therapy in sepsis. The rhIL-1ra Phase III Sepsis Syndrome Study Group.
To investigate a novel anticytokine therapy in patients with sepsis syndrome, and the relationship between a patient's baseline mortality risk and survival benefit. ⋯ Using an appropriate analytic model, a statistically significant increase in survival time from rhIL-1ra was measured. A direct relationship was found between a patient's Predicted Risk of Mortality at study entry to efficacy of rhIL-1ra. Individual risk or severity assessment may be a useful tool for evaluating the clinical benefit of new therapeutic approaches to sepsis and for monitoring outcomes at the bedside.