Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1996
Comparative StudyMannitol, but not allopurinol, modulates changes in cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, and brain water content during pneumococcal meningitis in the rat.
To investigate the benefit of the hyperosmolar agent, mannitol, and the xanthine oxidase inhibitor, allopurinol, in experimental pneumococcal meningitis in the rat. ⋯ Mannitol attenuated pathophysiologic changes in experimental pneumococcal meningitis. One possible mechanism of the mannitol effect might be scavenging of hydroxyl radicals which have been shown to be involved in the pathophysiology of pneumococcal meningitis. The failure of allopurinol to modulate pathophysiologic parameters may suggest that during early experimental pneumococcal meningitis in the rat, the xanthine oxidase pathway seems not to be a major source of reactive oxygen species.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1996
Detection of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents in an animal model by assay of peptic activity in bronchoalveolar fluid.
To determine whether peptic activity in bronchoalveolar fluid, due to the presence of the gastric proteolytic enzyme pepsin, could serve as a biochemical marker for pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that peptic activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid can be detected up to 60 mins after induced, experimental gastric juice aspiration and may prove a clinically useful biochemical marker for episodes of occult pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents.