Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Failure to protect against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury with sevoflurane postconditioning in old rats in vivo.
Sevoflurane post-conditioning (SpostC) protects young hearts against ischemia-reperfusion injury. It is unknown whether the infarct-limiting effect is also maintained in aged cohorts and whether there are age-associated differences in the underlying mechanisms. ⋯ SpostC-mediated cardioprotection in young rats is not effective in senescent rats, which may at least be the consequence of failure to activate Akt and ERK1/2, and resultant failure to inhibit mPTP opening.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialImpact of Bispectral Index for monitoring propofol remifentanil anaesthesia. A randomised clinical trial.
Previous research has shown that the use of the bispectral index (BIS) monitor to measure the depth of anaesthesia reduces the amount of anaesthetics administered and the recovery time from general anaesthesia. The effect of BIS on recovery from anaesthesia and consumption of anaesthetics in a paediatric population receiving total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with propofol and remifentanil has not been studied. ⋯ BIS monitoring for guidance of propofol-remifentanil anaesthesia does not result in reduced consumption of anaesthetics and does not reduce time to extubation in adult and children compared with conventional practice.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
ReviewTest-retest studies in quantitative sensory testing: a critical review.
Quantitative sensory testing (QST) investigates the graded psychophysical response to controlled thermal, mechanical, electrical or chemical stimuli, allowing quantification of clinically relevant perception and pain thresholds. The methods are ubiquitously used in experimental and clinical pain research, and therefore, the need for uniform assessment procedures has been emphasised. ⋯ A considerable heterogeneity in the statistical evaluations of test-retest data was demonstrated. The authors, using a secondary analysis of published data for didactic purposes, propose and present minimal requirements for reporting of test-retest QST data.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Gender disparity among US anaesthesiologists: are women underrepresented in academic ranks and scholarly productivity?
The h-index is an objective indicator of research productivity and influence on scholarly discourse within a discipline. It may be a valuable adjunct for measuring research productivity, a key component in decisions regarding appointment and promotion in academic medicine. The objectives of this analysis were to (1) examine whether there are gender disparities in research productivity among academic anaesthesiologists, and (2) compare results to measures of research productivity in other specialties. ⋯ While men had higher overall research productivity, women had equivalent or higher mid-career research output, suggesting that early-career considerations unique to women should be taken into account during appointment and promotion in academic anaesthesiology. While disparities in gender representation among anaesthesiologists have also been noted in Europe, further study as to whether these differences also extend to research productivity and academic promotion outside of the US would be of interest.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
In vitro muscle contracture investigations on the malignant hyperthermia like episodes in myotonia congenita.
A common form of congenital myotonia, myotonia congenita (MC), is caused by mutations in the skeletal muscle Cl(-) channel gene type 1 (CLCN1). Due to the reduced Cl(-) conductance of the mutated channels, the patients may develop generalized muscle rigidity and hypermetabolism during general anaesthesia. The clinical symptoms resemble malignant hyperthermia (MH), which may lead to mistreatment of the patient. ⋯ We conclude that the adverse anaesthetic MH-like episodes observed in MC patients do not primarily originate from an altered Ca(2+) release in skeletal muscle. In MC muscle, this hypermetabolism is facilitated by a (pharmacologically induced) sustained depolarization due to an instable membrane potential. The in vitro results suggest that these patients benefit from tight K(+) monitoring because of the membrane potential stabilizing effect of K(+) .