Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Emergence agitation in children after propofol versus halothane anesthesia.
The administration of anesthetic agents is associated with a high incidence of emergence agitation in children. Halothane and propofol appear to cause much less emergence agitation. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of emergence agitation in children receiving either propofol or halothane anesthesia for a variety of surgical treatments using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale. ⋯ In children, the administration of propofol maintenance anesthesia is associated with a significantly higher incidence of emergence agitation than halothane maintenance anesthesia.
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Progress in the management of myocardial infarction has contributed to the increased population of patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction or congestive heart failure. These patients are at high risk of sudden cardiac death. Factors that worsen this prognosis include exacerbation of coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome. We aimed to define and compare risk factors of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death as well as the cumulative incidence of both in patients after myocardial infarction with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction or congestive heart failure during a 2-year follow-up period. ⋯ Predictors of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death differ in patients after myocardial infarction with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction or chronic heart failure and are inconsistent at different stages of development of chronic heart failure.
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Ageing reduces the resting blood flow to the skin as well as the blood flow response to thermal stimuli. However, the interrelationships between skin thickness, subcutaneous fat, and skin blood flow in determining the heat dissipation characteristics of the skin have not been investigated. ⋯ The results support a reduction in both the resting and post local heat skin blood flows associated with ageing. Some of this may be due to a reduction in dermal layer thickness due to ageing.
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Ultrasound measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been shown to correlate with intracranial pressure (ICP). This study looked at intra-observer and inter-observer reliability among three emergency physicians (EPs) using three different imaging protocols. ⋯ These data suggest comparable precision and inter-observer reliability can be achieved. However, larger values when using the 10-5 MHz probe suggest different cut-off thresholds for normal upper limits. The coronal imaging technique demonstrated less inter-rater variance and may be a better technique when such small measurement differences are important.
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A review of the current literature was attempted in order to determine to what degree new technological features, such as the use of proteomics, genomics, and gene microarrays, have contributed to the elucidation of the specific pathways to the formation of endometriosis as well as to the discovery of potential biomarkers and new treatment strategies. Endometriosis is well described as a condition in which multiple genetic components and still foggy environmental risk factors are important determinants of the disease's origin, maintenance, persistence, and clinical outcome. ⋯ The evolving genomic and proteomic technologies remain poised to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis but have not yet lead to a single new therapy or tested biomarker. The reasons have mainly to do with the complex and multifactorial character of the disease itself.