Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Fever is considered a key actor of innate immunity aimed to fight infection. A new investigation reports an association of the use of antipyretic drugs with poorer outcome among patients with sepsis. In contrast, high temperature in non-infectious intensive care patients is associated with higher mortality.
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It is well established that during mechanical ventilation of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome cyclic recruitment/derecruitment and overdistension are potentially injurious for lung tissues. We evaluated whether the forced oscillation technique (FOT) could be used to guide the ventilator settings in order to minimize cyclic lung recruitment/derecruitment and cyclic mechanical stress in an experimental model of acute lung injury. ⋯ Using FOT it was possible to measure EX5 both at end-expiration and at end-inspiration. The optimal PEEP strategy based on end-expiratory EX5 minimized intra-tidal recruitment/derecruitment as assessed by CT, and the concurrent attenuation of intra-tidal variations of EX5 suggests that it may also minimize tidal mechanical stress.
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Three percent sodium chloride (NaCl) treatment has been shown to reduce brain edema and inhibited brain aquaporin 4 (AQP4) expression in bacterial meningitis induced by Escherichia coli. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main pathogenic component of E. coli. We aimed to explore the effect of 3% NaCl in mouse brain edema induced by LPS, as well as to elucidate the potential mechanisms of action. ⋯ Osmotherapy with 3% NaCl ameliorated LPS-induced cerebral edema in vivo. In addition to its osmotic force, 3% NaCl exerted anti-edema effects possibly through down-regulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNFα) and inhibiting the expression of AQP4 induced by proinflammatory cytokines. Three percent NaCl attenuated the expression of AQP4 through activation of protein kinase C in astrocytes.
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The purpose of this study was to perform a descriptive, content-based analysis on the different forms of documentation for in-flight medical emergencies that are currently provided in the emergency medical kits on board commercial airlines. ⋯ The data in this study illustrate a large variation in the documentation of in-flight medical emergencies by different airlines. A higher degree of standardization is preferable to increase the data quality in epidemiologic aeromedical research in the future.
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Hyperlactatemia represents one prominent component of the metabolic response to sepsis. In critically ill patients, hyperlactatemia is related to the severity of the underlying condition. Both an increased production and a decreased utilization and clearance might be involved in this process, but their relative contribution remains unknown. The present study aimed at assessing systemic and muscle lactate production and systemic lactate clearance in healthy human volunteers, using intravenous endotoxin (LPS) challenge. ⋯ LPS administration increases lactatemia by increasing lactate production rather than by decreasing lactate clearance. Muscle is, however, unlikely to be a major contributor to this increase in lactate production.