Arch Med Sci
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Determining entropy values equivalent to the bispectral index values during sevoflurane anaesthesia.
We aimed to identify the entropy levels that would be equivalent to the bispectral index (BIS) levels in sevoflurane anaesthesia in patients who are to undergo elective lumbar disc surgery. ⋯ Based on this observation, we think that general anaesthetic agents that might cause severe hypotension could be more safely administered under entropy monitoring.
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Migraine is considered to be a multifactorial, complex disease. Various genetic and environmental factors contribute to the manifestation of this disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms in the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) region are associated with the risk of migraine. We examined the association between 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding regions of TNF-α and TNF-β genes and migraine. ⋯ Our data indicate that TNF-α and TNF-β gene polymorphisms are not a significant risk factor for migraine without aura in Greek children.
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The determination of toxic elements in the biological samples of human beings is an important clinical procedure. This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of abnormal blood contents of 2 trace elements (TEs), aluminum (Al),and lead (Pb) in hemodialysis (HD) patients and to analyze their relationship with the medications, such as CaCO(3), Ca acetate, 1,25-dihydroxy vit. D(3), and erythropoietin (EPO), as well as hematocrit level. ⋯ The blood level of trace metals of these HD patients was not related to their medications except for the EPO dose. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting this result as dose and duration of medication may play an important role. Al and Pb over load may be considered from the causes of inadequate response to epoetin therapy.
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α-Smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-positive hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are pericytes responsible for fibrosis in chronic liver injury. The glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), commonly expressed by astrocytes in the central nervous system, is expressed in vivo in the liver in a subpopulation of quiescent stellate cells. The reports concerning GFAP expression in human liver are still conflicting. The aim of the study is investigation the utility of GFAP compared to α-SMA as an indicator of early activated HSCs, in predicting fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. ⋯ Glial fibrillary acidic protein could represent a more useful marker than α-SMA of early activation of HSCs in CHC patients and seems to be an early indicator of hepatic fibrogenesis.