Dan Med Bull
-
Acute coronary syndrome encompasses the entities acute MI, unstable AP and sudden cardiac death. The syndrome of unstable AP covers a very heterogenous group of patients. Recent pathological post-mortem investigations have revealed, that unstable AP leading to MI or sudden cardiac death is frequently preceded by microinfarctions. ⋯ A similar observation has been supported by others using the rate of change in serial samples of CK-MB mass. Further, we demonstrated a good correlation between elevated CK-MB mass levels and a poor prognosis, when using a fixed discrimination limit. However, an increasing number of CK-MB mass immunoassays have been developed, and a standardization of CK-MB mass is urgently needed, as at present each laboratory determines its own reference levels and discriminatory values leading to the risk of diagnostic confusion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
-
With the introduction of measurements of glycated haemoglobin in a single blood sample as an index of long-term blood glucose control, the clinically usefulness of these measurements was questioned. The aim of this study was to evaluate measurements of glycated haemoglobin as a new test for metabolic regulation in diabetes management by use of a medical technology assessment strategy. Technology assessment in medicine has been defined as "the art and science of evaluating medical practices", but the strategy has to be adjusted to the medical technology in question always including the following three stages: (a) problem definition and identification of medical technology, (b) analysis by testing the technology with consideration to its benefit and harm, its costs, and its social consequences, and (c) synthesis of the accumulated knowledge about the technology. ⋯ In patients with IDDM our studies demonstrated the limitations of traditional clinical judgement and the laboratory procedures in providing an accurate assessment of blood glucose control and that knowledge of HbA1c values allowed the clinician to identify patients in poor glycemic control and lead to improvement in glycemic control. In patients with NIDDM our study showed that measurements of HbA1c provided information that was otherwise not obtainable in the usual clinical setting in primary health care. Measurements of glycated haemoglobin were easily accepted by patients with diabetes. (ABSTRACT TRUNCA
-
The mechanism of central nervous side effects of lumbar puncture is reviewed on the basis of the literature. The most frequent adverse effect of lumbar puncture remains the postdural puncture headache; dysfunction of certain cranial nerves occurs less frequently. Laboratory studies have shown that the production rate of CSF. ⋯ There are no reports of measurement of the intracranial pressure in patients with postdural puncture headache, but there are several indications of a reduced CSF pressure that may explain postdural puncture headache and vestibulocochlear dysfunction following lumbar puncture. Recent audiometric studies suggest that hearing loss may be a sensitive indicator of CSF leakage, and larger series indicate that the needle size and the shape of the needle tip are important determinants of the incidence of central nervous side effects. Epidural blood patch may give immediate relief of postdural puncture headache and cranial nerve dysfunction after lumbar puncture, but the reason for the rapid and impressive effect of epidural blood patch has not been fully elucidated.
-
K+ channels play a key role in regulation of membrane potential and cell excitability. Several different types of K+ channels have been identified and the presence, characteristics and functions of these channels vary among different tissues. The 3 most important K+ channels in smooth muscle are the KATP (activated by a fall in intracellular ATP and a rise in nucleotide diphosphates and blocked by glibenclamide), BKCa (activated by a rise in intracellular Ca2+) and Kv (activated by depolarization). ⋯ Additional to the antagonistic action against K+ channel openers the sulfonylurea KATP blockers and phentolamine at higher concentrations relaxed airway smooth muscle by yet unknown mechanisms that seemed unrelated to KATP. 3) Cromakalim and pinacidil inhibited nerve-mediated e-NANC contractile responses in guinea-pig bronchi. Such responses are due to release of SP and related tachykinins from sensory nerve endings. These neuropeptides cause bronchoconstriction and airway inflammation and may possibly play an important role in the pathophysiology of asthma.
-
Review Comparative Study
Monitoring of neuromuscular transmission by electromyography during anaesthesia. A comparison with mechanomyography in cat and man.
In this study the applicability of the electromyographical method for monitoring neuromuscular transmission during anaesthesia has been investigated. The purpose was to determine the stability and temperature dependence of the EMG and to evaluate and compare EMG area, amplitude and duration during a non-depolarizing neuromuscular block in the tibialis anterior muscle preparation of the cat. Further, in clinical studies the purpose was to investigate differential hand muscle sensitivity to non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents based on the EMG and the standard adductor pollicis mechanomyogram, and to establish the agreement between the electromyographical and the mechanomyographical methods and their relationship to clinical parameters of residual neuromuscular block. ⋯ However, due to the range of deviations between the EMG and the mechanomyogram, EMG TOF ratios down to 0.55 or up to 0.90 in some patients were found to be compatible with adequate recovery of a mechanomyographical TOF ratio of 0.75. Differences between electromyographical and mechanomyographical TOF ratios in their relation to 5 s sustained headlift were only revealed when the TOF ratio was below 0.50-0.60. More patients were then able to perform the test if the TOF ratio was measured from the EMG.(ABSTRACT T