Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology
-
1. Phantom limb pain and sensations are common in amputees. ⋯ Theories of phantoms are presented, including peripheral, central and supraspinal theories, with particular attention given to Melzack's neuromatrix. 3. Evidence of cortical reorganization following amputation is given and the extent to which cortical reorganization contributes to phantom limb pain is discussed.
-
Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · Jan 2005
Effects of post-treatment with low-dose propofol on inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide-induced shock in conscious rats.
1. In the present study, we used a low dose of propofol (5 mg/kg per h) to investigate its effects on the pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-10) and changes in nitric oxide (NO) following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for a period of 12 h in conscious rats. 2. Experiments were designed to induce endotoxin shock by intravenous injection of Klebsiella pneumoniae LPS (10 mg/kg) in conscious rats. ⋯ Lipopolysaccharide also caused a decrease in the white blood cell count and haematocrit. 5. Post-treatment with propofol slightly, but not significantly, affected the LPS-induced systemic hypotension, tachycardia, leukocytopenia and anaemia. 6. These findings suggest that low-dose propofol may be beneficial to the inflammatory change in sepsis.