Emotional electrodermal response in coma and other low-responsive patients.

Emotional processing in coma remains an open question. Skin conductance responses to emotional and neutral auditory stimuli were recorded in 13 low-responsive patients (12 of whom were in coma). A differential response between emotional and neutral stimuli was found, which significantly correlated with the Glasgow Coma Scale and the Cook and Palma score.

Cortical information processing in coma.

Objectives: To evaluate cortical information processing (particularly, semantic processing) in acute nontraumatic coma by means of event-related brain potentials (ERPs).

Methods: The tests included measures of obligatory auditory processing (N100), automatic (Mismatch Negativity) and controlled (P300) detection of stimulus deviance, and semantic processing (ERP effects in word pairs and sentences). The tests were presented to 20 healthy participants and 42 coma patients with Glasgow Coma Scale <9.

Influence of drotrecogin alpha (activated) infusion on the variation of Bax/Bcl-2 and Bax/Bcl-xl ratios in circulating mononuclear cells: a cohort study in septic shock patients.

Objective: Drotrecogin alpha (activated) (DAA), or recombinant human activated protein C, is a new treatment in sepsis-induced multiple organ failure, leading to significant reduction in the mortality rate, thanks to its anticoagulant properties. It has been suggested that DAA has anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects in sepsis animal models. This study investigates the potential actions of DAA on circulating mononuclear cells apoptosis in human septic shock.