Evaluation of general anesthesia protocols for a highly controlled cardiac ischemia-reperfusion model in mice.

Background: The aim of our study was to test different anesthetic mixtures in order to identify the most suitable one for a surgical cardiac ischemia-reperfusion model in mice.

Methods: 1) Sixty four mice were submitted to one of the 6 combinations of ketamine or alfaxalone associated to xylazine, medetomidine or midazolam. Depth and quality of anesthesia were evaluated via 5 reflex scores.

Subtotal hepatectomy in swine for studying small-for-size syndrome and portal inflow modulation: is it reliable?

Background: Small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) is a feared complication of extended liver resection and partial liver transplantation. Swine models of extended hepatectomy have been developed for studying SFSS and its different treatment options. Although portal inflow modulation (PIM) by splenectomy or splenic artery ligation (SAL) has been proposed in humans to prevent SFSS, such procedures have not yet been evaluated in swine.

Influence of dimethylsulfoxide on RNA structure and ligand binding.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used as a cosolvent to solubilize hydrophobic compounds in RNA-ligand binding assays. Although it is known that high concentrations of DMSO (>75%) can significantly affect RNA structure and folding energetics, a thorough analysis of how lower concentrations (<10%) of DMSO typically used in binding assays affects RNA structure and ligand binding has not been undertaken. Here, we use NMR and 2-aminopurine fluorescence spectroscopy to examine how DMSO affects the structure, dynamics, and ligand binding properties of two flexible hairpin RNAs: the transactivation response element from HIV-1 and bacterial ribosomal A-site.