Simultaneous on-line monitoring of propofol and sevoflurane in balanced anesthesia by direct resistive heating gas chromatography.

In balanced anesthesia, sevoflurane and propofol are often used in combination to achieve a better anesthetic effect. However, methods for on-line monitoring of concentrations of the two anesthetics in patients are still rare in clinical. This study proposed a non-invasive method utilizing a fast gas chromatograph combined with a surface acoustic wave sensor (Fast GC-SAW) to simultaneously on-line monitor sevoflurane and propofol in patients' exhaled gas.

Soft catheters reduce the risk of intravascular cannulation during epidural block--a retrospective analysis of 1,117 cases in a medical center.

A wet or bloody tap is an inevitable complication while performing epidural block. The influence of different catheters on the incidence of intravascular cannulation during epidural catheterization has not been reported. We observed an initial, relatively different incidence of intravascular cannulation during the placement of different sorts of epidural catheter; hence, a retrospective review was conducted to explore the possible association.

[Homer protein expression after focal brain contusion in rats].

Objective: To investigate Homer protein expression after focal brain contusion and explore the relationship between expression and injury time.

Methods: Focal brain contusion in rats was established and Homer protein expression in brain at different injury intervals after contusion was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.

Results: A small amount of Homer positive expression cells were detected in control group, sham operated group and experimental group (0.

Equal volumes of undiluted nalbuphine and lidocaine and normal diluted saline prevents nalbuphine-induced injection pain.

Objectives: To determine if the intravenous co-administration of equal volumes of lidocaine and nalbuphine, with undiluted normal saline, prevents injection pain caused by nalbuphine.

Methods: Eighty adult patients who were scheduled for minor surgeries under general anesthesia delivered via a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, single-blind clinical trial. In the saline group (control) (n = 40), 1 mL (10 mg) nalbuphine was diluted with 9 mL normal saline.

Intrathecal lidocaine pretreatment attenuates immediate neuropathic pain by modulating Nav1.3 expression and decreasing spinal microglial activation.

Background: Intrathecal lidocaine reverses tactile allodynia after nerve injury, but whether neuropathic pain is attenuated by intrathecal lidocaine pretreatment is uncertain.

Methods: Sixty six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three treatment groups: (1) sham (Group S), which underwent removal of the L6 transverse process; (2) ligated (Group L), which underwent left L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL); and (3) pretreated (Group P), which underwent L5 SNL and was pretreated with intrathecal 2% lidocaine (50 μl). Neuropathic pain was assessed based on behavioral responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli.

Electromyographic endotracheal tube placement during thyroid surgery in neuromonitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) is widely used in thyroid surgery. This study aimed to investigate the influence of neck extension on electromyographic (EMG) endotracheal tube displacement and to determine the necessity of routinely checking the final electrode position after the patient had been fully positioned. A consecutive 220 patients undergoing thyroidectomy were enrolled.

A comparative study between 1 and 2 effective doses of rocuronium for intraoperative neuromonitoring during thyroid surgery.

Background: The goal of this study was to explore an ideal application of rocuronium to enable adequate muscle relaxation for intubation without significantly affecting the evoked potentials measured by intraoperative neuromonitoring during thyroid surgery.

Methods: A total of 80 patients were randomized to receive 1 (group 1, n = 40) or 2 (group 2, n = 40) effective doses (ED(95)) of rocuronium to facilitate electromyographic (EMG) endotracheal tube insertion. Evoked potentials were obtained every 5 minutes by stimulating the vagus nerve between the time period of 30 and 70 minutes after administration of rocuronium.

Application of a double-lumen tube for one-lung ventilation in patients with anticipated difficult airway.

One-lung ventilation (OLV) is essential in some surgical situations. The use of double- lumen tubes (DLTs) can achieve OLV more quickly and more easily than bronchial blockers. The management of a difficult airway is a challenge for anesthesiologists when, at the same time, OLV is needed for a surgical procedure.

Intravenous thiamylal and local anesthetic infiltration for pediatric facial repair procedures performed in emergency departments.

Thiamylal is widely used for procedural sedation in emergency departments (ED); however, there are limited safety data for doses of thiamylal > 5 mg/kg in children. We investigated whether intravenous thiamylal in combination with local anesthetics is safe and effective for pediatric procedural sedation in the ED and to identify the association between increasing doses thiamylal and adverse events. Between July 2004 and June 2008, 227 children who underwent procedural sedation met the inclusion criteria, including 105 males (46.

The effectiveness of dexmedetomidine infusion for sedating oral cancer patients undergoing awake fibreoptic nasal intubation.

Background And Objective: Dexmedetomidine is characterized with effects of sedation, analgesia, amnesia and lack of respiratory depression. Hence, it should be suitable for awake fibreoptic intubation (AFOI).

Methods: We enrolled 30 oral cancer patients with limited mouth openings who were undergoing AFOI for elective surgery.

[Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 after brain contusion in rats].

Objective: To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 after brain contusion and its applicability for estimating the age of brain contusion.

Methods: Rats had been divided into three groups: control group, sham operation group and brain contusion group. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 at different time was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.

Observation of time correlation function of multimode two-photon pairs on a rubidium D2 line.

We report on the generation of a type-I multimode two-photon state on a rubidium D(2) line (780 nm) using periodically poled KTiOPO(4) crystals. With a degenerate optical parametric oscillator far below threshold, we observe an oscillatory correlation function; the cross correlation between two photons shows a cavity bandwidth of about 7.8 MHz.

Optimizing proliferation and characterization of multipotent stem cells from porcine adipose tissue.

Porcine mesenchymal stem cells have been isolated previously from bone marrow but not from adipose tissue. In the present study a new cell-culture method, using a low-calcium medium supplemented with N-acetyl-L-cysteine and L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (the PM2 medium) was developed to grow pASCs (porcine adipose-tissue-derived stem cells). The pASCs developed using the new medium showed a high growth rate and a high proliferation potential, as measured by a cumulative population doubling level (55) that was significantly higher than those reported for ASCs in the literature.

Lateral rotation of the lower extremity increases the distance between the femoral nerve and femoral artery: an ultrasonographic study.

Femoral nerve block (FNB) is by far the most useful lower extremity regional anesthetic technique for the anesthesiologist, and high-resolution ultrasonography is a useful tool with which to guide the performance of FNB. However, the relationships between the femoral nerve and the femoral artery in different lower extremity positions have rarely been discussed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative positions of the femoral nerve and artery at different lateral rotational angles of the lower extremities using ultrasonographic imaging.

Ultrasonographic examination to search out the optimal upper arm position for coracoid approach to infraclavicular brachial plexus block--a volunteer study.

Background: Infraclavicular brachial plexus block has been widely used for surgical procedures below the mid humerus owing to its excellent anesthetic quality and ease of practice. However, what is the optimal upper arm position for carrying out the procedure still lacks consensus of opinion. The primary goal of this study was to determine the optimal upper arm position for coracoid infraclavicular block by ultrasonographic examination.

Spinal process landmark as a predicting factor for difficult epidural block: a prospective study in Taiwanese patients.

Although epidural anesthesia is a common practice in neuraxial blockade, difficult access to the epidural space is a frequent problem in operating theaters. We designed this study of epidural blocks to determine if the spinal landmark grading system is valuable in predicting a difficult epidural block. Before the epidural block, we collected the following data: demographics, body habitus (normal, thin, obese, pregnant), spinal anatomy (normal, deformed), spinal level (lumbar, thoracic), and spinal landmark grade (grade 1: spinous processes visible; grade 2: spinous processes not seen but easily palpated; grade 3: spinous processes not seen and not palpated but the interval between them is palpated as a low landmark under the thumb; grade 4: other).