A rapid and simple chemiluminescence method for screening levels of inosine and hypoxanthine in non-traumatic chest pain patients.

A rapid and simple chemiluminescence method was developed for detection of inosine and hypoxanthine in human plasma. The method utilized a microplate luminometer with direct injectors to automatically dispense reagents during sample analysis. Enzymatic conversions of inosine to hypoxanthine, followed by hypoxanthine to xanthine to uric acid, generated superoxide anion radicals as a useful metabolic by-product.

Effects of salicylic acid on post-ischaemic ventricular function and purine efflux in isolated mouse hearts.

Acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. Various plasma concentrations of aspirin and its predominant metabolite, salicylic acid, are required for its antiarthritic (1.5-2.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of inosine, a potential biomarker for initial cardiac ischaemia, using isolated mouse hearts.

Each year in the USA approximately 7-8 million patients with non-traumatic chest pain come to hospital emergency rooms. It is estimated that approximately 2-5% of these patients are experiencing cardiac ischaemia, but due to the shortcomings of the available testing methods they are incorrectly diagnosed and discharged without appropriate therapy having been provided. Preliminary data with a globally ischaemic mouse heart model has demonstrated that endogenous inosine might be a potential biomarker of initial cardiac ischaemia before cardiac tissue necrosis.

Remote anesthetic monitoring using satellite telecommunications and the Internet.

Remote collaboration for anesthesia requires considerable sharing of physiologic data, audio, and images on a consistent data platform. A low-bandwidth connection between Ecuador and the United States supported effective joint management of operative plan, airway, intraoperative decisions, and recovery. Transmission with a 64-Kbps InMarSat satellite telephone (Thrane & Thrane, Denmark) connection from hospitals in Macas and Sucúa, Ecuador, to Richmond, Virginia, included preoperative patient evaluations, video of endotracheal intubations, electrocardiogram waveforms, pulse oximetry measurements, arterial blood pressure readings, capnography readings, and auscultation of breath sounds.

Neuromuscular blockade in the intensive care unit.

Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) are frequently utilized in the ICU, primarily to facilitate mechanical ventilation. An ideal NMBA is nondepolarizing, has no propensity to accumulate, is easily titrated, has a rapid onset and offset, does not rely on organ function for metabolism, and has no toxic or active metabolites. Current NMBAs are classified as aminosteroids or benzylisoquinoliniums and have different features, but none are ideal.

Case report of remote anesthetic monitoring using telemedicine.

Unlabelled: We report a case supporting the use of telecommunications technology from a remote location to monitor anesthetic events. Vital signs, data, and video were transmitted from surgery conducted in the remote Amazonian rainforests of Ecuador to Richmond, VA. This application of telemedicine technologies makes available expert advice from remote locations during surgical procedures.

Simple method for simultaneous determination of halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane in Krebs solution using capillary gas chromatography.

A simple gas chromatography (GC) method for the simultaneous determination of halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane in Krebs buffer solution has been developed. The method utilizes methylene chloride as the internal standard and liquid-liquid extraction using chloroform as the solvent. The method demonstrated excellent recovery (100%) of each component and a linear calibration range of 100-700, 100-800, and 300-1,400 micrograms/mL for halothane, isoflurane, and enflurane, respectively.

The effects of amrinone and calcium chloride on pulmonary vasculature and biventricular function in ethchlorvynol-induced lung injury in sheep.

The effects of amrinone and CaCl2 on pulmonary vasculature and biventricular function in sheep with acute lung injury (ALI) were studied. Seven sheep were ventilated with a tidal volume of 10-12 ml.kg-1 with end-tidal CO2 of 40 +/- 5 mmHg (5.

Right ventricular function and high-frequency positive-pressure ventilation during coronary artery bypass grafting.

The hemodynamic and respiratory consequences of two modes of ventilation, conventional intermittent positive-pressure ventilation with a frequency of 10 cycles/min and high-frequency positive-pressure ventilation at 70 cycles/min were investigated before and after cardiopulmonary bypass in 6 patients having coronary artery bypass grafting. All patients were adequately ventilated with each mode. During prebypass and postbypass periods, the group with high-frequency ventilation had significantly lower peak airway pressures (p = 0.

The dexamethasone suppression test. An indicator of depression in stroke but not a predictor of rehabilitation outcome.

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) result was found to be abnormal in 49% of patients who were an average of seven weeks post stroke. The DST response correlated with depressive symptoms as measured by both the Zung and modified Hamilton Depression scales. The specificity of the DST for clinically diagnosed depression reached 87% for the 8 AM cortisol determination, with a corresponding sensitivity of 47%.