Postoperative analgesic requirements after subarachnoid or epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine 0.75% in cesarean section. A double-blind randomized trial.

Objective: Postoperative analgesic requirements and pain scores were compared after subarachnoid versus epidural anesthesia with plain ropivacaine 0.75% for elective cesarean section.

Study Design: Ropivacaine 0.

Management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in parturients: anesthetic considerations.

Purpose: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a rare condition characterized by raised intracranial pressure (ICP) without related pathology in either the brain or the composition of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Herein, we provide a brief review of the clinical presentation of IIH and the anesthetic considerations in parturients diagnosed with the disorder.

Source: We conducted a MEDLINE® literature search for all types of articles published in English with restriction for year of publication, and we used the search terms "idiopathic intracranial hypertension", "pseudotumor cerebri", "benign intracranial hypertension", "pregnancy", "cesarean section", "labour analgesia", "epidural", and "anesthesia".

Pregnancy at term does not alter the responses to a mechanical and an electrical stimulus after skin EMLA application.

Background: Pregnancy is associated with reduced local anesthetic requirements and increased pain thresholds, possibly due to hormonal changes and activation of endogenous opioids.

Methods: We compared the responses to a mechanical and an electrical stimulus in 30 pregnant women (pregnant group) scheduled for cesarean section and 30 healthy female volunteers (control group) matched for age. Pain was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) on two different days after skin application of EMLA or placebo cream on the forearms.

CSF and plasma cytokines at delivery and postpartum mood disturbances.

Background: Immune activation has been shown to be involved in the pathophysiology of anxiety states and major depression and pregnancy is associated with a characteristic immune activation to sustain the fetus. Despite the possibility of a relation between immune parameters and postpartum mood disturbance, few studies have explored this association. Further, no study to-date has examined CSF.

The association between neutrophil numbers and interleukin-1alpha concentrations in gingival crevicular fluid of smokers and non-smokers with periodontal disease.

Objectives: To test whether neutrophil numbers are directly correlated with interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) concentrations in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of patients with periodontitis, and to investigate the effects of smoking on these parameters.

Materials And Methods: A total of 99 GCF samples from 33 patients (14 smokers) suffering from severe chronic periodontitis were collected using Durapore filter strips. Polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) numbers were counted using a Coulter cell counter and IL-1alpha levels were determined by ELISA.