Acute kidney injury after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: is chloride really responsible?

Sadan et al. find an association between acute kidney injury and high chloride containing a hypertonic solution. Recent large prospective non-randomized studies bring conflicting results on the relationship between chloride and acute kidney injury.

Alteration of muscle membrane excitability in sepsis: possible involvement of ciliary nervous trophic factor (CNTF).

One of the main factor involved neuromyopathy acquired in intensive care unit (ICU) appears to be sepsis. It induces the release of many pro- and anti-inflammatory factors which can directly modulate the muscle excitability. We have studied the effects of one of them: the ciliary nervous trophic factor (CNTF) which is a cytokine released in the early phase of sepsis.

The accuracy of noninvasive hemoglobin measurement by multiwavelength pulse oximetry after cardiac surgery.

Background: In March 2008, a new multiwavelength pulse oximeter, the Radical 7 (Rad7; Masimo Corp., Irvine, CA), was developed that offers noninvasive measurement of hemoglobin concentration. Accuracy has been established in healthy adults and some surgical patients, but not in cardiac surgery intensive care patients, a group at high risk of postoperative bleeding events and anemia in whom early diagnosis could improve management.

Tumor necrosis factor-α downregulates sodium current in skeletal muscle by protein kinase C activation: involvement in critical illness polyneuromyopathy.

Sepsis is involved in the decrease of membrane excitability of skeletal muscle, leading to polyneuromyopathy. This effect is mediated by alterations of the properties of voltage-gated sodium channels (Na(V)), but the exact mechanism is still unknown. The aim of the present study was to check whether tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), a cytokine released during sepsis, exerts a rapid effect on Na(V).

TNFα increases resting potential in isolated fibres from rat peroneus longus by a PKC mediated mechanism: involvement in ICU acquired polyneuromyopathy.

Background And Aims: Our aim was to investigate the effect of TNFα on muscle resting potential (RP) and then in muscle excitability and to demonstrate another mechanism implicated in intensive care units (ICU) acquired polyneuromyopathy.

Methods: Experiments were carried out on adult female Wistar rats. After isolation of muscle fibres from peroneus longus, influence of TNFα was tested on RP by using intracellular microelectrodes.

Na v1.4 and Na v1.5 are modulated differently during muscle immobilization and contractile phenotype conversion.

Muscle immobilization leads to modification in its fast/slow contractile phenotype. Since the properties of voltage-gated sodium channels (Na(v)) are different between "fast" and "slow" muscles, we studied the effects of immobilization on the contractile properties and the Na(v) of rat peroneus longus (PL). The distal tendon of PL was cut and fixed to the adjacent bone at neutral muscle length.

The reproducibility of Stewart parameters for acid-base diagnosis using two central laboratory analyzers.

Background: Acid-base derangements can be interpreted using the Stewart-Fencl approach, which includes calculation of the apparent strong ion difference (SID(app)), the effective SID (SID(eff)), and the strong ion gap (SIG). These calculations require the measurement of several variables. We hypothesized that the SID and SIG calculated by different analyzers would not be reproducible because of variability in the measured values.

Management of cardiac arrest caused by coronary artery spasm: epinephrine/adrenaline versus nitrates.

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines imply the use of epinephrine/adrenaline during cardiopulmonary arrest. However, in cardiac arrest situations resulting from coronary artery spasm (CAS), the use of epinephrine/adrenaline could be deleterious.

Methods And Results: A 49-year-old patient underwent an emergency coronarography with an attempt to stent the coronary arteries.

Acute renal dysfunction after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with plasmatic IL6 increase.

Background: Acute renal dysfunction (ARD) is common after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). CPB results in a sudden systemic inflammatory response. Systemic and local pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis has been linked with sub-clinical renal injury, especially tubular lesions.