Case Report: Daratumumab in a Patient With Severe Refractory Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis.

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is the most common type of antibody mediated autoimmune encephalitis (AIE). Patients often develop neuropsychiatric symptoms and seizures, women are affected about four times more than men, and in about 50% the disease is associated with a neoplasia, especially teratomas of the ovary. We describe the case of a 20-year-old woman suffering from a severe therapy refractory course of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

Expectations, training and evaluation of intensive care staff to an interprofessional simulation course in Germany - Development of a relevant training concept.

Increasingly, intensive care units (ICU) are operated by teams of physicians and nurses with specialist training in anaesthesia and intensive care. The aims of our study were to evaluate any prior experience, expectations and the requisites for interprofessional ICU simulation-based training (SBT), and to evaluate a newly designed training course incorporating these findings. The study was laid out as a cross-sectional study and is projected in three steps.

Anesthesia management of patients undergoing hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion with melphalan for melanoma treatment: an analysis of 17 cases.

Background: Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) is used for patients with intractable or extensive in-transit metastatic melanoma of the limb to deliver high concentrations of cytotoxic agents to the affected limb and offers a treatment option in a disease stage with a poor prognosis when no treatment is given.

Methods: In a retrospective chart review of 17 cases, we studied the anesthetic and hemodynamic changes during HILP and its management.

Results: HILP was well tolerated except in one case that is described herein.

Possible augmentation of neuromuscular blockade by propofol during recovery from rocuronium.

Propofol is a widely used drug in anesthesia practice, and its pharmacological characteristics are well known. However, propofol is not known for neuromuscular effects. As part of clinical neuromuscular monitoring, the neuromuscular responses to train-of-four (TOF) stimulation were monitored and recorded.

Adrenoceptor stimulation does not affect ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in vitro.

Background: Endothelial adhesion molecules ICAM-1 (CD54) and VCAM-1 (CD106) mediate cellular adhesion and transcellular migration. Cell adhesion and diapedesis have a key role in the course of shock and sepsis. During severe sepsis, adrenoceptor agonist levels may be increased due to endogenous production or due to intensive care treatment.

Prevention of central venous catheter related infections with chlorhexidine gluconate impregnated wound dressings: a randomized controlled trial.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of chlorhexidine-impregnated sponges for reducing catheter-related infections of central venous catheters inserted for cancer chemotherapy. The method used was a randomized, prospective, open, controlled clinical study (three-step group sequential analysis protocol). The patients were from two high dependency units at a university hospital undergoing chemotherapy for haematological or oncological malignancies requiring central venous catheters (CVCs) expected to remain in place for at least 5 days.

Lack of influence of omega-3 fatty acid-enriched lipids on apoptosis and secondary necrosis of cultured human lymphocytes.

Objective: The anti-inflammatory properties of parenteral nutrition might be improved by enrichment with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are responsible for the enhanced release of metabolites derived from eicosapentaenoic acid. Under physiologic conditions, lymphocyte populations are regulated by cellular mechanisms such as apoptosis. In contrast to cell death by necrosis, apoptosis does not induce an inflammatory response that might injure the host.