Pulmonary aspiration continues to be a major cause of anesthesia-related mortality. Anesthesiologists are encouraged to perform bronchoscopy to manage aspiration of particulate matter; however, they have limited training and experience in clearing luminal obstructions endoscopically. In our report, an adult with achalasia aspirated during induction for a per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), resulting in desaturation and high airway pressures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing evidence has demonstrated that regulatory RNA elements such as riboswitches (RS) play a pivotal role in the fine-tuning of bacterial gene expression. In this study, we investigated and characterized a novel transcriptional thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) RS in the obligate human pathogen MC58 (serogroup B). This RS is located in the 5´ untranslated region upstream of gene, encoding a protein involved in TPP biosynthesis, an essential cofactor for all living beings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Electrical stimulation is increasingly relevant in a variety of medical treatments. In this study, surface electrical stimulation was evaluated as a method to non-invasively target a neural function, specifically natural sensation in the distal limbs.
Method: Electrodes were placed over the median and ulnar nerves at the elbow and the common peroneal and lateral sural cutaneous nerves at the knee.
Background: We still have limited knowledge about the underlying genetic mechanisms that enable migrating species of birds to navigate the globe. Here we make an attempt to get insight into the genetic architecture controlling this complex innate behaviour. We contrast the gene expression profiles of two closely related songbird subspecies with divergent migratory phenotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurface electrical stimulation (SES) is being investigated as a noninvasive method to evoke natural sensations distal to electrode location. This may improve treatment for phantom limb pain as well as provide an alternative method to deliver sensory feedback. The median and/or ulnar nerves of 35 subjects were stimulated at the elbow using surface electrodes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Animal migration requires adaptations in morphological, physiological and behavioural traits. Several of these traits have been shown to possess a strong heritable component in birds, but little is known about their genetic architecture. Here we used 454 sequencing of brain-derived transcriptomes from two differentially migrating subspecies of the willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus to detect genes potentially underlying traits associated with migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF