Posttranslational modification and heme cavity architecture of human eosinophil peroxidase-insights from first crystal structure and biochemical characterization.

Eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) is the most abundant granule protein exocytosed by eosinophils, specialized human phagocytes. Released EPO catalyzes the formation of reactive oxidants from bromide, thiocyanate, and nitrite that kill tissue-invading parasites. However, EPO also plays a deleterious role in inflammatory diseases, making it a potential pharmacological target.

Auricular acupuncture for postoperative pain after gynecological surgery: a randomized controlled trail.

Background: Acupuncture for postoperative pain remains controversial. Potential sources of bias are failures in patient-blinding and therapist-patient interactions. Our study investigates the effects of electrical auricular acupuncture (AA) on postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopy with an emphasis on patient-blinding and the exclusion of therapist-patient interactions.

Spinal versus general anesthesia for orthopedic surgery: anesthesia drug and supply costs.

Total hip or knee replacement surgeries are common orthopedic interventions that can be performed with spinal anesthesia (SA) or general anesthesia (GA). No study has investigated the economic aspects associated with the two anesthetic techniques for this common surgery. We randomized 40 patients to receive either SA or GA and analyzed the drug and supply costs for anesthesia und recovery.

Effect of newer anaesthetics on duration of stay in postanaesthesia care unit in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Newer anaesthetic agents, such as remifentanil and sevoflurane, are more expensive than conventional anaesthetics, such as isoflurane and fentanyl. However, newer anaesthetics might outweigh their higher acquisition costs by reducing length of stay in the postanaesthesia care unit and thereby reducing personnel costs. We retrospectively investigated the influence of newer anaesthetics on time to eligibility for discharge from the postanaesthesia care unit in consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Effect of non-selective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cyclo-oxygenase-2 selective inhibitors on the PFA-100 closure time.

The place of cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the peri-operative period remains under discussion. Due to the absence of COX-2 in platelets, the risk of bleeding in patients who use selective NSAIDs is thought to be decreased. We studied the influence of aspirin, diclofenac, lornoxicam and rofecoxib on the in vitro bleeding time using the platelet function analyser (PFA-100).

The influence of VIP and epoprostenol on platelet CD62P expression and primary haemostasis in vitro.

Human vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and epoprostenol (prostacyclin) have vasodilatative effects in the pulmonary circulation. Both VIP and epoprostenol are successfully used to treat pulmonary hypertension in humans and experimental animal models. The positive effects of epoprostenol on the course of this disease are achieved through vasodilatation and inhibitory effects on platelet activity.