Use of bispectral index to monitor the depth of sedation in mechanically ventilated patients in the prehospital setting.

Background: Sedative drug administration is a challenging aspect of the management of mechanically ventilated patients in the out-of-hospital critical care medicine. We hypothesised that the bispectral index of the EEG (BIS) could be a helpful tool in evaluating the depth of sedation in this difficult environment. The main objective of the present study was to assess the agreement of BIS with the clinical scales in the out-of-hospital setting.

Neurosphere-derived neural cells show region-specific behaviour in vitro.

Neurosphere cultures provide a useful model to study neural stem/progenitor cells (NSC/NPCs). The degree to which neurospheres (NS) retain their regional identity in vitro has, however, been questioned. Here, NS obtained from mouse embryonic cortex, striatum or spinal cord were compared after differentiation.

Exogenous and fibroblast growth factor 2/epidermal growth factor-regulated endogenous cytokines regulate neural precursor cell growth and differentiation.

Neurospheres (NSs) are clonal cellular aggregates composed of neural stem cells and progenitors. A comprehensive description of their proliferation and differentiation regulation is an essential prerequisite for their use in biotherapies. Cytokines are essential molecules regulating cell precursor fate.