Antitubercular constituents from Premna odorata Blanco.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Premna odorata Blanco (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Albay Province, in southeastern Luzon, Philippines to treat tuberculosis. This study aimed to determine the antitubercular property of the crude extract and sub-extracts of the leaves, and to isolate the bioactive principles from the active fractions.

Materials And Methods: Through extraction, solvent polarity-based fractionation and silica gel chromatography purification of the DCM sub-extract, compound mixtures from the bioactive fractions were isolated and screened for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using the colorimetric Microplate Alamar Blue assay (MABA).

Visible light photoredox catalysis: generation and addition of N-aryltetrahydroisoquinoline-derived α-amino radicals to Michael acceptors.

The photoredox-catalyzed coupling of N-aryltetrahydroisoquinoline and Michael acceptors was achieved using Ru(bpy)(3)Cl(2) or [Ir(ppy)(2)(dtb-bpy)]PF(6) in combination with irradiation at 455 nm generated by a blue LED, demonstrating the trapping of visible light generated α-amino radicals. While intermolecular reactions lead to products formed by a conjugate addition, in intramolecular variants further dehydrogenation occurs, leading directly to 5,6-dihydroindolo[2,1-a]tetrahydroisoquinolines, which are relevant as potential immunosuppressive agents.

Computer-assisted image-guided surgery using the Regulus Navigator.

The term "frameless image-guided surgery" has become as well-known to surgeons as computerized tomography or operating room microscope over the past several years. The technologies behind this new surgery option include robotic arms, infra-red camera arrays (1D and 2D), ultrasound, robotic microscopes and magnetic field digitizers. The authors have shown the magnetic field technology incorporated in the Regulus Navigator to be a viable, accurate surgeon's tool by first integrating a conventional framed device and magnetic field frameless device, then advancing to the frameless device alone.

A retrospective analysis of long-term use of nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents in the intensive care unit, and guidelines for drug selection.

Nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents (NNMBAs) are frequently administered to patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a retrospective study of patients in intensive care who received infusions (> 48 hrs) of commonly used NNMBAs. The goals were to describe NNMBA use in our ICUs, determine patient characteristics, and assess the cost of the individual drugs.

Response to pancuronium after loss of atracurium-induced neuromuscular blockade.

Objective: To describe a previously unreported event in which a patient became refractory to atracurium-induced neuromuscular blockade, but subsequently was adequately paralyzed with a standard dosage of pancuronium.

Case Summary: A previously healthy 17-year-old woman who sustained multiple trauma developed tolerance to an atracurium infusion she was receiving while undergoing mechanical ventilation. On day 3 of neuromuscular blockade, she became unresponsive to atracurium as evidenced by excessive physical movement, increased peak airway pressures, and overbreathing assist control ventilation.