Purification and characterization of S-adenosylmethionine-protein-arginine N-methyltransferase from rat liver.

A protein methylase I (S-adenosylmethionine-protein-arginine N-methyltransferase; EC 2.1.1.

Organization of acute pain services: a low-cost model.

It is being increasingly recognized that the solution to the problem of inadequate postoperative pain relief lies not so much in development of new techniques but in development of a formal organization for better use of existing techniques. Acute Pain Services (APS) are being increasingly established to provide good quality postoperative analgesia. In the United States such 24-h services usually consist of anesthesiologists, residents, specially trained nurses and pharmacists.

A clinical and laboratory study to compare the addition of 0.2 mg of morphine, 0.2 mg of epinephrine, or their combination to hyperbaric bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia in cesarean section.

The aim of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to compare the effects of adding either preservative-free morphine, 0.2 mg (n = 20), epinephrine, 0.2 mg (n = 21), or a combination of both (n = 29) to hyperbaric bupivacaine in parturients having elective cesarean sections during spinal anesthesia.

Management of terminal cancer pain in Sweden: a nationwide survey.

The aim of this nationwide survey was to evaluate the extent of pain problems, the principles of pain management and the use of newer drug delivery techniques in terminal cancer patients. 'Terminal period' was defined as an expected life span of about 2 weeks. Another aim was to evaluate the level of knowledge of physicians and nurses and to assess their educational needs regarding management of cancer pain.

Combined spinal epidural block versus spinal and epidural block for orthopaedic surgery.

In a controlled study a single segment combined spinal epidural (CSE) block was compared with spinal or epidural block for major orthopaedic surgery. Seventy-five patients, age 52-86 yr, were randomly assigned to receive one of the three blocks. Bupivacaine 0.

Improvement in i.v. regional anaesthesia by re-exsanguination before surgery.

A modification of an i.v. regional anaesthesia (IVRA) technique is described in which the arm is re-exsanguinated before surgery (re-IVRA).

Intrathecal somatostatin in the guinea pig: effects on spinal cord blood flow, histopathology and motor function.

In the present investigation, the vasoconstrictive, motor and neurodegenerative effects of intrathecal somatostatin (SST) were assessed in guinea pigs implanted with lumbar intrathecal catheters. Five consecutive dose increments of SST (5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 micrograms) to a total of 120 micrograms during the period of 16 +/- 3 min, resulted in a moderate (< 20%), gradual decrease of the spinal blood flow monitored with the laser-doppler method. A subsequent injection of clonidine (50 micrograms) or norepinephrine (10 micrograms) resulted in a more pronounced decrease of spinal blood flow (35% and 79%, respectively).

Studies on NG-methylarginine derivatives in myelin basic protein from developing and mutant mouse brain.

The amounts of NG-methylarginine derivatives in myelin basic protein (MBP) purified from dysmyelinating mutant and different stages of normal myelinating mouse brains have been studied by using h.p.l.

Behavioral and histopathologic effects following intrathecal administration of butorphanol, sufentanil, and nalbuphine in sheep.

A large number of opioids and nonopioids have been administered epidurally and intrathecally in the hope of providing segmental analgesia without serious adverse effects. However, neurotoxicity data are generally unavailable for many of these drugs. The present study evaluated the behavioral, motor, electroencephalographic, and histopathologic changes following intrathecal injection of large and small doses of butorphanol, sufentanil, and nalbuphine in sheep.

Induction of anesthesia in children following administration of methohexital into the sigmoid colon.

The authors evaluated the sigmoidal administration of methohexital, the effect of methohexital concentration (1% versus 2%), the effect of dosage (25 mg/kg versus 15 mg/kg) on sleep-success rate, administration - sleep time, recovery time and the effect of aspirating the residual methohexital on recovery time. The study demonstrated that both 1% solution and 25 mg/kg of sigmoidal methohexital were independently associated with significantly higher sleep success rate and faster onset of sleep compared with 2% and 15 mg/kg of sigmoidal methohexital solution respectively. The recovery time was significantly affected by the dose of methohexital and was not significantly affected by the concentration of methohexital solution.

The addition of 0.2 mg subarachnoid morphine to hyperbaric bupivacaine for cesarean delivery: a prospective study of 856 cases.

In an effort to determine the incidence of respiratory depression and other side effects of subarachnoid morphine, we conducted the following prospective study in a large number (856) of young female patients undergoing cesarean delivery in one hospital. During the period from July 1987 to January 1989, patients receiving subarachnoid hyperbaric bupivacaine combined with 0.2 mg preservative-free morphine were included.

Enzymic methylation of myelin basic protein in myelin.

Myelin fractions with different degrees of compaction were isolated from bovine brain, and post-translational methylation of membrane-associated proteins was studied. When the purified myelin-basic-protein-specific protein methylase I and S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-14C]methionine were added exogenously, the most compact myelin fraction exhibited higher methyl-accepting activity than the less compact dense fractions. The methylated protein was identified as myelin basic protein (18.

Intrathecal morphine 0.2 mg versus epidural bupivacaine 0.125% or their combination: effects on parturients.

To compare the efficacy and side effects of 0.2 mg intrathecal (IT) morphine with 0.125% epidural bupivacaine, 62 women in labor were studied.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for myelin basic protein-specific protein methylase I.

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed to determine myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific protein methylase I. Rabbit immunoglobulin anti-bovine MBP-specific protein methylase I, purified by Sepharose-A affinity chromatography, was utilized as the primary antibodies, while the same antibodies which had been conjugated to peroxidase were employed as the indicator antibodies. This assay method was about 280 times more sensitive than the conventional trichloracetic acid (TCA) precipitation method.

Intrathecal and epidural somatostatin in rats: can antinociception, motor effects and neurotoxicity be separated?

In the present investigation, the antinociceptive, motor blocking and neurotoxic effects of intrathecal and epidural somatostatin (SST) were assessed in rats implanted with lumbar intrathecal and epidural catheters. The doses studied were 5, 7.5, 10, 12.

Influence of perioperative nalbuphine and fentanyl on postoperative respiration and analgesia.

In a double-blind study the relative postoperative respiratory and analgesic effects of perioperatively administered nalbuphine and fentanyl were compared in 60 females undergoing gynecological surgery under i.v. anesthesia.

The effects of oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate premedication on preoperative behavioral responses and gastric volume and acidity in children.

The authors compared the safety, efficacy, and effects on gastric volume and pH of oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) premedication and of placebo lollipop and no premedication in 55 children undergoing elective operations. The patients were randomly assigned to receive no premedication (group A, N = 18); OTFC containing 15-20 micrograms/kg of fentanyl citrate (group B, N = 18); or a placebo lollipop (group C, N = 19). Activity (sedation) and anxiety scores, vital signs (including systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressures, heart and respiratory rates), and pulse oximetry determined oxygen saturation were measured before and at 10-min intervals after premedication until the patients were taken to the operating room.

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate dependent CO2 fixation in the halophilic archaebacterium, Halobacterium mediterranei.

The cell extract of Halobacterium mediterranei catalyses incorporation of 14CO2 into 3-phosphoglycerate in the presence of ribulose bisphosphate suggesting the existence of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity in this halophilic archaebacterium.

Clinical experience of long-term treatment with epidural and intrathecal opioids--a nationwide survey.

Long-term use of spinal opioids to treat chronic severe pain is widely established. However, the indications, shortcomings and complications of the method have not been completely described. Experience with spinal opioids was analysed for the period 1979-1984 in a nationwide Swedish survey.

Combined intrathecal morphine and bupivacaine for cesarean section.

The effects of adding 0.2 mg preservative-free morphine sulfate in 0.2 ml solution to hyperbaric spinal bupivacaine were evaluated in a double-blind randomized prospective study of 34 patients undergoing elective repeat cesarean section.