Hemodynamic effects of lidocaine in the thoracic paravertebral space during one-lung ventilation for thoracic surgery.

Objective: There is increasing interest in the use of the thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) in association with general anesthesia for lung-resection surgery. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hemodynamic effects of a 5-mg/kg lidocaine bolus injected in the thoracic paravertebral space during one-lung ventilation (OLV) in noncardiac patients undergoing thoracic surgery.

Design: Prospective, observational study.

Presence of methylated arginine derivatives in orthotopic human liver transplantation: relevance for liver function.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a frequent option in the treatment of liver diseases. During the cold ischemia period of the donor liver, there is an accumulation of metabolites that are potent inhibitors of the cytokine-inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthase isoenzymes. We identified the presence of L-N-monomethylarginine and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) as the main inhibitors by means of analytic high-pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques.

Importance of creatine kinase activity for functional recovery of myocardium after ischemia-reperfusion challenge.

To define the relation between the phosphoryl transfer via creatine kinase and the ability to recover from an ischemia-reperfusion challenge, the authors chemically inhibited creatine kinase activity with iodoacetamide (IAm) and then measured myocardial recovery after 2, 10, or 30 min of global ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion in the isolated, arterially perfused interventricular septa of the rabbit heart. During normoxia, IAm (0.5 M perfused for 15 min) did not by itself modify developed tension, maximal rate of tension development, or resting tension.