No abstract available.
Adult* ; Epiglottitis* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Facial Nerve* ; Paralysis*

BACKGROUND: Antihypertensive agents such as verapamil and esmolol are well known for their effects of hemodynamic stabilization on tracheal intubation. However, our previous study, Verapamil and esmolol did not attenuate heart rate and blood pressure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined administration of these drugs for controlling hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation. METHODS: Forty-eight patients, ASA physical status I or II, were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 12 each):normal saline (control), verapamil 0.1 mg/kg, esmolol 1 mg/kg, and verapamil 0.05 mg/kg mixed with esmolol 0.5 mg/kg. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental 5 mg/kg intravenously, and then saline, verapamil, esmolol or the mixed drugs were administered as an intravenous bolus, and immediately followed by succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg. Tracheal intubation was performed 90 s after intravenous injection of experimental drugs. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured before induction and every minute for 5 minutes after tracheal intubation. RESULTS: There was a significant attenuation in systolic blood pressure after tracheal intubation in the verapamil and mixed groups compared to the control and esmolol groups. Heart rates were significantly lower in the esmolol and mixed groups than in the verapamil groups after tracheal intubation. CONCLUSIONS: Combined administration of Verapamil 0.05 mg/kg with esmolol 0.5 mg/kg attenuated increases in blood pressure and heart rate after tracheal intubation.
Anesthesia ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure* ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Intubation* ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental ; Verapamil*

BACKGROUND: In the present study, we examined the effect of morphine on NO- and peroxynitrite-induced cell death using a human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line which abundantly expresses micro, delta and K-opioid receptors. METHODS: The cultured cells were pretreated with morphine (100 micrometer) and exposed to 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1, 1mM). Agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA was done with the extracts from SH-SY5Y cells. The cells were treated with selective ligands for opioid receptor subtypes and with PI3-kinase inhibitors. Cell damage was assessed by using an MTT assay. Spectrophotometric absorption spectra were measured from the mixture of morphine (100 micrometer) plus peroxynitrite (1 mM) at room temperature. RESULTS: SIN-1 treated cells showed the occurrence of a specific form of chromosomal DNA fragmentation which pretreatment with morphine inhibited. The selective ligands for opioid receptor subtypes, [D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly-ol5]enkephalin (DAMGO, micro-opioid receptor agonist), [D-Pen2,5] enkephalin (DPDPE, delta-opioid receptor agonist) and U-69593 (K-opioid receptor agonist) at a concentration of 10 micrometer did not prevent the cell death induced by SIN-1. Naloxone (20 micrometer) hardly antagonized the effect of morphine in SIN-1-induced cell death. The PI3-kinase inhibitors Wortmannin and LY294002 did not inhibit the action of morphine on apoptotic cell death. In the measurements of spectrophotometric absorption spectra, the peak of the absorbance of the mixture of morphine plus peroxynitrite at 295 300 nm disappeared three minutes after mixing. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that morphine protected the human neuroblastoma cell line,SH-SY5Y, from peroxynitrite-induced apoptotic cell death. However, it is suggested that the protective action of morphine is not via the activation of opioid receptors and/or the PI3-kinase pathway but possibly via direct chemical reaction.
Absorption ; Cell Death ; Cell Line ; Cells, Cultured ; DNA ; DNA Fragmentation ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Enkephalins ; Humans* ; Ligands ; Morphine* ; Naloxone ; Neuroblastoma* ; Peroxynitrous Acid ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Receptors, Opioid

In the study we assessed the distortion of 7.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) images in reference to 1.5 T MR images in the radiosurgery of metastatic brain tumors. Radiosurgery with Gamma Knife Perfexion(R) was performed for the treatment of a 54-yr-old female patient with multiple brain metastases by the co-registered images of the 7.0 T and 1.5 T magnetic resonance images (MRI). There was no significant discrepancy in the positions of anterior and posterior commissures as well as the locations of four metastatic brain tumors in the co-registered images between 7.0 T and 1.5 T MRI with better visualization of the anatomical details in 7.0 T MR images. This study demonstrates for the first time that 7.0 T MR images can be safely utilized in Perfexion(R) Gamma Knife radiosurgery for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors. Furthermore 7.0 T MR images provide better visualization of brain tumors without image distortion in comparison to 1.5 T MR images.
Adenocarcinoma/pathology/radiography ; Brain Neoplasms/pathology/secondary/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology/radiography ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; *Radiosurgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The objective of this study was to evaluate the duration of retained placenta (RP) on postpartum diseases and culling in dairy cows. Data were collected from 456 Holstein cows between 2008 and 2010. RP (> or = 24 h after parturition) and postpartum diseases were diagnosed by farm managers and a veterinarian according to standardized definitions. The overall incidence rate of RP was 14.0%, and the incidence rate of RP with fourth and higher parity was two times that of cows having offspring for the first time. The duration of RP was 2 to 15 days with a mean of 6.8 days, except for cases of fourth and higher parity which had a mean of 10.5 days. A total of 63% of cows with RP had postpartum diseases. Among the cows diagnosed with RP, 23.4% developed metritis, and of those, 35.3% developed endometritis or pyometra. A total of 25% (n = 16) cows with RP were culled within 60 days in milk (DIM) and of those culled, 75% (n = 12) had postpartum diseases. These results suggest that RP increases the risk of postpartum diseases such as metritis and mastitis and is a culling hazard up to 60 DIM.
Endometritis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mastitis ; Milk ; Parity ; Placenta, Retained ; Postpartum Period ; Pyometra ; Veterinarians

A lung hernia, defined as the protrusion of pulmonary tissue and pleural membranes through a defect in the thoracic wall, is a rare event. It can be congenital or acquired, and cervical, thoracic, or diaphragmatic in location. We report the rare occurrence of a congenital atraumatic lung herniation through the azygoesophageal recess. An 8 -month-old male infant, who was born at 3 5 weeks gestation, had a chronic cough. Chest radiography showed haziness at the right lower lobe of the lung (RLL). Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed herniation of the RLL through the azygoesophageal recess. If persistent unilateral haziness is observed on chest radiography, the possibility of lung herniation should be considered.
Child ; Cough ; Hernia ; Humans ; Infant ; Lung ; Male ; Membranes ; Pregnancy ; Thoracic Wall ; Thorax

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The modified early warning score (MEWS) is used to predict patient intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality. Lactate (LA) in the blood lactate (BLA) is measured to evaluate disease severity and treatment efficacy in patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. The usefulness of a combination of MEWS and BLA to predict ICU transfer in severe sepsis/septic shock patients is unclear. We evaluated whether use of a combination of MEWS and BLA enhances prediction of ICU transfer and mortality in hospitalized patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. METHODS: Patients with severe sepsis/septic shock who were screened or contacted by a medical emergency team between January 2012 and August 2012 were enrolled at a university-affiliated hospital with ~2,700 beds, including 28 medical ICU beds. RESULTS: One hundred patients were enrolled and the rate of ICU admittance was 38%. MEWS (7.37 vs. 4.85) and BLA concentration (5 mmol/L vs. 2.19 mmol/L) were significantly higher in patients transferred to ICU than those in patients treated in general wards. The combination of MEWS and BLA was more accurate than MEWS alone in terms of ICU transfer (C-statistics: 0.898 vs. 0.816, p = 0.019). The 28-day mortality rate was 19%. MEWS was the only factor significantly associated with 28-day mortality rate (odds ratio, 1.462; 95% confidence interval, 1.122 to 1.905; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of MEWS and BLA may enhance prediction of ICU transfer in patients with severe sepsis/septic shock.
Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers/blood ; *Decision Support Techniques ; Female ; Health Status ; *Health Status Indicators ; Hospital Bed Capacity ; Hospital Mortality ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; *Intensive Care Units ; Lactic Acid/*blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Patient Transfer ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis/blood/*diagnosis/mortality/therapy ; Shock, Septic/blood/*diagnosis/mortality/therapy ; Time Factors

Isolated relapse of myeloid leukemia as a granulocytic sarcoma(GS) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation(BMT) is very rare manifestation, and usually associated with a poor prognosis. We report a case of isolated intracranial GS in an infant with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS) following unrelated BMT. A 7 month-old girl was diagnosed with refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB). During observation for a couple months several GS developed in the scalp and blast counts in BM increased. Induction chemotherapy resulted in partial remission of BM but GS disappeared. Four months after diagnosis, an unrelated BMT was undertaken. Engraftment was uneventful. On D+160, an intracranial GS of 6.5 cm in size developed. A craniotomy and tumor removal was done. There was no evidence of relapse in BM with complete chimerism. Reinduction chemotherapy using IDA-FLAG resulted in profound neutropenia with pneumonia. She succumbed to respiratory failure despite leukocyte recovery. The optimal management for isolated relapse as GS following BMT should be established.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Bone Marrow Transplantation