Minimum effective anesthetic concentration (MEAC) for sciatic nerve block: subgluteus and popliteal approaches

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that using a subgluteus approach to the sciatic nerve requires a lower concentration of mepivacaine to obtain complete anesthesia as compared with the popliteal approach. METHODS: With midazolam premedication (0.05 mg kg(-1) iv), 48 patients undergoing hallux valgus repair were randomly allocated to receive a sciatic nerve block using either a posterior popliteal (group Popliteal, n = 24) or subgluteus (group Subgluteus, n = 24) approach with 30 mL of local anesthetic injected after elicitation of plantar flexion of the foot with a current 相似文献   

Porcelain heart

A 65-year-old hypertensive man with shortness of breath andatypical thoracic pain underwent coronary angiography for     

Cryotop vitrification of human oocytes results in high survival rate and healthy deliveries

Vitrification, an ultra-rapid cooling technique, offers a new perspective in attempts to develop an optimal cryopreservation procedure for human oocytes and embryos. To further evaluate this method for human oocytes, 796 mature oocytes (metaphase II) were collected from 120 volunteers. Since Italian legislation allows the fertilization of a maximum of only three oocytes per woman, there were 463 supernumerary oocytes; instead of being discarded, they were vitrified. When, in subsequent cycles, these oocytes were utilized, 328 out of 330 (99.4%) oocytes survived the warming procedure. The fertilization rate, pregnancy rate and implantation rate per embryo were 92.9, 32.5 and 13.2% respectively. Thus, as already reported in the literature, the vitrification procedure seems to be highly effective, safe (since healthy babies have been born) and easy to apply. In situations where embryo cryopreservation is not permitted (as in Italy), there is now good indication for routine application of the method, once further standardization is achieved.     

Systemic fungemia and hepatic localizations of Fusarium solani in a liver transplanted patient: an emerging fungal agent.

The incidence of invasive fungal infection is increasing especially in the field of transplantation, affecting as many as 50% of bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients with neutropenia and 5-20% of solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Fusarium species are soil saprophytes and plant pathogens. They may cause superficial mycoses or important opportunistic infections in patients with bone marrow suppression and neutropenia, they have been rarely described in solid organ recipients, and up to now there have been no reports of such infection in isolated liver transplanted patients. We describe a case of disseminated Fusarium solani infection with hepatic localization in a liver transplanted patient that resolved with the administration of amphotericin B. Our observation confirms that Fusarium spp. are emerging pathogens that may most frequently affect not only BMT patients and patients with hematological malignancies, but also SOT patients. They may cause both localized and disseminated infection. In conclusion, Fusarium spp. etiology should be considered in the context of infectious diseases following liver transplantation.     

Failed Amplatzer Septal Occluder device implantation due to an embryonic septal remnant

Embryonic remnants of incomplete septation may complicate occlusiondevice implantation in secundum atrial septal defects (sASD)even if stiff devices such as the Amplatzer Occluder are used. A 35-year-old woman was referred to our center for evaluationof a sASD.     

Metabolism and pharmacokinetics of p-(3,3-dimethyl-1-triazeno) benzoic acid in M5076 sarcoma-bearing mice

Summary The pharmacokinetics of the anticancer agent p-(3,3-dimethyl-1-triazeno) benzoic acid (pCOOH-DMT), a drug now in phase I clinical trial in Europe, was investigated in C57 Bl female mice with M5076 reticulum-cell sarcoma that were treated i.v. with 200 mg/kg pCOOH-DMT. The drug disappeared from plasma with a terminal half-life of about 2.5 h. Plasma clearance was approximately 6 ml/min per kg. Distribution studies showed some differences in drug levels in different tissues. The highest levels were found in the tumor, liver, kidney and lung; lower levels were found in the spleen and gut, and the lowest, in the brain. The N-desmethyl derivative of pCOOH-DMT was not detectable in plasma or tissues of mice treated with the drug. Therefore, the previous evidence of low N-demethylation of pCOOH-DMT was confirmed. pCOOH-DMT glucuronide was identified by mass spectrometry and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in plasma, tissues and urine samples. pCOOH-DMT glucuronide appears to be the major urinary metabolite of pCOOH-DMT in mice. Another metabolite identified by mass spectrometry and quantified by HPLC in some tissues and urine was pCOOH-DMT glycinate.Abbreviations DTIlC 5-(3,3-dimethyl-l-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide - pCOOH-DMT p-(3,3-dimethyl-l-triazeno)benzoic acid - pCOOH-MMT p-(3-methyl-l-triazeno)benzoic acid - pCONH₂-DMT p-(3,3-dimethyl-l-triazeno)carboxamide - BSTFA N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide - TMCS trimethylchlorosilane - TLC thin-layer chromatography - FAB fast atom bombardment - EI electron impact - M5 M5076 reticulum-cell sarcoma - t_1/2 beta-half-life - C₀ concentration time 0 - AUC area under the concentration vs time curve - Cl total clearance - V volume of distribution     

Analysis of aberrant somatic hypermutation (SHM) in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of patients with chronic HCV infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and aberrant somatic hypermutation (SHM) have each been suggested to contribute to the development of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The incidence of PIM-1, PAX-5, RhoH/TTF, and c-MYC mutations in tumour biopsy specimens from 32 HCV-infected B-cell NHL patients was analysed to determine whether the extent of aberrant SHM among these patients differed from that previously reported for HCV-negative B-cell NHL patients. Mutation of PIM-1, PAX-5, RhoH/TTF, and c-MYC was detected in 4 (13%), 5 (16%), 4 (13%), and 4 (13%) of 32 samples, respectively. In HCV-positive B-cell NHL patients, the frequency of aberrant SHM was lower than that already found in HCV-negative B-cell NHL patients. This indicates that, unlike B-cell lymphomas from HCV-negative patients, aberrant SHM may not contribute significantly to malignant transformation in HCV-associated B-cell lymphomas.     

Basaloid carcinoma of the pancreas

A case of basaloid carcinoma of the pancreas in a 26-year-old woman is reported. The tumour was constituted by solid nests of relatively uniform neoplastic cells with hyperchromatic nuclei and scant cytoplasm, showing distinct peripheral palisading. There were necrotic areas and deposition of hyaline material, suggesting a basement membrane-like substance. Small foci of clear-cut squamous differentiation were present. Tumour cells were positive for cytokeratin 14 and P63 and negative for neuroendocrine and acinic cell markers. Ultrastructurally, the tumour was constituted by polygonal cells with round nuclei containing clumped chromatin. Occasional tight junctions and keratin filaments were present. Basaloid carcinomas may arise in several sites of the body, the most frequent being the anus and oesophagus, and have poor clinical outcome. The present case appears to be, to the best of our knowledge, the first documented example in the literature of basaloid carcinoma of the pancreas.