Aspiration flow optimized for nasal nitric oxide measurement.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate some of the factors which may influence the reliability of nasal NO measurements, and to optimize methods suitable for children and adults. Nasal nitric oxide (NO) output was determined by chemiluminescent analysis of aspirated samples in 16 adults and 6 children. With the velopharyngeal aperture closed, stable NO levels were obtained at flows ranging form 0.9 to 6.2 L/min. NO output averaged 401.0 +/- 145.4 nL/min./M2 in 6 children, 338.2 +/- 92.3 in 7 adult females and 268.6 +/- 70.2 in 9 adult males. Nasal NO output was independent of flow provided a stable plateau of NO value was reached. In this study, the optimal range of flows was 3.2-5.2 L/min. in adults and 2.2-3.2 L/min. in children. This enables selection of the most favorable flow to be chosen for individual subjects and situations.     

Sol-Gel Synthesis of Non-Silica Monolithic Materials

Monolithic materials have become very popular because of various applications, especially within chromatography and catalysis. Large surface areas and multimodal porosities are great advantages for these applications. New sol-gel preparation methods utilizing phase separation or nanocasting have opened the possibility for preparing materials of other oxides than silica. In this review, we present different synthesis methods for inorganic, non-silica monolithic materials. Some examples of application of the materials are also included.     

Bone induction by composites of bioresorbable carriers and demineralized bone in rats: A comparative study of fibrin-collagen paste, fibrin sealant, and polyorthoester with gentamicin

Host tissue response and heterotopic osteoinduction by composites of demineralized bone matrix and three different substances used as bioresorbable carriers implanted in the abdominal muscles were evaluated by strontium 85 uptake and histology 4 weeks postoperatively in 60 male Wistar rats. Both fibrin-collagen paste and fibrin sealant inhibited bone induction and produced a chronic inflammation; part of the fibrin-collagen paste was still present at 4 weeks. Polyorthoester with gentamicin was almost completely absorbed, induced minimal tissue reaction, and did not inhibit osteoinduction.     

Synovial Sarcoma: A Case Report

The case described, of a 40-year-old woman with a 26-year history of a chronic, non-specific knee disorder, is a rather typical example of synovial sarcoma, according to the information given by other authors over the past three to four decades. The diagnostic difficulties and failures are clearly illustrated. It must be emphasized that severe, obscure joint symptoms such as our patient presented over the many years before death should have led to a proper surgical exploration of the knee. Furthermore, it should be unnecessary to stress the importance of performing a histological examination whenever excising abnormal tissue.     

Inhibition of Partial Closure of Epiphyseal Plate in Rabbits by Indomethacin

The efficiency of indomethacin (10 mg/kg/day) in inhibiting recurrent partial closure of the epiphyseal plate was tested in rabbits. An epiphysiodesis was done laterally in the distal left femoral epiphyseal plate in 19 adolescent rabbits. This produced a valgus deformity in 14 of them. The bone bridge was then removed operatively and the rabbits were treated with either indomethacin or vehicle for 21 days postoperatively. Indomethacin plasma levels were about 180 ng/ml. The valgus deformity improved in indomethacin-treated rabbits, whereas it became worse in the controls (P = 0.004).     

No impact of atrial fibrillation on mortality risk in optimally treated heart failure patients

Background:

Several studies have shown that atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of death in heart failure (HF) patients. However, it is not clear whether this increased risk is independent of other risk factors.

Hypothesis:

We hypothesized that AF would be an independent risk factor for death in a large cohort of HF patients.

Methods:

Patients referred to Norwegian HF outpatient clinics were enrolled between October 2000 and February 2008. Patients with heart rhythm other than AF or sinus rhythm were excluded. Mortality data were obtained from the National Statistics Bureau, Statistics Norway with the last update February 2008.

Results:

There were 4048 patients included in the analysis, with a median follow‐up of 28 months. Adherence to guidelines regarding medical treatment was high. In univariate analysis, AF patients (n = 1391) had a higher risk of death than patients in sinus rhythm (n = 2657) (hazard ratio [HR] 1.181; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.044–1.336; P = 0.008). However, after adjusting for confounding factors (age, New York Heart Association class, coronary artery disease as the main cause of HF, use of any loop diuretic, hemoglobin level, and serum creatinine), AF was no longer associated with increased risk of death (HR 1.037; 95% CI, 0.901–1.193; P = 0.619).

Conclusions:

In this cohort of heart failure patients receiving optimal medical treatment at specialized HF clinics, AF was not associated with increased risk of death after adjusting for confounding factors. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. AstraZeneca Norway provided secretarial assistance in maintaining the Norwegian heart failure registry by financing an independent IT consultant. The authors have received research grants, consultancy fees, and/or honoraria for lectures from several pharmaceutical companies. The authors have no other funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.     

Low-dose oxytocin delivered intranasally with Breath Powered device affects social-cognitive behavior: a randomized four-way crossover trial with nasal cavity dimension assessment

Despite the promise of intranasal oxytocin (OT) for modulating social behavior, recent work has provided mixed results. This may relate to suboptimal drug deposition achieved with conventional nasal sprays, inter-individual differences in nasal physiology and a poor understanding of how intranasal OT is delivered to the brain in humans. Delivering OT using a novel ‘Breath Powered'' nasal device previously shown to enhance deposition in intranasal sites targeted for nose-to-brain transport, we evaluated dose-dependent effects on social cognition, compared response with intravenous (IV) administration of OT, and assessed nasal cavity dimensions using acoustic rhinometry. We adopted a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, crossover design, with 16 healthy male adults completing four single-dose treatments (intranasal 8 IU (international units) or 24 IU OT, 1 IU OT IV and placebo). The primary outcome was social cognition measured by emotional ratings of facial images. Secondary outcomes included the pharmacokinetics of OT, vasopressin and cortisol in blood and the association between nasal cavity dimensions and emotional ratings. Despite the fact that all the treatments produced similar plasma OT increases compared with placebo, there was a main effect of treatment on anger ratings of emotionally ambiguous faces. Pairwise comparisons revealed decreased ratings after 8 IU OT in comparison to both placebo and 24 IU OT. In addition, there was an inverse relationship between nasal valve dimensions and anger ratings of ambiguous faces after 8-IU OT treatment. These findings provide support for a direct nose-to-brain effect, independent of blood absorption, of low-dose OT delivered from a Breath Powered device.     

Nasal nitric oxide is independent of nasal cavity volume.

This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between nasal nitric oxide (NO) and changes in nasal cavity volume resulting from the topical application of xylometazoline and saline and between upright and supine posture. Nasal NO was measured using a fixed high flow technique that avoids contamination with lower airways NO. In nine healthy subjects nasal NO concentration was measured by a rapid response chemiluminescent analyzer. A tapered tube was inserted in one nostril, into which room air was insufflated to produce a constant flow of 100 mL/second; another tube was inserted into the opposite nostril for NO sampling (air exit side). Subjects were instructed to keep the vellum closed while NO was sampled through a sideport connected to the analyzer. Nasal cavity volume was measured by acoustic rhinometry from a segment of the acoustic pathway, 2 to 5 cm from the nostril. Nasal cavity volume and NO measurements were made at baseline, 15 minutes, and 60 minutes after intervention (administration of saline 0.9%, xylometazoline or posture changes on 3 consecutive days). Xylometazoline produced a significant increase in nasal cavity volume, together with a significant reduction in NO level at 15 and 60 minutes after intervention. In addition, the change from seated to supine position decreased the total nasal volume significantly, but without changes in nasal NO. No correlation was found between the magnitudes of changes in nasal NO and the changes in nasal volume. Topical application of xylomethazoline resulted in increased nasal cavity volume and reduced NO output. In contrast to previous published reports, a technique using high flow rate insufflation demonstrated an abscence of correlation between the magnitudes of changes in nasal NO and nasal cavity volume brought about by decongestant, saline, or posture.