Hypno-analgesia and acupuncture analgesia: a neurophysiological reality?

The effects of hypnosis, acupuncture and analgesic drugs on the subjective experience of pain and on objective neurophysiological parameters were investigated. Pain was produced by brief electric stimuli on the wrist. Pain challengers were: hypnosis (induced by two different video tapes), acupuncture (at specific and unspecific loci, with and without electrical stimulation of the needles), morphine and ketamine. Evaluation of clinical parameters included the subjective experience of pain intensity, blood pressure, puls, temperature, psychosomatic symptoms and side effects. Neurophysiological parameters consisted of the quantitatively analyzed EEG and somatosensory evlked potential (SEP). Pain was significantly reduced by hypnosis, morphine and ketamine, but not during the control seesion. Of the four acupuncture techniques, only electro-acupuncture at specific loci significantly decreased pain. The EEG changes during hypnosis were dependent on the wording of the suggestion and were characterized by an increase of slow and a decrease of fast waves. Acupuncture induced just the opposite changes, which were most significant when needles were inserted at traditional specific sites and stimulated electrically. The evoked potential findings suggested that ketamine attenuates pain in the thalamo-cortical pathways, while hypnosis, acupuncture and morphine induce analgesia at the later CNS stage of stimulus processing. Finally some clinical-neurophysiological correlations were explored.     

Bone marrow imaging: magnetic resonance studies related to age and sex

Measurements of T1 and T2 relaxation values and spin density of the lumbar vertebral bone marrow were performed in 212 patients, and the results were correlated with the patients' age and sex. T1 and T2 relaxation times for bone marrow in the lumbar vertebral bodies showed a progressive decrease with age for both sexes (except for the T2 relaxation values in female patients). The replacement of hematopoietic marrow by fatty marrow could explain the decrease in T1 and T2. The T1 and T2 values were in the same range for the first two age groups (age 1-10 years and age 21-40 years) and became slightly greater for the older female patients (age 51 years and older) than for the older males. This could be due to the loss of bone and mineral content, which is more rapid and significant for women. These normal T1 and T2 values may provide a baseline for future evaluation of diseases involving the lumbar spine.     

3,4-二氯苯丙烯酰另丁胺对大鼠脑缺血-再灌注损伤的影响

目的：研究新的桂皮酰胺类衍生物,３－４二氯苯丙烯酰另丁胺（ＡＥＤ８８０１）对大鼠脑缺血／再灌注损伤的影响。方法：采用Ｐｕｌｓｉｎｅｌｌｉ四血管阻断大鼠脑缺血／再灌注模型,观察了ＡＥＤ８８０１对脑组织中水含量、氨基到含量、６－ｋｅｔｏ－ＰＧＦ１α和ＴＸＢ２含量,以及二者之比值的影响。结果：一ＡＥＤ８８０１能够降低脑缺血／再灌注大鼠所引起的脑水含量增加。二采用氨基酸自动分析仪进行检测,发现脑缺血／再灌