Dose-Response Characteristics of Spinal Bupivacaine in Volunteers: Clinical Implications for Ambulatory Anesthesia

Background: Small doses of bupivacaine may be a reasonable choice for spinal anesthesia for patients having ambulatory surgery. However, few dose-response data are available to guide the selection of reasonable doses of bupivacaine for different ambulatory procedures.

Methods: Eight volunteers per group were randomized to receive 3.75, 7.5, or 11.25 mg of 0.75% bupivacaine with 8.25% dextrose in a double-blind manner. Sensory block was assessed with pinprick, transcutaneous electrical stimulation equivalent to surgical incision at the ankle, knee, pubis, and umbilicus, and with duration of tolerance to pneumatic thigh tourniquet. Motor block at the quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles was assessed with isometric force dynamometry. Times until recovery from spinal anesthesia were recorded. Dose-response relationships were determined by linear regressions. Mean (95% confidence intervals) for durations of sensory and motor block per milligram of bupivacaine administered were calculated from linear regressions.

Results: Significant dose-response relationships (P < 0.006) were determined for sensory block, motor block, and time until recovery (R from 0.6 to 0.9). Within the range of doses studied, each additional milligram of bupivacaine was associated with an increase in duration of tolerance to transcutaneous electrical stimulation of 10 (7 to 13) min, an increase in tolerance to tourniquet of 7 (2 to 11) min, an increase in duration of motor block of 8 (5 to 12) min, and an increase in time until recovery of 21 (17 to 25) min.     

The effect of various anaesthetics on the spatial tuning of two major wave peaks in the transient pattern electroretinogram of the cat: evidence for pattern and luminance components

The main PERG component of the transient contrast reversal pattern electroretinogram (PERG) in cats was a negative wave (3.5 microV average, SD 1.7 microV) peaking at about 130 msec (N130) with a spatial resolution above 5.5 c/deg, close to behavioural estimates. The early positivity (P35) was more variable, smaller and had lower spatial resolution. Different anaesthetic protocols affected both the waveform and the amplitude by spatial frequency functions. Responses of urethane anaesthetised cats were like those reported previously for decerebrate cats or cats paralysed and ventilated with N2O/O2/CO2 (75%/24%/1%). P35 was evoked only by coarse stimuli and N130 amplitude decreased linearly as spatial frequency increased. When the luminance response amplitude, predicted from the optical transfer function of the eye, was subtracted, spatial tuning appeared. An anaesthetic mixture of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine depressed both P35 and N130 at low spatial frequencies while enhancing them at high frequencies. In paralysed animals ventilated with N2O/O2 (67%/33%) P35 was larger and recordable to 1.6 c/deg. Peak times were reduced and the inter-peak time halved. Other anaesthetics depressed the ERGs. These effects suggest that cats are a good model for studying N130 in isolation or its interaction with P35 and that both PERG peaks include luminance and pattern components.     

世界生物技术药品市场的现状及展望

生物技术的迅速发展将导致一场新的药物革命。预计2000年世界生物技术药品的销售额将达500亿美元。美国、日本和西方工业化国家的制药公司对生物技术药品的开发非常重视。目前,人生长激素、红细胞生长素和人胰岛素在医药市场中占有重要位置,毫无疑问,二十一世纪的医药市场将是生物技术药品的时代。     

雷公藤生物碱的分离鉴定

我们从雷公藤（ＴｒｉｐｔｅｒｙｇｉｕｍＷｉｌｆｏｒｄｉｉＨｏｏｋ．ｆ．）中按常法分离得到总碱后经ＨＰＬＣ分析出现８个峰，经硅胶柱层析及硅胶ＲＰ－１８反相中压柱层析分离得到５个生物碱，由化学方法和光谱分析证明为雷公藤吉碱（Ｗｉｌｆｏｒｇｉｎｅ２０）．雷公藤次碱（Ｗｉｌｆｏｒｉｎｅ２１），雷公藤春碱（Ｗｉｌｆｏｒｔｒｉｎｅ２２），雷公藤碱戊（Ｗｉｌｆｏｒｉｄｉｎｅ２３），呋喃南蛇碱（Ｃｅｌａｆｕｒｉｎｅ１６）。ＨＰＬＣ分析指出含量最高为雷公藤吉碱，其次为呋喃南蛇碱。     

甲襞微循环观测辅助诊断的初步研究

甲襞微循环观测辅助诊断的初步研究胡金麟＊田牛＊刘凤英＊宋欣＊李向红＊规范化的甲襞、球结膜、舌、口唇、牙龈、耳廓、皮肤、子宫颈、阴茎头微循环观测方法标志着我国临床微循环的研究与应用已进入了一个新的阶段［１，２］。临床微循环观测结果的数学公式表达，促进了...     

中药饮片加工炮炙在临床中的意义

本文简述了中药炮炙的根据、原理、方法以及各种不同辅料和炮炙方法对饮片药性与作用的影响。说明不同的炮炙方法可以直接影响和改变中药的药性和作用,影响到临床疗效,因此,必须重视中药饮片的炮炙工作。以确保临床安全有效的用药。     

Supratentorial ischemic stroke: more than an upper motor neuron disorder.

The primary goal of this study was to identify secondary functional changes in the peripheral motor units of the paretic upper extremity (UE) in patients with severe ischemic stroke and to determine how these changes develop during the first weeks after stroke. An inception cohort of 27 consecutive patients with an acute ischemic supratentorial stroke and an initial UE paralysis was compared with 10 healthy control subjects. The ulnar nerve was electrically stimulated proximal to the wrist and electromyographic recordings were obtained from the abductor digiti minimi muscle. Hemiparetic side mean values of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) 1 and 3 weeks after stroke were compared with the nonparetic side and with CMAP values obtained from healthy control subjects. The mean CMAP amplitude in patients was significantly lower on the paretic side compared with the nonparetic side and with control subjects. Decrease in CMAP amplitude was observed in more than half of the stroke patients, sometimes as early as 4 days after stroke, and persisted in most cases. Whenever present, it was accompanied by absence of motor recovery at that specific time after stroke. Decreased CMAP amplitude in the abductor digiti minimi muscle can be seen already in the very acute phases after stroke unrelated to peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy, or plexopathy, and it is accompanied by absence of UMN recovery. This knowledge is important for interpreting electrophysiological data in stroke patients.     

Routine hysteroscopy for patients with a high risk of uterine malignancy

Summary. Seventy patients with abnormal vaginal bleeding were examined with a Storz hysteroscope. The examination took an average of only 5 min. Sixty patients had the examination under general anaesthesia, five under paracervical block and five had no form of anaesthesia. All tolerated the procedure well. There were no complications directly related to the hysteroscopic examination. There was complete correlation between the histology of the endometrium obtained at subsequent curettage and the hysteroscopic findings.