Dopaminergic transmission in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus to produce acupuncture analgesia in correlation with the pituitary gland

Acupuncture analgesia (AA) caused by low frequency stimulation of the acupuncture point (AP) was abolished by hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy. Termination of the AA producing pathway from the AP to the pituitary gland was in the medial hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (M-HARN). The origin of the descending pain inhibitory system associated with AA was in the posterior HARN (P-HARN). AA in the hypophysectomized rats, and enhanced neuronal activity in the P-HARN that were abolished during acupuncture stimulation, were both restored by intraperitoneal microinjection of 0.5 mg/kg morphine or 0.1 micrograms beta-endorphin into the P-HARN during acupuncture stimulation. Of the analgesia produced by dopamine or beta-endorphin injected into the P-HARN, that caused by beta-endorphin disappeared after denervation of the M-HARN. The P-HARN neurons that responded to acupuncture stimulation also responded to iontophoretic dopamine, but not to iontophoretic morphine nor ultramicroinjected beta-endorphin. The transmission between the M-HARN and P-HARN may be dopaminergic, and beta-endorphin might presynaptically modulate this transmission. Reduction of sodium ions may have been the reason for abolition of AA after adrenalectomy.     

硬膜外高渗氯化钠溶液术后镇痛的临床双盲研究

为观察高渗盐水硬膜外注射术后镇痛效果,用双盲法对60例病人进行了研究。生理盐水对照级术后镇痛优良率为3.33％,镇痛有效率为10％,均需用镇痛药;高渗盐水组术后镇痛优良率为86.67％,有效率为96.67％,很少使用镇痛药。两组差别显著(P<0.05,P<0.01)。对其他感觉和运动功能无明显影响。高渗盐水组与吗啡组比较镇痛效果相同(P>0.05),副作用少(P<0.01)。说明硬膜外高渗氯化钠溶液是一种安全有效的镇痛方法,有较高推广应用价值。     

左旋布比卡因复合舒芬太尼或芬太尼在分娩硬膜外自控镇痛的应用

目的探讨左旋布比卡因复合舒芬太尼硬膜外自控镇痛（PCEA）用于分娩镇痛的临床效果及安全性。方法随机选择120例美国标准协会（ASA）I-Ⅱ级初产妇，随机分为舒芬太尼组（A组）、芬太尼组（B组）、无镇痛组（C组），每组40例。A组和B组采用PCEA，C组不给予镇痛药物。观察各组不同时段视觉模拟评分（VAS）和不良反应的发生，同时记录3组产程时间、分娩方式、缩宫使用情况、产后出血量、新生儿Apgar评分。结果A、B2组和C组在PCEA20、60min及宫口开全时VAS差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）；PCEA5min，A、B2组VAS差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05），2组Bromage评分、不良反应差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。3组产程时间、分娩方式、产后出血量、新生儿Apgar评分比较差异均无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。结论左旋布比卡因复合舒芬太尼或芬太尼用于分娩镇痛安全有效，对母婴无明显不良影响。     

Post-surgical pain relief with zero-order intravenous infusions of meptazinol and morphine: a double-blind placebo-controlled evaluation of their effects on ventilation

Summary A double-blind, placebo-controlled study has been made of the analgesic and respiratory effects of constant rate infusions of meptazinol and morphine in 30 patients after abdominal surgery. Group I received meptazinol, loading dose 50 mg followed by i.v. infusion 0.5 mg · kg⁻¹ · h⁻¹, Group II received morphine, loading dose 5 mg and then an infusion of 0.05 mg · kg⁻¹ · h⁻¹, and Group III received saline. After recovery from inhalation anaesthesia (without opiates or a local anaesthetic) pain relief and chemoreceptor carbon dioxide tolerance were assessed before and at various times after starting the analgesic infusion. A similar degree of pain relief was found after 10 min in Groups I and II, which lasted until the end of observation period (20 h). Heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were lower in Group II than in Groups I and III, and respiratory rate fell in Groups I and II. After 6 h arterial carbon dioxide tensions (P_aCO₂) became significantly higher in Group II than Group III. The maximum percentage fall in mean tidal volume (V_T) and expired minute volume (0V_E) from the preinjection values was significant in Groups I and II. End-tidal carbon-dioxide (P_ETCO₂) and P_aCO₂ were significantly higher after 20 h of infusion in Group II compared to Group I. The slope of 0V_E/P_ETCO₂ (<S>) was increased in Group I and it was significantly reduced in Group II. Analysis of derived variables, such as the CO₂ intercept (CO₂I) and minute ventilation at 7 kPa (0V_E7), indicated a shift to the right of the slopes in Groups I and II, initially more so in Group I. It is concluded that constant rate infusions of meptazinol and morphine were effective in providing postoperative pain relief. However, their effects on the central regulation of respiration were different, as meptazinol did not impair CO₂ sensitivity whereas morphine did.     

CO2 laser in cancer surgery of the breast: a comparative clinical study

Review of the literature reveals little to no data regarding the use of the CO2 laser as a surgical modality in the local treatment of breast cancer. This study was undertaken to determine if the CO2 laser is a surgical improvement over the scalpel, influencing patient care during the surgical and postsurgical period. In the author's series, a total of 209 procedures were performed. Within this group, 105 cases were performed with CO2 laser and 104 cases performed with the scalpel. Biopsies were always performed as a separate procedure prior to definitive surgery. This study was not designed to compare cure rates, the medical follow-up period being 1 year. The results of this study demonstrate a significant improvement in patients' postoperative care, surgical technique, and hospital cost-effectiveness.     

刺激视上核对大鼠痛阈及电针镇痛的影响

以钾离子透引起的大鼠甩尾反应为痛指标，观察了电和化学刺激视上核（ＳＯＮ）对大鼠痛阈（ＰＴ）和电针（ＥＡ）镇痛的影响。电刺激ＳＯＮ后，ＰＴ明显高于假刺激组（Ｐ＜０．０５～０．００１），电刺激ＳＯＮ后电针足三里，镇痛效应明显提高，并有明显的量效关系。电刺激ＳＯＮ的近旁部位（０．５—１ｍｍ）对ＰＴ及电针镇痛无明显影响。ＳＯＮ内注射Ｌ－谷氨酸（Ｌ－Ｇｌｕ）后痛阈和电针镇痛效应都明显对照组，也有明显的量效关     

Retardation of pain development: a case of recovery from congenital insensitivity to pain

Congenital analgesia is a rare genetic disorder. We report here that a 12-year-old boy was able to recover from congenital insensitivity to pain. Neurological examinations revealed that there was a 'stocking' distribution of pain decrement on the lower extremities under the patient's knee joints. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of his brain showed gyrus thinning with sulcus widening at both sides of the parietal lobe. Southern blot hybridization probed with cDNAs of various opioid receptors did not detect any significant abnormality. Our results suggest that this rare case may not be genetically determined.     

Ambulatory laparoscopic fundoplication

Background: Increasingly larger series of laparoscopic fundoplications (LF) are being reported. A well-documented advantage of the laparoscopic approach is shortened hospital stay. Most centers report typical lengths of stay (LOS) for LF of 2–3 days. Our success with LF with a LOS of 1 day led to an attempt at performing LF on an ambulatory basis. Methods: Sixty-one consecutive patients with appropriate criteria for LF underwent surgery at our institution. Patients were counseled by the authors as to the usual postop course and progression of diet. All patients received preemptive analgesia (PEA) consisting of perioperative ketorolac and preincisional local infiltration with bupivicaine. Anesthetic management included induction with propofol, high-dose inhalational anesthetics, minimizing administration of parenteral narcotics, and avoidance of reversal of neuromuscular blockade. Immediate postop pain management included parenteral ketorolac and oral hydro- or oxycodone. All patients were given oral fluids and soft solids after transfer from the recovery room to the postoperative observation unit. Two patients were excluded from ambulatory consideration due to excessive driving distance from our hospital. Another two were hospitalized for observation after experiencing intraoperative technical problems. Results: Of 57 patients in whom same-day discharge was attempted, there were three failures requiring overnight hospitalization: All were due to pain and nausea; one patient also suffered transient urinary retention. There were no adverse outcomes related to early discharge, and there were no readmissions. One patient returned to the emergency room after delayed development of urinary retention. Median time from conclusion of operation to discharge was less than 5 h. No patients expressed dissatisfaction with early discharge on follow-up interview. Conclusions: LF can be safely performed as an ambulatory procedure. Analgesic and anesthetic management should be tailored to minimize nausea and provide adequate pain control. Received: 1 April 1996/Accepted: 29 May 1997