Anesthetic management of maternal Mirror syndrome.

Mirror syndrome (Ballantyne syndrome, triple edema, maternal hydrops, pseudotoxemia) is a rarely diagnosed condition associated with pregnancy that can be life-threatening for both the mother and fetus. There is limited literature on its pathogenesis and anesthetic management, making prevention and treatment complex. The duration of pregnancy and severity of maternal or fetal presentation often determines outcome. We describe the anesthetic considerations of a morbidly obese parturient with Mirror syndrome.

Multiple sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation to the intact hemisphere improves visual function after unilateral ablation of visual cortex.

Damage to cerebral systems is frequently followed by the emergence of compensatory mechanisms, which serve to reduce the effects of brain damage and allow recovery of function. Intrinsic recovery, however, is rarely complete. Non-invasive brain stimulation technologies have the potential to actively shape neural circuits and enhance recovery from brain damage. In this study, a stable deficit for detecting and orienting to visual stimuli presented in the contralesional visual hemifield was generated by producing unilateral brain damage of the right posterior parietal and contiguous visual cortical areas. A long regimen of inhibitory non-invasive transcranial direct-current stimulation (cathodal tDCS, 2 mA, 20 min) was applied to the contralateral (intact) posterior parietal cortex over 14 weeks (total of 70 sessions, one per day, 5 days per week) and behavioral outcomes were periodically assessed. In three out of four stimulated cats, lasting recovery of visuospatial function was observed. Recovery started after 2-3 weeks of stimulation, and recovered targets were located first in the periphery, and moved to more central visual field locations with the accrual of stimulation sessions. Recovery for moving tasks followed a biphasic pattern before reaching plateau levels. Recovery did not occur for more difficult visual tasks. These findings highlight the ability of multiple sessions of transcranial direct-current stimulation to produce recovery of visuospatial function after unilateral brain damage.

VSL#3 probiotic upregulates intestinal mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase and reduces inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Alkaline sphingomyelinase, an enzyme found exclusively in bile and the intestinal brush border, hydrolyzes sphingomyelin into ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate, thereby inducing epithelial apoptosis. Reduced levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase have been found in premalignant and malignant intestinal epithelia and in ulcerative colitis tissue. Probiotic bacteria can be a source of sphingomyelinase. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of VSL#3 probiotic therapy on mucosal levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase, both in a mouse model of colitis and in patients with ulcerative colitis. METHODS: Interleukin-10 gene-deficient (IL10KO) and wild type control mice were treated with VSL#3 (10(9) colony-forming units per day) for three weeks, after which alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was measured in ileal and colonic tissue. As well, 15 patients with ulcerative colitis were treated with VSL#3 (900 billion bacteria two times per day for five weeks). Alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was measured through biopsies and comparison of ulcerative colitis disease activity index scores obtained before and after treatment. RESULTS: Lowered alkaline sphingomyelinase levels were seen in the colon (P=0.02) and ileum (P=0.04) of IL10KO mice, as compared with controls. Treatment of these mice with VSL#3 resulted in upregulation of mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity in both the colon (P=0.04) and the ileum (P=0.01). VSL#3 treatment of human patients who had ulcerative colitis decreased mean (+/- SEM) ulcerative colitis disease activity index scores from 5.3+/-1.8946 to 0.70+/-0.34 (P=0.02) and increased mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity. CONCLUSION: Mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity is reduced in the intestine of IL10KO mice with colitis and in humans with ulcerative colitis. VSL#3 probiotic therapy upregulates mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity.

Primary appendiceal cancer: gynecologic manifestations and treatment options.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the presenting symptoms, gynecologic manifestations, and optimal intraoperative management of women with primary appendiceal cancer. METHODS: A multi-institutional investigation was performed to identify female patients with primary appendiceal cancer who were treated from 1990 to present. RESULTS: Forty-eight women with primary appendiceal cancer were identified from the tumor registries of participating institutions. The most common symptoms were abdominal pain (40%) and bloating (23%), but only 8% experienced rectal bleeding. Serum CEA was elevated (>2.5 U/ml) in 67% of patients, and serum Ca-125 was elevated (>35 U/ml) in 50% of patients. Thirty-one patients (65%) presented with a right adnexal or right lower quadrant mass and were operated on initially by a gynecologic oncologist. Ovarian involvement by metastatic appendiceal cancer was documented in 18 patients (38%). All of these patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and staging, but only 8 had a right hemicolectomy at the time of initial surgery. Forty-one patients (85%) presented with advanced stage appendiceal cancer (Stage III or IV) and 19 patients (46%) received postoperative chemotherapy, most commonly with a combination of 5-FU/Leukovorin. Following surgery, 22 patients (46%) experienced disease progression or recurrence, and 14 have died of disease. The most common sites of recurrence were abdominal or pelvic peritoneum (18), colon (2), and ovary (2). Patient survival was 70% at 2 years, and 60% at 5 years. CONCLUSION: Women with primary appendiceal cancer frequently present with ovarian metastases, and initial surgical intervention is often performed by a gynecologic oncologist. All patients with mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer should undergo appendectomy at the time of surgical staging. The appendix should be examined intraoperatively, and if appendiceal carcinoma is identified, a right hemicolectomy and appropriate surgical staging should be considered.

A role for DNA mutations in diabetes-associated teratogenesis in transgenic embryos.

Congenital malformations are the leading cause of death in infants of insulin-dependent diabetic mothers. Although there are data to suggest that hyperglycemia itself is teratogenic, few mechanisms have been proposed to explain diabetic embryopathy. To address the possibility that DNA mutations play a role in the fetal malformations associated with diabetes, we developed a transgenic mouse model system to measure the mutation frequency of a neutral target gene, lacI, during embryonic development in a maternal hyperglycemic environment. Despite the short 21-day gestational period of the mouse, we observed a twofold increase in the mutant frequency of the lacI transgene in fetuses that developed in a mild diabetic environment (blood glucose > 8.3 mmol/l) compared with those that developed under normoglycemic conditions (blood glucose < 8.3 mmol/l). These data provide the first direct evidence of the genotoxic effect of diabetes in vivo and suggest a mechanism for the teratogenicity of the maternal diabetic environment.

Comparative analysis of DNA mutations in lacI transgenic mice with age.

Transgenic mice have been developed recently that contain copies of the well-defined mutagenesis reporter gene, lacI, in an integrated bacteriophage-based shuttle vector. The lacI gene, which is present in all cells of the mouse, can be excised specifically from isolated genomic DNA and efficiently packaged into bacteriophage particles after the addition of packaging extracts. Mutations of the lacI gene are easily detected by the derepression of beta-galactosidase resulting in blue plaques in the presence of X-gal. Originally developed as a short-term in vivo mutagenesis assay to screen genotoxic agents, we have used this system to measure naturally occurring DNA mutations as a function of chronological age. There was a linear increase in the presence of phenotypic lacI mutants from birth to 24 months (r = 0.731, P < 0.001), such that 24-month-old mice have accumulated approximately fourfold more mutants than newborn pups. Molecular analysis of these spontaneously arising DNA mutations showed them to result predominantly from base substitutions (80.6-98.5%) that were equally distributed between transitions and transversions. However, lacI mutations in animals > 3 months of age demonstrated a higher percentage of mutations (12-19.4% vs. 1.2%) resulting from discriminable size changes (> 20 bp) than was observed for mice 1-2 months old. Sequence analysis of mutations resulting from a > 20 bp size change revealed them to be due to a duplication of adjacent lacI sequence. These results indicate that there is a gradual accumulation of DNA mutations with age and that the types of mutations also are influenced by the age of the animal.

The air test as a clinically useful indicator of intravenously placed epidural catheters.

The authors performed a clinical trial in 313 patients in labor to determine the safety and efficacy of an air test for unintentional intravenous placement of epidural catheters. Following routine aspiration for blood and cerebrospinal fluid, 1 ml of air was injected through each epidural catheter while heart tones were continually monitored with a Doppler ultrasound probe placed over the maternal precordium. In 281 patients, Doppler heart tones did not change following air injection (negative air test). All but eight of these patients developed an adequate level of analgesia following anesthetic administration, and no patients with negative air tests developed signs or symptoms of local anesthetic toxicity (false-negative rate, 0%; 95% confidence limits, 0.0-1.1%). Doppler heart tone changes followed air injection in 22 cases (positive air test). In 16 of these, intravenous catheter position was subsequently shown by aspiration of blood from the catheter or by the use of test doses consisting of local anesthetics with or without epinephrine. In six cases, adequate levels of analgesia developed despite a positive air test (false-positive rate, 2%; 95% confidence limit, 0.7-4.3%). None of the 303 patients receiving the air test developed any complications attributable to the injection of air (95% confidence limits, 0.0-1.0%). The authors conclude that air, with precordial Doppler detection, is a safe and effective test for identifying intravenously located epidural catheters.

Incidence of electrocardiographic changes during cesarean delivery under regional anesthesia.

Serial electrocardiograms were obtained on 93 healthy ASA physical status I and II term parturients during nonemergent cesarean delivery under regional anesthesia. Electrocardiographic changes occurred in 44 of the 93 patients (47.3%); in 35 of these 44 patients, the changes were characteristic, or suggestive, of myocardial ischemia. Symptoms of chest pain, pressure, and dyspnea occurred in 15 of the 44 patients with electrocardiographic changes; no patient without electrocardiographic change developed symptoms of chest pain, pressure, or dyspnea. Small but statistically significant differences were noted in heart rate, diastolic and systolic arterial pressures, and rate-pressure product between the patients with electrocardiographic changes and those without. The authors speculate that myocardial ischemia is a likely cause of both the electrocardiographic changes seen in these patients and of the symptoms of chest pain and dyspnea that they sometimes experience.

Isoproterenol is an effective marker of intravenous injection in laboring women.

The purpose of this randomized, double-blind study was to determine if isoproterenol 5 micrograms iv produces a consistent, noticeable tachycardia in healthy, laboring women. Maternal heart rate, fetal heart rate, and uterine contractions were continuously recorded and maternal blood pressure was measured every minute for 10 min before and after each patient received either normal saline (NS group; n = 10) or isoproterenol 5 micrograms (ISO group; n = 10) iv. The data-collecting investigator and a nurse palpating the patient's radial artery determined which solution they thought had been administered. The authors analyzed the maternal heart rate tracings using baseline-to-peak (a greater than or equal to 25 beat/min maternal heart rate increase occurring within 120 s of drug injection and lasting greater than or equal to 15 s) and peak-to-peak (a greater than or equal to 10 beat/min increase in the maximum maternal heart rate during the 2-min postinjection over the maximum maternal heart rate during the 2 min preinjection) criteria for detection of an intravascular marker. Mean maternal heart rate in the ISO group was significantly higher than in the NS group 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 s following the injection (P less than 0.01). The peak-to-peak criterion and the data-collecting investigator correctly classified all patients. Five ISO group patients were not identified by the baseline-to-peak criterion. The nurse palpating the mother's radial artery misidentified two patients. Systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in ISO group than in NS group patients 1 min (P less than 0.05) and 2 min (P less than 0.01) following drug injection. Diastolic and mean blood pressures did not change. No fetal distress occurred. Isoproterenol 5 micrograms is an effective marker of intravascular injection in laboring women; however, the safety and efficacy of epidural isoproterenol must be demonstrated in animals before isoproterenol can be incorporated in an epidural anesthesia test dose.

Evaluation of a continuous noninvasive blood pressure monitor in obstetric patients undergoing spinal anesthesia.

A noninvasive blood pressure monitor (Finapres) that continuously displays the arterial waveform using the Penaz methodology has recently been introduced into clinical practice. We compared this device with an automated oscillometric blood pressure monitor (Dinamap 1846SX) in 20 patients during spinal anesthesia for nonemergency cesarean section according to a procedure suggested by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. After administration of the spinal anesthetic, the Finapres monitor produced systolic, mean, and diastolic pressure measurements greater than those of the Dinamap monitor (6.6 +/- 12.5, 3.3 +/- 10.4, and 7.2 +/- 9.8 mm Hg, respectively). In most patients, the Finapres measurements were similar to those determined by the Dinamap; however, in 4 patients, mean systolic differences were greater than 20 mm Hg. These patients did not differ from the others in age, height, weight, or baseline blood pressure, and the pressure values recorded by the Finapres monitor were substantially higher than those measured by auscultation in the labor room. In 30% of the patients, the offset between Dinamap and Finapres blood pressure measurements changed markedly over the course of the surgical procedure. The Finapres monitor occasionally stopped working and had to be restarted. In 1 patient (not included in this analysis), the Dinamap monitor was unable to determine the blood pressure due to patient shivering; this did not appear to interfere with the Finapres. We conclude that the Finapres monitor does not consistently provide blood pressure information equivalent to that of the Dinamap in obstetric patients undergoing spinal anesthesia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Needle bevel direction and headache after inadvertent dural puncture.

To study the effect of needle bevel direction on the incidence and severity of headache following inadvertent dural puncture occurring during the identification of the epidural space, the authors randomly assigned obstetric anesthesia residents to identify epidural space with the bevel of the epidural needle oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal dural fibers. If dural puncture occurred, an observer unaware of the needle bevel direction, daily assessed the presence and severity of any subsequent headache. Of the 1,558 women who received epidural analgesia during this study, 41 women suffered dural puncture, 20 with the needle bevel oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal dural fibers and 21 with the needle bevel inserted parallel to the dural fibers (NS). Fourteen of 20 women in the group in which the needle bevel was perpendicular to dural fibers developed a moderate to severe headache, whereas only five of 21 in the group in which the needle bevel was parallel to dural fibers did so (P less than 0.005). Similarly, we administered a therapeutic blood patch to ten of 20 women in the perpendicular group but to only four of 21 in the parallel group (P less than 0.05). Thus, identifying the epidural space with the needle bevel oriented parallel to the longitudinal dural fibers limits the size of the subsequent dural tear and, therefore, lowers the incidence of headache should dural perforation occur.