Acupuncture-induced blood oxygenation level-dependent signals in awake and anesthetized volunteers: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting data regarding clinical efficacy of acupuncture applied while patients are under general anesthesia. We hypothesize that these conflicting data are a result of the inhibitory effect of anesthesia on acupuncture-induced central nervous system activity that can be demonstrated using magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Using a crossover study design, volunteers received standardized Stomach 36 manual acupuncture in two experimental conditions: while undergoing a propofol-based general anesthetic, and while awake. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted during both experimental sessions. Paired-t-test analyses were performed to examine the differences in acupuncture-induced blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals between awake and anesthesia conditions. A secondary analysis was performed to account for the changes in regional cerebral blood flow at six regions of interest (thalamus, red nucleus, insula, periaqueductal gray, retrosplenial cingular gyri, and the inferior temporal region). RESULTS: Using BOLD, we found significant differences between the two experimental sessions in brain areas, including postcentral gyri, retrosplenial cingular area, left posterior insula, bilateral precuneus, thalamus, red nuclei, and substantia nigra (cluster 100, P < 0.01). A secondary analysis correcting for background cerebral blood flow found that BOLD signal differences between experimental conditions were not directly caused by changes in regional blood flow. DISCUSSION: Propofol-based anesthesia reduces the neurophysiological response to acupuncture stimulation as measured by acupuncture-induced BOLD signals. Further work should be conducted to determine the clinical significance of these findings.

Residual gastric fluid volume and chewing gum before surgery.

In this study we sought to determine if chewing gum preoperatively increases gastric fluid volume (GFV) and changes gastric acidity. Children, 5-17 yr old, were randomized to one of three groups: a control group that was not given any gum, a group that was given sugarless bubble gum, and a group that was given sugared bubble gum. Patients in the two gum groups were instructed to chew their gum for a period of 30 min. After induction of anesthesia and tracheal intubation, the stomach was suctioned with a salem sump orogastric tube. We found that children who did not chew gum had significantly smaller GFV as compared with children who chewed sugared and sugarless gum (0.35 [0.2-0.5] mL/kg versus 0.88 [0.6-1.4] mL/kg versus 0.69 [0.4-1.6] mL/kg; P = 0.0001). Children who did not chew gum also had a significantly lower gastric fluid pH as compared with children chewing sugared and sugarless gum (geometric mean, 1.91 versus 2.25 versus 2.19; P = 0.007). We conclude that children who present for surgery while chewing gum have significantly larger GFV and higher pH.

Los niños del Cauca. I. Descripción de un foco de raquitismo dependiente de la vitamina D, tipo II / The children of Cauca. I. Description of a focus of vitamin D - dependent rickets, type II

Al norte del departamento del Cauca se detectó un numeroso grupo de pacientes con deformidades en miembros inferiores (genu varo, genu valgo o ambos) que correspondían clínica y radiológicamente a un cuadro de raquitismo. Ninguno de los pacientes presentaban alopecia, miopatía, tetania o aminoaciduria. La mayoría de ellos proceden de un grupo poblacional semiaislado de ancestro afromestizo, en el corregimiento de La Toma, del muncipio de Suárez. Los estudios bioquímicos comparativos entre 64 pacientes y 109 individuos no afectados, parientes en primer grado, mostraron en los pacientes una ligera hipocalcemia, niveles normales altos de fósforo sérico, un sustancial incremento de la fosfatasa alcalina, valores normales de proteínas y albúminas y niveles séricos de paratohormona aumentados. Estudios en orina de 24 horas mostraron hipocalciuria e hipofosfaturia. A un subgrupo de 8 pacientes se les determino niveles séricos de la 25 (OH)D subíndice 3 y 1 alfa,25 (OH)subíndice 2 delta subíndice 3 para establecer a qué tipo de raquitismo pertenecían nuestros pacientes. Se observó un marcado incremento de 1 alfa, 25 (OH)subíndice 2 delta subíndice 3, por lo que esta patología corresponde al raquitismo dependiente de la vitamina D, tipo II. Se trata de un tipo de raquitismo genético transmitido en forma autosómica recesiva, cuyas manifestaciones clínicas y de laboratorio se presentan por un defecto en la acción del receptor para la vitamina D. A 115 pacientes se les inició tratamiento con 1 alfa,25(OH) subíndice 2 alfa 3 µg 0,50/día, calcio 1.840 mg/día y fósforo 1.424 mg/día, administrados en dos dosis diarias. En un grupo de 21 pacientes, se analizaron los datos de laboratorio en suero, pre y post tratamiento un año después y todos los valores tendieron a normalizarse. Estudios moleculares, del mRNA y cDNA del gen del receptor de la vitamina D, obtenidos de cultivo fibroblastos de dos de los pacientes más severamente afectados, mostraron una secuencia normal de nucleótidos. Se hace una comparación entre los hallazgos clínicos y de laboratorio entre los casos informados hasta el momento en la literatura con este tipo de enfermedad y los 64 que analizamos en el presente estudio, enfatizando nuestras observaciones, como el inicio temprano de las manifestaciones clínicas, ausencia de dolor o debilidad muscular, de alopecia, de niveles normales de fósforo y leve hiperparatiroidismo secundario, lo que indica una gran heterogeneidad en este tipo de raquitismo