Prevention of venous stasis in the lower limb by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effects of thromboprophylactic transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TpTENS) of the peroneal nerve on venous blood flow in the limbs of volunteers. TpTENS might be considered for use in preventing venous stasis during surgical treatment. METHODS: In 10 volunteers, peak venous velocity (PV) and flow volume (FV) in the popliteal vein were measured using duplex ultrasonography during calf-muscle stimulation. The effects of TpTENS of the peroneal nerve were compared with those of other mechanical methods, including electrical muscle stimulation, intermittent pneumatic compression, active ankle motion and calf squeeze, used to prevent venous stasis and achieve thromboprophylaxis. RESULTS: TpTENS had similar effects on popliteal vein blood flow in comparison with other established methods of thromboprophylaxis. The PV increased its basal flow by 3.9 times (p < 0.01) and FV by 2.7 times (p < 0.01), respectively, compared with baseline values. CONCLUSIONS: TpTENS is as effective as other electrical and mechanical methods of calf-muscle pump activation in achieving acceleration of venous flow in the lower limb.

Role of ASIC3 in the primary and secondary hyperalgesia produced by joint inflammation in mice.

The acid sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is critical for the development of secondary hyperalgesia as measured by mechanical stimulation of the paw following muscle insult. We designed experiments to test whether ASIC3 was necessary for the development of both primary and secondary mechanical hyperalgesia that develops after joint inflammation. We used ASIC3 -/- mice and examined the primary (response to tweezers) and secondary hyperalgesia (von-Frey filaments) that develops after joint inflammation comparing to ASIC3 +/+ mice. We also examined the localization of ASIC3 to the knee joint afferents innervating the synovium using immunohistochemical techniques before and after joint inflammation. We show that secondary mechanical hyperalgesia does not develop in ASIC3 -/- mice. However, the primary mechanical hyperalgesia of the inflamed knee joint still develops in ASIC3 -/- mice and is similar to ASIC3 +/+ mice. In knee joint synovium from ASIC3 +/+ mice without joint inflammation, ASIC3 was not localized to joint afferents that were stained with an antibody to protein gene product (PGP) 9.5 or calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). ASIC3 was found, however, in synoviocytes of the knee joint of uninflamed mice. In ASIC3 +/+ mice with joint inflammation, ASIC3 co-localized with PGP 9.5 or CGRP in joint afferents innervating the synovium. We conclude that the decreased pH that occurs after inflammation would activate ASIC3 on primary afferent fibers innervating the knee joint, increasing the input to the spinal cord resulting in central sensitization manifested behaviorally as secondary hyperalgesia of the paw.

Intra-articular injection of warmed lidocaine improves intraoperative anaesthetic and postoperative analgesic conditions.

BACKGROUND: Although local anaesthesia for knee arthroscopy is a well-documented procedure, arthroscopy under local anaesthesia is often interrupted because of intolerable discomfort and pain. Warming local anaesthetic solutions may increase its anaesthetic effect. We tested whether intra-articular injection of warmed lidocaine solution could improve intraoperative anaesthetic and postoperative analgesic conditions. METHODS: Patients in the warmed group received 20 ml warmed (40 degrees C) lidocaine 1% intra-articularly 20 min before surgery. The patients in the control group received 20 ml room-temperature (25 degrees C) lidocaine 1% intra-articularly 20 min before surgery. During surgery, the patients reported pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: The median VAS pain score was 1.5 (range, 0.0-3.0) in the warmed lidocaine group and 5.0 (4.0-8.0) in the control group (P<0.001). The median intra- and postoperative analgesic requirements in the control group were significantly greater than that in the warmed group. CONCLUSION: Warmed lidocaine injected intra-articularly provides improved intraoperative anaesthetic and postoperative analgesic conditions for patients undergoing knee arthroscopy.

[Quantitative analysis of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate in tea leaves by high-performance liquid chromatography].

The quantitative analysis of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in tea (Camellia sinensis L.) was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a C-18 reversed-phase column. EGCG was then eluted within 20 min by using methanol-water-acetic acid (20:75:5 (v/v/v)) as an eluent. As an internal standard, tryptophan was used. The content of EGCG in five kinds of green tea (sencha, gyokuro, bancha, matsucha and oolong tea) and in a cup of those was determined by both the extraction method with 50% (v/v) methanol and the infusion method with water. The largest amount of EGCG was obtained from matsucha by the extraction method, or from sencha by the infusion method. Furthermore, EGCG contents in various parts of the tea plant were examined. The first leaf had the highest concentration of EGCG, and the concentration of EGCG decreased with the aging of the leaf.

Polypeptide composition of higher plant photosystem I complex. Identification of psaI, psaJ and psaK gene products.

High resolution gel electrophoresis of the native photosystem I complex retaining light-harvesting chlorophyll complex revealed the presence of three low-molecular-mass proteins of 7, 4.1 and 3.9 kDa in spinach, and 6.8, 4.4 and 4.1 kDa in pea, in addition to the other well-characterized higher-molecular-mass components. Upon further detergent treatment to deplete light-harvesting chlorophyll complex, the 7 kDa and 4.1 kDa proteins were removed from the photosystem I core complex of spinach, while the 3.9 kDa protein was retained. N-terminal sequencing demonstrated that the 4.1 kDa proteins from both spinach and pea correspond to the gene product of ORF42/44 in chloroplast genome of liverwort and higher plants, which was previously hypothesized as a photosystem I gene (psaJ) based on sequence homology with the cyanobacterial photosystem I component of 4.1 kDa [(1989) FEBS Lett. 253, 257-263]. N-terminal sequence of the spinach 3.9 kDa and pea 4.4 kDa proteins fitted with chloroplast ORF36/40 (psaI) although no homologue has been found in cyanobacteria. The spinach 7 kDa and pea 6.8 kDa proteins correspond to the nuclear-encoded psaK product and significantly matched with the N-terminal sequence of the cyanobacterial 6.5 kDa subunit. The evolutional conservation of the psaJ and psaK seems to suggest their intrinsic role(s) in photosystem I.