Intrathecal dopamine and serotonin enhance motor and nociceptive blockades of lidocaine in rats.

The study examined the effect of intrathecal injection of dopamine (serotonin) and/or lidocaine. Intrathecal injections of dopamine (serotonin or epinephrine), lidocaine, or their combination were carried out in male Sprague Dawley rats. Neurobehavioral examinations (motor and nociceptive reactions) were performed before and after spinal injection. Intrathecal serotonin (1.5 µmol), dopamine (2.5 µmol), epinephrine (1:40000), and lidocaine (0.75 µmol) produced 29%, 33%, 29%, and 54% nociceptive blockade, whereas serotonin (1.5 µmol), dopamine (2.5 µmol), or epinephrine (1:40000) produced a longer duration of nociceptive blockade than lidocaine (0.75 µmol) (P < 0.05). Serotonin (1.5 µmol), dopamine (1.25 and 2.5 µmol), or epinephrine (1:40000 and 1:80000) prolonged the duration and increased the potency of spinal motor and nociceptive blockades of lidocaine (50% effective dose, ED50) (P < 0.05). The motor and nociceptive blockades caused by lidocaine (ED50) plus dopamine (2.5 µmol) or lidocaine (ED50) plus epinephrine (1:40000) were more outstanding than lidocaine (ED50) plus serotonin (0.75 µmol) (P < 0.05). Our study provides evidence that intrathecal dopamine or serotonin produces spinal nociceptive blockade dose-dependently. Dopamine and serotonin are less potent than lidocaine in inducing spinal nociceptive blockade. When mixed with lidocaine solution, dopamine or serotonin improves spinal motor and nociceptive blockades. The motor and nociceptive blockade caused by lidocaine (ED50) plus dopamine (2.5 µmol) is similar to that caused by lidocaine (ED50) plus epinephrine (1:40000).

The impact of surgical learning curve on short-term outcomes after bilateral lung transplantation: results from a multidisciplinary surgical team.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of surgical learning curve on short-term clinical outcomes of patients after bilateral lung transplantation (LTx) performed by a surgical multidisciplinary team (MDT). METHODS: Forty-two patients underwent double LTx from December 2016 to October 2021. All procedures were performed by a surgical MDT in a newly established LTx program. The time required for bronchial, left atrial cuff and pulmonary artery anastomoses was the main end point to assess surgical proficiency. The associations between the surgeon's experience and procedural duration were examined by linear regression analysis. We employed the simple moving average technique to generate learning curves and evaluated short-term outcomes before and after achieving surgical proficiency. RESULTS: Both total operating time and total anastomosis time were inversely associated with the surgeon's experience. On analysing the learning curve for bronchial, left atrial cuff and pulmonary artery anastomoses using moving averages, the inflection points occurred at 20, 15 and 10 cases, respectively. To assess the learning curve effect, the study cohort was divided into early (cases 1-20) and late (cases 21-42) groups. Short-term outcomes-including intensive care unit stay, in-hospital stay and severe complications-were significantly more favourable in the late group. Furthermore, there was a notable tendency for patients in the late group to experience a decreased duration of mechanical ventilation along with reduced instances of grade 3 primary graft dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: A surgical MDT can perform double LTx safely after 20 procedures.

Learning curve for open surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection.

There is scarce evidence about the surgeon learning curve of acute type A aortic dissection surgery and whether the optimal procedure number exists when training a cardiovascular surgeon. A total of 704 patients with acute type A aortic dissection surgery performed by 17 junior surgeons who can identify their first career surgery from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2018, are included. The surgeon experience volume is defined as the cumulative number of acute type A aortic dissection surgery of the surgeon since January 1, 2005. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The possibility of non-linearity and cutoffs for surgeon experience volume level was explored using a restricted cubic spline model. The results revealed that more surgeon experience volume is significantly correlated to a lower in-hospital mortality rate (r = - 0.58, P = 0.010). The RCS model shows for an operator who reaches 25 cumulative volumes of acute type A aortic dissection surgery, the average in-hospital mortality rate of the patients can be below 10%. Furthermore, the longer duration from the 1st to 25th operations of the surgeon is significantly correlated to a higher average in-hospital mortality rate of the patients (r = 0.61, p = 0.045). Acute type A aortic dissection surgery has a prominent learning curve in terms of improving clinical outcomes. The findings suggest fostering high-volume surgeons at high-volume hospitals can achieve optimal clinical outcomes.

Bioprosthetic versus mechanical mitral valve replacements in patients with rheumatic heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a critical problem in developed countries. Few studies have compared the long-term outcomes of bioprosthetic valves and mechanical valves in patients with RHD who have received mitral valve (MV) replacement. METHODS: Patients with RHD who received MV replacement with bioprosthetic or mechanical valves were identified between 2000 and 2013 from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The primary late outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality and redo MV surgery. Propensity score matching at a 1:1 ratio was performed. RESULTS: We identified 3638 patients with RHD who underwent MV replacement. Among those patients, 1075 (29.5%) and 2563 (70.5%) chose a bioprosthetic valve and mechanical valve, respectively. After matching, 788 patients were assigned to each group. No significant difference in the risk of in-hospital mortality was observed between groups (P = .920). Higher risks of all-cause mortality (10-year actuarial estimates: 50.6% vs 45.5%; hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.41; P = .040) and MV reoperation (10-year actuarial estimates: 8.9% vs 0.93%; subdistribution hazard ratio, 4.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.71-12.17; P <.01) were observed in the bioprosthetic valve group. Furthermore, the relative mortality benefit associated with mechanical valves was more apparent in younger patients and the beneficial effect persisted until approximately 65 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: In the patients with RHD who underwent MV replacement, mechanical valves were associated with more favorable long-term outcomes in patients younger than the age of 65 years.

Effects of dexmedetomidine on surgery for type A acute aortic dissection outcome.

No study has evaluated the effect of dexmedetomidine in patients who received surgery for type A aortic dissection. This is the first study to evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine in aortic dissection patients. This study was executed using data from the Chang Gung Research Database in Taiwan. The CGRD contains the multi-institutional standardized electronic medical records from seven Chang Gung Memorial hospitals, the largest medical system in Taiwan. We retrospectively evaluate patients who received surgery for acute type A aortic dissection between January 2014 and December 2018. Overall, 511 patients were included, of whom 104 has received dexmedetomidine infusion in the postoperative period. One-to-two propensity score-matching yielded 86 cases in the dexmedetomidine group and 158 cases in the non-dexmedetomidine group. The in-hospital mortality and composite outcome including all-cause mortality, acute kidney injury, delirium, postoperative atrial fibrillation, and respiratory failure, were considered primary outcomes. The in-hospital mortality and composite outcome were similar between groups. The risk of Acute Kidney Injury Network stage 3 acute kidney injury was significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group than in the non-dexmedetomidine group (8.1% vs 19.0%; OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17-0.86; p = 0.020. The risk of newly-onset dialysis was also significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group than in the non-dexmedetomidine group (4.7% vs 13.3%; OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.11-0.90; p = 0.031). Post-operative dexmedetomidine infusion significantly reduced the rate of severe acute kidney injury and newly-onset dialysis in patients who received surgery for acute type A aortic dissection.

Novel Biodegradable 3D-Printed Analgesics-Eluting-Nanofibers Incorporated Nuss Bars for Therapy of Pectus Excavatum.

A novel hybrid biodegradable Nuss bar model was developed to surgically correct the pectus excavatum and reduce the associated pain during treatment. The scheme consisted of a three-dimensional (3D) printed biodegradable polylactide (PLA) Nuss bar as the surgical implant and electrospun polylactide-polyglycolide (PLGA) nanofibers loaded with lidocaine and ketorolac as the analgesic agents. The degradation rate and mechanical properties of the PLA Nuss bars were characterized after submersion in a buffered mixture for different time periods. In addition, the in vivo biocompatibility of the integrated PLA Nuss bars/analgesic-loaded PLGA nanofibers was assessed using a rabbit chest wall model. The outcomes of this work suggest that integration of PLA Nuss bar and PLGA/analgesic nanofibers could successfully enhance the results of pectus excavatum treatment in the animal model. The histological analysis also demonstrated good biocompatibility of the PLA Nuss bars with animal tissues. Eventually, the 3D printed biodegradable Nuss bars may have a potential role in pectus excavatum treatment in humans.

Outcomes of type Ia endoleaks after endovascular repair of the proximal aorta.

OBJECTIVE: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) can be complicated by a type Ia endoleak. However, its natural history remains unclear. This report describes the natural history and midterm outcome of conservatively treated type Ia endoleaks in the proximal aorta. METHODS: Between 2007 and 2015, 395 patients underwent TEVAR at our institution. Only TEVARs landing proximally at landing zones 0, 1, and 2 were included (221/395). Type Ia endoleak's flow was classified as "fast" or "slow" based on the time needed to visualize the aneurysmal sac during arteriogram. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 4.1 years. Aortic dissection, thoracic aortic aneurysm, and traumatic aortic injury were the most common indications for TEVAR; the incidence of type Ia endoleak was not statistically different. Forty-seven patients (21.3%) had a type Ia endoleak. TEVAR landing proximally at zone 1 increased the odds of developing a type Ia endoleak (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-5.9; P = .0072). The 30-day mortality and the overall survival was not influenced by the development of immediate-type Ia endoleak. In 34 (72.3%) patients, the endoleak resolved spontaneously. Ninety-four percent of these patients had a SlowE (n = 32/34). All of spontaneous resolutions occurred before the end of the first postoperative year. CONCLUSIONS: SlowE tends to resolve within 1 year after TEVAR. Initial conservative treatment seems to be a reasonable approach in patients with SlowE.

Association Between Volume and Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis Surgery: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: To determine the relationship between hospital surgical volume and mortality risk and valve repair rate in infective endocarditis (IE) surgery. METHODS: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 3873 patients were identified who underwent surgery between 2000 and 2013. The cumulative hospital volume of valve surgery for IE was calculated, and patients were divided into 4 subgroups according to the quartile. Outcomes were mortality and valve repair rate and the cut point of referral excellence. RESULTS: The distribution of IE surgery has been shifting to lower-volume hospitals over the years. The global disease severity (Charlson Comorbidity Index score) of patients was greater in the lowest-volume hospital than in the highest-volume hospital (2.4 vs 2.0). The crude in-hospital mortality rate was 15.8% and 9.4% for the lowest- and highest-volume hospitals, respectively, with a significant difference (adjusted odds ratio: 1.86, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-2.85) after adjustment of baseline characteristics including the Charlson Comorbidity Index score. The mitral valve repair rate increased with the increase in cumulative volume. During a mean follow-up period of 4.4 years, 324 (41.9%) and 254 (30.9%) patients died in the lowest- and highest-volume subgroups, respectively, and the difference was significant (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.21-2.10). CONCLUSIONS: A higher cumulative volume of IE surgery is associated with a lower risk of mortality and a higher likelihood of successful mitral valve repair. Therefore, interfacility transfer to a high-volume hospital may improve outcomes of IE surgery.

Telmisartan Loaded Nanofibers Enhance Re-Endothelialization and Inhibit Neointimal Hyperplasia.

Stent implantation impairs local endothelial function and may be associated with subsequent adverse cardiovascular events. Telmisartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker that has unique peroxisome proliferator-activated-receptor-gamma-mediated effects on cardiovascular disease, has been shown to enhance endothelial function and limit neointimal hyperplasia. This study utilized hybrid biodegradable/stent nanofibers to facilitate sustained and local delivery of telmisartan to injured arterial vessels. Telmisartan and poly(d,l)-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) (75:25) were dissolved in hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol and electrospun into biodegradable nanofibrous tubes which were coated onto metal stents. By releasing 20% of the loaded telmisartan in 30 days, these hybrid biodegradable/stent telmisartan-loaded nanofibers increased the migration of endothelial progenitor cells in vitro, promoted endothelialization, and reduced intimal hyperplasia. As such, this work provides insights into the use of PLGA nanofibers for treating patients with an increased risk of stent restenosis.

Assessment of Antimicrobial Agents, Analgesics, and Epidermal Growth Factors-Embedded Anti-Adhesive Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid) Nanofibrous Membranes: In vitro and in vivo Studies.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative tissue adhesion is a major concern for most surgeons and is a nearly unpreventable complication after abdominal or pelvic surgeries. This study explored the use of sandwich-structured antimicrobial agents, analgesics, and human epidermal growth factor (hEGF)-incorporated anti-adhesive poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanofibrous membranes for surgical wounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electrospinning and co-axial electrospinning techniques were utilized in fabricating the membranes. After spinning, the properties of the prepared membranes were assessed. Additionally, high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were utilized in assessing the in vitro and in vivo liberation profiles of the pharmaceuticals and the hEGF from the membranes. RESULTS: The measured data suggest that the degradable anti-adhesive membranes discharged high levels of vancomycin/ceftazidime, ketorolac, and hEGF in vitro for more than 30, 24, and 27 days, respectively. The in vivo assessment in a rat laparotomy model indicated no adhesion in the peritoneal cavity at 14 days post-operation, demonstrating the anti-adhesive capability of the sandwich-structured nanofibrous membranes. The nanofibers also released effective levels of vancomycin, ceftazidime, and ketorolac for more than 28 days in vivo. Histological examination revealed no adverse effects. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study implied that the anti-adhesive nanofibers with sustained release of antimicrobial agents, analgesics, and growth factors might offer postoperative pain relief and infection control, as well as promote postoperative healing of surgical wounds.

Antimalarial primaquine for skin infiltration analgesia in rats.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the ability of antimalarial medications to induce local infiltration analgesia. METHODS: Using a rat model of skin infiltration anaesthesia, the effects of antimalarial medications (primaquine, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and amodiaquine) were compared with the application of lidocaine. KEY FINDINGS: At a dose of 3 µmol, primaquine and chloroquine displayed better potency (all P < 0.05) and greater duration (all P < 0.01) of cutaneous analgesia than lidocaine, whereas the other antimalarial medications showed a similar potency and duration of cutaneous analgesia when compared with lidocaine. When a dose of 3 µmol antimalarial medication was used, primaquine was the most potent and had the longest duration of action among four antimalarial medications. The relative potency ranking (ED50, 50% effective dose) has been found to be primaquine [2.10 (1.87 - 2.37) µmol] > lidocaine [6.27 (5.32 -7.39) µmol] (P < 0.01). Infiltration analgesia of skin with primaquine had a greater duration of action than did lidocaine on the equipotent (ED25, ED50, ED75) basis (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Primaquine and chloroquine have greater potency and longer lasting skin analgesia when compared with lidocaine, while the other antimalarials display a similar potency in comparison with lidocaine.

Level of serum soluble lumican and risks of perioperative complications in patients receiving aortic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Several serum biomarkers have been investigated for their potential as diagnostic tools in aortic disease; however, no study has investigated the association between serum biomarkers and outcomes after aortic surgery. This study explored the predictive ability of serum soluble lumican in postoperative outcomes after aortic surgery. METHODS: In total, 58 patients receiving aortic surgery for aortic dissection or aneurysm at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan in December 2011-September 2018 were enrolled. Blood samples were collected immediately upon patients' arrival in the intensive care unit after aortic surgery. The diagnostic properties of soluble lumican levels were assessed by performing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The confidence interval (CI) of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was measured using DeLong's nonparametric method and the optimal cutoff was determined using the Youden index. RESULTS: The serum soluble lumican level distinguished prolonged ventilation (AUC, 73.5%; 95% CI, 57.7%-89.3%) and hospital stay for >30 days (AUC, 78.2%; 95% CI, 61.6%-94.7%). The optimal cutoffs of prolonged ventilation and hospital stay for >30 days were 1.547 and 5.992 ng/mL, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were respectively 100% (95% CI, 71.5%-100%) and 40.4% (95% CI, 26.4%-55.7%) for prolonged ventilation and 58% (95% 27.7%-84.8%) and 91.3% (95% CI, 79.2%-97.6%) for hospital stay for >30 days. CONCLUSIONS: The serum soluble lumican level can be a potential prognostic factor for predicting poor postoperative outcomes after aortic surgery. However, more studies are warranted in the future.

Codelivery of Sustainable Antimicrobial Agents and Platelet-Derived Growth Factor via Biodegradable Nanofibers for Repair of Diabetic Infectious Wounds.

More than half of diabetic wounds demonstrate clinical signs of infection at presentation and lead to poor outcomes. This work develops coaxial sheath-core nanofibrous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds that are loaded with bioactive antibiotics and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) for the repair of diabetic infectious wounds. PDGF and PLGA/antibiotic solutions were pumped, respectively, into two independent capillary tubings for coaxial electrospinning to prepare biodegradable sheath-core nanofibers. Spun nanofibrous scaffolds sustainably released PDGF, vancomycin, and gentamicin for 3 weeks. The scaffolds also reduced the phosphatase and tensin homologue content, enhanced the amount of angiogenesis marker (CD31) around the wound area, and accelerated healing in the early stage of infected diabetic wound repair. Antibiotic/biomolecule-loaded PLGA nanofibers may provide a very effective way to aid tissue regeneration at the sites of infected diabetic wounds.

Outcomes of Acute Aortic Dissection Surgery in Octogenarians.

Background Octogenarians (≥80 years old) are high-risk patients for acute aortic dissection (AAD) surgery. However, no population-based study has investigated the late outcomes of AAD surgery in octogenarians. This study aimed to investigate the late outcomes of AAD surgery in octogenarians. Methods and Results A total of 3998 patients who received AAD surgery from 2005 to 2013 were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. In-hospital complications and late outcomes including all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event, respiratory failure, and redo aortic surgery were evaluated. The risks of late outcomes between octogenarians and nonoctogenarians were compared using the multivariable Cox proportional hazard model or Fine and Gray competing model. The numbers of the octogenarians who underwent type A and B AAD surgeries were 206 (6%; 206/3423) and 79 (13.7%; 79/575), respectively. Compared with the nonoctogenarians, the type A octogenarians had higher risks of in-hospital mortality and several in-hospital complications, whereas the type B octogenarians did not. Furthermore, compared with the nonoctogenarians, the type A octogenarians had a higher risk of all-cause mortality (61.7% vs 32.5%; hazard ratio [HR], 2.35; 95% CI, 1.95-2.84) and a higher cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event and respiratory failure, and the type B octogenarians demonstrated a higher risk of all-cause mortality (44.3% vs 30.4%; HR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.18-2.55). The octogenarians receiving AAD surgeries had higher mortality rates than the normal octogenarian population. Conclusions Octogenarians receiving AAD surgeries exhibit worse late outcomes than nonoctogenarian counterparts.

Late outcomes of endovascular aortic stent graft therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) are effective and minimally invasive treatment options for high-risk surgical candidates. Nevertheless, knowledge about the management of aortic stent graft therapy in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is scarce. This study aimed to examine outcomes after EVAR and TEVAR in patients with CKD.Utilizing data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we retrospectively assessed patients who underwent EVAR and TEVAR therapy between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2013. Patients were divided into CKD and non-CKD groups. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, all-cause mortality, readmission, heart failure, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events.There were 1019 patients in either group after matching. The CKD group had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than the non-CKD group (15.2% vs 8.3%, respectively; odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-2.54). Patients with CKD had higher risks of all-cause mortality including in-hospital death (46.1% vs 33.1%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.61; 95% CI, 1.35-1.92), readmission rate (62.6% vs 55.0%; subdistribution HR [SHR], 1.61; 95% CI, 1.32-1.69), redo stent (7.8% vs 6.2%; SHR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.09-2.07), and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (13.3% vs 8.8%; SHR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.15-1.95). The subgroup analysis did not demonstrate a variation in mortality between the TEVAR and EVAR cohorts (P for interaction = .725). The dialysis group had higher risks of all-cause mortality and readmission than the CKD without dialysis and non-CKD groups.Among EVAR/TEVAR recipients, CKD was independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality, postoperative complication, and all-cause mortality rates. Patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis had worse outcomes than those in the CKD non-dialysis and non-CKD groups.

Flexible Textile-Based Pressure Sensing System Applied in the Operating Room for Pressure Injury Monitoring of Cardiac Operation Patients.

Pressure injury is the most important issue facing paralysis patients and the elderly, especially in long-term care or nursing. A new interfacial pressure sensing system combined with a flexible textile-based pressure sensor array and a real-time readout system improved by the Kalman filter is proposed to monitor interfacial pressure progress in the cardiac operation. With the design of the Kalman filter and parameter optimization, noise immunity can be improved by approximately 72%. Additionally, cardiac operation patients were selected to test this developed system for the direct correlation between pressure injury and interfacial pressure for the first time. The pressure progress of the operation time was recorded and presented with the visible data by time- and 2-dimension-dependent characteristics. In the data for 47 cardiac operation patients, an extreme body mass index (BMI) and significantly increased pressure after 2 h are the top 2 factors associated with the occurrence of pressure injury. This methodology can be used to prevent high interfacial pressure in high-risk patients before and during operation. It can be suggested that this system, integrated with air mattresses, can improve the quality of care and reduce the burden of the workforce and medical cost, especially for pressure injury.

Chloroquine for prolonged skin analgesia in rats.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of chloroquine and chloroquine in combination with vasoconstrictor epinephrine to act as a local anesthetic in skin analgesia. After subcutaneous injection of drugs in rats, the inhibition of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflex (CTMR) is designed for evaluation of the cutaneous analgesic effect. The analgesic effect of chloroquine was compared with that of bupivacaine or coadministration of chloroquine and epinephrine. Chloroquine produced exactly the same local anesthesia as bupivacaine did in a dose-dependent manner. On the ED50 (50 % effective dose) basis, the analgesic potency was chloroquine (4.81 [4.45-5.20] µmol) < bupivacaine (0.46 [0.40‒0.52] µmol) (p <  0.01). At every equipotent dose tested (ED25, ED50 and ED75), chloroquine had a longer duration of cutaneous analgesia than bupivacaine (p <  0.01). Epinephrine enhanced the potency and duration of chloroquine-induced cutaneous analgesia. We found that chloroquine and bupivacaine elicit dose-dependent cutaneous analgesia. Chloroquine is not as potent as bupivacaine, but acts as an infiltrative anesthetic for a longer duration of time and is more potent and effective when used in combination with epinephrine.

Response Findings after Treatment and Outcomes on CT after Endovascular Repair of Mycotic Aortic Aneurysm.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate post-treatment computed tomography (CT) findings and outcomes of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for mycotic aortic aneurysm (MAA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data of patients with MAA who underwent EVAR from June 2010 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 22 patients were included (19 men and 3 women). The periaortic features of the MAA regression after EVAR were graded and evaluated by follow-up CT. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 36.5 months (range, 0.5-97 months.). The cumulative survival rate at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years was 95.5%, 86.4%, 81.6%, and 73.4%, respectively. The early and late infection-related complication (IRC) rate was 18.2% and 13.6%, respectively. One patient died within 1 month from severe acidosis and shock. Of the other patients, the median time to stable response of the MAA was 6 months (range, 3-36 months). Fourteen patients (66.7%) showed early response of the MAA, while 7 patients (33.3%) showed delayed response. A significant association was observed between delayed response and late IRCs (P = .026). CONCLUSIONS: The post-EVAR periaortic features on follow-up CT aid in monitoring the treatment response of the MAA. Early response of the MAA was associated with a low rate of late IRCs and might aid in adjusting the antibiotic duration after the patient has achieved complete or nearly complete regression of the MAA.

Chlorpheniramine produces cutaneous analgesia in rats.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to assess the cutaneous (peripheral) analgesic effects of antihistamine chlorpheniramine, compared with the long-lasting local anesthetic bupivacaine. METHODS: After chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine were subcutaneously injected under the dorsal skin of the rats, the cutaneous analgesia effect was quantitatively evaluated by scoring the number to which the animal failed to react (cutaneous trunci muscle reflex). The quality and duration of chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine on infiltrative cutaneous analgesia were compared. RESULTS: We revealed that subcutaneous chlorpheniramine, as well as the local anesthetic bupivacaine elicited cutaneous analgesia in a dosage-dependent manner. Based on their ED50s (50% effective doses), the relative potency was found to be chlorpheniramine [1.13 (1.05-1.22) µmol] < bupivacaine [0.52 (0.46-0.58) µmol] (p < 0.01). When comparing the ED25s, ED50s and ED75s, full recovery time induced by chlorpheniramine was longer (p < 0.01) than that induced by bupivacaine. CONCLUSIONS: Our preclinical data demonstrated that both chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine dose-dependently provoked the cutaneous analgesic effects. Chlorpheniramine with a more prolonged duration was less potent than bupivacaine in inducing cutaneous analgesia.

Treating Intracranial Abscesses in Rats with Stereotactic Injection of Biodegradable Vancomycin-Embedded Microparticles.

Brain abscesses are emergent and life-threating despite advances in modern neurosurgical techniques and antibiotics. The present study explores the efficacy of vancomycin embedded to 50:50 poly(lactic-co-glycolide acid) (PLGA) microparticles in the treatment of brain abscess. The vancomycin embedded microparticles (VMPs) were stereotactically introduced into the cerebral parenchyma in Staphylococcus aureus bacteria- induced brain abscess-bearing rats. Experimental rats were divided into three groups: group A (n = 13; no treatment), group B (n = 14; daily vancomycin injection (5 mg intraperitoneally), and group C (n = 12; stereotactic introduction of VMPs into the abscess cavity). Group C exhibited no inflammatory response and significantly increased survival and reduced mean abscess volumes (p <0.001) at the eighth week, compared with other groups. Vancomycin delivery via a biodegradable PLGA vehicle can easily attain Area Under the Curve (AUC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratios of ≥400, and strengthens the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics without provoking any potential toxicity. Biodegradable VMPs are a safe and sustainable drug delivery vehicle for the treatment of brain abscess.