Repeated Intravenous Lidocaine Infusions for Patients with Fibromyalgia: Higher Doses of Lidocaine Have a Stronger and Longer-Lasting Effect on Pain Reduction.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of escalating doses of lidocaine infusion with or without added magnesium on pain levels and the duration of pain relief in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 74 patients diagnosed with FM who underwent at least three escalating doses of intravenous (IV) lidocaine infusions (5 mg/kg of body weight, 7.5 mg/kg, and 7.5 mg/kg of lidocaine + 2.5 g of magnesium sulfate) was conducted. Each patient's subjective impression of change in pain intensity and duration of pain relief after each treatment was recorded, along with an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain intensity, immediately before and after each infusion. RESULTS: Short-term lidocaine analgesia was evaluated by the reduction in NRS pain score according to the patients reported pre- (immediately before treatment) and post-treatment (immediately after treatment) values. There was a statistical difference in the NRS score reduction between doses 5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg of lidocaine (P = 0.009). Long-term analgesia was evaluated at follow-up visits by the patient's subjective impression of change in pain intensity and duration of pain relief. There was a statistical difference in the percentage of pain relief and the mean duration of pain relief between the treatments with 5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg of lidocaine (P = 0.007 and P = 0.003). Although there was a trend of greater response to magnesium sulfate as a beneficial adjunct to the lidocaine infusion, we were unable to find a statistically significant difference for any of the variables studied. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that escalating doses of IV lidocaine to 7.5 mg/kg safely and effectively reduced the pain with prolonged effect in a significant number of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Larger, prospective clinical studies are required to confirm this finding.

Modelling grape growth in relation to whole-plant carbon and water fluxes.

The growth of fleshy fruits is still poorly understood as a result of the complex integration of water and solute fluxes, cell structural properties, and the regulation of whole plant source-sink relationships. To unravel the contribution of these processes to berry growth, a biophysical grape (Vitis vinifera L.) berry growth module was developed and integrated with a whole-plant functional-structural model, and was calibrated on two varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. The model captured well the variations in growth and sugar accumulation caused by environmental conditions, changes in leaf-to-fruit ratio, plant water status, and varietal differences, with obvious future application in predicting yield and maturity under a variety of production contexts and regional climates. Our analyses illustrated that grapevines strive to maintain proper ripening by partially compensating for a reduced source-sink ratio, and that under drought an enhanced berry sucrose uptake capacity can reverse berry shrinkage. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the importance of phloem hydraulic conductance, sugar uptake, and surface transpiration on growth, while suggesting that cell wall extensibility and the turgor threshold for cell expansion had minor effects. This study demonstrates that this integrated model is a useful tool in understanding the integration and relative importance of different processes in driving fleshy fruit growth.

Accuracy testing using thick source alpha-particle spectroscopy for the U and Th series estimations.

The new technique for the calculation of U and Th based on the alpha particle spectrum taken from a thick sample by using a silicon detector (PIPS) is tested and some technical problems are encountered and also some notifications for better accuracy are addressed. This technique which is mainly developed to be used for dose rate determination in TL, OSL and ESR dating applications, gives also the possibility for detecting and estimating possible disequilibrium in U and Th series.

Effect of skin contact and pressure on the composition of Sauvignon Blanc must.

Early white winemaking operations are known to affect the extraction of grape skin compounds into the juice fraction, which will dictate their concentration in the resulting wine. Grape skin contact and the amount of pressure applied during grape pressing affect the extraction of varietal aromas located in the skins. Compounds such as the polyphenols and glutathione, with antioxidant properties involved in juice oxidation processes and white wine stability, are also affected. The present study evaluates how grape skin contact and the amount of pressure applied during grape pressing affect the levels of S-(3-hexan-l-ol)cysteine (3MH-S-cys, a key grape-derived precursor to the volatile thiol 3-mercapto-hexanol (3MH), which is reminiscent of passion fruit aroma); 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine (IBMP, with a capsicum-like descriptor); phenolic compounds; and glutathione in Sauvignon Blanc juice. The study was conducted using grapes obtained from commercial Marlborough (New Zealand) vineyards, using both commercial and laboratory grape-processing procedures. Immobilized metal ion chromatography was used to isolate the 3MH- S-cys precursor from the juices. The isolated precursor was then volatilized by trimethylsilylation and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). IBMP was analyzed by GC/MS after solvent extraction, and a high-performance liquid chromatography method was used for the quantification of phenolic compounds and glutathione. 3MH- S-cys levels were seen to increase in juice fractions obtained from a winery press operating at higher pressures. The increase was attributed to the cumulative effect of longer skin contact time and the amount of pressure applied. The highly water-soluble IBMP was less affected by the amount of pressure applied during commercial grape pressing. Additional information was generated by the specific assessment of skin contact and applied pressure during grape pressing in a laboratory trial. In this trial, a long (32 h) skin contact time resulted in a greater release of varietal aroma compounds, 3MH- S-cys, and IBMP into the juice, and the concentration was further raised by increasing the pressure applied during pressing. However, for both experiments, the extraction of the varietal aroma compounds was offset by a clear increase in the juice oxidative potential, seen by a decline in glutathione content, a natural grape antioxidant, and an increase in particular oxidizeable polyphenol compounds, which may cause the must or wine to brown and lead to a loss of varietal aromas.

Equivalent dose (palaeodose) estimation in thermoluminescence dating using a single aliquot of polymineral fine grains.

A single aliquot protocol for the estimation of the natural dose in thermoluminescence dating (SATL) is presented that makes use of polymineral fine grains extracted from ceramic materials. The protocol is demonstrated using aliquots made from two Neolithic sherds and is compared with results from an additive dose polymineral technique. The results of both techniques are in close agreement and highlight the potential advantages of the new procedure, especially when sample availability is restricted, e.g. dating of small pottery fragments, or in cases of authenticity testing.

The effect of leaf removal and canopy height on whole-vine gas exchange and fruit development of Vitis vinifera L. Sauvignon Blanc.

Canopy topping and leaf removal are management practices commonly used in New Zealand vineyards to increase light and pesticide penetration to the fruit zone, thus, reducing disease incidence. Previous research has suggested that an increase in photosynthesis occurs when leaves are removed, and this may compensate for the reduced leaf area. However, it is difficult to extrapolate single-leaf photosynthesis measurements to a whole-plant scale. Therefore the extent of the compensation is unknown. To evaluate the impact of leaf removal and canopy height on whole-vine photosynthesis, treatments were imposed during the lag phase of berry growth. Leaves were removed from the lower quarter of the canopy, or vines were topped to three quarters of the height of control plants, in a two-by-two-factorial design. Both topping and leaf removal caused a decrease in whole-vine photosynthesis immediately after the treatments were imposed. Leaf removal, but not topping height, reduced photosynthesis on a per unit leaf area basis. This suggests that the lower portion of the canopy contributes more than the upper portion of the canopy to whole-vine photosynthesis. When measurements were made again approximately two months later, tall vines without leaf removal had a higher photosynthesis rate than the other treatments. Fruit yield, sugar content, vine carbohydrate reserves and pruning weights followed trends similar to those observed for photosynthesis, suggesting that although some photosynthetic compensation occurred, the defoliation treatments had a negative effect on vine growth.

Luminescence quartz dating of lime mortars. A first research approach.

Lime mortars mixed with sand are well suited for connecting structural materials, like stones and bricks, due to the mechanical properties this material exhibits. Their extensive use in architectural and decorative works during the last 4000 years motivated the introduction of the 'Luminescence clock' for age determination of mortars. The same principles as for quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments were applied for age estimation of a mortar fragment removed from a Byzantine church monument dated by archaeological means to 1050-1100 years ago (the first half of the 10th century). The OSL from the quartz was monitored under blue light stimulation and UV detection, using a single-aliquot-regenerative-dose protocol. The quartz-OSL dating of the mortar resulted in 870 +/- 230 a. TL polymineral fine grain dating was also performed on a brick fragment which was connected to the mortar, resulting in a TL age of 1095 +/- 190 a.