The changes of cerebral hemodynamics during ketamine induced anesthesia in a rat model.

Current electroencephalogram (EEG) based-consciousness monitoring technique is vulnerable to specific clinical conditions (eg, epilepsy and dementia). However, hemodynamics is the most fundamental and well-preserved parameter to evaluate, even under severe clinical situations. In this study, we applied near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system to monitor hemodynamic change during ketamine-induced anesthesia to find its correlation with the level of consciousness. Oxy-hemoglobin (OHb) and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration levels were continuously acquired throughout the experiment, and the reflectance ratio between 730 and 850 nm was calculated to quantify the hemodynamic changes. The results showed double peaks of OHb concentration change during ketamine anesthesia, which seems to be closely related to the consciousness state of the rat. This finding suggests the possibility of NIRS based-hemodynamic monitoring as a supplementary parameter for consciousness monitoring, compensating drawbacks of EEG signal based monitoring.

A novel de novo mutation in LAMB3 causes localized hypoplastic enamel in the molar region.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a collection of diseases characterized by hereditary enamel defects and is heterogeneous in genetic etiology and clinical phenotype. In this study, we recruited a nuclear AI family with a proband having unique irregular hypoplastic pits and grooves in all surfaces of the deciduous molar teeth but not in the deciduous anterior teeth. Based on the candidate gene approach, we screened the laminin subunit beta 3 (LAMB3) gene and identified a novel de novo mutation in the proband. The mutation was a frameshift mutation caused by a heterozygous 7-bp deletion in the last exon (c.3452_3458delAGAAGCG, p.Glu1151Valfs*57). This study not only expands the mutational spectrum of the LAMB3 gene causing isolated AI but also broadens the understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations.