[Application of bispectral index monitoring in sedation and analgesia for flexible bronchoscopy].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of using bispectral index monitoring in sedation and analgesia for bronchoscopy. Methods: Totally 285 patients admitted to the Respiratory Medicine Department of Nanjing First Hospital for bronchoscopy between June 2016 and December 2016 were assigned, according to their own wishes, into a conscious sedation group (171 cases receiving local anesthesia and conscious sedation, 89 males, 82 females, mean age 59±10 years) and a control group (114 cases undergoing local anesthesia, 59 males, 55 females, average age 61±12 years). The 2 groups were compared in terms of operation time, blood pressure, heart rate and other indicators during bronchoscopy including incidence of adverse events, memory of the procedure, willingness to be re-examined, safety of sedation and analgesia for bronchoscopy under bispectral index monitoring, and patient satisfaction in the postoperative follow-up. Results: The conscious sedation group and the control group had no difference in age and sex ratio(P>0.05). Compared with the patients in the control group(operation time 16±5 min and systolic blood pressure 153±21 mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), those in the conscious sedation group had a shorter operation time(14±5 min) and a lower systolic blood pressure(144±22 mmHg), with statistically significant difference (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in diastolic blood pressure and heart rate (89±14 mmHg and 84±17 times/min in the conscious sedation group and 92±12 mmHg and 87±14 times/min in the control group, P>0.05). Adverse events, overall intraoperative cough and bleeding were found to be significantly reduced in the conscious sedation group (27%, 4% and 13% and 60%, 13% and 35% in the control group, P<0.01), but transient hypoxia was not (12% in the conscious sedation group, and 14% in the control group, P=0.72). Patient satisfaction and willingness to be re-examined were markedly higher in the conscious sedation group (97%) than in the controls (4%, P<0.01). Conclusions: Bispectral index monitoring is safe in sedation and analgesia for bronchoscopy and has higher patient satisfaction, suggesting that it is a potential tool for use in clinical practice.

Retinal pigment epithelial repopulation in monkeys after submacular surgery.

BACKGROUND: Transplantation of retinal pigment epithelium may be a treatment for retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and hereditary macular degeneration. Before transplantation studies are undertaken, questions concerning repopulation of retinal pigment epithelial cells in situ and photoreceptor repair after submacular surgery need to be addressed. METHODS: We removed the retinal pigment epithelium from Bruch's membrane in the macaque monkey in the macula and outside the vascular arcades. This model allowed the study of in situ retinal pigment epithelium regrowth and photoreceptor repair for 9 months following débridement. RESULTS: Fluorescein angiography revealed a window defect in the area of denuded retinal pigment epithelium. Histologic studies revealed repopulated nonpigmented retinal pigment epithelial cells in the denuded areas in both the early and late periods. At 9 months, the repopulated retinal pigment epithelium was associated with repaired, normal-appearing photoreceptor outer segments. Retinal pigment epithelium regrowth was observed only if Bruch's membrane was intact. CONCLUSIONS: Repopulation of retinal pigment epithelium in the adult primate can occur rapidly and can support the repair of damaged photoreceptors following submacular surgery.

Aicardi's syndrome in a female infant with a family history of miscarried male siblings.

Aicardi's syndrome is thought to be an X-linked genetic disease, although the mechanism for transmission remains uncertain. We report on a four-month-old female patient with Aicardi's syndrome. She was born prematurely at 28 weeks' gestation, weighing 1,500 g. Asymmetric myoclonic jerks developed at one month of age. Her left eye showed chorioretinal lacunae and a coloboma on the optic disc, while the right eye was microphthalmic with total retinal detachment. A CT scan disclosed heterotopia and dysgenesis of the corpus callosum. Abnormal development of the thoracic vertebrae was also evident. The most remarkable aspect of this case was that the patient's mother had suffered three miscarriages. Two are known to have been male, but the other gender is unknown. This family history may support the theory that there is a factor, lethal for males, involved in the genetic transmission of Aicardi's syndrome.

Leukemic cell creatine kinase and its isoenzymes.

Using malachite green single agent coloration and acetate membrane electrophoresis, we studied the cellular creatine kinase (CK) activity and its isoenzymes in 7 normal controls and 26 leukemia patients. The leukemic cellular CK activity was 12.62 +/- 4.86 u/mg protein, 2.2 times higher than the normal value (5.73 +/- 2.66 u/mg protein, p less than 0.05). Only 2 of 5 normal leukocyte samples showed '+' CK isoenzyme MM. 22 leukemia patients had CK isoenzyme. CK-BB appeared mainly in acute granulocytic leukemic, and CK-MM mainly in other types. CK-MB was also found in 6 patients. The recurrence of CK-BB may indicate atavism, and the enhanced anaerobic glycolysis and the accelerated energetic turnover may be on of the metabolic characteristics of leukemic cell.

SAW focusing by circular-arc interdigital transducers on YZ-LiNbO(3).

Using the angular spectrum theory and experimental velocity data of surface acoustic waves (SAW) on YZ-LiNbO(3), the focusing characteristics of a circular-arc interdigital transducer have been demonstrated. The calculated results show that the depth of focus is long and the compressed acoustic beam width is very narrow. The concept of a caustic is shown to be an excellent way of characterizing SAW focusing by a circular-arc interdigital transducer on YZ-LiNbO(3). Comparison between theoretical and experimental results shows good agreement.

Abnormal membrane properties of the sarcoplasmic reticulum of pigs susceptible to malignant hyperthermia: modes of action of halothane, caffeine, dantrolene, and two other drugs.

The role of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in malignant hyperthermia (MH) was studied using the heavy microsomal fraction prepared from semitendinosus muscles of both normal and genetically MH-susceptible pigs. In the presence of ATP, SR was loaded with 70 nmol Ca2+/mg SR protein. Under these conditions, MH-SR demonstrated Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (Ca-ICaR) and halothane-induced Ca2+ release (halothane-ICaR; halothane concentrations as low as 10 microM). Normal SR did not demonstrate these release phenomena. Dantrolene inhibited the halothane-ICaR, but did not inhibit the Ca-ICaR. Ruthenium red and tetracaine inhibited both types of Ca2+ release. From the measurement of passive Ca2+ efflux, it was shown that dantrolene did not affect the Ca2+ permeability of the SR itself, but suppressed only the halothane-induced increment of the permeability. The membrane order parameter of the SR, as measured by the spin-probe EPR technique, indicated that halothane disordered the lipid bilayer of MH-SR to a greater extent than it did of normal SR. This halothane disordering effect on MH-SR was antagonized by dantrolene. Ruthenium red and tetracaine did not antagonize the halothane disordering effect. These results raise the possibility that halothane could disturb the structure of the lipoprotein complex in MH-SR in such a way that it could open the Ca2+-release channels. The Ca2+ thus released further opens the channel through the Ca-ICaR mechanism in a positive feedback fashion, thus triggering the MH syndrome. The efficacy of dantrolene in ameliorating the MH syndrome might be related to the inhibition of this halothane effect.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane of rat skeletal muscle is disordered with chronic alcohol ingestion.

Heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was prepared from skeletal muscle of chronic alcoholic rats and control rats. Compared with control rat SR, the SR prepared from alcoholic rats is leakier to Ca2+ and has a lower level of maximum storable Ca2+. With in vitro exposure to ethanol, the Ca2+ release of alcoholic rat SR was not enhanced as much as that of SR prepared from control rats. By using the spin-probes 5-, 7-, 12-, and 16-doxylstearic acid, the disordering effect of ethanol on the SR membrane was studied. The results suggest that SR membrane of chronic alcoholic rats is less ordered than that of control rats even in the absence of in vitro ethanol. However, chronic SR membrane shows a greater resistance to the disordering effect of in vitro addition of ethanol than control rat SR.