Posterior tibial nerve sensory blockade duration prolonged by adding dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine.

BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine, an α(2)-receptor agonist, prolongs analgesia when used in neuraxial and IV blocks. We evaluated the effect of dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine for tibial nerve block on the duration of the sensory blockade. METHODS: For this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, 14 healthy volunteers were allocated to 2 groups. All volunteers received an ultrasound-guided tibial nerve block 4 to 5 cm proximally to the medial malleolus. In group R, 10 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine was injected for the block; in group RD, 10 mL of a solution containing 0.5% ropivacaine with 1 µg/kg of dexmedetomidine was administered. After the injection, monitoring of vital signs, evaluation of onset and resolution of sensory block, and level of sedation (Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale) were performed. Three weeks later, the same procedure was repeated, but the study subjects were allocated to the other group in a crossover fashion. The primary end point was the duration of sensory blockade. The time and carryover effects were also evaluated. Secondary outcomes were the onset time and the presence of adverse effects such as hypotension, bradycardia, hypoxia, and sedation. RESULTS: Sensory blocks lasted longer in group RD than in group R (21.5 vs 16.2 hours; mean pairwise difference 5.3 hours [95% confidence interval: 3.9-6.7 hours]; P < 0.0001). Onset times were similar between groups. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were stable throughout the study period in group R. In group RD, a noticeable decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed between 60 and 480 minutes (P < 0.05); 2 volunteers experienced a 30% decrease in systolic blood pressure when compared with the baseline value as compared with none in group R. Heart rate was similar between groups except at 60 minutes (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine for tibial nerve block prolongs the duration of sensory blockade with similar onset time. However, patients should be monitored for potential adverse effects such as hypotension, bradycardia, and sedation.

Comparison of prognosis for men with type 2 diabetes mellitus and men with cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: People with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at high risk for cardiovascular disease. In some studies, the mortality rate among people with this condition has been equivalent to that among people with cardiovascular disease. We compared cardiovascular mortality between incident cases of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. METHODS: The study population was part of a random sample of 4376 men from Quebec, Canada, aged 35 to 64 years, who did not have cardiovascular disease in 1974 and who were followed until 1998. Three groups of incident cases were identified: diabetes without cardiovascular disease, first cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, unstable angina or stroke) without diabetes, and both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These cases were age-matched to a control group without diabetes or cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: During the 24-year follow-up period, new diabetes without cardiovascular disease was documented in 137 men. A first cardiovascular event without diabetes was documented in 527 men. Relative to the 627 controls, men with 1 of the 2 diseases of interest had higher cardiovascular mortality (age-adjusted relative risk [RR] 3.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.96-4.92) for those with diabetes and 4.46 (95% CI 3.15-6.30) for those with cardiovascular disease). However, within the first 5 years after diagnosis, men with cardiovascular disease had higher cardiovascular mortality than men with diabetes (age-adjusted RR 2.03, 95% CI 1.01-4.08). INTERPRETATION: Men with isolated type 2 diabetes and men with isolated cardiovascular disease had similar cardiovascular mortality rates several years after initial diagnosis of either condition. These findings reinforce the need to prevent and optimally manage diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Low-density lipoprotein subfractions and the long-term risk of ischemic heart disease in men: 13-year follow-up data from the Québec Cardiovascular Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between large and small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and long-term ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk in men of the Quebec Cardiovascular Study. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cholesterol levels in the large and small LDL subfractions (termed LDL-C> or =260A and LDL-C<255A, respectively) were estimated from polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis of whole plasma in the cohort of 2072 men of the population-based Quebec Cardiovascular Study. All men were free of IHD at the baseline examination and followed-up for a period of 13 years, during which 262 first IHD events (coronary death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina pectoris) were recorded. Our study confirmed the strong and independent association between LDL-C<255A levels as a proxy of the small dense LDL phenotype and the risk of IHD in men, particularly over the first 7 years of follow-up. However, elevated LDL-C> or =260A levels (third versus first tertile) were not associated with an increased risk of IHD over the 13-year follow-up (RR=0.76; P=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that estimated cholesterol levels in the large LDL subfraction were not associated with an increased risk of IHD in men and that the cardiovascular risk attributable to variations in the LDL size phenotype was largely related to markers of a preferential accumulation of small dense LDL particles.

PSA screening and prostate cancer mortality.

BACKGROUND: Physicians have speculated that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening may be responsible for the reduction in prostate cancer mortality observed in the late 1 990s. In order to test this hypothesis, we assessed the relation between the change in prostate cancer incidence in the early 1990s, attributed largely to PSA screening, and the subsequent change in prostate cancer mortality. METHODS: We divided the adult male population of Quebec aged 50 years and more into 15 birth cohorts. For each birth cohort, we computed the change in prostate cancer incidence between 1989 and 1993 and the change in prostate cancer mortality between 1995 and 1999. We then assessed the correlation between the changes in prostate cancer incidence and the subsequent changes in prostate cancer mortality by weighted linear regression. We also split up the study population into 15 regional populations and repeated the analysis described above. RESULTS: We found that even though most birth cohorts showed an increase in prostate cancer incidence and a subsequent decrease in mortality, the sizes of these changes were not inversely correlated (Pearson's r = 0.33, 1-sided p = 0.89). Similarly, in the regional population study, we found that a greater increase in prostate cancer incidence did not indicate a greater decline in mortality (Pearson's r= 0.13, 1-sided p = 0.68). INTERPRETATION: These results suggest that for our study population PSA screening was not associated with, and therefore cannot explain, the decline in prostate cancer mortality.