BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest that caudal administration of ketamine cause effective analgesia. The purpose of the current study was to compare the clinical effectiveness and plasma concentrations of S(+)-ketamine after caudal or intramuscular administration in children to distinguish between local and systemic analgesia. METHODS After induction of general anesthesia, 42 patients, aged ...

The electrochemical detection of oxytocin using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes was studied. Cyclic voltammetry of oxytocin in a phosphate buffer solution exhibits an oxidation peak at +0.7 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which is attributable to oxidation of the phenolic group in the tyrosyl moiety. Furthermore, the linearity of the current peaks obtained in flow injection analysis (FIA) using BDD micro...

The major milk fraction stored in the bovine udder, the alveolar milk, is not available for milk removal before being actively shifted to the cisternal cavities by the milk ejection reflex (Knight et al. 1994; Pfeilsticker et al. 1996). Tactile teat stimulation, provided by the liner throughout milking, causes continuous release of oxytocin from the neuropituitary into the blood circulation, wh...

In sheep the administration of single intramuscular injections of dexamethasone into the fetus was shown to be an effective method of initiating parturition. In a controlled trial in women who had gone beyond the 41st week of pregnancy 20 mg betamethasone in saline (six patients) or saline alone (five patients) was injected into the amniotic fluid. In the betamethasone-treated group delivery oc...

Oxytocin is a neuromodulator with antidepressant-like effects. In vitro, oxytocin is rapidly cleaved by insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP). Oxytocin metabolites are known to exert strong central activities that are different from the effects of the parent molecule. Our goal is to investigate in vivo whether IRAP deletion modifies the antidepressant-like effects of oxytocin. Male and female...