In order to get a comprehensive picture of the distribution of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the North Atlantic Ocean, measurements of dissolved nitrous oxide were made during three cruises in the tropical, subtropical and coldtemperate North Atlantic Ocean in October/November 2002, March/April 2004, and May 2002, respectively. To account for the history of atmospheric N2O, we suggest a new depthdepen...

Sir,—In view of the favourable effect of nitrous oxide upon myeloid leukaemia (Eastwood et al., 1963) and lymphoma colony forming cells (Bruce, Lin and Bruce, 1970), we have examined the effect of nitrous oxide on mammary adenocarcinoma in mice. After subcutaneous inoculation with tumour M8013 (mammary adenocarcinoma), one group of C5jBl1() mice was placed in one cage in a flow of nitrous oxide...

A comparison was made of denitrification by Pseudomonas stutzeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Paracoccus denitrificans. Although all three organisms reduced nitrate to dinitrogen gas, they did so at different rates and accumulated different kinds and amounts of intermediates. Their rates of anaerobic growth on nitrate varied about 1.5-fold; concomitant gas production varied more than 8-fold. Ce...

AIMS To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nitrous oxide for children undergoing painful procedures. METHODS Ninety children requiring repeated painful procedures (lumbar puncture, bone marrow aspirate, venous cannulation, or dressing changes) were given nitrous oxide at a variable concentration of 50-70%. Procedure related distress was evaluated using the Observational Scale of Behavioral D...

BACKGROUND Hemorrhagic shock is associated with changes in vascular responsiveness that may lead to organ dysfunction and, ultimately, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Volatile anesthetics interfere with vasoresponsiveness, which may contribute to organ hypoperfusion. In this study, the authors examined the influence of adjunct nitrous oxide on the vascular responsiveness after short-term h...

A safe and effective form of pain relief would be an advantage in the prehospital treatment of patients experiencing extreme pain. Although used by many emergency medical services, 50% nitrous oxide (an inhaled analgesic known to have good pain relief properties) is not widely used by volunteer and semiprofessional organisations. This review aimed to determine whether 50% nitrous oxide is safe ...

This study was performed to test the hypothesis that nitrous oxide augments the effects of diazepam sedation of young children by reducing crying and movement and improving the overall quality of sedation. Twenty-four children (mean age of 32 months) were sedated on two occasions with two different treatment regimens. All subjects received a standard oral dose of 0.5 mg/kg of diazepam with and ...

The effect of nitrous oxide on intracellular folate metabolism of the human bone marrow was studied in vitro. Bone marrow cells, obtained from healthy volunteers, were incubated with 5 x 10(-8)m-[(3)H]5-formyltetrahydrofolate (5-formylTHF) for 18 hr to label intracellular folate pools. Subsequently the cells were exposed to nitrous oxide for up to 10 hr, and the intracellular folate coenzyme le...

BACKGROUND The role of nitrous oxide in modern anaesthetic practice is contentious. One concern is that exposure to nitrous oxide may increase the risk of cardiovascular complications. ENIGMA II is a large randomized clinical trial currently underway which is investigating nitrous oxide and cardiovascular complications. Before the completion of this trial, we performed a systematic review and m...

Vitamin BM is a bound coenzyme of methionine synthase and has a tetrapyrrole ring with monovalent cobalt at the centre. The cobalt functions as a methyl carrier in the transmethylation reaction shown in figure 1. In 1968, Banks, Henderson and Pratt reported that nitrous oxide reacted in vitro with vitamin B12, converting the cobalt from the monovalent form (Cob(I)alamin) to the bivalent form (C...