BACKGROUND The use of intrathecal opioids for labor analgesia continues to gain popularity, but there are limited data to guide this use. Previously, the authors established the ED50 for 60 min of labor analgesia from intrathecal sufentanil using an up-down sequential allocation study design. The current study first establishes an ED50 for intrathecal fentanyl using this same study design to es...

BACKGROUND Curcumin has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, and antinociceptive activity when administered systemically. We investigated the analgesic efficacy of intrathecal curcumin in a rat model of inflammatory pain. METHODS Male Sprague Dawley rats were prepared for intrathecal catheterization. Pain was evoked by injection of formalin s...

BACKGROUND The root of Peucedanum japonicum Thunb., a perennial herb found in Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea, is used as an analgesic. In a previous study, sec-O-glucosylhamaudol (SOG) showed an analgesic effect. This study was performed to examine the antinociceptive effect of intrathecal SOG in the formalin test. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with an intrathecal ...

BACKGROUND Activation of the serotonergic system is an important factor in the pathogenesis of intrathecal morphine-induced pruritus. Mirtazapine is a new antidepressant that selectively blocks 5-HT(2) and 5-HT(3) receptors. We therefore tested the hypothesis that preoperative mirtazapine would reduce the incidence of intrathecal morphine-induced pruritus. METHODS One hundred and ten ASA I pa...

BACKGROUND Cannabinoids bind to cannabinoid receptors type 1 and 2 and produce analgesia in several pain models, but central side effects from cannabinoid 1 receptors limit their clinical use. Cannabinoid 2 receptors reduce inflammatory responses in the periphery by acting on immune cells, and they are present on glia in the central nervous system. This study tested whether spinal cannabinoid a...

The present study was conducted on rats with inflammation induced by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan into the left hindpaw. Intrathecal administration of oxytocin produced dose-dependent increases in the hindpaw withdrawal latency (HWL) to thermal and mechanical stimulation in rats with inflammation. The antinociceptive effect of oxytocin was blocked by intrathecal administration of atosi...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the treatment of refractory Cryptococcus neoformans encephalitis with continuous administration of liposomal amphotericin B (AmB). Liposomal AmB was administered to a 28-year-old male by intravenous injection, with daily increasing dosages up to 150 mg per day and combined use of fluconazole (0.4 g per day) and oral flucytosine tablets (1.5 g per ...