Nitrous oxide and halothane, in concentrations as low as 50 p.p.m. and 1.0 p.p.m. respectively, caused measurable decrements in performance in psychological tests in healthy male volunteers. Nitrous oxide alone caused similar effects. The functions apparently most sensitive to these low concentrations of anaesthetic agents were visual perception, immediate memory, and a combination of perceptio...

In an effort to correct misunderstandings and to establish the value of nitrous oxide pressure monitors on anaesthetic machines, the decrease of pressure within the nitrous oxide cylinders has been studied under a variety of clinical conditions. Although the matter had been clarified by 1946, the teaching of several current anaesthetic textbooks is still fallacious since an almost linear fall i...

A prototype composite electrode consisting of a metallized membrane "outer" cathode, and a conventional "inner" silver disc cathode, both sharing the same electrolyte, is described. Preliminary results indicate that the metallized membrane will act as an oxygen filter, allowing anaesthetic gases such as nitrous oxide, to pass through to the second (inner) cathode, where they may be reduced. Lin...

A new interest in self-administered nitrous oxide for labor analgesia has emerged in recent years in the United States. It has been used widely in Europe for decades, with favorable results. The American College of Nurse-Midwives published a position statement in 2010 supporting the practice of self-administered nitrous oxide as an additional analgesia choice for laboring women. Recent literatu...

According to the Australian Greenhouse Office’s (AGO) National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, agriculture contributes 17.7% of Australia’s net national greenhouse gas emissions (Fig. 1), and is the dominant national source of both methane (67.9%) and nitrous oxide (77.1%) gas in Australia (AGO 2004). Methane and nitrous oxide are potent greenhouse gasses with global warming potentials of 21 and 310 ...

Hydrogen-dependent evolution of methane from salt marsh sediments and whole-cell suspensions of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and Methanobacterium fornicicum ceased or decreased after the introduction of nitrate, nitrite, nitric oxide, or nitrous oxide. Sulfite had a similar effect on methanogenesis in the whole-cell suspensions. In salt marsh sediments, nitrous oxide was the strongest i...

OBJECTIVES to study the physiological changes, as well as the psychosedative and analgesic effects of nitrous oxide, in experimental conditions. STUDY DESIGN 101 dental students volunteers participated in a single nitrous oxide sedation session without dental treatment. Signs and symptoms were registered during and after the procedure. Pulse rate and hemoglobin oxygen saturation were monitore...