Mechanisms of blockade of tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTXr) Na+ channels by local anesthetics in comparison with the sensitivity of tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTXs) Na+ channels were studied by means of the patch-clamp technique in neurons of dorsal root ganglions (DRG) of rat. Half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the tonic block of TTXr Na+ currents by lidocaine was 210 micromol/l, wherea...

When behavioral pharmacologists/toxicologists study conditioned taste aversions (CTAs), or other conditioned responses, as a means to investigate the effects of various drugs or toxins on a learned response, failure to discover a CTA is frequently attributed to the treatment's influence on the associative process. This kind of analysis may fail to identify drug-induced sensory changes that may ...

Meperidine (Demerol) has local anesthetic properties separate from its opioid receptor agonist effect. Unlike morphine, meperidine is structurally similar to local anesthetics. Therefore, it is not surprising that it possesses some characteristics of local anesthetics. If meperidine acts like a local anesthetic, binding to the same receptor sites and inhibiting nerve conduction, then drugs that...

A 98-year-old woman presented for a hemiarthroplasty of the left hip. Because of her age and cardiac and pulmonary co-existing diseases we decided to provide adequate regional anesthesia by continuous spinal anesthesia. Fragmented doses of isobaric bupivacaine 0.5% were administered through a system consisting of a spinal catheter connected to an antimicrobial filter. After an uneventful surgic...

Background: With the introduction of new technologies in endourology, supine percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (sPCNL) is becoming a trend as it has numerous benefits in terms of safety, efficacy, and versatility. It allows anesthetists the privilege of using regional anesthesia with its advantages over general anesthesia for this procedure; as regional anesthesia lowers morbidity, analgesic requi...

rhythms (for example, by temporary transcutaneous pacing, magnet). • The often-given recommendation of application of the 'current in a fashion that it will not cross the generator ⁄ lead ⁄ chest system' might be of less relevance than currently thought. In our case, repositioning the return electrode away from the apex of the heart did not result in any change of the current necessary to trans...

Background: Intrathecal adjuvants to local anaesthetic enhance the quality and duration of spinal anaesthesia. The present study was aimed to comparatively evaluate the clonidine and butorphanol as adjuvants to intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine for subarachnoid blockade during orthopaedic surgeries. Patients and method: Sixty four adult consented patients of both gender of ASA physical status ...

BACKGROUND Despite epidural analgesia increasingly being utilized in hospitals, very little research-based evidence is available about registered nurses' (RNs) and midwives' knowledge of this technique. OBJECTIVE To describe the current epidural knowledge levels of RNs and midwives in a multi-site setting. METHOD RNs and midwives at four, regional teaching facilities completed an epidural k...

PURPOSE To assess and compare the onset time and duration of neuroblockade obtained after ropivacaine or bupivacaine in infants undergoing major abdominal surgery. We also evaluated the efficacy and safety of employing ropivacaine instead of bupivacaine to provide operative anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. METHODS In a prospective double blind study 28 infants, aged 1-12 months, underg...

The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors (CRF1 and CRF2) are crucial mediators of physiological and behavioral responses to stress. In animals, CRF1 appears to primarily mediate CRF-induced anxiety-like responses, but the role of CRF2 during stress is still unclear. Here we report the effects of CRF1 and CRF2 on the magnitude and plasticity of defensive startle responses in mice. Star...