Anesthesiology
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Are blood transfusions associated with greater mortality rates? Results of the Sepsis Occurrence in Acutely Ill Patients study.
Studies have suggested worse outcomes in transfused patients and improved outcomes in patients managed with restricted blood transfusion strategies. The authors investigated the relation of blood transfusion to mortality in European intensive care units (ICUs). ⋯ This observational study does not support the view that blood transfusions are associated with increased mortality rates in acutely ill patients.
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Comparative Study
Dexmedetomidine reduces long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampus.
Dexmedetomidine (Precedex; Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL) is a selective alpha2-adrenergic agonist that also has affinity for imidazoline receptors. In clinical studies, dexmedetomidine has sedative effects and impairs memory, but the action of dexmedetomidine on synaptic plasticity in the brain has yet to be established. In the present study, the authors investigated the effects of dexmedetomidine on two forms of synaptic plasticity-long-term potentiation (LTP) and paired-pulse facilitation-in the CA1 region of mouse hippocampal slices. ⋯ Dexmedetomidine impairs LTP in area CA1 of the mouse hippocampus via imidazoline type 2 receptors and alpha2-adrenoceptors.
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Comment Letter Biography Historical Article
John Quincy Adams Ward did not create the Ether Monument.