Anesthesiology
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Comparative Study
Obstructive sleep apnea and incidence of postoperative delirium after elective knee replacement in the nondemented elderly.
Postoperative delirium, a common complication in the elderly, can occur following any type of surgery and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; it may also be associated with subsequent cognitive problems. Effective therapy for postoperative delirium remains elusive because the causative factors of delirium are likely multiple and varied. ⋯ This is the first prospective study employing validated measures of delirium to identify an association between preexisting obstructive sleep apnea and postoperative delirium.
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Comparative Study
Pore helix domain is critical to camphor sensitivity of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel.
The recent discovery that camphor activates and strongly desensitizes the capsaicin-sensitive and noxious heat-sensitive channel transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1) has provided new insights and opened up new research paths toward understanding why this naturally occurring monoterpene is widely used in human medicine for its local counter-irritant, antipruritic, and anesthetic properties. However, the molecular basis for camphor sensitivity remains mostly unknown. The authors attempt to explore the nature of the activation pathways evoked by camphor and narrow down a putative interaction site at TRPV1. ⋯ The findings of this study provide novel insights into the structural basis for the modulation of TRPV1 channel by camphor and may provide an explanation for the mechanism by which camphor modulates thermal sensation in vivo.
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Comparative Study
Antiproliferative effects of local anesthetics on mesenchymal stem cells: potential implications for tumor spreading and wound healing.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are self-renewing clonal progenitor cells of nonhematopoietic tissues that exhibit a marked tropism to wounds and tumors. The authors' studies aimed at exploring how local anesthetics would affect MSC biology. ⋯ The authors' studies demonstrate that local anesthetics significantly affect important aspects of MSC biology. These experiments provide novel rationales for the perioperative use of local anesthetics in patients with cancer but also highlight the potentially detrimental effects of local anesthetics on wound healing.