Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Impact of extracranial contamination on regional cerebral oxygen saturation: a comparison of three cerebral oximetry technologies.
Cerebral oximetry is a noninvasive technology using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to estimate regional cerebral oxygen saturation. Although NIRS cerebral oximetry is being increasingly used in many clinical settings, interdevice technologic differences suggest potential variation in the ability to accurately acquire brain oxygenation signals. The primary objective of this study was to determine if NIRS-derived regional cerebral oxygen saturation measurements accurately account for oxygen saturation contamination from extracranial tissue. ⋯ Extracranial contamination appears to significantly affect NIRS measurements of cerebral oxygen saturation. Although the clinical implications of these apparent inaccuracies require further study, they suggest that the oxygen saturation measurements provided by cerebral oximetry do not solely reflect that of the brain alone.
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Comparative Study
μ-Opioid receptor gene A118G polymorphism predicts survival in patients with breast cancer.
Preclinical studies suggest that opioids may promote tumor growth. Genetic polymorphisms have been shown to affect opioid receptor function and to modify the clinical effects of morphine. In this study we assessed the association between six common polymorphisms in the μ-opioid receptor gene, including the well known A118G polymorphism, and breast cancer survival. ⋯ These results suggest that opioid pathways may be involved in tumor growth. Further studies examining the association between genetic variants influencing opioid system function and cancer survival are warranted.
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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.