Serum interleukin-23 levels: relation to depression,anxiety, and disease activity in psoriatic arthritis patients

Clinical Rheumatology - Assessment of serum levels of IL-23 in PsA patients and its correlation with depression, anxiety, and disease activity. Eighty psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients and eighty...     

Laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block versus trocar site local anesthetic infiltration in gynecologic laparoscopy

Background

Relieving postoperative pain and prompt resumption of physical activity are of the utmost importance for the patients and surgeons. Infiltration of local anesthetic is frequently used methods of pain control postoperatively. Laparoscopically delivered transversus abdominis plane block is a new modification of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block.This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block with trocar site local anesthetic infiltration for pain control after gynecologic laparoscopy.

Results

No statistically significant difference between the two groups in mean visual analogue scale at 1, 18, and 24 h (P?=?0.34, P?=?0.41, and P?=?0.61, respectively), while the mean visual analogue scale was significantly lower in the laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block group than in the trocar site local anesthetic infiltration group at 3, 6, and 12 h (P?=?0.049, P?=?0.011, and P?=?0.042, respectively). No statistically significant difference was observed in the cumulative narcotics consumed at 3 h (P?=?0.52); however, women with transversus abdominis plane block have consumed significantly less amount of narcotics than women with trocar site infiltration at 6, 12, and 24 h (P?=?0.04, P?=?0.038, and P?=?0.031 respectively). Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block group (P?=?0.035).

Conclusion

Laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block is more effective in reduction of both pain scores in the early postoperative period and the cumulative narcotics consumption than trocar site local anesthetic infiltration in gynecologic laparoscopy.

Trial registration

Clinical Trials.gov NCT02973451

     

Antipsychotics inhibit the mitochondrial bioenergetics of pancreatic beta cells isolated from CD1 mice

Antipsychotics (APs) are widely used medications with reported diabetogenic side effects. This study investigated the effect of commonly used APs, namely chlorpromazine (CPZ), haloperidol (HAL) and clozapine, on the bioenergetics of male CD1 mice isolated pancreatic beta cells as an underlying mechanism of their diabetogenic effects. The effect of APs on Alamar blue reduction, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) of isolated beta cells was evaluated. Then, the effects of APs on the activities of mitochondrial complexes and their common coding genes expression, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and lactate production were investigated. The effects of APs on the mitochondrial membrane fluidity (MMF) and mitochondrial membrane fatty acid composition were also examined. Results showed that the tested APs significantly decreased cellular ATP production and GSIS of the beta cells. The APs significantly inhibited the activities of mitochondrial complexes and their coding gene expression, MMP and OCR of the treated cells, with a parallel increase in lactate production to different extents with the different APs. CPZ and HAL showed increased MMF and mitochondrial membrane polyunsaturated fatty acid content. In conclusion, the tested APs‐induced mitochondrial disruption can play a role in their diabetogenic side effect.     

Towards disposable sensors for drug quality control: Dextromethorphan screen‐ printed electrodes

A simple, rapid, reliable, and reproducible method for mass production of disposable sensors using screen‐printing technology is described. Homemade printing has been characterized and optimized on the basis of effects of the modifier and plasticizers. The fabricated bi‐electrode potentiometric strip containing both working and reference electrode was used as dextromethorphan (DXM) sensor. The proposed sensors worked satisfactorily in the concentration range from 10^?5 to 10^?2 mol L^?1 with detection limit reaching 6 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 and adequate shelf life of 8 months. DXM was determined in pharmaceutical formulations under batch and flow injection analysis (FIA) conditions with sampling output 120 h^?1. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Author Index of Volume 562

A simple, accurate, precise and sensitive potentiometric assay for the determination of acetycholine (Ach) in pure and biological samples is described. The method is based on the construction of an Ach sensor using carbon paste containing 1–10% (w/w) 2,3,6-trimethyl o-β-cyclodextrin doped as an ionophore with tricresyl phosphate (TCP) (a plasticizer) and potassium tetrakis-p-chlorophenyl borate (TKB). The increase in the potentiometric response of the carbon paste electrode CPE toward Ach is characterized by a slope of 57.4 ± 0.5 mV/decade in the range of 10³–10^?5 M Ach solution. The detection limit and correlation factors are calculated. The optimization of various experimental conditions is described. A successful application of the new CPE to determine Ach in the homogenates of cotton leaf worm “Spodoptera littoralis” is presented.