Awake off- pump coronary artery bypass surgery in 25 patients

Objectives To test the feasibility of the use of high thoracic epidural anesthesia as a sole anesthetic in patients undergoing off pump coronary artery bypass surgery, avoiding general anesthesia. Methods Between October 2002 to April 2003, twenty five cases underwent beating heart coronary artery revascularization without endotracheal general anesthesia, using high thoracic epidural anesthesia and analgesia. All the patients underwent epidural catheterization on the evening before the surgery. Resuits The patients in all received 71 grafts (single n= 11, double n = 5, triple n = 6, quadruple n =3). Six patients underwent repeat coronary artery bypass. Except one was converted to general anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass, the other patients underwent off- pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery, 2 patients underwent grafting via left thoracotomy (MIDCAB) and the rest through mid sternotomy. There was no mortality. Mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 16 . 2 ( 4.2 hours and hospital was 3.0(1.2 days. Conclusions Our experience confirms the feasibility of performing muhiple coronary artery bypasses in conscious patients without endotracheal general anesthesia.     

Hepatic Met‐enkephalin immunoreactivity is enhanced in primary biliary cirrhosis

Abstract: Background/aims: In contrast to the normal adult liver, the fetal human and rat livers, and the liver of rats with cholestasis secondary to bile duct resection (BDR) express the preproenkephalin (ppENK) mRNA, which codes for the endogenous opioid peptide Met‐enkephalin. In addition, Met‐enkephalin immunoreactivity (MEIR) is detected in hepatocytes and in proliferating bile ductules in the cholestatic rat liver. These data suggest that cholestasis is associated with the resurgence of cells that produce Met‐enkephalin. To explore further the status of opioids in cholestasis, we studied the expression of MEIR in liver tissue. Methods: The MEIR was sought in paraffin‐preserved liver tissues from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) (n = 10). Results: The MEIR was detected in all the PBC livers. Its intensity varied from weak to strong on hepatocytes and bile ducts and the strongest expression appeared as coarse granules. The MEIR was either absent or only faintly expressed by some hepatocytes from disease and nondisease control biopsies, but absent from bile ducts. Conclusion: These results suggest that the human liver in cholestasis may be a source of endogenous opioids.     

Correction: Inkjet assisted fabrication of planar biocompatible memristors

Correction for ‘Inkjet assisted fabrication of planar biocompatible memristors’ by Georgii A. Illarionov et al., RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 35998–36004.

The authors regret that one of the co-authors, Ivan Mukhin, was omitted from the original article. The correct author list is as shown here.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

A kit for conducting enteral feeding

A new kit for probe feeding permits to provide dosaged and continuous administration of nutritional mixtures with a certain speed and intervals. The complex is supplied with a device that permits to maintain a certain temperature of the mixture (if necessary the range of heating and cooling varies from 10 to 40 degrees C) and an electromixer, that prevents the mixture viscosity increase. The kit is successfully used for enteral (probe) feeding in patients with acute purulent infection and sepsis.     

Comparative characteristics of reactions of central hemodynamics to the exfusion of blood and plasma in surgical diseases

Complex clinico-laboratory and functional examinations of 102 patients have been made who had heart diseases, lung carcinoma, benign tumours of the lungs and mediastinal organs. Autoblood of 34 patients was prepared in the preoperative period (450-600 ml). A single taking the plasma by the method of double plamapheresis (500 ml) was performed in 48 patients. Autoplasma was prepared in 20 patients by the apparatus PF-0.5 (1200 ml). It is concluded that patients without pronounced insufficiency of blood circulation and anemization can easily endure exfusions of considerable volumes of blood and plasma.     

Receptor binding of corticosterone in some rat brain structures following neonatal blockade of the hypophyseoadrenal system

Administration of hydrocortisone to rats during the first five postnatal days leads to the blockade of the hypophyseoadrenal system and results in a decrease in the number of corticosterone receptors in the hypophysis, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. Such a decrease in the receptor binding of corticosterone in the brain structures involved in the regulation of the hypophyseoadrenal system by a feedback mechanism is due to a change in the number of true glucocorticoid receptors.Translated from Problemy Éndokrinologii, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 46–49, April, 1985.     

The influence of the length of alkoxy side groups on the phase state of polydialkoxyphosphazenes

Polydialkoxyphosphazenes with different substituents varying from methoxy up to octoxy which contain only minor amounts (below 0,1 mol-%) of various defective units in their macromolecules were synthesized. It was shown that such polyphosphazenes with propoxy, butoxy and pentoxy side groups can exist in the mesomorphic state and that a defect content as low as about 2 mol-% prevents mesophase formation. In spite of high flexibility of the main chain, the polydialkoxyphosphazenes were found to gain the ability to crystallize only if the number of C atoms in the alkoxy substituents is higher than six.