[en] We evaluated the analgesic efficacy and safety of tramadol 37.5 mg/acetaminophen 325 mg combination tablet, for the treatment of breakthrough pain in cancer patients. This study was conducted at Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan from January 2006 to February 2007. The single-center and open-label study enrolled 59 opioid-treated cancer patients with at least moderate breakthrough pain (visual analog scale [VAS] score >/=40mm on a 100-mm scale). The efficacy measures included VAS scores and adverse effect assessment 10, 30, and 60 minutes after the administration of tramadol/acetaminophen. Visual analog scale score at time of pain relief was reported. The mean VAS score when the breakthrough pain episode began (0 minute) was 77.8. Analysis showed significant better mean pain VAS scores at 10, 30, and 60 minutes after the administration of tramadol/acetaminophen (p Tramadol/acetaminophen might be efficacious and safe in the treatment of breakthrough pain in cancer (Author).

[en] The development of two analogous radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedures based on dextran-charcoal separation is described for the quantification of alfentanil and sufentanil. Immunization of rabbits with conjugates of bovine serum albumin and carboxy-derivatives of the respective drugs resulted in the production of antisera capable of detecting less than 0.05 ng ml^-1 of the parent analgesics with high specificity and almost no cross-reactivity with major metabolites. Excellent agreement was obtained between RIA - without prior extraction - and gas chromatography for alfentanil concentrations in human plasma. Because of sufentanil's low therapeutic levels no comparison could be made between its RIA and an alternative assay, however, there was strong evidence for the specificity of the assay when applied directly to plasma. (author)

[en] Irradiation with doses of 2.25-2.5 Mrads is suitable for sterilizing antimicrobial plaster dressings containing Furacillin, synthomycin, and brilliant green, as well as for sterilizing analgetic dressing packets containing dicain. (author)

[en] The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of Quadramet and Metastron in 76 patients with painful bone metastases. The analgesic response was evaluated at six weeks, three months and six months. Blood counts performed every week allowed an assessment of the toxicity. The internal radiotherapy reduced the pain in 60% of patients with a complete pain disappearance in 26% and a reduction of analgesic consumption in 67% of them. This study did not show any statistically significant difference between the two treatments. However, we demonstrated that patients with a relatively long survival (≥ 4 months) had a better analgesic response (73 against 29%, p = 0.0004). The patients with a less than four months survival and those with CIVD and liver metastasis had a higher risk of thrombopenia. This retrospective study suggests that these treatments should be given preferably to treat patients with a relatively tong life expectancy and that the detection of sub-clinic CIVD and liver metastasis could help to avoid severe thrombopenia. (authors)

[en] Purpose: Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective treatment for the management of symptomatic uterine fibroids. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of superior hypogastric nerve block (SHNB) in reducing narcotic analgesia use for post-procedural pain after UAE. Methods: A retrospective review of 88 consecutive patients with symptomatic fibroids who underwent UAE between August 2015 and August 2018 was performed. A total of 44 patients had intraprocedural SHNB and 44 patients had no SHNB. They were placed on a morphine patient-controlled anesthesia (PCA) pump after the procedure and were admitted for overnight observation. The total amount of PCA narcotic analgesia received was recorded for each patient. Additional factors including fibroid size, fibroid location, and patient age were evaluated to determine the predictors of narcotic use reduction after SHNB. Results: The mean amount of post-procedural morphine use was 51.7 mg in patients who did not receive an SHNB versus 35.9 mg in patients who did receive an SHNB (P = .008), resulting in a 47.2% reduction in narcotic analgesia use in the SHNB cohort. A significant reduction in morphine use with SHNB was associated with fibroid size greater than 5 cm (P = .009), intramural fibroid location (P = .04), and patients 45 years or younger (P = .006). Conclusion: The use of SHNB could significantly reduce the amount of narcotic analgesia required for pain control after UAE with larger intramural fibroids and younger patients as predictors of increased efficacy. (author)

[en] The use of intravenous sedation and analgesia in patients undergoing interventional diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is increasing. Sedation by non-anaesthetists is considered to be safe, provided that they have received adequate training and have the necessary equipment, facilities, and personnel. This article aims to increase awareness of the safe use of sedative drugs in radiology and provide a practical guideline for minimal and moderate sedation.

[en] Objective: To assess the efficacy of pre-incisional peritonsillar infiltration of two doses of ketamine on postoperative analgesia compared with peritonsillar normal saline in children undergoing tonsillectomy. Study Design: Double blind, randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Anaesthesiology, Surgical Intensive Care and Pain Management, Civil Hospital, Karachi, Dow University of Health Sciences, from August 2008 to January 2009. Methodology: Seventy-five ASA physical status one patients, aged 5 - 12 years scheduled for tonsillectomy were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into three groups of 25 each. Group-A received normal saline, Group-B, ketamine 0.5 mg/kg while group-C ketamine 1 mg/kg respectively. All medications were 2 ml and were applied 1 ml per tonsil; 3 minutes before tonsillectomy incision. Anaesthesia was induced and maintained with standard technique. All patients were monitored throughout surgery. The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS) and Wilson sedation scale were used to evaluate pain levels and sedation respectively after operation. Results: Mean duration of analgesia was significantly higher in group-C (17.28 +- 5.33 hours) as compared to group-B (11.36 +- 4.15 hours) and A (3.2 +- 0.71 hours) as well as group-B was also significantly higher than group-A (p < 0.05). Group-A had significantly higher pain scores than group-B and group-C. Both B and C groups had comparable pain scores, which were statistically significant at 6 and 8 hours. Conclusion: Single 0.5 or 1 mg/kg injection of ketamine given before surgical incision by peritonsillar infiltration provides efficient pain relief during postoperative period without significant side-effects in children undergoing tonsillectomy. (author)

[en] Highlights: • LPS induced apoptosis in a gap junction-dependent manner. • Dexmedetomidine protects against LPS-induced apoptosis via inhibition of Cx43 gap junction in lung fibroblast. • Dexmedetomidine reduced gap junction function via decreasing Cx43 expression in human lung fibroblast cell line. The α2-adrenoceptor inducer dexmedetomidine protects against acute lung injury (ALI), but the mechanism of this effect is largely unknown. The present study investigated the effect of dexmedetomidine on apoptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the relationship between this effect and gap junction intercellular communication in human lung fibroblast cell line. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis induced by LPS. Parachute dye coupling assay was used to measure gap junction function, and western blot analysis was used to determine the expression levels of connexin43 (Cx43). The results revealed that exposure of human lung fibroblast cell line to LPS for 24 h increased the apoptosis, and pretreatment of dexmedetomidine and 18α-GA significantly reduced LPS-induced apoptosis. Dexmedetomidine exposure for 1 h inhibited gap junction function mainly via a decrease in Cx43 protein levels in human lung fibroblast cell line. These results demonstrated that the inhibition of gap junction intercellular communication by dexmedetomidine affected the LPS-induced apoptosis through inhibition of gap junction function by reducing Cx43 protein levels. The present study provides evidence of a novel mechanism underlying the effects of analgesics in counteracting ALI.

[en] Purpose: To determine if intraarterial lidocaine reduces pain during and after chemoembolization, and whether it influences postprocedure recovery. Methods: Two patient cohorts undergoing selective hepatic chemoembolization were compared. Chemoembolization was performed without lidocaine (control group) in 27 patients and intraarterial lidocaine was used (lidocaine group) in 29 similar patients. Objective changes in patient management were assessed. Pain reduction in 31 more procedures with lidocaine (total 60) was assessed and related to tumor type. Results: During chemoembolization, intraarterial lidocaine reduced the need for additional intravenous analgesics from 69% to 19%. After chemoembolization the mean Dilaudid dose in the first 24 hr was reduced from 9.5 mg to 4.15 mg; accordingly, the mean length of hospital stay was reduced from 67.5 to 53.5 hr. During the day of chemoembolization, the mean oral fluid intake increased from 420 ml (control group) to 487 ml (lidocaine group); the percentage of patients taking solid food on the day of chemoembolization increased from 3% to 43%. Conclusion: Intraarterial lidocaine during chemoembolization reduces the severity and duration of pain after chemoembolization resulting in faster recovery thus reducing the length of hospitalization

[en] The title product was labelled with ¹⁴C at the ketone group, from 3-methoxybromobenzene in six steps. Complete synthetic techniques of the labelled drug are presented. (author)