Abstract Background: Brachial plexus block (BPB) has been accepted as a reliable alternative for general anesthesia in upper limb surgeries. Adding adjuvant drugs like dexmedetomidine and sufentanil has been shown to have clinical and pharmacologic advantages. In this randomized parallel clinical trial, we aim to compare the effects of these two adjuvants for bupivacaine in BPB. Methods: In this double-blinded study, by using computer-assisted block randomization, 40 patients ranged from 20 to 65 years old and scheduled for elective upper limb surgeries were assigned to two equal study groups (n = 20), receiving 1 mL of 5 μg.mL-1 sufentanil (group S) or 1 mL of 100 μg.mL-1 dexmedetomidine (group D) in adjunction to 30 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine for supraclavicular BPB under the guidance of ultrasonography. Characteristics of local anesthesia and postoperative analgesia were evaluated (n = 40). Results: The duration of blocks significantly improved in group S (sensory: estimated median difference (EMD) [95%CI] = 100.0 [70.0~130.0], p < 0.001; motor: EMD [95%CI] = 120.0 [100.0~130.0], p < 0.001). Group S also had significantly longer postoperative analgesia and lower opioid consumption within 24 hours after the surgery (EMD [95%CI] = 4.0 [3.0~7.0], p < 0.001; EMD [95%CI] = -5.0 [-5.0~-5.0], p < 0.001; respectively). None of the patients showed adverse effects concerning vital signs, nausea, or vomiting. Conclusion: Our study showed that during ultrasound-guided supraclavicular BPB, sufentanil is a fairly better choice than dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for bupivacaine and can provide preferable sensory and motor blocks. No significant side effects were seen in either of the study groups.

Abstract Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-unpleasant situation with contradictory and inadequate treatments. In this regard, the present study evaluated the effect of the possible pretreatment of lipase-pancreatin on L-arginine-induced AP. Forty adult mice were selected and divided into five groups: I) control group, II and III) AP groups (i.p.) receiving L-arginine of 2×300 and 2×400 mg/100 g body weight (b.w.), IV) AP (2×300 L-arginine) group + pancreatin (mice were i.p. injected by 350 U-lipase), and V) AP (2×400 L-arginine) group + pancreatin (mice were i.p. injected by 350 U-lipase). All AP groups displayed a significant increase in serum levels of ALT, AST, TBARS, and TNF-alpha compared to the control group. Moreover, pancreatic tissue edema, inflammation, and vacuolization of acinar cells were significantly higher in the untreated L-arginine group compared to the control and pancreatin groups. Conversely, the diameter of pancreatic islets significantly declined after induction of pancreatitis compared with control and pancreatin groups. Pancreatin treatment can be used in pancreatic dysfunction, however, this medicine showed no protective effect against L-arginine-induced AP in the mouse model.

Abstract Background Morphine is an analgesic agent used for cancer pain management. There have been recent concerns that the immunosuppressant properties of morphine can also promote cancer metastasis. Morphine is an agonist for toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) that has a dual role in cancer development. The promotor or inhibitor role of morphine in cancer progression remains controversial. We investigated the effects of morphine on migration and metastasis of melanoma cells through TLR4 activation. Methods Mouse melanoma cells (B16F10) were treated with only morphine (0, 0.1, 1, and 10 μM) or in combination with a TLR4 inhibitor (morphine10 μM +CLI-095 1μM) for either 12 or 24 hours. Migration of cells was analyzed by transwell migration assays. Twenty C57BL/6 male mice were inoculated with B16F10 cells via the left ventricle of the heart and then randomly divided into two groups (n = 10 each) that received either morphine (10 mg.kg−1, sub-q) or PBS injection for 21 days (control group). Animals were euthanized and their lungs removed for evaluation of metastatic nodules. Results Morphine (0.1, 1, and 10 μM) increased cell migration after 12 hours (p < 0.001) and after 24 hours of treatment with morphine (10 μM) (p < 0.001). Treatment with CLI-095 suppressed migration compared to cells treated with morphine alone (p < 0.001). Metastatic nodules in the morphine-treated group (64 nodules) were significantly higher than in the control group (40 nodules) (p < 0.05). Conclusion Morphine increases the migration and metastasis of mouse melanoma cells by activating TLR4.

As constantes de acidez do PAR foram determinadas por Análise de Componentes Principais em Rede Neural Artificial, usando-se dados espectrais simulados e experimentais. As equações de balanço de massa do ácido triprótico e os perfis espectrais correspondentes, gerados por um modelo Gaussiano, foram usados para simular todos os dados de absorbância-pH necessários. Um ruído constante, com média zero e diferentes desvios padrões (1-3% dos valores máximos de absorbância) foi sobreposto ao espectro simulado gerado. Um modelo experimental triangular foi usado para selecionar e determinar as diferentes constantes de acidez simuladas. Os efeitos de ruído em diferentes níveis foram também estudados para avaliar a habilidade de predição do modelo. Um conjunto completo de dados experimentais de titulação fotométrica do PAR, no intervalo de pH 1,50-13,00, foi usado como teste. As constantes de acidez obtidas concordam com os valores previamente relatados usando-se o programa DATAN.

The acidity constants of the PAR were determined by Principal Component Analysis Artificial Neural Networks, using simulated and experimental spectral data. Triprotic acid mass balance equations and corresponding spectral profiles generated by a Gaussian model were used to simulate all required absorbance-pH data. A constant noise with zero mean and different standard deviations (1-3% of the maximum absorbance values) was superimposed on the generated simulated spectra. A triangular experimental design was used to select and produce the different simulated acidity constants. The effects of white noise at different levels were also studied to check the prediction ability of the model. A fully experimental data set, photometric titration data of PAR at pH=1.50-13.00 range was used as a test set. The obtained acidity constants are in a good agreement with previously reported values using DATAN software.