An experimental study on preventive effect of continuous irrigation from peridural adhesion after laminectomy

Objective To observe the preventive effect of continuous irrigation with sodium hyaluronate injection from peridural adhesionaminectomy.Methods Larninectomies were performed in L1,L4,L7 of 25 New Zealand rabbits respectively with 3

Effect of continuous spinal anesthesia with ropivacaine on the ultrastructure of spinal cord and nerve roots in rats

To investigate the effects of continuous spinal anesthesia with different concentrations and doses of ropivacaine on the ultrastructure of the spinal cord and nerve roots.Methods Twenty-four male SD rats weighing 220～280 g were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 10% chloral hydrate 300～350 mg/kg.A polyurethane microcatheter was inserted into the lumbar subarachnoid space according to the technique described by Yaksh.An 8 cm catheter segment was left in the subarachnoid space.The animals were randomized to receive normal saline,0.5%,0.75% or 1.0% ropivacaine 40 μl intrathecally 3 times at 1.5 h interval.Six hours after the first intrathecal administration the animals were decaptiated and L 1,2 segment of the spinal cord and nerve roots were immediately removed for electron microscopic examination.Results Electron microscopic examination revealed that in animals which received intrathecal (i.t.) normal saline,0.5% or 0.75% ropivacaine the neurolemma of the nerve roots and the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum of the neurons in the spinal cord were intact,while in animals which received i.t. 10.% ropivacaine the neurolemma was stratified and partly disrupted and there were swelling of endoplasmic reticulum and vacuole degeneration.Conclusion Six hours continuous spinal anesthesia with 10.% ropivacaine may be injurious to the spinal cord and nerve roots.12 refs,8 figs,1 tab.

Particle behavior in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

Direct numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the behavior of heavy particles in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The present study focused on the effect of particle inertia and drift on the autocorrelations of the particle velocity and the fluid seen by particles and the dispersion characteristics of particles. The Lagrangian integral time scale of particles monotonically increased as the magnitude of the particle response time increased, while that of the fluid seen by particles remained relatively constant; it reached a maximum when the particle response time was close to the Kolmolgorov time scale of the flow. Particle dispersion increased as the particle inertia increased for small particles, while for larger particles, it decreased as particle inertia increased; particle eddy diffusion coefficient was maximal, and greater than that of the fluid by about 30%, at the preferential concentration. The concentration field of the particles with p/k1.0 showed that particles tend to collect in regions of low vorticity (high strain) due to preferential concentration. As the drift velocity of a particle is increased it crosses the paths of fluid elements more rapidly and will tend to lose correlation with its previous velocity faster than a fluid element will. And the correlation of particle velocities along the drift direction is more persistent than that perpendicular to the direction of drift. Simulations also showed that the continuity effect and the crossing-trajectory effect are weakened for particles with infinite inertia.

Alterations in renal function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and effects of continuous positive airway pressure

Objective To assess renal function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during two nights when they were untreated and treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Methods Tubular function was estimated on the basis of the renal lithium clearance and its derived formulae, urinary osmolality, osmolal clearance and free water clearance; while glomerular function was evaluated by endogenous creatinine clearance. Twenty patients with OSAS and sixteen normal controls were studied. Results The untreated patients with OSAS had significantly lower fractional proximal tubular sodium reabsorption (59.1%±7.1%,P<0.001 vs controls), lower fractional distal tubular sodium reabsorption (93.8%±1.7%, P<0.05 vs controls) and urinary osmolality (573.0±107.9 mosm·kg 1 , P<0.05 vs controls). The absolute distal tubular reabsorption rate of sodium and osmolal clearance in the untreated patients were higher 47.0±26.0 mmol·L 1 and 25.0±4.1 ml·L 1 ; P< 0.01 and P<0.05 respectively vs controls). During CPAP treated nights all abnormal renal function indexes in the OSAS patients restored to normal control values (P>0.05). Conclusions The natriuresis and diuresis of OSAS patients were due to the decrease in proximal and distal tubular sodium reabsorption and in tubular concentration ability during their nocturnal sleep and were returned to normal by CPAP therapy.