To identify sites of action of volatile anesthetics, we are studying genes in a functional pathway that controls sensitivity to volatile anesthetics in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The unc-1 gene occupies a central position in this pathway. Different alleles of unc-1 have unique effects on sensitivity to the different volatile anesthetics. UNC-1 shows extensive homology to human stomati...

This paper presents a preliminary study of the effects anesthetics propofol, remifentanil, and vecuronium bromide on rheological properties glycated erythrocytes in vitro, modeling glycation by hyperglycemia observed diabetes. Viscoelastic aggregation kinetic parameters were determined using an erythrocyte rheometer optical chip aggregometer developed our laboratory. The results showed signific...

BACKGROUND Microglial cells play important roles in coordinating the inflammatory brain responses to hypoxia and trauma. Ionotropic P2X receptors and metabotropic P2Y receptors (P2YRs) expressed in microglia can be activated by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) derived from damaged cells or astrocytes, and participate in the signaling pathways evoked in brain insult. Although several i...

Fundamental to the question of where and how anesthetics act at the cellular level and what their effects may be on cell membranes is the question of whether anesthetics alter the permeability of cell membranes to glucose. The present study was designed to investigate the effect, if any, of inhalation anesthetics on the passage of glucose across a particular type of human cell membrane, the red...

One hundred and sixty five years have passed since the first documented use of volatile anesthetics to aid in surgery, but we have yet to understand the underlying mechanism of action of these drugs. There is no question that, in vitro, volatile anesthetics can affect the function of numerous neuronal and non-neuronal proteins. In fact, volatile anesthetics are capable of binding such diverse p...

The aim of the paper was to study the effect of carbisocaine, a new local anesthetic with high liposolubility on incorporation of 32P into individual and total phospholipids and to compare its effect with that of other local anesthetics (procaine, lidocaine, cinchocaine, heptacaine). Carbisocaine decreased 32P incorporation into neutral phospholipids and increased the incorporation into acid ph...

General anesthetics have been a mainstay of surgical practice for more than 150 years, but the mechanisms by which they mediate their important clinical actions remain unclear. Ion channels represent important anesthetic targets, and, although GABA(A) receptors have emerged as major contributors to sedative, immobilizing, and hypnotic effects of intravenous anesthetics, a role for those recepto...

Various clinical trials have assessed how intraoperative anesthetics can affect early recovery, hemodynamics and nociception after supratentorial craniotomy. Whether or not the difference in recovery pattern differs in a meaningful way with anesthetic choice is controversial. This review examines and compares different anesthetics with respect to wake-up time, hemodynamics, respiration, cogniti...

It is well known that both local and volatile anesthetics depress myocardial functions. This study was performed to evaluate the combined effects of commonly utilized local anesthetics (bupivacaine, mepivacaine, and lidocaine) and a volatile anesthetic (isoflurane) on heart rate and myocardial contractility in an isolated rat working heart preparation using each local anesthetic at 0 to 3 x 10(...

introduction pharmacologic treatment of radicular pain with oral medications is limited by adverse effects and concern for dependence. while topical formulations have been explored in pain research, there is no published literature evaluating the efficacy in radicular pain. we present the first three cases of radicular pain successfully treated with a topical formulation of diclofenac, ibuprofe...