Human bronchial smooth muscle (HBSM) contraction is implicated in a variety of respiratory diseases, including asthma. Yet, the presence of an operative calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) mechanism, identified in various smooth muscles, has not been established in HBSM. We therefore studied Ca-releasing mechanisms in HBSM obtained at thoracotomy with special attention to ryanodine-sensitive...

Shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS), a chronic shoulder pain condition, often stems from repetitive overhead activities. In the current report, the author presents 2 cases of SIS. In the first, a woman with a history of SIS found that physical therapy and subacromial steroid injections, while effective, were problematic for long-term use. Previous use in the author's practice demonstrated conve...

Preincubation of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) with propranolol or tetracaine inhibits Ca2+ accumulation and stimulates ATPase activity by more than 2-fold. This effect is obtained only when the preincubation is carried out in the presence of ATP or other nucleoside triphosphates. The (ATP + drug)-induced inhibition of Ca2+ accumulation is pH-dependent, increasing as the pH rises above 7.5. The p...

Calcium retained at binding sites of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle requires 10(-5) - 10(-4)M ATP to exchange with (45)Ca added to the medium. The ATP requirement for Ca exchangeability was observed with respect to the "intrinsic" Ca of the reticulum membranes and the fraction of Ca that is "actively" bound in the presence of ATP. Furthermore, a concen...

Local anesthetic creams for the clinical treatment of conditions such as postherpetic neuralgia were prepared as an in-house formulation from the eutectic mixture of lidocaine-tetracaine (LT cream) using two eutectic mixtures of local anesthetic (EMLA) type bases. The LT formulation was compared with a lidocaine-prilocaine (LP cream) eutectic mixture formulated using the same base as EMLA. The ...

A randomized study was performed to assess the effect of topical 1% amethocaine hydrochloride on postoperative analgesia requirements after strabismus surgery. Forty children scheduled for elective operation were allocated randomly to receive either topical amethocaine or normal saline. Postoperative analgesia was evaluated with the use of a four-point assessment score and analgesic requirement...

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of 1 drop of combined topical anaesthesia (tetracaine 0.1% and oxybuprocaine 0.4%) on central corneal thickness (CCT) values and at 2.5 mm from the corneal centre in nasal, temporal, superior and inferior hemi meridians, monitored by Orbscan over a period of 16 minutes. MATERIALS AND METHODS The corneal thickness of 12 right eyes of 12 young healthy men was deter...

The cytocidal action of Naja naja kaouthia venom on rabbit red blood cells and S-180 tumor cells treated with local anesthetics (tetracaine, lidocaine and procaine) were studied. The S-180 cells were more sensitive to the venom than the red blood cells which required albumin for efficient hemolysis in the 10 minute assay. All three local anesthetics at lower concentrations protected both cell t...