In nearly 25 years of clinical experience, the benefits and limitations of ketamine analgesia and anaesthesia have generally been well-defined. The extensive review of White et al. and the cardiovascular review of Reves et al. are broad in their scope and have advanced the understanding of dissociative anaesthesia. Nevertheless, recent research continues to illuminate different aspects of ketam...

The mechanism by which racemic (R(+/-)) ketamine relaxes airway smooth muscle is unclear and there is no information on the differential effects of ketamine and its isomers. In this study, we have examined the spasmolytic effect of R(+/-) ketamine and its isomers S(+) and R(-) ketamine and the role of intracellular calcium and opioid receptors in R(+/-) ketamine-induced relaxation. The tension ...

BACKGROUND Results of previous studies of rectal ketamine as a pediatric premedication are clouded because of lack of dose-response relation, inappropriate time of assessing sedative effects, and previous administration or coadministration of benzodiazepines. Therefore, the authors reevaluated the efficacy of rectally administered ketamine in comparison with 1 mg/kg rectal midazolam. METHODS ...

REPLY: We would like to thank Wang et al. (3) for their interest in and comment on our article. Since the first report of ketamine cystitis by Shahani et al. (2) 10 years ago, the mechanism of this new urinary dysfunction is still a mystery. Ketamine is accumulated in urine, and urothelial ulceration is commonly observed in severe ketamine cystitis patients, which might be the major reason for ...

Cigarette smoking during the prenatal period has been investigated as a causative factor of obstetric abnormalities, which lead to cognitive and behavioural changes associated with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate behaviour and AChE activity in brain structures in adult rats exposed to cigarette smoke during the prenatal period. Pregnant rats were divided into non-PCSE (n...

Ketamine, a known antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartic (NMDA) glutamate receptors, had been used as an anesthetic particularly for pediatric or for cardiac patients. Unfortunately, ketamine has become an abusive drug in many parts of the world while chronic and prolonged usage led to damages of many organs including the brain. However, no studies on possible damages in the brains induced by chroni...

Ketamine is an NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist that elicits rapid antidepressant responses in patients with treatment-resistant depression. However, ketamine can also produce psychotomimetic effects that limit its utility as an antidepressant, raising the question of whether the clinically tolerated NMDAR antagonist memantine possesses antidepressant properties. Despite its similar potency to ...

OBJECTIVES Ketamine abuse can damage the urinary tract and cause lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). This report presents our observations and management on urinary tract damage caused by ketamine abuse. METHODS From November 2006 to February 2009, 20 patients visited Taipei Veterans General Hospital due to ketamine-related lower urinary tract symptoms. We analyzed the clinical presentations...

BACKGROUND Acute ketamine has been shown to model features of schizophrenia such as psychotic symptoms, cognitive deficits and smooth pursuit eye movement dysfunction. There have been suggestions that chronic ketamine may also produce an analogue of the disorder. In this study, we investigated the effect of persistent recreational ketamine use on tests of episodic and working memory and on ocul...

PURPOSE Nicorandil opens adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels in the cardiovascular system and is being increasingly used for the treatment of angina pectoris. In the present study, we tested whether intravenous anesthetic agent ketamine affected nicorandil-induced native vascular K(ATP) channel activation. METHODS We used excised inside-out patch clamp configurations ...