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Introduction: This study was designed to quantitatively evaluate the sealing effect of a polyvinyl chloride tapered endotracheal tube cuff and to compare the tapered cuff with cylindrical endotracheal tube cuffs using an in vitro viscous fluid model. Methods: Five types of 8.0 mm inner diameter endotracheal tubes (TaperGuard, PortexSacett, PortexSoftseal, Sheridan HVT, Sheridan CF) were fixed in vertically placed 20mm internal diameter acrylic tubes. The cuffs were inflated to 25 mmHg pressure and water was added to the top of the cuff. The amount of water leaking around the cuff at five minutes was measured. Afterwards a viscous fluid was poured above the cuff and the amount of fluid passing around the cuff at five minutes and four hours was measured. Each determination was repeated five times and the data analyzed. Results: The median (range) amount (ml) of dyed water passing around the cuff at 5 minutes was TaperGuard tube 0 (0-0.2), PortexSacett 81.1 (44.6-107.9), PortexSoftseal 95.4 (91.4-113.7), Sheridan HVT 46.5 (32.7-74.6) and Sheridan CF 52.6 (31.9-62.2), suggesting that TaperGuard significantly (P<0.05) reduced fluid leakage. The viscous fluid leakage at 5 minutes was not significantly different among the groups while the amount of leaked viscous fluid at 4 hours was 0.2 (0-1.1) for the TaperGuard, 57.6 (11.9-117.4) for the PortexSacett, 23.2 (13.8-33.0) for the PortexSoftseal, 5.5 (2.7-15.4) for the Sheridan HVT and 5.6 (1.8-7.9) for the Sheridan CF. Conclusion: An endotracheal tube with a tapered polyvinyl chloride cuff had significantly less fluid leakage compared to four tubes with cylindrical cuffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-vitro antimicrobial activity of HSR-903, a new fluoroquinolone, was tested against 51 clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in comparison with ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and sparfloxacin. The MICs of HSR-903 for 11 isolates with alterations in both GyrA and ParC, for 19 isolates with alterations only in GyrA and for 21 isolates without alterations in either GyrA or ParC ranged from 0.03 mg/L to 1.0 mg/L (MIC90 = 0.25 mg/L), from 0.03 mg/L to 0.5 mg/L (MIC90 = 0.125 mg/L) and from < or = 0.001 mg/L to 0.008 mg/L (MIC90 = 0.004 mg/L), respectively. Levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were the least active of the four quinolones tested, particularly against the mutant strains. Sparfloxacin was more active, but HSR-903 exhibited the most potent in-vitro activity against the clinical N. gonorrhoeae isolates, including those harbouring quinolone-resistance-associated alterations in GyrA and ParC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryWe undertook the anaesthetic management of two children with Hecht–Beals syndrome for orthopaedic surgery under general anaesthesia. Both patients had arachnodactyly, kyphoscoliosis, and multiple congenital joint contractures, but limited mandible excursion was not obvious preoperatively in either, although mental retardation made it difficult for them to cooperate with mouth examination. They had no apparent difficulties with their mouths in daily activities. The anaesthesia records of one patient showed that intubation had been difficult in an earlier procedure. The other patient also had a history of difficult intubation, with slight tearing of the corners of her mouth during an intubation procedure. During slow induction of general anaesthesia with sevoflurane, face mask ventilation was easily performed. We attempted to visualize the larynx under anaesthesia with muscle relaxation, but we were unsuccessful because of the limited mouth opening. After several trials, blind oral intubations were fortunately successful in both patients. There were no postoperative problems with the airway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is a type of programmed cell death owed to an intracellular accumulation of iron resulting in the generation reactive oxygen species, which in turn can cause peroxidation of plasma membrane lipids and ultimately result in cell death. We investigated the potential involvement of VPS13A deficiency in ferroptosis. The VPS13A gene encodes for chorein, and its deficiency is a molecular cause of chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc), a Huntington-like disease with neurodegeneration in the striatum. In our previous study, we found male infertility characterized by increased malondialdehyde staining of the spermatozoa in the testes of the ChAc model mice. Thus, in this study we performed metabolome analysis of sperm extracted from the epididymis of the ChAc model mice, which revealed decreased cystine levels, suggesting an association between chorein deficiency and ferroptosis. We then investigated the role of chorein in ferroptosis using VPS13A knockdown (VPS13A-KD) HEK293 cells. We found that VPS13A-KD cells displayed a significantly diminished resistance to tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP)-induced lipid peroxidation and cell death compared to control cells, which could be rescued by treatment with ferrostatin-1. Moreover, VPS13A-KD cells showed Fe(II) accumulation, suggesting an impaired capacity for divalent iron removal. In the cytosolic fraction of VPS13A-KD cells, the protein level of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) was significantly reduced, suggesting that dysfunction of chorein impairs GPX4 transport, thereby facilitating ferroptosis. These results suggest that ferroptosis may contribute to neurodegeneration in ChAc caused by loss of chorein function., (© 2024 The Author(s). FEBS Open Bio published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

Introduction: The objective of the current study was to investigate the association between lower body bone fractures occurring during maintenance hemodialysis and prognosis., Methods: This study included 151 hemodialysis patients at the dialysis center of our hospital as of December 2017, and data were systematically gathered from medical records over a period of 5 years, concluding in December 2022., Results: Fourteen patients, 3.0 per 100 person-years, in 151 hemodialysis patients suffered from lower body bone fractures. The ratio of males was significantly lower, and age was significantly higher in the lower body bone fracture group than in the no lower body bone fracture group. Duration of hemodialysis prior to entry into this study was significantly shorter in the lower body bone fracture group than in the no lower body bone fracture group. Serum albumin was significantly lower and alkaline phosphatase was significantly higher in the lower body bone fracture group than in the no lower body bone fracture group. Mortality rate was significantly higher in the lower body bone fracture group (85.7%) compared to no lower body bone fracture group (28.5%) (p = 0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival curves for mortality showed that lower body bone fracture group had poor prognosis compared to no lower body bone fracture group. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for mortality were significantly higher for cases with lower body bone fractures., Conclusion: Lower body bone fractures have high mortality rates and poor prognosis in the patients with hemodialysis., (© 2024 International Society for Apheresis and Japanese Society for Apheresis.)

We developed a system to adjust the rate of a continuous rocuronium (Rb) infusion to achieve 3 ≤ %T1 ≤ 10 with a closed-loop control. Samples were collected from 15 patients, and Rb blood concentrations were measured at the following time points: (1) when %T1 recovered to 3% or more after the initial Rb infusion; (2) when %T1 stabilized within the target range; (3) at the cessation of the Rb infusion; (4) 5 min after the sugammadex administration. The predicted Rb blood concentration at each time point was calculated and recorded using the pharmacokinetic parameters of Wierda et al. At time points (1), (2), and (3), the predicted blood concentrations were in good agreement with the measured values, but after the administration of sugammadex, the blood concentrations were higher than the predicted values because the Rb distributed in the tissues migrated into the blood. From the above, it was confirmed that the predicted blood concentration of Rb can be a good indicator for the automatic Rb administration control.

VPS13A, also known as chorein, whose loss of function causes chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc), is characterized by Huntington's-disease-like neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric symptoms in addition to acanthocytosis in red blood cells. We previously reported that ChAc-model mice with a loss of chorein function exhibited male infertility, with asthenozoospermia and mitochondrial dysmorphology in the spermatozoa. Here, we report a novel aspect of chorein dysfunction in male fertility, particularly its role in spermatogenesis and mitochondrial integrity. An increase in anti-malondialdehyde antibody immunoreaction within the testes, predominantly observed at the advanced stages of sperm formation in chorein-deficient mice, suggests oxidative stress as a contributing factor to mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired sperm maturation. The chorein immunoreactivity in spermatids of wild-type mice accentuates its significance in sperm development. ChAc-model mice exhibit mitochondrial ultrastructural abnormalities, specifically during the late stages of sperm maturation, suggesting a critical timeframe for chorein's action in spermiogenesis. We observed an increase in TOM20 protein levels, indicative of disrupted mitochondrial import mechanisms. The concurrent decrease in metabolic enzymes such as IDH3A, LDHC, PGK2, and ACAT1 suggests a complex chorein-mediated metabolic network that is essential for sperm vitality. Additionally, heightened separation of cytoplasmic droplets from sperm highlights the potential membrane instability in chorein-deficient spermatozoa. Metabolomic profiling further suggests a compensatory metabolic shift, with elevated glycolytic and TCA-cycle substrates. Our findings suggest that chorein is involved in anti-ferroptosis and the maturation of mitochondrial morphology in the late stages of spermatogenesis, and its deficiency leads to asthenozoospermia characterized by membrane instability, abnormal cytosolic glycolysis, abnormal mitochondrial function, and a disrupted TCA cycle. Further analyses are required to unravel the molecular mechanisms that directly link these findings and to elucidate the role of chorein in spermatogenesis as well as its broader implications.

Background: We previously developed an automated total intravenous anesthesia control system that uses new closed-loop system algorithms to administer propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium based on the bispectral index and train-of-four data. We recently improved this automated control system by adding a safety mechanism and using a modified monitoring device., Methods: Patients scheduled for elective surgery were randomly assigned to closed-loop feedback control (automatic group) or the manual administration of propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium (manual group). The proportion of time during which the proper management of three-agent anesthesia was maintained during surgery was determined as the primary endpoint., Results: The proportion of time during which the three components of sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation were adequately controlled was 87.21 ± 12.79% in the automatic group, which was non-inferior to the proportion of 65.19 ± 20.16% in the manual group ( p < 0.001). Adverse events during the operative or postoperative observation periods were significantly less frequent in the automatic group (54 patients, 90.0%) than in the manual group (60 patients, 100.0%; p = 0.027)., Conclusion: Our three-agent automated control system, which features an improved muscle relaxation monitor and safety mechanism added to the basic control algorithms, maintained sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation appropriately in a manner non-inferior to anesthesiologists without compromising safety.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, attention has focused on measures to prevent droplet infection. Operating rooms, where we anesthesiologists mainly work, are equipped with various theories and techniques for performing surgical procedures and general anesthesia on patients with various infectious diseases, whether airborne, droplet, or contact infection, and are an environment where surgical procedures and general anesthesia can be safely performed on patients with compromised immune functions. Here, we describe the anesthesia management standards assuming COVID-19 from the viewpoint of medical safety, as well as the structure for supplying clean air in the operating room and the structure of a negative-pressure operating room., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (2023, National Center for Global Health and Medicine.)

The tetrafluoro-λ 6 -sulfanyl (SF 4 ) moiety has been relatively undeveloped since its discovery in the 1970s. In this study, we synthesized pyridine-SF 4 -isoxazolines, in which the two heterocycles are connected by a rodlike trans -SF 4 linker, via the regioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of pyridine-SF 4 -alkynes and nitrones in the presence of triethylamine. SF 4 linkers are a viable alternative to para-substituted benzenes, alkynes, and bicyclo[1.1.1]pentyl derivatives in drug design, and pyridine-SF 4 -isoxazolines have potential applications in drug development.