Effect of intralipid administration on calcium therapy in verapamil toxicity.

AIM: Lipid emulsions are promising with regard to the treatment of toxicity by agents of high lipophilic nature. Our objective is to investigate the efficacy of intralipid 20% and calcium administration at different times when symptoms of cardiac toxicity occur during verapamil infusion. METHOD: 24 adult male Spraque-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 different groups, the control group, calcium group, calcium following 20% intralipid group and concomitant 20% intralipid and calcium group. Following monitoring under ketamine anesthesia, all groups were administered 37.5 mg kg-1 h-1 verapamil infusion until a 50% decrease occurred in MAPb. At the end of the infusion, verapamil infusion was decreased down to 15 mg kg-1h-1 and the treatment agents predetermined for the groups were administered concomitantly. RESULTS: There is no statistically significant difference between the administration of 20% intralipid synchronized with calcium or as a pretreatment, but both groups provided a higher survival rate when compared to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of calcium alone in verapamil toxicity is not sufficient; when calcium and 20% intralipid are administered together, there is no difference between the administration of lipid and calcium concomitantly and the administration of lipid prior to calcium (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 23).

Can an NTI-tss device be effective as a first-line therapy in patients with TMD myofascial pain?

This study was conducted to evaluate whether integrating a nociceptive trigeminal inhibition-tension suppression system (NTI-tss) device with first-line therapy of myofascial pain, which includes guidance, assurance, counselling and behavioural changes, would be more effective in alleviating symptoms. This randomised controlled clinical trial included 40 patients who were clinically diagnosed with myofascial pain according to Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group comprised patients who received guidance, assurance, counselling and behavioural changes; an NTI-tss device was integrated to this protocol in the second group. Both groups exhibited reduction in pain levels and improvement of jaw function compared with baseline values, but the difference was not significant. Both groups demonstrated improvements in 6 weeks; however, the integration of NTI-tss device into the therapy protocol did not provide any additional benefit in relieving symptoms of myofascial pain.

Possible asymptomatic carrier of salmonella typhimurium in the preputium: a case report.

Salmonella infections lead to several clinical syndromes such as acute gastroenteritis and bacteremia. Less frequent manifestations are extraintestinal focal infections, including urinary tract infections. A 10-month-old boy was admitted to the hospital with recurrent urinary tract infections treated with antibiotics. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from the urine samples obtained in urine bags. The organism was also grown from a suprapreputial swab, but was not grown in the suprapubic urine specimen. Renal ultrasonography, intravenous pyelography and voiding cystourethrogram were found normal. The patient was then circumcised, following with no uropathogens were isolated from the urine. It is believed that circumcision not only prevented further urinary tract infection and protected the case from becoming a carrier of Salmonella typhimurium, it also halted a possible spread of Salmonella infection to the general public.

Salbutamol or mist in acute bronchiolitis.

BACKGROUND: The role of bronchodilators in the treatment of bronchiolitis remains controversial. METHODS: A double-blind, placebo controlled trial was performed to evaluate the clinical response to nebulized salbutamol. One hundred and fifty-six infants aged between 7 weeks and 24 months who had had an episode of wheezing and other signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis were randomized to three groups as follows: (i) nebulized salbutamol was administered to 52 patients in group I at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg in 2 mL saline; (ii) saline was nebulized to 52 patients in group II and (iii) in group III 52 patients received mist in a tent. All three groups were administered oxygen during the procedures. Treatment was repeated with the same agent after 30 min if the respiratory score was 5 or more. Respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation and presence of cyanosis, wheezing, retractions were recorded before and after each treatment. RESULTS: The decrease in the respiratory score was 5.2 +/- 1.8, 0.82 +/- 2.4 and 1.7 +/- 1.3 in group I, II and III, respectively. The decrease in group I was significantly higher than in the other groups. Heart rate was similar between groups. Oxygen saturation decreased in group I without reaching statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Salbutamol was shown to be effective and safe in the treatment of acute bronchiolitis.

The Rett syndrome. A case report.

A rare case of a 40 month old girl has been diagnosed clinically to be that of the Rett syndrome, i.e. demonstrating regression in the development, repetitive handwringing movements and inability to speak. There were no specific laboratory findings.