Summary
The multidisciplinary International Committee for the Advancement of Procedural Sedation presents the first fasting and aspiration prevention recommendations specific to procedural sedation, ...based on an extensive review of the literature. These were developed using Delphi methodology and assessment of the robustness of the available evidence. The literature evidence is clear that fasting, as currently practiced, often substantially exceeds recommended time thresholds and has known adverse consequences, for example, irritability, dehydration and hypoglycaemia. Fasting does not guarantee an empty stomach, and there is no observed association between aspiration and compliance with common fasting guidelines. The probability of clinically important aspiration during procedural sedation is negligible. In the post‐1984 literature there are no published reports of aspiration‐associated mortality in children, no reports of death in healthy adults (ASA physical status 1 or 2) and just nine reported deaths in adults of ASA physical status 3 or above. Current concerns about aspiration are out of proportion to the actual risk. Given the lower observed frequency of aspiration and mortality than during general anaesthesia, and the theoretical basis for assuming a lesser risk, fasting strategies in procedural sedation can reasonably be less restrictive. We present a consensus‐derived algorithm in which each patient is first risk‐stratified during their pre‐sedation assessment, using evidence‐based factors relating to patient characteristics, comorbidities, the nature of the procedure and the nature of the anticipated sedation technique. Graded fasting precautions for liquids and solids are then recommended for elective procedures based upon this categorisation of negligible, mild or moderate aspiration risk. This consensus statement can serve as a resource to practitioners and policymakers who perform and oversee procedural sedation in patients of all ages, worldwide.
To cite this article: Kezic S, O’Regan GM, Yau N, Sandilands A, Chen H, Campbell LE, Kroboth K, Watson R, Rowland M, Irwin McLean WH, Irvine AD. Levels of filaggrin degradation products are ...influenced by both filaggrin genotype and atopic dermatitis severity. Allergy 2011; 66: 934–940.
Background: Filaggrin, coded by FLG, is the main source of several major components of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the stratum corneum (SC), including pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA) and urocanic acid (UCA). Loss‐offunction mutations in FLG lead to reduced levels of filaggrin degradation products in the SC. It has recently been suggested that expression of filaggrin may additionally be influenced by the atopic inflammatory response. In this study, we investigated the levels of several breakdown products of filaggrin in the SC in healthy controls (CTRL) and patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) in relation to FLG null allele status. We examined the relationship between NMF (defined here as the sum of PCA and UCA) and AD severity.
Methods: The SC levels of filaggrin degradation products including PCA, UCA, histidine (HIS) and tyrosine were determined in 24 CTRL and 96 patients with moderate‐to‐severe AD. All subjects were screened for 11 FLG mutations relevant for the study population.
Results: The levels of PCA, UCA and HIS correlated with FLG genotype. Furthermore, these levels were higher in the CTRL when compared to AD patients with no FLG mutations. Multiple regression analysis showed that NMF levels were independently associated with FLG genotype and severity of disease.
Conclusion: Decreased NMF is a global feature of moderate‐to‐severe AD; within AD, FLG genotype is the major determinant of NMF, with disease severity as a secondary modifier. NMF components are reliably determined by a noninvasive and relatively inexpensive tape stripping technique.
Myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury is the leading cause of death in patients with cardiovascular disease. Interventions such as ischaemic pre and postconditioning protect against myocardial ...ischaemia reperfusion injury. Certain anaesthesia drugs and opioids can produce the same effects, which led to an initial flurry of excitement given the extensive use of these drugs in surgery. The underlying mechanisms have since been extensively studied in experimental animal models but attempts to translate these findings to clinical settings have resulted in contradictory results. There are a number of reasons for this such as dose response, the intensity of the ischaemic stimulus applied, the duration of ischaemia and lost or diminished cardioprotection in common co-morbidities such as diabetes and senescence. This review focuses on current knowledge regarding myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury and cardioprotective interventions both in experimental animal studies and in clinical trials.
Summary
The unique pharmacology of remifentanil makes it a popular intra‐operative analgesic. Short‐acting opioids like remifentanil have been associated with acute opioid tolerance and/or ...opioid‐induced hyperalgesia, two phenomena which have different mechanisms and are pharmacologically distinct. Clinical studies show heterogeneity of remifentanil infusion regimens, durations of infusion, maintenance of anaesthesia, cumulative dose of remifentanil and pain measures, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the incidence of acute tolerance or hyperalgesia. However, it appears that intra‐operative remifentanil infusion rates of above 0.25 μg.kg−1.min−1 are associated with higher postoperative opioid consumption, suggesting tolerance. Infusion rates greater than 0.2 μg.kg−1.min−1 are characterised by lower mechanical/pressure/cold/pain thresholds, which suggests hyperalgesia. The use of concurrent multimodal analgesia, especially N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonists, may be an effective preventive strategy. The clinical significance and long‐term consequences of these entities is still uncertain.
Customized birth weight charts take into account physiological maternal characteristics that are known to influence fetal growth to differentiate between physiological and pathological abnormal size ...at birth. It is unknown whether customized birth weight charts better identify newborns at risk of long-term adverse outcomes than population birth weight charts. We aimed to examine whether birth weight classification according to customized charts is superior to population charts at identification of newborns at risk of adverse cardio-metabolic and respiratory health outcomes.
In a population-based prospective cohort study among 6052 pregnant women and their children, we measured infant catch-up growth, overweight, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, liver steatosis, clustering of cardio-metabolic risk factors, and asthma at age 10. Small size and large size for gestational age at birth was defined as birth weight in the lowest or highest decile, respectively, of population or customized charts. Association with birth weight classification was assessed using logistic regression models.
Of the total of 605 newborns classified as small size for gestational age by population charts, 150 (24.8%) were reclassified as appropriate size for gestational age by customized charts, whereas of the total of 605 newborns classified as large size for gestational age by population charts, 129 (21.3%) cases were reclassified as appropriate size for gestational age by customized charts. Compared to newborns born appropriate size for gestational age, newborns born small size for gestational age according to customized charts had increased risks of infant catch-up growth (odds ratio (OR) 5.15 (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.22 to 6.29)), high blood pressure (OR 2.05 (95% CI 1.55 to 2.72)), and clustering of cardio-metabolic risk factors at 10 years (OR 1.66 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.34)). No associations were observed for overweight, hyperlipidemia, liver steatosis, or asthma. Newborns born large-size for gestational age according to customized charts had higher risk of catch-down-growth only (OR 3.84 (95% CI 3.22 to 4.59)). The direction and strength of the observed associations were largely similar when we used classification according to population charts.
Small-size-for-gestational-age newborns seem to be at risk of long-term adverse cardio-metabolic health outcomes, irrespective of the use of customized or population birth weight charts.
Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) around the world increasingly use music interventions. The most recent systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCT) dates from 2009. Since then, 15 new ...RCTs have been published. We provide an updated systematic review on the possible benefits of music interventions on premature infants' well-being.
We searched 13 electronic databases and 12 journals from their first available date until August 2016. Included were all RCTs published in English with at least 10 participants per group, including infants born prematurely and admitted to the NICU. Interventions were either recorded music interventions or live music therapy interventions. All control conditions were accepted as long as the effects of the music intervention could be analysed separately. A meta-analysis was not possible due to incompleteness and heterogeneity of the data.
After removal of duplicates the searches retrieved 4893 citations, 20 of which fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The 20 included studies encompassed 1128 participants receiving recorded or live music interventions in the NICU between 24 and 40 weeks gestational age. Twenty-six different outcomes were reported which we classified into three categories: physiological parameters; growth and feeding; behavioural state, relaxation outcomes and pain. Live music interventions were shown to improve sleep in three out of the four studies and heart rate in two out of the four studies. Recorded music improved heart rate in two out of six studies. Better feeding and sucking outcomes were reported in one study using live music and in two studies using recorded music.
Although music interventions show promising results in some studies, the variation in quality of the studies, age groups, outcome measures and timing of the interventions across the studies makes it difficult to draw strong conclusions on the effects of music in premature infants.
We announce the discovery of a new Milky Way satellite Segue 2 found in the data of the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). We followed this up with deeper imaging and ...spectroscopy on the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT). From this, we derive a luminosity of Mv=−2.5, a half-light radius of 34 pc and a systemic velocity of ∼−40 km s−1. Our data also provide evidence for a stream around Segue 2 at a similar heliocentric velocity, and the SEGUE data show that it is also present in neighbouring fields. We resolve the velocity dispersion of Segue 2 as 3.4 km s−1 and the possible stream as ∼7 km s−1. This object shows points of comparison with other recent discoveries, Segue 1, Boo II and Coma. We speculate that all four objects may be representatives of a population of satellites of satellites – survivors of accretion events that destroyed their larger but less dense parents. They are likely to have formed at redshifts z > 10 and are good candidates for fossils of the reionization epoch.
We report the discovery of a new Milky Way satellite in the constellation Leo, identified in data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. It lies at a distance of image180 kpc, and is separated by image3 ...degree from another recent discovery, Leo IV. We present follow-up imaging from the Isaac Newton Telescope and spectroscopy from the Hectochelle fiber spectrograph at the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Leo V's heliocentric velocity is image173.3 +/- 3.1 km simage, offset by image40 km simage from that of Leo IV. A simple interpretation of the kinematic data is that both objects may lie on the same stream, although the implied orbit is only modestly eccentric
Gabapentin is a second generation anticonvulsant that is effective in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. It was not, until recently, thought to be useful in acute perioperative conditions. ...However, a growing body of evidence suggests that perioperative administration is efficacious for postoperative analgesia, preoperative anxiolysis, attenuation of the haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation, and preventing chronic post-surgical pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and delirium. This article reviews the clinical trial data describing the efficacy and safety of gabapentin in the setting of perioperative anaesthetic management.