Both doses of remifentanil effectively attenuated haemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation with transient neonatal respiratory depression in pre-eclamptic patients undergoing Caesarean delivery under general anaesthesia. The 1.0 µg kg⁻¹ dose was associated with hypotension in three of 24 subjects.

We have investigated the effects of propofol on recovery of regional mechanical and coronary endothelial function and on lipid peroxidation in post-ischaemic myocardium in dogs. The animals were assessed for 180 min during reperfusion after 15-min of occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). They were treated with intracoronary (i.c.) propofol 5 or 20 micrograms/ml of coronary flow or vehicle (control group) for 60 min, beginning 30 min before LAD occlusion. Propofol significantly enhanced recovery of regional contractile function (70% and 81% of baseline segment shortening in the propofol 5 and 20 micrograms ml-1 groups, respectively, compared with 51% in controls at 3 h of reperfusion). However, LAD flow responses to i.c. acetylcholine were similarly attenuated regardless of treatment with propofol throughout reperfusion. The increase in malondialdehyde induced by ischaemia-reperfusion was significantly suppressed by both doses of propofol. These results demonstrated that in vivo, propofol ameliorated dysfunction of the myocardium but not of the coronary endothelium resulting from brief ischaemia and reperfusion; the protection may be related, at least in part, to its ability to reduce lipid peroxidation.

The LIM homeobox 2 (Lhx2) transcription factor Lhx2 has a variety of functions, including neural induction, morphogenesis, and hematopoiesis. Here we show the involvement of Lhx2 in osteoclast differentiation. Lhx2 was strongly expressed in osteoclast precursor cells but its expression was significantly reduced during receptor activator of nuclear factor-jB ligand (RANKL)-mediated osteoclastogenesis. Overexpression of Lhx2 in bone marrow-derived monocyte/macrophage lineage cells (BMMs), which are osteoclast precursor cells, attenuated RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by inhibiting the induction of nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1). Interestingly, interaction of Lhx2 proteins with c-Fos attenuated the DNA-binding ability of c-Fos and thereby inhibited the transactivation of NFATc1. Furthermore, Lhx2 conditional knockout mice exhibited an osteoporotic bone phenotype, which was related with increased osteoclast formation in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that Lhx2 acts as a negative regulator of osteoclast formation in vitro and in vivo. The anti-osteoclastogenic effect of Lhx2 may be useful for developing a therapeutic strategy for bone disease.

The cardiovascular and catecholamine responses to intubation change as a function of the time elapsed and the level of the cord injury. In this study, the pressor response to tracheal intubation was abolished in the quadriplegics but not in paraplegics; indeed, it was enhanced at 10 yr or more since injury in this group.

Anaesthetic requirements and stress hormone responses in acute cord-injured patients undergoing surgery of the injured spine.