Objectives. Following ischemia/reperfusion injury, antioxidant defense mechanisms may remain insufficient depending on the duration of ischemia which is caused by any reason (MI, after percutaneous coronary intervention, during cardiac surgery). After that, free oxygen radicals increasing within the cell cause structural deterioration. Cytokines which activate a series of reactions that cause tissue damage and inflammatory response are released during reperfusion of ischemic tissues. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of dexmedetomidine and ketamine in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. Material and Methods. The study included 18 rats randomly divided into three groups. Group I/R (n = 6): control, Group I/R-K (n = 6): ketamine, and Group I/R-D (n = 6): dexmedetomidine. Before the 10 min surgery, after the 20 min ischemia and 20 min reperfusion period, hemodynamic parameters were compared among the three groups. After the 45 min ischemia and 120 min reperfusion period, tissue samples were obtained from the rat hearts, and MDA, SOD, GSH-Px, IL-1β and TNF-α levels were compared. Results. MDA and GSH-Px levels were significantly higher in the control group compared to the ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups. However, both levels were similar in the ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups. SOD levels were significantly lower in the ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups compared to the control group, but they were similar in the ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups. IL-1β levels were similar in all groups. TNF-α levels were significantly lower in the ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups compared to the control group. They were similar in the ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups. Conclusions. According to our study, it can be concluded that dexmedetomidine and ketamine have similar effects on reducing myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. Dexmedetomidine provides better heart rate control but causes hypotension, so, because of cardiac depression, we think that its clinical use may necessitate further investigation (Adv Clin Exp Med 2014, 23, 5, 683-689).Key words: dexmedetomidine, ketamine, cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality at the present time and is also responsible for about half of the deaths in developed countries. CAD is the result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries. The deposition of the plaque in the lumen of an artery causes a narrowing of the lumen of the artery by decreasing its diameter. Atherosclerotic plaques reduce the blood flow due to narrowing of the lumen and coronary artery vasospasm.Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury constitutes the basis of the pathophysiology due to angina pectoris, myocardial infarction (MI), cerebral

It was demonstrated that donor treatment with taurine resulted in preservation of transplanted lung tissue in respect to histopathological and biochemical findings.

A set of ester and amide derivatives of some acidic NSAIDs, including ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and mefenamic acid (1-3), were synthesized and evaluated for their in vivo analgesic and antiinflammatory activity using the p-benzoquinone-induced writhing test and the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, respectively. Among the synthesized compounds, ester derivatives of ketoprofen showed especially potent analgesic and antiinflammatory activity as compared to the parent drug. In vitro chemical stability studies revealed that ester and amide derivatives were chemically stable in simulated gastric (pH 1.2) and intestinal fluids (pH 6.8). In 80% human plasma, the ester derivatives were found to be relatively stable against plasma esterases over periods of 24 h, indicating that the observed activity was not due to the parent NSAIDs. Most of the compounds were found to be nonulcerogenic under the tested conditions.

BackgroundThe efficacy of epidural anesthesia and analgesia in management of perioperative stress has been established. Perioperative pain management strategies decrease surgical complications and aid recovery. In this study, we aimed to document and compare the efficacy of epidural bupivacaine and intravenous meperidine on recovery of patients with elective abdominal aortic surgery performed under general anesthesia.Material/MethodsPatients undergoing elective abdominal aortic surgery between February 2009 and November 2011 were studied prospectively. Patients were randomized into epidural bupivacaine (n=40) and intravenous meperidine (n=40) groups regarding postoperative analgesia strategy. The preoperative demographic characteristics, perioperative outcomes, postoperative adverse effects of analgesia strategy, time to initiate oral intake, sedation scores, visual analogue scale results, and mobility scores were compared.ResultsThe mean ages of the patients were 61.7±8.1 in the epidural group and 59.4±9.7 in the intravenous group (p>0.05). The preoperative demographic characteristics of the patients were comparable between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding anesthesia times, intubation times, intensive care unit stay, hospital length of stay, postoperative vomiting, and postoperative cardiac, renal, and cerebral complications. Postoperative nausea was more prevalent in the meperidine group (p<0.05). In the epidural group, time to begin oral intake was shorter, sedation scores and visual analogue scale results were lower, and mobility scores were higher (p<0.05 each).ConclusionsEpidural analgesia allowed earlier recovery compared to intravenous analgesia in patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic surgery, but did not affect postoperative outcomes and complications.