To examine the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) in healthy volunteers using photonic stimulation of acupuncture points on conditioned pain modulation (CPM), temporal summation of pain (TSP), and offset analgesia (OA), which reflect some aspects of endogenous pain modulation. We included 15 men and 15 women (age, 31.5 [27.3–37.0], body mass index, 25.7 [24.4–27.1], Fitzpatrick skin typing, II: 20, III: 8, IV: 2). CPM, TSP, and OA were evaluated after a sham procedure (control session) and after acupuncture point stimulation (LI4 and LI10 on the non-dominant forearm) using linear polarized near-infrared light irradiation (LPNILI; wavelengths peaked at approximately 1000 nm, output: 1.4 W/cm2, spot diameter: 10 mm, spot size: 1.02 cm2, maximum temperature: 40.5 °C, pulse width: 1 s, frequency: 0.2 Hz) (PBM session). Differences in CPM, TSP, and OA between the two sessions were evaluated by the paired t-test and Fisher’s exact test (statistical significance: p < 0.05). Values indicate median [interquartile range]. LPNILI significantly increased CPM in all participants (control session: 12.1 [−4.5–37.4], PBM session: 23.9 [8.3–44.8], p < 0.05) and women (control session: 16.7 [−3.4–36.6], PBM session: 38.7 [24.6–52.1], p < 0.05). The CPM effect increment was significantly higher in women than in men (p = 0.0253). LPNILI decreased TSP in participants with higher TSP ratios (p = 0.0219) and increased OA in participants with lower OA scores (p = 0.0021). LPNILI enhanced endogenous pain modulation in healthy volunteers, particularly in women, as evaluated using CPM. CPM, TSP, and OA evaluations are potentially useful for discriminating PBM responders from non-responders.

Effects of light upon human tissue are divided into irreversible effects and reversible effects. Irreversible effects can be called as high level laser therapy (HLLT), and reversible effects can be called as low level light therapy (LLLT). Light irradiators for chronic pain act under principle of LLLT. Laser diode, halogen lamp and xenon lamp are used as light sources for light irradiator for various chronic pain. These days, light emitting diode (LED) is used as light source for light irradiator for various kinds of pain. Light irradiators are now divided into portable light weight low power machine and heavy weight, high power machine. In the dental area Nd : YAG laser is using as HLLT tool. But, now there are many reports about Nd : YAG laser used as anesthetic machine. In these reports, topical anesthetic effects of Nd : YAG laser are immediate and with fewer side effects compared with topical anesthetic agents. These effects are explained as LLLT. Halogen lamp and xenon lamp type irradiators were also introduced. MEDILASER SOFT PULSE10, an laser diode type irradiator was withdrawn from the market.

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is an uncommon disease characterized by bronchial asthma, eosinophilia and systemic vasculitis. Many patients with CSS are suffering from cardiovascular disorders, neurological disorders and/or renal disorders which are associated with systemic vasculitis. Cardiac diseases are considered as the main cause of the death in patients with CSS. Steroid administration is the standard pharmacological therapy for CSS. There are very few clinical reports concerning anesthetic management for the patients with CSS. We suppose that precise perioperative managements are required for the patients with CSS, including the appropriate control of bronchial asthma and the careful treatments of disorders in cardiovascular system, neurological system and/or kidney. In addition, we believe that the steroid cover should be considered during the perioperative period of the patients with CSS. Here, we describe an anesthetic management of a 28-year-old man with CSS undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. General anesthesia was induced with midazolam and fentanyl. Rocuronium was administered to facilitate tracheal intubation. After tracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane and remifentanil. Prior to the surgery, 100 mg of hydrocortisone was administered for the steroid cover. The surgery was uneventful. The patient emerged from general anesthesia smoothly, and was extubated safely.

Compartment syndrome is known to develop after a prolonged surgery in the lithotomy position. We experienced acute renal failure following compartment syndrome after the surgery in hemilithotomy position. A 62-year-old man underwent a left hip fixation for femoral neck fracture. The surgical leg was placed into traction in a foot piece and the intact leg was placed in the hemilithotomy position. Because of the difficulty in repositioning and the trouble with fluoroscope, the surgery took over 5 hours. He suffered acute pain, swelling and spasm in his intact leg placed into hemilithotomy after the surgery. Creatine kinase, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine markedly increased and myoglobinuria was recognized. We diagnosed an acute renal failure following compartment syndrome and treated him in the ICU on close monitoring. In spite of the treatment with massive transfusion and diuretics, he needed hemodialysis twice and then his renal function improved. Prevention is most essential for compartment syndrome after a prolonged surgery in the lithotomy position. Risk factors should be recognized before surgery and appropriate action should be taken such as using Allen stirrups and avoiding hypotension, hypovolemia and the prolonged lithotomy position with exaggerated elevation of legs.

Takehiko Adachi Zulfiqar Ahmed Fumimasa Amaya Tomio Andoh Tomohiko Aoe Marie Aouad Kazuyoshi Aoyama Kazukuni Araki Hideko Arita Yusuke Asakura Marinella Astuto David August Eirini Avlonitou Takafumi Azami Toshiharu Azma Nurdan Bedirli Richard Beers Serbülent Beyaz Yara Marcondes Machado Castiglia John R. Chandler Lian-Hua Chen Eiichi Chihara Sungsam Cho Ruggero Corso SH Do Katsushi Doi Matsuyuki Doi Moritoki Egi Mohammad El-Orbany Atilla Erol Pompilio Faggiano Martine François Michael Frass Keisuke Fujii Waso Fujinaka Yuji Fujino Yoshihito Fujita Yoshihisa Fujita Yoshihiro Fujiwara Kazuhiko Fukuda Sei Fukui Makoto Fukusaki Yehuda Ginosar Toru Goyagi Rakhee Goyal Caixia Guo Akhilesh Gupta Satoshi Hagihira Satoshi Hagiwara Hiroshi Hamada Shinsuke Hamaguchi Motohiko Hanazaki Koji Hara Tetsuya Hara Maiko Hasegawa-Moriyama Eiji Hashiba Noboru Hatakeyama Tetsuo Hatanaka Yukio Hayashi Kenichiro Hayashida Masakazu Hayashida Kazuo Higa Hideyuki Higuchi Hirofumi Hino Yoshihiro Hirabayashi Naomi Hirakawa Michiko Hirayama Munetaka Hirose Kiichi Hirota Koki Hirota K. M. Ho Sumio Hoka Takashi Horiguchi Kunihisa Hotta Ling Hu Takae Ibuki Yasuo Ide Hideaki Imanaka Hideo Inaba Eiichi Inada Takefumi Inada Yoshimi Inagaki Satoki Inoue Hiroshi Iranami Masahiro Irifune Shingo Irikoma Kazuyoshi Ishida Yoshiki Ishiguro Hironori Ishihara Seiji Ishikawa Teruhiko Ishikawa Tadahiko Ishiyama Kenji Ito Shoji Ito Hiroko Iwakiri Hideo Iwasaka Tatsuo Iwasaki Yoshinori Iwase Shinichiro Izuta Narasimhan Jagannathan Yandong Jiang Xiao-Gao Jin

Pregabalin has been available in Japan since June 2010 for neuropathic pain. The adverse effects of pregabalin might be serious, and one must start at minimal doses and increase gradually to effective doses with enough explanation to patients. Pregabalin is a derivative of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA), but it has no effects on GABA receptors. Pregabalin reduces allodynia and hyperalgesia that are main symptoms of neuropathic pain. There are reports about the supportive effects of pregabalin for perioperative analgesic action of opioids. In the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model, mRNA of alpha2delta-1 subunit of voltage gated calcium channels (VGCCs) is increased in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and alpha2delta-1 subunit of the spinal dorsal horn is increased. The effects of pregabalin is to bind alpha2delta-1 subunit and normalize the numbers of VGCCs at neuron surface and decreases neurotransmission, especially by excitatory amino acid. The descending facilitating serotonergic system from rostral ventromedial medulla may have effects on the occurrence and maintenance for the chronic pain. New drugs with less adverse effects may be developed.

The practical electric light bulb was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879. Halogen lamp is the toughest and brightest electric light bulb. With light filter, it is used as a source of near infrared light. Super Lizer and Alphabeam are made as near infrared light irradiator using halogen lamp. The light emmited by Super Lizer is linear polarized near infrared light. The wave length is from 600 to 1,600 nm and strongest at about 1,000 nm. Concerning Super Lizer, there is evidence of analgesic effects and normalization of the sympathetic nervous system. Super Lizer has four types of probes. SG type is used for stellate ganglion irradiation. B type is used for narrow area irradiation. C and D types are for broad area irradiation. The output of Alphabeam is not polarized. The wave length is from 700 to 1,600 nm and the strongest length is about 1,000nm. Standard attachment is used for spot irradiation. Small attachment is used for stellate ganglion irradiation. Wide attachment is used for broad area irradiation. The effects of Alphabeam are thought to be similar to that of Super Lizer.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of acetaldehyde on the contractile force and membrane potentials and currents in the bullfrog heart. Methods: Contractile force was recorded using right atrial tissues, and membrane potentials and currents were measured by using whole cell patch clamp methods in right atrial myocytes. Results: Acetaldehyde at 500 mu mol/l and 1 mmol/l increased the contractile force significantly. Acetaldehyde at 300 and 500 mu mol/l increased the overshoot and the plateau of electrically induced action potentials in a concentration-dependent and reversible manner, while the resting membrane potential did not change. The duration of the action potential(APD(90)) measured at the 90% repolarization level was shortened. The L-type Ca2+ current (I-Ca) increased significantly when 300 and 500 mu mol/l were applied. The fast transient inward current, the inward rectifying potassium current and the outward delayed-rectifier potassium current were not changed following acetaldehyde application (500 mu mol/l or 1 mmol/l). Conclusion: These results suggest that acetaldehyde increased the I-Ca, thereby increased the contractile force, the overshoot and the plateau of action potentials. The shortening of APD(90) may be due to the acceleration of the current decay during the I-Ca inactivation phase. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel

Three types of machines are used in the field of phototherapy for chronic pain. One type is an instrument for low reactive level laser therapy (LLLT), one is an instrument for linear polarized infrared light irradiation (SUPER LIZER), and the last one is an instrument for Xenon light irradiation (beta EXCEL Xe10). The available machines for LLLT all project laser by semiconductor. The newest machine (MEDILASER SOFT PULSE10) has peak power of 10 W and mean power of 1 W. This machine is as safe as 1 W machine and is effective twice as deep as the 1 W machine. The irradiation by low reactive level laser induces hyperpolarization, decreased resistance of neuronal membrane, and increased intra-cellular ATP concentrations. The effects of low reactive level laser might be induced by the activation of ATP-dependent K channel. The significant analgesic effects of 1 W and 10 W LLLT were reported with double blind test. The significant analgesic effects of linear polarized near infrared light irradiation with double blind test were also reported. The effects of low reactive level laser upon the sympathetic nerve system were thought to result from its normalization of the overloaded sympathetic nerve system.

Intravenous injection of acetaldehyde produced hypotensive actions in pentobarbital-anaesthetised whole rats, but hypertensive actions in pithed rats. The hypotensive effects of acetaldehyde in whole rats were abolished by pre-treatment with yohimbine. In pithed rats, the hypertensive effects of acetaldehyde were significantly attenuated by prazosin and phentolamine, and in rats that had been pre-treated with reserpine. Our results suggest that the hypertensive actions of acetaldehyde in pithed rats are due to the release of catecholamines, which subsequently leads to vasoconstriction. In whole rats the hypotensive actions of acetaldehyde may be due to alpha2-adrenoceptor stimulation in the central nervous or peripheral system.

脳性麻痺による右不全片麻痺合併患者に対し, 開脚仰臥位で硬膜外麻酔併用全身麻酔下に腹式子宮全摘術を行ったところ, 術後に左大腿神経麻痺を発症し, 半年後に自然回復した. 大腿神経障害の原因には, 開創器による圧迫, 截石位, 術式 (全股関節形成術, 腎移植術) などがある. 本症例では, 開脚仰臥位にすると右股関節拘縮のため骨盤が体幹に対して右方向に回旋し, 下腹部の左側が右側に比べ相対的に高くなったことにより, 開創器による圧迫が助長されたと考えた.

Intractable chronic pain is very difficult to treat. Nowadays, small amounts of drugs, that have different actions on the mechanism of pain relief are administered intravenously, and the effects of the test drugs on individual chronic pain patients are investigated by using the evaluation method of the visual analogue scale (VAS). This will enable elucidation of the mechanisms of pain in each chronic pain patient. Based on this information, drugs that are effective for the treatment of individual chronic pain patients can be prescribed. Drugs that are used for the drug challenge tests are phentolamine, barbiturate, morphine, lidocaine, ketamine, benzodiazepine, adenosine-3-phosphate (ATP), neurotropine, and prostaglandine E1. Phentolamine is effective for the management of sympathetically maintained pain. Barbiturate and morphine are effective for the treatment of deafferentation pain and nociceptive pain, respectively. Lidocaine is effective for the treatment of neuropathic pain; ketamine, for allodynia; and benzodiazepine, for anxiety-related pain. ATP exerts a positive effect in total pain management. Neurotropine and prostaglandine E1 are effective for the management of neuropathic pain and ischemic pain, respectively. These tests aid in the selection of drugs that maybe useful for the treatment of intractable chronic pain in patients.

Brugada syndrome has been known as one of the causes of sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation. We experienced anesthetic management of seven patients with ECG showing Brugada syndrome before surgery, even though they had no symptoms nor family history. All of them showed no problems through-out the operation. Such patients are often untreated, but they have the risks of cardiac accidents such as ventricular fibrillation or sudden death. For preoperative evaluation of patients with Brugada syndrome-like ECG, it is important to ask them their experience of syncope and family history. Ultrasonic cardiography and Holter ECG recording should be done. External defibrillator should be prepared and parasympathetic dominant condition must be avoided during the anesthetic management.

BACKGROUND:The effect of linear polarized light irradiation around the lumbar sympathetic ganglion area upon the skin temperature of legs may be similar to that of irradiation of near stellate ganglion area upon arms.METHODS:Linear polarized light irradiation was induced with SUPER LIZER (Tokyo Iken, Tokyo, Japan). The C probe of SUPER LIZER was placed on the left side of the supine at the level of L2.RESULTS:Seven-minute irradiation around the lumbar sympathetic ganglion area increased significantly the skin temperature of the irradiated side leg.CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that linear polarized light irradiation around the lumbar sympathetic ganglion area might be useful and beneficial for clinical application.

BACKGROUND:The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of hyperventilation upon spinal dorsal horn neuronal single-unit activities under nitrous oxide anesthesia.METHODS:Eight decerebrated spinal cats with laminectomy were maintained with oxygen and pancuronium bromide. Following the control period of normocapnia, 50% nitrous oxide was administered for 30 minutes after a hypocapnia period of 20-25 mmHg for 20 minutes. The recoveries of activities followed with normocapnia and pure oxygen administration. The changes of spontaneous and evoked activities by the pinching were investigated every 5 minutes after control study.RESULTS:Inhalation of 50% nitrous oxide suppressed the WDR neuronal activities and with hyperventilation the suppressions significantly increased.CONCLUSIONS:These results were compatible with clinical reports on the effectiveness of hyperventilation as a maintenance method under N2O anesthesia.

Complicated terrain and atmospheric stability are important factors in the predicting the dispersion of air pollutants. The aim of our study is to develop practical dispersion model for unstable conditions for regulatory use. The numerical model we adopted was a combination of the potential flow model and Lagrangian stochastic dispersion model. In this model, time-mean flow field is solved by the potential flow model and concentration field is calculated by Lagrangian stochastic model by using the flow field from potential model. Wind tunnel experiments simulating gas dispersion in the convective boundary layer were also done. The data sets of turbulent properties and concentrations obtained in the wind tunnel were used for the modification of dispersion model and model validation. Based on the developed model, user-friendly software applicable to dispersion over complicated terrain was also developed.