Comparison of effects on the oxidant/antioxidant system of sevoflurane, desflurane and propofol infusion during general anesthesia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Desflurane and sevoflurane are frequently used for maintenance of anesthesia and studies have shown that these anesthetics cause a variety of changes to the oxidative stress and antioxidative defense mechanisms. This study aims to compare the effects of sevoflurane, desflurane and propofol infusion anesthesia on the oxidant and antioxidant systems of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: 45 patients between 18 and 50 years with planned laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthetic were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups on the way to surgery: propofol (group P n: 15), sevoflurane (group S n: 15) and desflurane (group D n: 15). All groups were given hypnotic 2 mg/kg propofol IV, 1 mcg/kg fentanyl IV and 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium IV for induction. For maintenance of anesthesia group S were ventilated with 2% sevoflurane, group D cases were given 6% desflurane and group P were given propofol infusions of 12 mg/kg/h for the first 10 min, 9 mg/kg/h for the second 10 min and 6 mg/kg/h after that. Before induction and after the operation venous blood samples were taken to evaluate the levels of glutation peroxidase, total oxidants and antioxidants. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The 45 patients included in the study were 22 male and 23 female patients. The demographic characteristics of the groups were similar. In the postoperative period we observed that while sevoflurane and propofol increased antioxidants by a statistically significant level, desflurane increased the total oxidants level by a significant amount compared to levels before the operation

Simvastatin reduces VEGF and NO levels in acute stages of experimental traumatic brain injury

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering agent, on vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), nitric oxide (NO) levels and neuroprotection, in rats with experimentally induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). Forty Wistar albino rats were categorized into four groups: sham operated (S), trauma (T), trauma + vehicle (T + V) and trauma + simvastatin (T + S). The T, T + V and T + S groups were subjected to TBI. The T + V group was administered vehicle [ethanol:saline (1/2)] and the T + S group was administered 1 mg/kg of simvastatin 3 h after the injury insult. Blood and brain tissue specimens were obtained 24 h after the trauma to measure VEGFs and NO levels and perform histopathological examinations. The histopathological injury scores of brain tissues were significantly higher in the T group, and simvastatin significantly prevented brain injury in the T + S group. In the T group, significant increases of VEGF levels in serum and brain tissues were noted, which were prevented with simvastatin treatment in the T + S group. The markedly high levels of NO in brain tissues of the T group were decreased by simvastatin treatment in the T + S group. It can be concluded that, as evidenced by histopathological findings, simvastatin treatment improves neuropathology in acute stages of TBI

Predictive values of D-dimer assay, GRACE scores and TIMI scores for adverse outcome in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Ozyilmaz, Sinem/0000-0003-4829-8400WOS: 000397951200001PubMed: 28408834Purpose: To determine the predictive values of D-dimer assay, Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scores for adverse outcome in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Patients and methods: A total of 234 patients (mean age: 57.2 +/- 11.7 years, 75.2% were males) hospitalized with NSTEMI were included. Data on D-dimer assay, GRACE and TIMI risk scores were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors predicting increased mortality. Results: Median D-dimer levels were 349.5 (48.0-7,210.0) ng/mL, the average TIMI score was 3.2 +/- 1.2 and the GRACE score was 90.4 +/- 27.6 with high GRACE scores (>118) in 17.5% of patients. The GRACE score was correlated positively with both the D-dimer assay (r= 0.215, P= 0.01) and TIMI scores (r= 0.504, P= 0.000). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that higher creatinine levels (odds ratio = 18.465, 95% confidence interval: 1.059-322.084, P= 0.046) constituted the only significant predictor of increased mortality risk with no predictive values for age, D-dimer assay, ejection fraction, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, sodium, albumin or total cholesterol levels for mortality. Conclusion: Serum creatinine levels constituted the sole independent determinant of mortality risk, with no significant values for D-dimer assay, GRACE or TIMI scores for predicting the risk of mortality in NSTEMI patients