576 research outputs found
Tourniquetless Total Knee Arthroplasty With Modern Perioperative Protocols Decreases Pain and Opioid Consumption in Women
Background
This study examined whether a modern total knee arthroplasty (TKA) protocol without a tourniquet results in less patient-reported pain and in-hospital opioid consumption compared to TKA with a tourniquet.
Methods
A retrospective study of 203 primary unilateral cemented TKAs consecutively performed with or without tourniquet was performed. Identical perioperative pain and blood loss protocols were used in all cases. In tourniquetless TKAs, the tourniquet was not inflated at any time, and sterile CO2 gas compression maximized cement interdigitation.
Results
After exclusions for scientific confounds, 184 TKAs (93 with tourniquet; 91 tourniquetless) were analyzed. Controlling for multiple covariates, females with a tourniquet reported significantly more pain (P = .002) and opioid consumption (P < .001) the first 24 hours after surgery compared to females without a tourniquet. There were no differences in pain (P = .192) or amount of opioids consumed (P = .203) among males with and without a tourniquet. Tourniquet use resulted in a significant reduction in blood loss for both females (P ≤ .040) and males (P ≤ .020), although the total blood savings of approximately 200 mL is of unknown clinical significance.
Conclusion
Avoiding tourniquet use during TKA for females may be a relatively risk-free adjunct to minimize opioid consumption during hospitalization. Further study is warranted to elucidate the factors accounting for different outcomes in females and males
Integrated soil and weed management production systems for perennial food crops
Several alternative weed management tactics for strawberry and grape production were tested for their effects on weed control, crop yield and soil quality enhancement
Co-Administration of Low-Dose Naltrexone and Bupropion Reduces Alcohol Drinking in Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats
Background
This study examined whether combining naltrexone (NTX) with bupropion (BUP) is more effective in reducing alcohol drinking in alcohol-preferring (P) rats with a genetic predisposition toward high voluntary alcohol intake than either drug alone.
Methods
Alcohol-experienced, adult, male, P rats were fed NTX alone in a dose of 10.0 mg/kg BW, BUP alone in a dose of 10.0 mg/kg BW, BUP alone in a dose of 20.0 mg/kg BW, NTX (10.0 mg/kg BW) + BUP (10.0 mg/kg BW), or vehicle (VEH) at 1 hour prior to onset of a daily 2-hour alcohol access period for 5 consecutive days.
Results
When administered alone, neither NTX (10.0 mg/kg BW) nor BUP, in either of 2 doses (10.0 mg/kg BW or 20.0 mg/kg BW), reduced voluntary alcohol intake in P rats. However, NTX combined with BUP (10.0 mg/kg NTX + 10.0 mg/kg BUP) and given as a single medication significantly reduced alcohol consumption throughout prolonged treatment.
Conclusions
Combining low doses of NTX and BUP, each of which is ineffective when given alone, increases the efficacy of the medication. Low drug doses circumvent the problem of negative side effects that can occur with higher doses of either drug. A reduction in side effects can facilitate patient compliance and improve clinical outcomes for alcoholics and heavy drinkers who want to reduce their alcohol intake. The results, together with those from our prior studies, demonstrate the strength of a combinatorial pharmacotherapeutic approach to the treatment of alcohol use disorder
Measurement of tibial nerve excursion during ankle joint dorsiflexion in a weight-bearing position with ultrasound imaging
The ability of peripheral nerves to stretch and slide is thought to be of paramount importance to maintain ideal neural function. Excursion in peripheral nerves such as the tibial can be measured by analysis of ultrasound images. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of longitudinal tibial nerve excursion as the ankle moved from plantar flexion to dorsiflexion in a standardised weight-bearing position. The reliability of ultrasound imaging to measure tibial nerve excursion was also quantified
Varenicline Reduces Alcohol Intake During Repeated Cycles of Alcohol Reaccess Following Deprivation in Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats
Background
Most alcoholics experience periods of voluntary alcohol abstinence or imposed alcohol deprivation followed by a return to alcohol drinking. This study examined whether varenicline (VAR) reduces alcohol intake during a return to drinking after periods of alcohol deprivation in rats selectively bred for high alcohol drinking (the alcohol preferring or “P” rats).
Methods
Alcohol-experienced P rats were given 24-hour access to food and water and scheduled access to alcohol (15% and 30% v/v) for 2 h/d. After 4 weeks, rats were deprived of alcohol for 2 weeks, followed by reaccess to alcohol for 2 weeks, and this pattern was repeated for a total of 3 cycles. Rats were fed either vehicle (VEH) or VAR, in doses of 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg BW, at 1 hour prior to onset of the daily alcohol reaccess period for the first 5 days of each of the 3 alcohol reaccess cycles.
Results
Low-dose VAR (0.5 mg/kg BW) reduced alcohol intake during the 5 days of drug treatment in alcohol reaccess cycles 1 and 2. Higher doses of VAR (1.0 mg/kg BW and 2.0 mg/kg BW) reduced alcohol intake during the 5 days of treatment in all 3 alcohol reaccess cycles. The decrease in alcohol intake disappeared with termination of VAR treatment in all alcohol reaccess cycles.
Conclusions
The results demonstrate that VAR decreases alcohol intake during multiple cycles of alcohol reaccess following alcohol deprivation in rats and suggests that it may prevent a return to heavy alcohol drinking during a lapse from alcohol abstinence in humans with alcohol use disorder
Optical Properties of MFe_4P_12 filled skutterudites
Infrared reflectance spectroscopy measurements were made on four members of
the MFe_4P_12 family of filled skutterudites, with M=La, Th, Ce and U. In
progressing from M=La to U the system undergoes a metal-insulator transition.
It is shown that, although the filling atom induces such dramatic changes in
the transport properties of the system, it has only a small effect on lattice
dynamics. We discuss this property of the compounds in the context of their
possible thermoelectric applications.Comment: Manuscript in ReVTeX format, 7 figures in PostScirpt forma
Evidence for a common physical description of non-Fermi-liquid behavior in f-electron systems
The non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior observed in the low temperature specific
heat and magnetic susceptibility of f-electron systems is
analyzed within the context of a recently developed theory based on Griffiths
singularities. Measurements of and in the systems
, , and (M = Pd,
Pt) are found to be consistent with predicted by this model with in the NFL regime.
These results suggest that the NFL properties observed in a wide variety of
f-electron systems can be described within the context of a common physical
picture.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Plasticity and memory effects in the vortex solid phase of twinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals
We report on marked memory effects in the vortex system of twinned YBa2Cu3O7
single crystals observed in ac susceptibility measurements. We show that the
vortex system can be trapped in different metastable states with variable
degree of order arising in response to different system histories. The pressure
exerted by the oscillating ac field assists the vortex system in ordering,
locally reducing the critical current density in the penetrated outer zone of
the sample. The robustness of the ordered and disordered states together with
the spatial profile of the critical current density lead to the observed memory
effects
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