scholarly journals Ketamine: In the past thirty years and in the future

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 439-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragana Radovanovic ◽  
Miroslava Pjevic

Introduction There are two isomers of ketamine: S(+)ketamine and R(-) ketamine. Effects of this drug are mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), opioid and muscarinic receptors. Pharmacokinetics Due to its high lipid solubility and low protein binding, ketamine is extensively distributed in the body. Ketamine metabolism is mediated by hepatic microsomal enzymes. Effects on body systems Ketamine causes increased intracranial pressure, bronchodilation and stimulation of cardiovascular system. Clinical use Anesthesia It is used for premedication, sedation, induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Ketamine is an ideal anesthetic agent for trauma victims, patients with hypovolemic and septic shock, patients with pulmonary diseases. Analgesia Even subanesthetic doses of ketamine have analgesic effects, so ketamine is also recommended for postoperative analgesia. Recent results show that ketamine is not always effective as an analgesic in treatment of chronic pain and that some side effects limit its use in patients with chronic pain. Intensive care Combination of ketamine and midazolam can be very useful and safe for sedation and pain relief in intensive care patients, especially during ventilator management. Ketamine may be the anesthetic of choice for painful procedures in intensive care units. Emergency medicine Ketamine is recommended for critically ill patients with sedative, inotropic and bronchodilatatory effects. New clinical use Future studies will reveal if ketamine can be used for outpatient anesthesia, intravenous regional anesthesia and in treatment of depression. S(+)ketamine is a more effective anesthetic with significantly less psychomotor effects which provides rapid recovery from anesthesia in regard to racemate or R(-)ketamine. Conclusion Increasing interest in use of ketamine has resulted from current knowledge. In the future we expect new clinical uses in treatment of acute and chronic pain, intensive care and emergency medicine.

1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (04) ◽  
pp. 137-140
Author(s):  
H. Flade ◽  
B. Johannsen ◽  
V. Pink ◽  
U. Herold ◽  
R. Harhammer ◽  
...  

The distribution in rats of 125l-iodolisuride was studied. Three rats each were sacrificed at fixed intervals between 5 min and 24 h p. i., and the radioactivity was measured in isolated organs and parts of the body. The organ distribution and biexponential blood disappearance were similar to values for unlabeled lisuride. The radiation dose was estimated for man assuming a 123l label. The resulting doses were comparable to those from other radiopharmaceuticals in clinical use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-219
Author(s):  
Meindert E. Peters

Friedrich Nietzsche's influence on Isadora Duncan's work, in particular his idea of the Dionysian, has been widely discussed, especially in regard to her later work. What has been left underdeveloped in critical examinations of her work, however, is his influence on her earlier choreographic work, which she defended in a famous speech held in 1903 called The Dance of the Future. While commentators often describe this speech as ‘Nietzschean’, Duncan's autobiography suggests that she only studied Nietzsche's work after this speech. I take this incongruity as a starting point to explore the connections between her speech and Nietzsche's work, in particular his Thus Spoke Zarathustra. I argue that in subject and language Duncan's speech resembles Nietzsche's in important ways. This article will draw attention to the ways in which Duncan takes her cues from Nietzsche in bringing together seemingly conflicting ideas of religion and an overturning of morality; Nietzsche's notion of eternal recurrence and the teleology present in his idea of the Übermensch; and a renegotiation of the body's relation to the mind. In doing so, this article contributes not only to scholarship on Duncan's early work but also to discussions of Nietzsche's reception in the early twentieth century. Moreover, the importance Duncan ascribes to the body in dance and expression also asks for a new understanding of Nietzsche's own way of expressing his philosophy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-367
Author(s):  
Roberto Paura

Transhumanism is one of the main “ideologies of the future” that has emerged in recent decades. Its program for the enhancement of the human species during this century pursues the ultimate goal of immortality, through the creation of human brain emulations. Therefore, transhumanism offers its fol- lowers an explicit eschatology, a vision of the ultimate future of our civilization that in some cases coincides with the ultimate future of the universe, as in Frank Tipler’s Omega Point theory. The essay aims to analyze the points of comparison and opposition between transhumanist and Christian eschatologies, in particular considering the “incarnationist” view of Parousia. After an introduction concern- ing the problems posed by new scientific and cosmological theories to traditional Christian eschatology, causing the debate between “incarnationists” and “escha- tologists,” the article analyzes the transhumanist idea of mind-uploading through the possibility of making emulations of the human brain and perfect simulations of the reality we live in. In the last section the problems raised by these theories are analyzed from the point of Christian theology, in particular the proposal of a transhuman species through the emulation of the body and mind of human beings. The possibility of a transhumanist eschatology in line with the incarnationist view of Parousia is refused.


Author(s):  
Zoran Vrucinic

The future of medicine belongs to immunology and alergology. I tried to not be too wide in description, but on the other hand to mention the most important concepts of alergology to make access to these diseases more understandable, logical and more useful for our patients, that without complex pathophysiology and mechanism of immune reaction,we gain some basic insight into immunological principles. The name allergy to medicine was introduced by Pirquet in 1906, and is of Greek origin (allos-other + ergon-act; different reaction), essentially representing the reaction of an organism to a substance that has already been in contact with it, and manifested as a specific response thatmanifests as either a heightened reaction, a hypersensitivity, or as a reduced reaction immunity. Synonyms for hypersensitivity are: altered reactivity, reaction, hypersensitivity. The word sensitization comes from the Latin (sensibilitas, atis, f.), which means sensibility,sensitivity, and has retained that meaning in medical vocabulary, while in immunology and allergology this term implies the creation of hypersensitivity to an antigen. Antigen comes from the Greek words, anti-anti + genos-genus, the opposite, anti-substance substance that causes the body to produce antibodies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanghui Xu ◽  
Yuhao Wang ◽  
Hushan Zhang ◽  
Xueke She ◽  
Jianjun Yang

Neuroendocrine neoplasias (NENs) are a heterogeneous group of rare tumors scattered throughout the body. Surgery, locoregional or ablative therapies as well as maintenance treatments are applied in well-differentiated, low-grade NENs, whereas cytotoxic chemotherapy is usually applied in high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas. However, treatment options for patients with advanced or metastatic NENs are limited. Immunotherapy has provided new treatment approaches for many cancer types, including neuroendocrine tumors, but predictive biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the treatment of NENs have not been fully reported. By reviewing the literature and international congress abstracts, we summarize the current knowledge of ICIs, potential predicative biomarkers in the treatment of NENs, implications and efficacy of ICIs as well as biomarkers for NENs of gastroenteropancreatic system, lung NENs and Merkel cell carcinoma in clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1448
Author(s):  
Jessica Aijia Liu ◽  
Jing Yu ◽  
Chi Wai Cheung

Pain can be induced by tissue injuries, diseases and infections. The interactions between the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and immune system are primary actions in pain sensitizations. In response to stimuli, nociceptors release various mediators from their terminals that potently activate and recruit immune cells, whereas infiltrated immune cells further promote sensitization of nociceptors and the transition from acute to chronic pain by producing cytokines, chemokines, lipid mediators and growth factors. Immune cells not only play roles in pain production but also contribute to PNS repair and pain resolution by secreting anti-inflammatory or analgesic effectors. Here, we discuss the distinct roles of four major types of immune cells (monocyte/macrophage, neutrophil, mast cell, and T cell) acting on the PNS during pain process. Integration of this current knowledge will enhance our understanding of cellular changes and molecular mechanisms underlying pain pathogenies, providing insights for developing new therapeutic strategies.


Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 578
Author(s):  
Dorota Ozga ◽  
Sabina Krupa ◽  
Paweł Witt ◽  
Wioletta Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska

It has become a standard measure in recent years to utilise evidence-based practice, which is associated with a greater need to implement and use advanced, reliable methods of summarising the achievements of various scientific disciplines, including such highly specialised approaches as personalised medicine. The aim of this paper was to discuss the current state of knowledge related to improvements in “nursing” involving management of delirium in intensive care units during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This narrative review summarises the current knowledge concerning the challenges associated with assessment of delirium in patients with COVID-19 by ICU nurses, and the role and tasks in the personalised approach to patients with COVID-19.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Silvio De Luca ◽  
Emanuela Zanardi ◽  
Giovanni Loris Alborali ◽  
Adriana Ianieri ◽  
Sergio Ghidini

The assessment of swine welfare requires feasible, reliable, and reasonable indicators. On-farm evaluation of pig welfare can provide valuable information to veterinarians and farmers. However, such protocols can result expensive and time-consuming. With this regard, an interest in the appraisal of swine welfare at abattoir has grown over the recent years. In particular, the use of certain lesions collected directly from slaughtered animals to determine the welfare status of pigs has been evaluated by several authors. In the present review, the different methods developed to score lesions collected directly from the body and the viscera of animals slaughtered in European abattoirs (“abattoir-based measures”) are presented. The text specifically focuses on the methods currently available in the literature for the scoring of body, pluck and gastric lesions during post-mortem activities. Moreover, the strengths and weaknesses of abattoir-based measures schemes are discussed. To conclude, the future perspectives of the assessment of pig welfare at the slaughterhouse are described, appealing for a benchmarking system that can be systematically used by veterinarians and other professional figures involved in the process.


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