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G R Strichartz

Publications and source records attributed to G R Strichartz.

94 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Intraneural lidocaine uptake compared with analgesic differences between pregnant and nonpregnant rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pregnant patients need less local anesthetic in order to obtain the same quality of functional block as nonpregnant patients. Our goal was to demonstrate a similarly increased functional susceptibility to local anesthetics in the awake pregnant rat during peripheral nerve block and to investigate the pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. METHODS: Radiolabeled lidocaine uptake was determined in vivo during sciatic nerve block with 0.1 ml of 1% lidocaine in the nerves of nine pregnant and five nonpregnant female rats and six male rats at the return of deep pain sensation, assessed by withdrawal of the hindlimb from a brief squeeze of a digit with serrated forceps. During recovery from complete functional block, the time at which deep pain returned and the amount of lidocaine in the nerve at that time were compared among the three groups of rats. Lidocaine content was also determined in vitro after exposure of ensheathed sciatic nerves from pregnant and nonpregnant rats to a 0.2% lidocaine bath for specified times. RESULTS: Full block of function developed in all groups within 6 minutes of the lidocaine injection and lasted significantly longer in pregnant rats than in nonpregnant and male rats (49.0 +/- 3.3 vs 34.0 +/- 3.1 and 32.0 +/- 1.3 minutes mean +/- SEMI, respectively. At the time of deep pain return, the intraneural lidocaine content of pregnant rats was significantly lower than that of nonpregnant and male rats (2.2 +/- 0.25 vs 3.9 +/- 0.7 and 3.7 +/- 0.6 nmoles/mg of wet nerve, respectively). No difference in lidocaine uptake kinetics between P and NP nerves was observed in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Block of peripheral neural function is prolonged in pregnant rats, and lidocaine content in the nerve is lower at a specific stage of neural block. These results are consistent with a pharmacodynamic mechanism for increased susceptibility to lidocaine neural block during pregnancy.

Anesthetics, Local↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Two types of mutants affecting voltage-sensitive sodium channels in Drosophila melanogaster.

Voltage-sensitive sodium channels have a key role in the genesis of propagated action potentials. Mutations that affect these channels might be used like specific pharmacological agents in studies of channel structure and regulation. We have found that mutations which cause a reversible, temperature-induced paralysis in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster often affect the voltage-sensitive sodium channel. Using 3H-saxitoxin binding to membrane preparations, we have now identified two types of presumptive sodium channel mutants. One mutation, seizurets-2 (seits-2), appears to alter saxitoxin-binding sites structurally. The second, no-action-potential (napts) (refs 5, 6), reduces the number of saxitoxin-binding sites, but appears not to alter the receptor structure.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The NerveSeeker: a system for automated nerve localization.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The NerveSeeker is a new instrument for locating peripheral nerves. Like existing nerve stimulators, it is based on injecting current through the needle used for drug injection. However, the NerveSeeker was designed to automatically adjust the amplitude of the stimulating current pulses. It does this by feedback control to hold the level of response constant at a small but reliably detectable fraction of a maximal neural response. We report experimental tests of the NerveSeeker using an excised frog nerve in a transparent chamber, where we could observe the needle approach. METHODS: A control voltage proportional to the stimulus magnitude was used to indicate the proximity of the needle tip to the nerve. The proximity was validated by direct measurement of the distance from the tip of the needle to the nerve. Parameters governing the performance of the NerveSeeker in tracking needle movement were analyzed. RESULTS: The following combined strategy was found effective: As the needle approached the nerve, the stimulus was reduced in proportion to the amplitude of the recorded response; as the needle moved away, the stimulus magnitude was incremented by a constant amount (enough to increase the neural response by approximately 1% of its maximum amplitude) after each stimulus that failed to elicit a neural response exceeding the criterion value. Stimulation throughout simulated penetrations was at a frequency of 10 Hz or higher to give more immediate guidance during insertion. Optimal settings for each control parameter were determined, reflecting both engineering and physiologic tradeoffs. With these settings, the device proved successful in localizing nerves, closely tracking needle movements at velocities as high as 2 mm/second. CONCLUSION: These experimental results suggest that clinical tests of the NerveSeeker would be appropriate.

Action Potentials↗