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Biomedical subjects

N Raphael

Publications and source records attributed to N Raphael.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Toxic epidermal necrolysis syndrome--management and case report.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis syndrome [known also as Lyell's syndrome] is a severe drug reaction, characterized by fever. systemic toxicity, extensive skin rash with blisters and exfoliation similar to that of major burns. It carries an average mortality rate of 25%. The data concerning most frequent triggering agents and the differential diagnosis is presented; An overview of the management protocol for these patient in the Burn Center of the Lebanese Hospital is exposed with a case presentation of a young woman who sustained a 95% body surface area [BSA] cutaneous loss after the ingestion of only 2 tablets of amoxycilline documented by the complication and evolution.

Adult↗

Hemispheric asymmetry and interhemispheric transfer in pointing depend on the spatial components of the movement.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the asymmetry and transfer in 3 pointing movements with increasing spatial requirements. The triggering signal was one of four visual targets appearing on the right or left of a central fixation point (FP). The first task consisted in simply removing the arm from the starting platform; the second was a pointing movement towards the FP, and the third was a classical pointing task towards one of the four lateral targets. 20 right-handers (Rhrs) and 20 left-handers (Lhrs) participated in this experiment. In the classical pointing task (task 3), the reaction times were shorter in the Rhrs using their left hand. No such hand-related difference was observed in the Lhrs. No hand asymmetry was observed in the other tasks. In addition, the responses were faster in the uncrossed than in the crossed conditions, in task 3 only. It was concluded that in pointing tasks, both the hemispheric asymmetry and the interhemispheric transfer depend on the spatial requirements of the movement.

Adult↗

Severe neck burns and laryngeal mask airway for frequent general anesthetics.

Securing the airways in a patient suffering severe neck burns or its sequalae may present a challenge to the most experienced anesthesiologist. We investigate the utility of the Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) in this situation. We report on success, failure of complications of LMA insertion at the induction of general anesthesia in 23 patients of a Major Burns Unit and compare our results to our records of patients intubated endotracheally in the Unit. 14 out of 15 patients with neck burns had a LMA inserted with no difficulty or complications, while difficult endotracheal intubations in patients with neck burns were more frequent with statistical significance compared to patients with intact necks. LMA insertion seems to ignore the difficulties met with endotracheal intubation in this context.

Anesthesia, General↗

Cardiac complications of suspension laryngoscopy. Fact or fiction?

A nonselective, prospective study of 100 consecutive patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy was undertaken to observe the cardiac ischemic changes related to pharyngeal and laryngeal manipulation. Blood pressure, heart rate, rhythm, and cardiac response were monitored before, during, and after surgery. No significant changes were observed in normal, hypertensive, or high-risk patients. These findings differ from those previously reported.

Adult↗

Reversible effects of phenothiazines on frog gastric stimulation.

The calmodulin inhibitors trifluoperazine (TFP), chlorpromazine (CPZ), and promethazine (PZ) were tested for effects on stimulus-secretion coupling in in vitro bullfrog gastric mucosa. When added to histamine-stimulated tissues, the drugs caused H+ secretion to decrease and transepithelial resistance to increase over a 2-h time course. The potency sequence was TFP (IC50 = 40 microM) greater than CPZ (IC50 = 72 microM) congruent to PZ (IC50 = 72 microM). Anesthetics and other phenothiazines with weak anticalmodulin activity had no effect on secretory parameters. In the presence of histamine, further addition of isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) plus dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP), IBMX alone, or forskolin (a specific activator of adenylate cyclase) to phenothiazine-inhibited tissues caused full resumption of secretory activity. If TFP (50 microM) was added before stimulation with histamine, the normal increases in tissue cAMP content (which occurs primarily in oxyntic cells), oxyntic cell apical membrane elaboration (morphometric analysis of electron micrographs), and H+ secretion were all blocked. Subsequent addition of IBMX or IBMX plus DBcAMP completely reversed the TFP effect. These results indicate that the histamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase may be the site of TFP inhibition and Ca2+-calmodulin regulation; since these drugs inhibited stimulation by DBcAMP plus IBMX, they may also be exerting additional effects distal to cAMP generation.

Anesthetics, Local↗