Sympathetic hyperactivity, respiratory failure, pruritus, and anesthesia after unintentional epidural injection of potassium chloride: Case report

Background and Objectives. A combination of epidural and general anesthesia has been widely used to attenuate the surgical stress response and to provide postoperative analgesia. This case report illustrates the use of this anesthetic technique. Analgesia was induced with local anesthetic in the immediate postoperative period using unintentional 19.1% potassium chloride (KCI) as diluent. Methods. An ASA I male patient was scheduled for surgical correction of idiopathic megaesophagus under continuous epidural anesthesia combined with general anesthesia. In the postoperative period, while preparing 10 mt 0.125% bupivacaine to be administered through the epidural catheter for pain control, 5 mt 19.1% KCI was unintentionally used as diluent, resulting in a 9.55% potassium solution concentration. Results. The patient developed warmness of the lower limbs, tachycardia, hypertension, intense pruritus on the chest, agitation, exacerbation of sensory and motor blocks, and respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary edema, requiring ventilatory support. Total recovery was observed after 24 hours. Conclusions. Epidurally injected potassium leads to severe clinical manifestations caused by autonomic dysfunction, spinal cord irritation, and possible release of histamine. Despite continuous recommendations, ampule misidentification still happens in hospitals, frequently leading to serious accidents.

Mapping QTLs for aluminum tolerance in maize

Aluminum toxicity is one of the major constraints for plant development in acid soils, limiting food production in many countries. Cultivars genetically adapted to acid soils may offer an environmental compatible solution, providing a sustainable agriculture system. The aim of this work was to identify genomic regions associated with Al tolerance in maize, and to quantify the genetic effects on the phenotypic variation. A population of 168 F-3:4 families derived from a cross between two contrasting maize inbred lines for Al tolerance was evaluated using the NSRL and RSRL parameters in nutrient solution containing toxic level of aluminum. Variance analyses indicated that the NSRL was the most reliable phenotypic index to measure Al tolerance in the population, being used for further QTL mapping analysis. RFLP and SSR markers were selected for bulked segregant analysis, and additional SSR markers, flanking the polymorphisms of interest, were chosen in order to saturate the putative target regions. Seven linkage groups were constructed using 17 RFLP and 34 SSR markers. Five QTLs were mapped on chromosomes 2, 6 and 8, explaining 60% of the phenotypic variation. QTL(4) and marker umc043 were located on chromosomes 8 and 5, close to genes encoding for enzymes involved in the organic acids synthesis pathways, a widely proposed mechanism for Al tolerance in plants. QTL(2) was mapped in the same region as Alm2, also associated with Al tolerance in maize. In addition, dominant and additive effects were important in the control of this trait in maize.

Aggregation behaviour of hydrophobically modified poly(allylammonium) chloride

The behaviour of hydrophobically modified poly(allylammonium) chloride having octyl, decyl, dodecyl and hexadecyl side chains has been studied in aqueous solution using fluorescence emission techniques. Micropolarity studies using the I-1/I-3 ratio of the vibronic bands of pyrene show that the formation of hydrophobic microdomains depends on both the length of the side chain and the polymer concentration. The I-1/I-3 ratio of the polymers with low hydrophobe content (less than 5% mel) changes substantially when reaching a certain concentration. These changes are assigned to aggregation originating from interchain interactions. This behaviour is also confirmed by the behaviour of the monomer/excimer emission intensities of pyrene- dodecanoic acid used as a probe. For polymers having dodecyl side chains and hydrophobe contents higher than 10%, aggregates are formed independently of the polymer concentration. Anisotropy measurements show that microdomains resulting from the inter- and/or intramolecular interactions are similar to those observed for cationic surfactants. Viscosity measurements show that the coil dimensions are substantially decreased for the polymers having high hydrophobe contents, indicating intramolecular associations.

Solid-state and solution structural study of acetylacetone-modified tin(IV) chloride used as a precursor of SnO2 nanoparticles prepared by a sol-gel route

The effect of addition of different amounts of acetylacetone (acacH) on the species formed at room temperature and after thermohydrolysis at 70 degreesC for 30 and 120 min of ethanolic SnCl4.5H(2)O solutions is followed by EXAFS spectroscopy at the Sn K-edge. We show that thermohydrolyzed solutions are a mixture of SnO2 nanoparticles and soluble tin polynuclear species. The complexation of the tin molecular precursors by acetylacetonate ligands is evidenced by H-1, C-13, and Sn-119 NMR spectroscopy and EXAFS for a acacH/Sn ratio higher than 2. Single crystals are isolated from solution and the structure, determined by X-ray diffraction, is built up from monomeric Cl-3(H2O)Sn(acac)-H2O units bridged together by hydrogen bonding. The acacH/Sn ratio in solution controls the polycondensation of the hydrolyzed species but not the crystallite size of the SnO2 nanoparticles (similar to2 nm). Because of the major presence of chelated tin mono- and dimeric complexes in solution for acacH/Sn > 2, the condensation is almost inhibited, meanwhile the decrease of amount of chelated complexes for the acacH/Sn < 2 gives rise to an increase of the number of nanoparticles.

Unusual interactions binding iron tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) in layer-by-layer films

Molecular-level interactions are found to bind iron tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (FeTsPc) and the polyelectrolyte poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) in electroactive layer-by-layer (LBL) films. These interactions have been identified by comparing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy data from bulk samples of FeTsPc and PAH with those from FeTsPc/PAH LBL films. of particular importance were the SO3- -NH3 interactions that we believe to bind PAH and FeTsPc and the interactions between unprotonated amine groups of PAH and the coordinating metal of the phthalocyanine. The multilayer formation was monitored via UV-vis spectroscopy by measuring the increase in the Q band of FeTsPc at 676 nm. Film thickness estimated with profilometry was ca. I I Angstrom per bilayer for films adsorbed on glass. Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) revealed an anisotropy in the LBL film adsorbed on gold with FeTsPc molecules oriented perpendicularly to the substrate plane. Cyclic voltammograms showed reproducible pairs of oxidation-reduction peaks at 1.07 and 0.81 V, respectively, for a 50-bilayer PAH/FeTsPc film at 50 mV/s (vs Ag/Ag+). The peak shape and current dependence on the scan rate suggest that the process is a diffusion controlled charge transport. In the presence of dopamine, the electroactivity of FeTsPc/PAH LBL films vanishes due to a passivation effect. Dopamine activity is not detected either because the interaction between Fe atoms and NH2 groups prevents dopamine molecules from coordinating with the Fe atoms.

Factors which affect the catalytic activity of iron(III) meso tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin chloride in homogeneous system

An optimization study of the reaction conditions of Fe(TDCPP)Cl when it is used as catalyst in the hydroxylation of cyclohexane by iodosylbenzene (PhIO) has been carried out, It was found that Fe(TDCPP)Cl follows the classical PhIO mechanism described for Fe(TPP)Cl, which involves the monomeric active species Fe-IV(O)P-+. (I). In the optimized condition ([Fe(TDCPP) = 3.0 X 10(-4) mol l(-1) in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE); ultrasound stirring at 0 degrees C; PhIO/FeP molar ratio = 100), this FeP led to a yield of cyclohexanol (C-ol) of 96% and a turnover number of 96, Therefore, Fe(TDCPP)Cl may be considered a good biomimetic model and a very stable, resistant and selective catalyst, which yields C-ol as the sole product. DCE showed to be a better solvent than dichloromethane (DCM), 1 DCE:1 MeOH mixture or acetonitrile (ACN). Since the Fe-IV(O)P-+. is capable of abstracting hydrogen atom from DCM, MeOH or ACN, the solvent competes with the substrate. Presence of O-2 lowers the yield of C-ol, as it can further oxidize this alcohol to carboxylic acid in the presence of radicals, Presence of H2O also causes a decrease in the yield, since it converts the active species I into Fe-IV(OH)P, which cannot oxidize cyclohexane. Addition of excess imidazole or OH- to the system results in a decrease in the yield of C-ol, due to the formation of the hexacoordinated complexes Fe(TDCPP)Im(2)(+) (low-spin, beta(2) = 2.5 X 10(8) mol(-2) l(2)) and Fe(TDCPP)(OH)(2)(-) (high-spin, beta(2) = 6.3 X 10(7) mol(-2) l(2)), the formation of both Fe(TDCPP)Im(2)(+) and Fe(TDCPP)(OH)(2)(-) complexes were confirmed by EPR studies. The catalytic activities of Fe(TDCPP)C and Fe(TFPP)Cl were compared, the unusually high yields of C-ol with Fe(TFPP)Cl obtained when ultrasound, DCM and O-2 atmosphere were used, suggest that a parallel mechanism involving the mu-oxo dimer form, O-2 and radicals may also be occurring with this FeP, besides the PhIO mechanism.

Indirect determination of chloride and sulfate ions in alcohol fuel by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary zone electrophoresis method using indirect UV detection for the analysis of chloride and sulfate in alcohol fuel samples was developed. The anions were analyzed in less than 3 min using an electrolyte containing 10 mmol 1(-1) chromate and 0.75 mmol 1(-1) hexamethonium bromide (HMB) as electroosmotic flow modifier. Coefficients of variation were better than 0.6% for migration time (n = 10) and between 2.05 and 2.82% for peak area repeatabilities. Analytical curves of peak area versus concentration in the range of 0.065-0.65 mg kg(-1) for chloride and 0.25-4.0 mg kg(-1) for sulfate were linear with coefficients of correlation higher than 0.9996. The limits of detection for sulfate and chloride were 0.033 and 0.041 mg kg(-1), respectively. Recovery values ranged from 85 to 103%. The method was successfully applied for the quantification of sulfate and chloride in five alcohol fuel samples. The concentration of sulfate varied from 0.45 to 3.12 mg kg(-1). Chloride concentrations were below the method's LOD.

Rheological study of the thermoreversible sol-gel transition of sulfate modified zirconyl chloride aqueous sol

The sols prepared by mixing a ZrOCl2 acidified solution to a hot H2SO4 aqueous solutions were studied in order to clarify the mechanism of thermoreversible sol-gel transition observed in this system. The viscoelastic properties of these suspensions were analyzed during the sol-gel transition by dynamic rheological measurements and quasi-elastic light scattering. The rheological properties were correlated to mass fractal and nearly linear growth models, and percolation theory. The results evidence that the thermoreversible sol-gel transition in this system is due to the formation of a network of physically linked aggregates having fractal structure. The decrease of the SO42- contents in the initial solution leads to the decrease of the fractal dimensionality from 2.3 to 1.8, indicating a change of the kinetic mechanism of aggregate growth. Near the gel point these samples have the typical scaling expected from percolation theory. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ISOLATION OF BABESIA-BIGEMINA AND BABESIA-BOVIS MEROZOITES BY AMMONIUM-CHLORIDE LYSIS OF INFECTED ERYTHROCYTES

1. We describe the isolation of viable merozoites from erythrocytes infected with Babesia bovis or Babesia bigemina organisms by ammonium chloride lysis.2. Parasite morphology was examined by both light and transmission electron microscopy. Erythrocyte-free parasites maintain their viability and infectivity, retain their antigenicity and are suitable for use in the indirect fluorescent antibody assay.