64-section multidetector CT of the upper abdomen: optimization of a saline chaser injection protocol for improved vascular and parenchymal contrast enhancement

To prospectively investigate the effect of varying the injection flow rates of a saline chaser on vascular and parenchymal contrast enhancement during abdominal MDCT.

Intra-arterial injection of neural stem cells using a microneedle technique does not cause microembolic strokes

Intra-arterial (IA) injection represents an experimental avenue for minimally invasive delivery of stem cells to the injured brain. It has however been reported that IA injection of stem cells carries the risk of reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and microstrokes. Here we evaluate the safety of IA neural progenitor cell (NPC) delivery to the brain. Cerebral blood flow of rats was monitored during IA injection of single cell suspensions of NPCs after stroke. Animals received 1 × 10(6) NPCs either injected via a microneedle (microneedle group) into the patent common carotid artery (CCA) or via a catheter into the proximally ligated CCA (catheter group). Controls included saline-only injections and cell injections into non-stroked sham animals. Cerebral blood flow in the microneedle group remained at baseline, whereas in the catheter group a persistent (15 minutes) decrease to 78% of baseline occurred (P<0.001). In non-stroked controls, NPCs injected via the catheter method resulted in higher levels of Iba-1-positive inflammatory cells (P=0.003), higher numbers of degenerating neurons as seen in Fluoro-Jade C staining (P<0.0001) and ischemic changes on diffusion weighted imaging. With an appropriate technique, reduction in CBF and microstrokes do not occur with IA transplantation of NPCs.

Analysis of llicit and illicit drugs in waste, surface and lake water samples using large volume direct injection high performance liquid chromatography – Electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS)

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653510008891

Local pain and spreading hyperalgesia induced by intramuscular injection of nerve growth factor are not reduced by local anesthesia of the muscle

Injections with local anesthesia for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes are common clinical practice. This double-blind placebo controlled study explores the rational of local anesthetic blocks for the detection of muscle pain as the primary generator in spreading hyperalgesic conditions.

Performance Characteristics of Airlift Pumps with Vortex Induced by Tangential Fluid Injection

The effect of the swirl component of air injection on the performance of an airlift pump was examined experimentally. An airlift pump is a device that pumps a liquid or slurry using only gas injection. In this study, the liquid used was water and the injected gas was air. The effect of the air swirl was determined by measuring the water discharge from an airlift pump with an air injection nozzle in which the air flow had both axial and tangential components and then repeating the tests with a nozzle with only axial injection. The induced water flow was measured using an orifice meter in the supply pipeline. Tests were run for air pressures ranging from 10 to 30 pounds per square inch, gauge (psig), at flow rates from 5 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) up the maximum values attainable at the given pressure (usually in the range from 20 to 35 scfm). The nozzle with only axial injection produced a water flow rate that wasequivalent to or better than that induced by the nozzle with swirl. The swirl component of air injection was found to be detrimental to pump performance for all but the smallest air injection flow rate. Optimum efficiency was found for air injection pressures of 10 psig to 15 psig. In addition, the effect of using auxiliary tangential injection of water to create a swirl component in the riser before air injection on the overall capacity (i.e., flow rate) and efficiencyof the pump was examined. Auxiliary tangential water injection was found to have no beneficial effect on the pump capacity or performance in the present system.

[Musculoskeletal puncture, injection and infiltration: swiss rheumatologists' point of view]

Arthrocentesis, injection and infiltration of joints and soft tissues belong to the basic procedures in rheumatology. The indications and the practical performance are based on experience and tradition. Nowadays, a crucial reappraisal and adaption of indications and technical aspects appear important in the light of new evidence and technical developments. The main indications for puncture remain the search of an infectious arthritis and reduction of intra-articular pressure due to effusion. Good indications for the injection of glucocorticoids are inflammation in sterile joints and activated osteoarthritis. The local infiltration with corticosteroids in mechanically induced enthesopathies at the lateral epicondyle of the humerus or at the plantar fascia have to be questioned in the light of recent publications which show that this common practice is associated with a poorer outcome than without injection.

Distribution of radiodense contrast medium after perineural injection of the palmar and palmar metacarpal nerves (low 4-point nerve block): an in vivo and ex vivo study in horses

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Evidence-based information is limited on distribution of local anaesthetic solution following perineural analgesia of the palmar (Pa) and palmar metacarpal (PaM) nerves in the distal aspect of the metacarpal (Mc) region ('low 4-point nerve block'). OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the potential distribution of local anaesthetic solution after a low 4-point nerve block using a radiographic contrast model. METHODS: A radiodense contrast medium was injected subcutaneously over the medial or the lateral Pa nerve at the junction of the proximal three-quarters and distal quarter of the Mc region (Pa injection) and over the ipsilateral PaM nerve immediately distal to the distal aspect of the second or fourth Mc bones (PaM injection) in both forelimbs of 10 mature horses free from lameness. Radiographs were obtained 0, 10 and 20 min after injection and analysed subjectively and objectively. Methylene blue and a radiodense contrast medium were injected in 20 cadaver limbs using the same techniques. Radiographs were obtained and the limbs dissected. RESULTS: After 31/40 (77.5%) Pa injections, the pattern of the contrast medium suggested distribution in the neurovascular bundle. There was significant proximal diffusion with time, but the main contrast medium patch never progressed proximal to the mid-Mc region. The radiological appearance of 2 limbs suggested that contrast medium was present in the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). After PaM injections, the contrast medium was distributed diffusely around the injection site in the majority of the limbs. In cadaver limbs, after Pa injections, the contrast medium and the dye were distributed in the neurovascular bundle in 8/20 (40%) limbs and in the DFTS in 6/20 (30%) of limbs. After PaM injections, the contrast and dye were distributed diffusely around the injection site in 9/20 (45%) limbs and showed diffuse and tubular distribution in 11/20 (55%) limbs. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Proximal diffusion of local anaesthetic solution after a low 4-point nerve block is unlikely to be responsible for decreasing lameness caused by pain in the proximal Mc region. The DFTS may be penetrated inadvertently when performing a low 4-point nerve block.

Practice of ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis and joint injection, including training and implementation, in Europe: results of a survey of experts and scientific societies

To document the practice and training opportunities of US-guided arthrocentesis and joint injection (UGAJ) among rheumatologists in the member countries of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).

Intradermal injection of heat-killed Mycobacterium vaccae in dogs with atopic dermatitis: a multicentre pilot study

Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a common disease with a multifactorial aetiology associated with impaired immunoregulation. The immunopathogenesis has similarities to that of human atopic dermatitis. Clinical signs of allergic disease in humans and mice are reduced by administration of saprophytic mycobacteria that amplify regulatory cytokines and hence the effect of Mycobacterium vaccae on the clinical severity of cAD was investigated. Sixty-two dogs with cAD, selected according to strict criteria, were treated with a single intradermal injection and evaluated monthly for 3 months in a placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial. Clinical severity was quantified using standardized scores and by owner assessment of pruritus. A single injection of a heat-killed suspension of M. vaccae was found to be well tolerated and effective in treating mild to moderate cases of cAD demonstrable for 3 months, but was insignificant in more severely affected dogs.

Adiponectin as a marker of success in intracytoplasmic sperm injection/embryo transfer cycles

Adiponectin (Acrp30) is an adipose tissue-derived protein whose serum concentrations, in contrast to leptin, are reported to be negatively correlated to body mass. In spite of the comparatively high circulating adiponectin concentrations, this protein has not been studied in the context of assisted reproduction to date. The aim of this preliminary project was thus to examine the potential of adiponectin to serve as a marker for fertility. We compared adiponectin levels in serum before and after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, as well as in follicular fluid (FF), between two groups: those with successful outcome (clinical pregnancies) and those with implantation failure. In the former, adiponectin concentrations were higher than in the negative outcome group; this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05) in serum on the day of oocyte pick-up (OPU) as well as two or three days before OPU, but not in FF or in serum at the beginning of the stimulation phase. This finding adds a new perspective to the suggested but still controversial reduction in FF leptin concentrations in the positive outcome group, and may become a useful tool for early prediction of success of in vitro fertilization treatment for a given patient.

Whole-body computed tomography for multiple traumas using a triphasic injection protocol

To evaluate a triphasic injection protocol for whole-body multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in patients with multiple trauma. Fifty consecutive patients (41 men) were examined. Contrast medium (300 mg/mL iodine) was injected starting with 70 mL at 3 mL/s, followed by 0.1 mL/s for 8 s, and by another bolus of 75 mL at 4 mL/s. CT data acquisition started 50 s after the beginning of the first injection. Two experienced, blinded readers independently measured the density in all major arteries, veins, and parenchymatous organs. Image quality was assessed using a five-point ordinal rating scale and compared to standard injection protocols [n = 25 each for late arterial chest, portovenous abdomen, and MDCT angiography (CTA)]. With the exception of the infrarenal inferior caval vein, all blood vessels were depicted with diagnostic image quality using the multiple-trauma protocol. Arterial luminal density was slightly but significantly smaller compared to CTA (P < 0.01). Veins and parenchymatous organs were opacified significantly better compared to all other protocols (P < 0.01). Arm artifacts reduced the density of spleen and liver parenchyma significantly (P < 0.01). Similarly high image quality is achieved for arteries using the multiple-trauma protocol compared to CTA, and parenchymatous organs are depicted with better image quality compared to specialized protocols. Arm artifacts should be avoided.