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Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the endotracheal tube cuff pressure changes during laparoscopic surgeries using air versus nitrous-oxide in anesthetic gas mixture; and to observe the incidences of postoperative sore throat, hoarseness and dysphagia., Methods: Total 100 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic abdominal surgery were allocated into two groups. Group A (n=50) received air while Group N (n=50) received nitrous-oxide in anesthetic gas mixture. After endotracheal intubation, cuff was inflated with air to achieve sealing pressure. Cuff pressure at baseline (sealing pressure), 30min, 60min and 90min was recorded with a manometer. Incidence of sore throat, hoarseness and dysphagia was noted at the time of discharge from post-anesthesia care unit and 24h after extubation., Results: Cuff pressure increased from baseline in both the groups. The increase in cuff pressure in Group N was greater than that in Group A at all time points studied (p<0.001). Within Group A, cuff pressure increased more at 90min than at 30min (p<0.05). Within Group N, increase in cuff pressure was more at each time point (30, 60 and 90min) than its previous time point (p<0.05). The incidence of sore throat in post-anesthesia care unit was higher in Group N than in Group A., Conclusion: Use of nitrous-oxide during laparoscopy increases cuff pressure resulting in increased incidence of postoperative sore throat. Cuff pressure should be monitored routinely during laparoscopy with nitrous-oxide anesthesia., (Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

Microbial processes such as mineralization, nitrification and denitrification regulate nitrogen dynamics in the soil. The last two processes may produce nitrous oxide (N 2 O). In this work N 2 O fluxes were quantified at four moments of the rice cycle, sowing, tillering, panicle initiation and maturity, in two sites that differed mainly in their soil organic matter (OM) content, Salto (higher OM) and Treinta y Tres. Potential net N mineralization, ammonium oxidation and denitrification as well as the most probable numbers (MPN) of ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers were determined. Potential N mineralization did not vary with the soil type and increased at rice maturity. Neither ammonia oxidation potential nor MPN were different among the soils. However, the soil with higher OM exhibited higher activity and MPN of denitrifiers, irrespective of the rice stage. In turn, at the latest phases of the crop, the MPN of denitrifiers increased coinciding with the highest mineralization potential and mineral N content of the soil. Significant differences in N 2 O flux were observed in Salto, where the highest emissions were detected at rice maturity, after the soil was drained (44.2 vs 20.8g N-N 2 O/ha d in Treinta y Tres). This work shows the importance of considering the soil type and end-of-season drainage of the rice field to elaborate GHGs (greenhouse gases) inventories., (Copyright © 2017 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of a nitrous oxide and oxygen mixture (N2O/O2 50/50) for reducing pain and increasing satisfaction in patients with an initial clinical diagnosis of renal colic in the emergency department., Material and Methods: Multicenter, triple-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. We randomized 147 patients with a clinical diagnosis of renal colic to an experimental group to receive the N2O/O2 50/50 mixture (n = 70) or a control group to receive 50% oxygen in air (n = 77). Both groups also received conventional analgesia with dexketoprofen plus metamizol and opiates administered sequentially until pain was brought under control; rescue doses of opioids were also available. The endpoints were the reduction in pain intensity expressed on a visual analog scale (VAS) 5 minutes after the start of treatment and the patient's level of satisfaction with treatment on discharge., Results: The mean (SD) reduction in pain 5 minutes after starting analgesic treatment was 1.84 (2.05) VAS points in the intervention group and 1.67 (1.91) in the placebo group. The difference was not significant (P = .603). Neither were between-group differences significant at other pain evaluation times (10, 15, 30, and 60 minutes). Treatment was considered satisfactory (􀀀 9 on a VAS) by 53 of the 70 intervention-group patients (75.7%) and 56 of the 77 (72.7%) placebo-group patients (P = .412). Adverse effects appeared in 33 of the 70 patients (48.5%) who received the N2O/O2 mixture and in 19 patients (24.7%) who received the placebo (P = .003)., Conclusion: The addition of N2O/O2 50/50 to standard analgesic therapy does not enhance the efficacy of pain control or the satisfaction of patients treated for renal colic in the emergency department.

Background and Objectives: Thermal injuries and injured areas management are important causes of pain in burned patients, requiring that these patients are constantly undergoing general anesthesia for dressing change. Nitrous oxide (N2O) has analgesic and sedative properties; it is easy to use and widely available. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effect of N2O combined with fentanyl in burned patients during dressing change., Method: After approval by the institutional Ethics Committee, 15 adult burned patients requiring daily dressing change were evaluated. Patient analgesia was controlled with fentanyl 0.0005% administered by intravenous pump infusion on-demand. Randomly, in one of the days a mixture of 65% N2O in oxygen (O2) was associated via mask, with a flow of 10 L/min (N2O group) and on the other day only O2 under the same flow (control group)., Results: No significant pain reduction was seen in N2O group compared to control group. VAS score before dressing change was 4.07 and 3.4, respectively, in N2O and control groups. Regarding pain at the end of the dressing, patients in N2O group reported pain severity of 2.8; while the control group reported 2.87. There was no significant difference in fentanyl consumption in both groups., Conclusions: The association of N2O was not effective in reducing opioid consumption during dressing changes., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Thermal injuries and injured areas management are important causes of pain in burned patients, requiring that these patients are constantly undergoing general anesthesia for dressing change. Nitrous oxide (N2O) has analgesic and sedative properties; it is easy to use and widely available. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effect of N2O combined with fentanyl in burned patients during dressing change., Method: After approval by the institutional Ethics Committee, 15 adult burned patients requiring daily dressing change were evaluated. Patient analgesia was controlled with fentanyl 0.0005% administered by intravenous pump infusion on-demand. Randomly, in one of the days a mixture of 65% N2O in oxygen (O2) was associated via mask, with a flow of 10 L/min (N2O group) and on the other day only O2 under the same flow (control group)., Results: No significant pain reduction was seen in N2O group compared to control group. VAS score before dressing change was 4.07 and 3.4, respectively, in N2O and control groups. Regarding pain at the end of the dressing, patients in N2O group reported pain severity of 2.8; while the control group reported 2.87. There was no significant difference in fentanyl consumption in both groups., Conclusions: The association of N2O was not effective in reducing opioid consumption during dressing changes., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

In this microcosm study, we analyzed the effect produced by hydroquinone on the expression of soil biological denitrification, in relation to the redox state of the soil, both in terms of intensity factor (Eh') and capacity factor (amount of oxidized or reduced compounds). The supplementation of an Argiudoll soil with hydroquinone decreased the soil apparent reduction potential (Eh') and soil dehydrogenase activity (formazan production from tetrazolium chloride reduction; redox capacity factor), the relationship between both factors being highly significative, r=0.99 (p<0.001). The bacterial population (measured by colony forming units) increased, and the production of N2O was greater (p<0.001) at 200 and 400μg/g dry soil doses. Furthermore, there was an inverse relationship between soil dehydrogenase activity and the number of bacteria (r=-0.82; p<0.05), increased denitrification activity and changes in the CO2/N2O ratio value. These results suggest that hydroquinone at supplemented doses modified the soil redox state and the functional structure of the microbial population. Acetate supplementation on soil with hydroquinone, to ensure the availability of an energy source for microbial development, confirmed the tendency of the results obtained with the supplementation of hydroquinone alone. The differences observed at increased doses of hydroquinone might be explained by differences on the hydroquinone redox species between treatments., (Copyright © 2015 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)