To date, the application of BIS for determination of BFC in small research animals has been limited. Methods: We sought to evaluate the sensitivity and consistency of BIS for the determination of BFC in male SD rats. Thus, in separate series of experiments, we a) compared BFC values determined using BIS to BFC values obtained using radioisotope indicator dilution methods; b) examined day-to-day intra-and inter-rat BFC variability in small (267.8 +/- 5.4 g) and large (372.6 +/- 5.6 g) rats (n=8/group) as compared to empirical normative mammalian

values; c) evaluated the sensitivity of BIS to detect time-dependent responses to repeated administration of a potent diuretic; and d) compared empirically generated BFC data to predicted osmotically-induced Vorinostat ECFV and ICFV shifts in response to i.v. administration of hypotonic (0.3%), isotonic (0.9%) or hypertonic (3.0%) saline (n=6/concentration). Results: BFC

values generated using radioisotope dilution agreed with those generated using BIS. BIS reliably detected differences between small and large rats (p<0.001), and was associated with low (<3.5%) day-to-day, intra-animal coefficient of variation (%=Standard Deviation/mean). BIS detected small reductions (similar to 10%) in ECFV induced by as few as 2 days of the loop diuretic, furosemide, relative to vehicle treatment (70.8 +/- 1.5 ml vs. 84.0 +/- 1.5 ml; respectively, p<0.05). BIS rapidly selleck kinase inhibitor detected shifts between ECFV and ICFV in response to osmotic saline Fer-1 price challenge, and these responses were similar to physiologically predicted

responses. Discussion: The current studies support using BIS as a means of sensitively and reliably performing repeated measurements of BFC in rats of a) differing sizes, b) in response to therapeutic agents known to influence renal sodium handling and c) in response to osmotic challenge. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“We performed microscopic lumbar foraminotomy in all the patients diagnosed with degenerative lumbar foraminal stenosis (DLFS) and retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcomes and the factors influencing them. The preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score of 13.8 significantly improved to 21.9 postoperatively. Although leg pain reduced in 44 patients (95.7%) immediately after surgery, it recurred in 9 patients (19.6%). The recurrence frequency was significantly higher and the JOA score improvement ratios significantly lower in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) than in those without DLS. Even among patients with DLS, those with < 3A degrees Cobb angle difference between the supine and standing positions showed satisfactory results, with no recurrence. In conclusion, microscopic lumbar foraminotomy for DLFS produced satisfactory clinical outcomes even in patients with DLS. However, the outcomes were poor in patients with unstable DLS.