Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Glob Chang Biol 2021 Apr 30. Epub 2021 Apr 30.

State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China.

Drip irrigation is a useful practice to enhance water and fertilizer nitrogen (N) use efficiency. However, the use of drip irrigation to mitigate nitrous oxide (N O) emissions in agricultural systems globally is uncertain. Here, we performed a global meta-analysis of 485 field measurements of N O emissions from 74 peer-reviewed publications prior to March 2021, to quantify the fertilizer-induced N O emission factor (EF) of drip irrigation and examine the influencing factors of climate, crop, soil properties, and source and rate of fertilizer N application. Read More

Am Fam Physician 2021 03;103(6):355-364

Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Program, Lawrence, MA, USA.

A patient's sense of empowerment and control is most predictive of maternal satisfaction with childbirth. Analgesia during labor greatly affects this experience. Individual patient priorities for labor pain management should be explored as part of routine prenatal care. Read More

Physiol Res 2021 Mar 8. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Dpt. of Pharmacology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

It has been suggested that sympathetic activity, measured as changes in electrical skin impedance (SI), can be used to assess the adequacy of general anesthesia. Our prospective study investigated if measurements of skin impedance can determine levels of sedation induced by midazolam. Twenty-seven patients scheduled for arthroscopy requiring general anesthesia were served as their own control. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 02 10;12(1):926. Epub 2021 Feb 10.

Department of Comparative Biosciences, Department of Biochemistry, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.

The endocannabinoid system is a promising target to mitigate pain as the endocannabinoids are endogenous ligands of the pain-mediating receptors-cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2) and TRPV1. Herein, we report on a class of lipids formed by the epoxidation of N-arachidonoyl-dopamine (NADA) and N-arachidonoyl-serotonin (NA5HT) by epoxygenases. EpoNADA and epoNA5HT are dual-functional rheostat modulators of the endocannabinoid-TRPV1 axis. Read More

Environ Sci Technol 2021 03 5;55(5):2800-2810. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Group, Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark, Produktionstorvet, Building 424, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.

Mounting evidence indicates that climate tipping points can have large, potentially irreversible, impacts on the earth system and human societies. Yet, climate change metrics applied in current sustainability assessment methods generally do not consider these tipping points, with the use of arbitrarily determined time horizons and assumptions that the climate impact of a product or service is independent of emission timing. Here, we propose a new method for calculating climate tipping characterization factors for greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) at midpoint. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Jan;100(4):e23753

Department of Ophthalmology, San'eikai Tsukazaki Hospital, Himeji.

Abstract: To evaluate the utility of low-concentration nitrous oxide (N2O) anesthesia in ptosis surgeryThis study was a retrospective consecutive case series that included 54 successive patients with blepharoptosis who underwent bilateral levator aponeurosis advancement and on whom skin resection performed by the same surgeon between August 2016 and July 2017. Among these patients, 27 were operated with a local anesthesia injection (air group) and 27 with a local anesthesia injection and low-concentration N2O anesthesia (N2O group). All N2O cases used a total of 6 L of gas comprising 70% oxygen and 30% N2O. Read More

J Affect Disord 2021 02 16;281:557-566. Epub 2020 Dec 16.

Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare (IUFRS), University of Lausanne and Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Woman-Mother-Child Department, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Background: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health disorder. Certain drugs, such as morphine and nitrous oxide gas (NO), are administered to individuals who just experienced a traumatic event (e.g. Read More

Eur J Anaesthesiol 2021 05;38(5):512-523

From the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, CIUSSS de l'Est de l'Ile de Montreal, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M-AC, ED, SM, VB, PD, IT, RI, VZ, OV, L-PF, NG, MI, JR, PR).

Background: Nitrous oxide (N2O) has been used since the 19th century for its analgesic, antinociceptive and anxiolytic effects during surgical procedures in awake and anaesthetised patients. However, quantification of noxious stimuli that occur under general anaesthesia is a constant challenge for anaesthesiologists, and recently two new indices have been developed to assess intra-operative nociception.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify with new indices as well as with more classical clinical parameters the antinociceptive effect of N2O during general anaesthesia. Read More

ScientificWorldJournal 2020 25;2020:3167317. Epub 2020 Nov 25.

School of Liberal and Social Sciences, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Accra, Ghana.

Climate change is a serious challenge to human existence. It threatens efforts towards the attainment of sustainable development goals and aggravates conditions that lead to health inequities and inequalities for vulnerable populations. The study aimed to investigate knowledge and adaptation to climate change among people in Ghana. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 11 24;10(11):e038134. Epub 2020 Nov 24.

Division for Health Services, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

Background: Few publications have addressed prehospital use of ketamine in analgesic doses. We aimed to assess the effect and safety profile of ketamine compared with other analgesic drugs (or no drug) in adult prehospital patients with acute pain.

Methods: A systematic review of clinical trials assessing prehospital administration of ketamine in analgesic doses compared with other analgesic drugs or no analgesic treatment in adults. Read More

Ambio 2021 Jan;50(1):35-39

Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie und Klimaforschung (IEK-7), 52425, Jülich, Germany.

Ambio 2021 Jan 21;50(1):44-48. Epub 2020 Nov 21.

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, MIT, 54-1720, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.

Crutzen (1974) and Crutzen and Ehhalt (1977) presented two key papers in Ambio that in Ambioexemplify how science first revealed to humankind the potential for damage to our ozone shield in the Anthropocene. Crutzen's (1974) review is a sweeping summary of the risks to the ozone layer from supersonic aircraft, chlorofluorocarbons, as well as nuclear weapons testing and nuclear war. Crutzen and Ehhalt (1977) described how the nitrous oxide produced from fertilizers could pose another threat to the stability of the stratospheric ozone layer. Read More

Ambio 2021 Jan 21;50(1):40-43. Epub 2020 Nov 21.

Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.

We here reflect on two important articles on stratospheric ozone depletion written by P. J. Crutzen (1974) and P. Read More

Women Birth 2020 Nov 3. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11th March 2020. Since then there has been a rapid rise in development of maternal and perinatal health guidelines related to COVID-19. The aim of this project was to develop a database of Australian and international recommendations relating to antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care of women during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to identify inconsistencies in clinical guidance. Read More

Can J Anaesth 2020 Dec 15;67(12):1858-1878. Epub 2020 Nov 15.

Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8054, St. Louis, MO, USA.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a reliable reflection of the brain's electrical state, so it can reassure us that the anesthetic agents are actually reaching the patient's brain, and are having the desired effect. In most patients, the EEG changes somewhat predictably in response to propofol and volatile agents, so a frontal EEG channel can guide avoidance of insufficient and excessive administration of general anesthesia. Persistent alpha-spindles (around 10 Hz) phase-amplitude coupled with slow delta waves (around 1 Hz) are commonly seen during an "appropriate hypnotic state of general anesthesia". Read More

Sci Rep 2020 11 9;10(1):19310. Epub 2020 Nov 9.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, 5403 1st Ave S., Lethbridge, AB, T1J 4B1, Canada.

The investigative material 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) can reduce enteric methane emissions from beef cattle. North American beef cattle are often supplemented the drug monensin to improve feed digestibility. Residual and confounding effects of these additives on manure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are unknown. Read More

Semin Perinatol 2020 11 26;44(7):151277. Epub 2020 Aug 26.

Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Obstetric Anesthesia, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted obstetric anesthesiologists to reconsider the ways in which basic anesthesia care is provided on the Labor and Delivery Unit. Suggested modifications include an added emphasis on avoiding general anesthesia, a strong encouragement to infected individuals to opt for early neuraxial analgesia, and the prevention of emergent cesarean delivery, whenever possible. Through team efforts, adopting these measures can have real effects on reducing the transmission of the viral illness and maintaining patient and caregiver safety in the labor room. Read More

PLoS One 2020 28;15(10):e0240925. Epub 2020 Oct 28.

Institute of Plant Nutrition and Environmental Resources, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China.

Urease inhibitor (UI) and nitrification inhibitor (NI) can reduce N losses from agricultural soils but effects of inhibitors on N cycle are unclear. A field experiment was conducted with maize to test effects of UI (N-(n-Butyl) thiophosphoric, NBPT) and NI (3,4-dimethylepyrazolephosphate, DMPP) on N uptake and N-cycling soil microbes. Five treatments were imposed: no N fertilizer input (CK), conventional fertilization (CF) and 80% of urea input with NBPT (80%U+UI), with DMPP (80%U+NI) and with half NBPT and half DMPP (80%U+1/2(UI+NI)). Read More

Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2020 Jul 22;33(4):536-540. Epub 2020 Jul 22.

Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Temple, Temple, Texas.

The number of cesarean deliveries performed with a general anesthetic decreased when regional anesthesia for cesarean delivery was reported to be associated with lower maternal mortality. Anesthetic adjunct administration for cesarean deliveries performed with regional anesthesia is typically not reported alongside general anesthesia rates for cesarean delivery. This retrospective study analyzed rates of general anesthesia and systemic anesthetic adjunct administration for cesarean deliveries performed under regional anesthesia at a community hospital from 2014 to 2018. Read More

Isr Med Assoc J 2020 10;22(10):599-601

Department of Oral Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen that causes coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), is thought to be transmitted via droplets and aerosols, and was detected in saliva of infected individuals. These droplets from the upper airway may infect the inhalation sedation mask and tubing. The authors determined the adequate measures needed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 by nitrous-oxide (N2O) system during inhalation sedation in dentistry and provided evidence on mask and tubing sterilization. Read More

Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 2020 Oct 16. Epub 2020 Oct 16.

Department of Operative and Paediatric Dentistry, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

Purpose: Conscious sedation by inhalation of a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen (CS) is a technique used in dental care for anxious, handicapped or uncooperative patients. The very special objective of this cohort study is to compare the behaviour of young patients during dental care under CS in two hospitals using different gas distribution systems.

Methods: Young patients were divided into four categories: young child (YC), phobic anxiety (PA), mental disorder (MD), occasional indication (OI). Read More

Pain 2021 Apr;162(4):1104-1115

Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

Abstract: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an odorless and colorless gas routinely used as an adjuvant of anesthesia and for short-duration analgesia in various clinical settings mostly in the form of an N2O/O2 50%-50% equimolar mixture (EMONO). Experimental studies have suggested that EMONO could also induce long-lasting analgesic effects related to the blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. We designed the first international multicenter proof of concept randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of a 1-hour administration of EMONO or placebo (medical air) on 3 consecutive days up to 1 month after the last administration in patients with chronic peripheral neuropathic pain. Read More

Phytother Res 2021 Feb 9;35(2):629-636. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Chair and Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1, Warsaw, Poland.

Currently, over 100 countries are fighting against a common enemy, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, which causes COVID-19. This has created a demand for a substance whose effectiveness has already been demonstrated in a similar scenario. Glycyrrhizin (GZ) is a promising agent against SARS-CoV-2 as its antiviral activity against SARS-CoV has already been confirmed. Read More

J Addict Dis 2021 Jan-Mar;39(1):46-53. Epub 2020 Sep 2.

Independent Researcher, Austin, Texas, USA.

Nitrous oxide may be misused due to its euphoric, dissociative, and hallucinogenic effects. Nitrous oxide misuse has been reported to be increasing. The objective of this study is to describe nitrous oxide misuse reported to two United States (US) data systems. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2020 09 27;9(17):e015794. Epub 2020 Aug 27.

Division of Cardiology Department of Internal Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX.

Background Accurate assessment of cardiac output is critical to the diagnosis and management of various cardiac disease states; however, clinical standards of direct Fick and thermodilution are invasive. Noninvasive alternatives, such as closed-circuit acetylene (CH) rebreathing, warrant validation. Methods and Results We analyzed 10 clinical studies and all available cardiopulmonary stress tests performed in our laboratory that included a rebreathing method and direct Fick or thermodilution. Read More

Fish Physiol Biochem 2020 Dec 23;46(6):2143-2155. Epub 2020 Aug 23.

Aquatic Animals Diseases and Management Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Moshtohor, Toukh, 13736, Egypt.

The current study evaluated the effects of nano delivery of Spirulina platensis on growth performance, digestive enzymes, and biochemical, immunological, and antioxidative status, as well as resistance to Aeromonas veronii and some physical stressor challenges in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Three experimental fish groups (n = 270) with mean weights of 26 ± 0.30 g and mean lengths of 10 ± 0. Read More

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2020 Sep 26;136:110221. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

University of Trieste, Italy; Italy Institute for Maternal and Child Health "IRCCS Burlo Garofolo" Trieste, Italy.

Objectives: We report a case series of one-time 4 mcg/kg dose of intranasal dexmedetomidine and 1 mcg/kg of intranasal fentanyl plus inhaled nitrous oxide for procedural sedation in children with otitis media with effusion (OME) for tympanostomy tube placement with a specific handheld device (Solo TTD, AventaMed ®).

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted in a tertiary paediatric teaching hospital on patients with OME referred from December 2018 to December 2019 in need of procedural sedation for myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion (VTI). Sixteen of twenty-four consecutively admitted subjects received a one-time dose (4 mcg/kg) of intranasal dexmedetomidine and 1mcg/Kg of intranasal fentanyl followed by inhaled nitrous oxide (iNO) at 50% with the intended goal to achieve a Ramsay Sedation Score 4 allowing a motionless procedure with adequate analgesia. Read More

J Dent Educ 2020 Dec 8;84(12):1399-1408. Epub 2020 Aug 8.

Special Projects, Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T. Still University, USA.

Purpose/objectives: Competence in nitrous oxide/oxygen (N O/O ) inhalation sedation is expected of dental graduates, but applying what is learned through didactic instruction to patient care can be challenging without firsthand experience. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of experiential learning on dental students' confidence and sense of preparedness for administration of N O/O .

Methods: A biphasic, mixed methods study was conducted at a Midwestern dental school and included 2 cohorts of dental students. Read More

Therapie 2020 Jul - Aug;75(4):343-354. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

CEIP-A Marseille, 13385 Marseille, France.

Addictovigilance is a safety monitoring targeted at substances with potential for abuse and dependence. This vigilance was involved during the period of COVID-19 epidemic due to the significant changes in access to drugs and psychological disruption caused by the pandemic and lockdown. This article aims to present the different steps implemented by the French Addictovigilance network in collaboration with the French Health authorities from March to May 2020, including monitoring of potential harmful events, and scientific communication. Read More

J Obstet Gynaecol 2020 Aug 5;40(6):767-771. Epub 2019 Sep 5.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Bizkaia, Spain.

To assess the opinion and the level of satisfaction of patients concerning analgesia during external cephalic version (ECV), we present the results of a survey of 120 women undergoing ECV at term during a randomised controlled trial (July 2012 to February 2013) comparing remifentanil and nitrous oxide. Overall, 110 (91.7%) women said they would repeat the procedure and 111 (92. Read More