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August 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 8
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FAER REPORT
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| Summary of
New Grant Programs |
The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Board
of Directors recently announced significant changes in its grant
programs. The table below summarizes the specifics of each grant.
Please refer to the Web site at <www.faer.org>
to download the application. Those who are interested can contact
the FAER office at (507) 266-6866 or e-mail Kerry Todd at todd.kerry@mayo.edu
with questions or comments. Please note the next deadline for
submission of applications is August 15, 2001.
Announcement of Recent Recipients
We are pleased to announce the most recent FAER grant recipients.
Their projects began July 1, and the FAER Board of Directors congratulates
them on excellent proposals and is excited to follow their progress.
The Foundation is grateful for the generous contributions of many
that allow for the funding of these awards. In particular, we
want to thank the following corporations and subspecialty societies
for their major gifts in support of 2001 investigators: Abbott
Laboratories, Arrow International, Aspect Medical Systems, AstraZeneca
Pharmaceuticals, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Datex-Ohmeda North
America, Dräger Medical, Pharmacia Corporation, Preferred
Physicians Medical, Smiths Industries Medical Systems; American
Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the Association
of University Anesthesiologists, the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia,
the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, the Society for
Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology–Obstetric Anesthesia
and Perinatology Endowment Fund and the Society for Pediatric
Anesthesia. The descriptions of the projects were provided by
the investigators.
New Investigator Award – Basic Science
Timothy Angelotti, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University,
Stanford, California: “Genetic Manipulation of Mice for
the Analysis of In Vivo Adrenergic Receptor Pharmacology and
Physiology.”
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During anesthesia, beta-adrenergic receptors (b-AR) are important
drug targets for treatment of patients with poor cardiac function
(with inotropes and chronotropes) as well as being important mediators
of cardiac protection (with beta-blockers). To overcome the lack
of subtype-specific drugs for in vivo experimentation, I will
manipulate the mouse genome to create a “gene exchange”
mouse where the normal expression pattern of various b-AR genes
has been altered at the cellular and subcellular levels. Detailed
analysis of the intracellular signaling cascades in heart cells
will then be correlated to in vivo measurements of cardiac performance
and response to various adrenergic drugs in these mice. Advances
in genomics and their application to the study of complex physiological
systems will enable us to gain insight into the etiology of cardiac
enhancement by drugs and cardiac failure from disease, which will
be of importance to anesthesiologists and critical care specialists.
| Hong Liu, M.D., University of California Davis Medical
Center, Sacramento, California: “Volatile Anesthetic
Preconditioning: Effects of pH, NA+ and CA++ in Newborn Hearts
During Ischemia and Reperfusion.” |
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Pediatric open-heart surgery is increasing, and the mortality
rate is still high. In order to improve the quality of care for
newborns during open-heart surgery, it is necessary to determine
the basics of cell damage and to design treatment based on this
knowledge.
This study tests lack of blood flow in newborn hearts (ischemia)
that occurs during surgery, causing an acid (H+) buildup within
the cells and causing a protein in the cell membrane to allow
H+ to leave the cell as sodium (Na+) enters. Too much Na+ causes
another protein to let Na+ out while calcium (Ca++) enters. This
results in too much Ca++ inside the cell, causing cell damage.
We use NMR to measure Na+ and Ca++ inside the cells of a beating
heart and to test volatile anesthetic treatment before ischemia
to determine the mechanism by which it protects the heart.
We hypothesize that sevoflurane will prevent Na+ and Ca++
accumulation inside the cell. This will provide a better understanding
of volatile anesthetics in preventing newborn heart injuries and
lead to the development of new interventions for reducing morbidity
and mortality in pediatric open-heart surgery.
[More award recipients will be featured in the next “FAER
Report.”]
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