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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> Tanzi believes that isoflurane should be avoided, when possible. "We don't have enough data yet to ban isoflurane," he said. "But I'm convinced enough that I won't let my mother have it. I would advise any family or friends to stay away from isoflurane," he said. "There is a lot of speculation here, and a lot of work needs to be done, but at this point I wouldn't take a chance."
Despite the findings, one expert doesn't agree that isoflurane is dangerous.
"Most of the studies that have been done have been done in isolated cell types," said Dr. Piyush Patel, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego. "Not only that, but the cells they are using are not normal cells."
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Patel believes, however, that the findings are provocative enough that there needs to be further research on the issue. "Studies need to be done in cells that are closer to normal cells, and then in animals," he said.
Moreover, it isn't clear that this same effect would be seen in humans, Patel said. "Isoflurane has had a long history of safety in all aged patients, all the way from premature babies to octogenarians. There is absolutely no evidence right now in human beings that that drug is harmful," he said. "To extrapolate these findings to humans would be irresponsible."
Several articles in the same journal issue cover other aspects of dementia and delirium.
In one article, Harvard geriatrician Dr. Edward Marcantonio looks at a number of promising biomarkers for delirium, including serum chemistries, genetic markers, serum anticholinergic activity, neurotransmitters, inflammatory markers and cortisol.
In another paper, Harvard physicist David Alsop describes advances in neuroimaging, including MRI, positron emission tomography (PET) and single photo-emission computed tomography. These highly sensitive imaging techniques find changes in the brain following episodes of delirium, and may help doctors decipher its onset and consequences.
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