Despite the wealth of data from animal studies, there is a relative lack of data concerning human beings, even if some positive results are beginning to emerge. Therefore, blueberry polyphenols could become useful pharmacological agents for various conditions including neurological diseases, but further studies are still necessary to attain this objective.

The 3 cases demonstrated the rapidity of the reversal of severe thiamine deficiency, achieved by appropriate replacement in different hospitalized patients. The regression of clinical and biochemical disorders requires a prompt diagnosis and treatment based on the IV administration of thiamine and magnesium sulfate. In hospitalized patients at risk, thiamine deficiency is prevented by the integration of thiamine supplementation into PN and other forms of nutrition support.

The international anaesthesia community is getting older, in line with trends worldwide, and as men and women age there is the risk that psychophysiological decline could have an impact on clinical practice. Impairment of technical and nontechnical skills could have a negative impact on patients' safety and outcomes. The ageing process may not necessarily go hand-in-hand with a predictable pattern of decreased competence as not all aspects of functional decline are affected at the same rate and to the same extent. The development of simulation has provided a means of detecting and perhaps reversing the decline in ability associated with age. The introduction of recertification based on an assessment of competence at simulation sessions could play a crucial role in maintaining a high standard of patient care and an appropriate level of patient safety.

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Robots can improve the performance and safety in regional anesthesia. In this review, we present the developments made in robotic and automated regional anesthesia, and discuss the current state of research in this field.

The noble gas xenon has been known for >50 years in the field of anesthesia with an emerging series of favorable features; several clinical and preclinical studies performed over the last years reveal a renewed interest because they substantially agree on attributing relevant analgesic properties to xenon. The main mechanism of action is the inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors of glutamate; it involves the blocking of painful stimuli transmissions from peripheral tissues to the brain and it also avoids the development of pain hypersensitivity. Therefore, this mechanism is responsible for the inhibition of pain transmission at spinal and supraspinal levels, as well as the cortical level. In all these levels of pain pathways, as the development of hyperalgesia is possible, xenon efficacy can also be based on the blocking of these processes. Several forms of pain share such mechanisms in their maintenance, and xenon can be successfully used at low dosages, which have no effects on vital parameters. The literature shows that analgesic features could also emerge outside the field of anesthesia; thus, this could permit xenon to have a larger usage according to local availability.

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