Nitrous Oxide News and Research

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MIT researchers reveal key brainwave changes among patients receiving nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas," has been used in anesthesiology practice since the 1800s, but the way it works to create altered states is not well understood. In a study published this week in Clinical Neurophysiology, MIT researchers reveal some key brainwave changes among patients receiving the drug.

7 Jul 2015

Young children who receive surgical anesthesia have diminished brain function

Children who received general anesthesia for surgery before age 4 had diminished language comprehension, lower IQ and decreased gray matter density in posterior regions of their brain, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

8 Jun 2015

New article finds no compelling evidence for withdrawing nitrous oxide from operating theaters

A debate at this year's Euroanaesthesia meeting in Berlin will focus on whether laughing gas (nitrous oxide) should be banned from the operating room.

1 Jun 2015

Scientists figure out how to turn Bucky-balls into Buckybombs

In 1996, a trio of scientists won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their discovery of Buckminsterfullerene - soccer-ball-shaped spheres of 60 joined carbon atoms that exhibit special physical properties.

20 Mar 2015

New compound may lead to development of potential therapeutics for neuropathic pain

A new compound discovered by a team of UC Davis investigators has potent actions against production of a chemical that which is implicated in the development of chronic pain following a peripheral nerve injury in the spinal cord.

7 Feb 2015

Laughing gas could be used as treatment for severe depression

Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, has shown early promise as a potential treatment for severe depression in patients whose symptoms don't respond to standard therapies. The pilot study, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is believed to be the first research in which patients with depression were given laughing gas.

10 Dec 2014

U-M student researchers complete Detroit's first comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions

Energy use in buildings accounts for nearly two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions generated in Detroit, while exhaust from cars, trucks and buses is responsible for about 30 percent of the total, according to a new citywide inventory compiled by University of Michigan student researchers.

11 Nov 2014

Dentist educates patients about sedation dentistry

The American Dental Association estimates that as much as 10 percent of the American population have dental phobia. Dental phobia is a severe anxiety or dread of making a trip to the dentist.

7 Aug 2014

Study documents occupational exposure to waste anesthetic gases in PACU

Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE: TFX): A study published in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing (JOPAN) documents occupational exposure to waste anesthetic gases (WAG) in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) may be higher than standards recommend.

29 Apr 2014

Food quality may drop due to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, shows field study

For the first time, a field test has demonstrated that elevated levels of carbon dioxide inhibit plants' assimilation of nitrate into proteins, indicating that the nutritional quality of food crops is at risk as climate change intensifies.

7 Apr 2014

New approach could lead to devising alternative tools for cancer therapy

Inducing biological tissue damage with an atmospheric pressure plasma source could open the door to many applications in medicine

26 Mar 2014

Laughing gas is associated with increased risk for perioperative cardiac events

A clinical trial published in the July issue of Anesthesiology may shed some light on whether nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") causes an increased risk for cardiac events, including heart attacks after surgery, particularly among high-risk patients.

20 Jun 2013

Nitrous oxide does not increase heart attack risk, study finds

Nitrous oxide - best known as laughing gas - is one of the world's oldest and most widely used anesthetics. Despite its popularity, however, experts have questioned its impact on the risk of a heart attack during surgery or soon afterward. But those fears are unfounded, a new study indicates.

19 Jun 2013

Two studies examine safety of nitrous oxide for surgical anesthesia

Giving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and death—and might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of studies in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

23 Apr 2013

New data on safety of nitrous oxide as surgical anesthetic

Giving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and death-and might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of studies in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

22 Apr 2013

Microwave ablation therapy reduces pain in patients with painful bone, soft-tissue tumors

First-of-its-kind research presented today showed microwave ablation therapy cut pain in half for patients with painful bone and soft-tissue tumors and took less time to complete than radiofrequency ablation.

15 Apr 2013

St. Mary Medical Center completes expansion of Emergency Department and Trauma Center

St. Mary Medical Center has completed Phase 2 of its Emergency Department and Trauma Center expansion. To celebrate this event, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday, April 9, at 9 a.m., in the newly renovated Emergency Department.

10 Apr 2013

Perennial biofuel crops reduce nitrogen losses into the environment

Perennial biofuel crops such as miscanthus, whose high yields have led them to be considered an eventual alternative to corn in producing ethanol, are now shown to have another beneficial characteristic-the ability to reduce the escape of nitrogen in the environment.

19 Jan 2013

Photo-catalytically active coatings can help reduce nitrogen oxides

Surfaces with photo-catalytic characteristics clean the air off nitrogen oxides and other health-endangering substances. Using a new test procedure, Fraunhofer researchers can find out how the coatings behave during a long-term test. They will introduce the test at the booth of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance in Booth 131 / 135 in Hall C2 at the Trade Fair BAU that will take place from 14 - 19 January, 2013, in Munich, Germany.

21 Dec 2012

Administration of N2O + ISO appears to have negative effect on fetal development

An anesthetic regimen typically used during surgery on pregnant mothers appears to have a negative effect on the development of the fetus, according to a new study on mice conducted by neurobiologists from the National Center for Toxicological Research, in Arizona.

14 Dec 2012