Publications by authors named "Brin M"

Background: OnabotA is used to treat masseter muscle prominence (MMP).

Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of OnabotA for MMP in a randomized study.

Methods: This 12-month, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study randomized adults (18-50 years of age) with marked/very marked bilateral MMP (≥4 on the Masseter Muscle Prominence Scale [MMPS]) to OnabotA (24, 48, 72, or 96 U) or placebo; retreatment occurred at day 180 if MMPS ≥4.

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Article Synopsis
  • OnabotulinumtoxinA (onabotA) is believed to help reduce migraine symptoms by blocking certain nerve pathways during their activation process in the brain and spinal cord.
  • A study was conducted on anesthetized rats to observe how onabotA injections affected the activation of specific nerve cells in response to a triggering event called cortical spreading depression (CSD).
  • Results showed that onabotA significantly reduced activation in wide-dynamic range neurons, preventing enhanced responses to mechanical stimuli, indicating its effectiveness in moderating migraine-related nerve sensitivity.
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Background: OnabotulinumtoxinA is an injectable product that was introduced into medicine in the 1970s and has been the subject of thousands of clinical and nonclinical publications.

Objective: To review the data related to the versatility of onabotulinumtoxinA in medical aesthetics.

Methods: PubMed was searched to identify literature evaluating the effects of onabotulinumtoxinA, with preference given to randomized, placebo-controlled trials and safety meta-analyses.

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Objective: To identify and disseminate research priorities for the headache field that should be areas of research focus during the next 10 years.

Background: Establishing research priorities helps focus and synergize the work of headache investigators, allowing them to reach the most important research goals more efficiently and completely.

Methods: The Headache Research Priorities organizing and executive committees and working group chairs led a multistakeholder and international group of experts to develop headache research priorities.

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Background: Chronic stress causes harmful physiological responses that yield increased inflammation and subsequent health conditions. Stress is an important measure among minoritized populations who face social situations that predispose risk to developing mental health problems. Hair and fingernail cortisol have been studied as retrospective measures of chronic stress and to demonstrate biological response to social situations.

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The growing use of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) for medical and aesthetic purposes has led to the development and marketing of an increasing number of BoNT products. Given that BoNTs are biological medications, their characteristics are heavily influenced by their manufacturing methods, leading to unique products with distinct clinical characteristics. The manufacturing and formulation processes for each BoNT are proprietary, including the potency determination of reference standards and other features of the assays used to measure unit potency.

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Background: Transgender men and transmasculine youth are at high risk for acquiring HIV. Growing research on transgender men demonstrates increased HIV risk and burden compared with the general US population. Despite biomedical advancements in HIV prevention, there remains a dearth of evidence-based, sexual health HIV prevention interventions for young transgender men.

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Recently, we showed that while atogepant-a small-molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist-does not fully prevent activation of meningeal nociceptors, it significantly reduces a cortical spreading depression (CSD)-induced early response probability in C fibres and late response probability in Aδ fibres. The current study investigates atogepant effect on CSD-induced activation and sensitization of high threshold (HT) and wide dynamic range (WDR) central dura-sensitive trigeminovascular neurons. In anaesthetized male rats, single-unit recordings were used to assess effects of atogepant (5 mg/kg) versus vehicle on CSD-induced activation and sensitization of HT and WDR trigeminovascular neurons.

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Cisgender men are diagnosed with HIV at a rate four times greater than cisgender women, with 71% of infections attributed to male-male sexual contact. Despite expanding accessibility, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is initiated by only 30% of people with PrEP indications. Five focus groups with 42 young men who have sex with men from New York and Alabama were conducted to identify key factors to PrEP initiation and persistence.

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Background: While there is no cure for HIV, adherence to antiretroviral therapy can extend the lifespan and improve the quality of life of people with HIV. Despite the global reduction of HIV infection rates in recent years, New York City and La Romana, Dominican Republic, continue to report high infection rates among Latino populations. Many people with HIV remain virally unsuppressed in these geographic hotspots, suggesting a need for additional interventions to overcome medication adherence barriers.

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Background: Since its discovery as a facial aesthetic treatment >30 years ago, onabotulinumtoxinA has received worldwide approval for dynamic upper facial line treatment.

Objective: Meta-analysis examining the safety of onabotulinumtoxinA for treatment of glabellar lines (GL), crow's feet lines (CFL), and forehead lines (FHL).

Methods: Participants ( = 5298) with moderate to severe GL, CFL, or FHL at maximum contraction received onabotulinumtoxinA or placebo in 1 of 18 registration studies (14 double-blind, placebo-controlled [DBPC]; 1 double-blind; 3 open-label).

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Background: An estimated 40% of people living with HIV smoke cigarettes. Although smoking rates in the United States have been declining in recent years, people living with HIV continue to smoke cigarettes at twice the rate of the general population. Mobile health (mHealth) technology is an effective tool for people living with a chronic illness, such as HIV, as currently 84% of households in the United States report that they have a smartphone.

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Importance: Due to insufficient smoking cessation apps for persons living with HIV, our study focused on designing and testing the Sense2Quit app, a patient-facing mHealth tool which integrated visualizations of patient information, specifically smoking use.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to detail rigorous human-centered design methods to develop and refine visualizations of smoking data and the contents and user interface of the Sense2Quit app. The Sense2Quit app was created to support tobacco cessation and relapse prevention for people living with HIV.

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Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are multi-domain proteins whose potent and selective actions on nerve endings have led to innovations in both basic and clinical science. The various BoNT domains are responsible for binding to gangliosides and proteins associated with nerve cell membranes, internalization into the cell, and cleavage of one or more SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins necessary for vesicle docking and fusion. Novel modifications to BoNT molecules, such as the creation of chimeras, helped identify the protein domains responsible for various aspects of BoNT action, such as localized effects.

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Spasticity is a velocity-dependent increase in muscle tone that has a negative effect on quality of life and hinders the ability of others to provide care. In children, most cases are caused by cerebral palsy. Traditionally, many children are treated with surgery, sometimes performed before their limbs had grown sufficiently to permit long-term success.

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Chronic migraine (CM) is a neurological disease characterized by frequent migraine attacks that prevent affected individuals from performing daily activities of living, significantly diminish quality of life, and increase familial burden. Before onabotulinumtoxinA was approved for CM, there were few treatment options for these seriously disabled patients and none had regulatory approval. The terminology and recognition of CM evolved in parallel with the onabotulinumtoxinA clinical development program.

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Extrinsic and age-related intrinsic factors contribute to the development of facial lines, including lateral canthal lines (called crow's feet lines [CFL]) and horizontal forehead lines (FHL). OnabotulinumtoxinA is a highly effective treatment for facial lines that inhibits acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction. This temporary chemical denervation leads to localized muscle relaxation and subsequent wrinkle reduction.

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OnabotulinumtoxinA is an injectable medication that produces muscle relaxation through local chemical denervation at the neuromuscular junction. Discovery of onabotulinumtoxinA's aesthetic benefits occurred serendipitously in the 1980s at the intersection of several medical disciplines, including ophthalmology, neurology, otolaryngology, and dermatology. Patients receiving onabotulinumtoxinA for blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, and dystonia noticed their periorbital wrinkles disappearing, particularly frown lines between the eyebrows called glabellar lines (GL).

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Cervical dystonia (CD), the most common focal dystonia encountered in neurologic practice, is a chronic disorder in which the muscles of the neck involuntarily contract and cause abnormal postures and movements of the head, neck, and shoulders. Treatment of CD prior to botulinum toxin was unsatisfactory, as existing therapies often did not improve symptoms. The use of botulinum toxin for CD grew out of its success in treating blepharospasm, another type of focal dystonia.

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Strabismus, deviation of the ocular alignment, can adversely affect quality of life and activities of daily living. Surgery was the prior standard of care for strabismus, but up to 40% of patients required additional surgeries. This need for more effective and less invasive treatment, along with the convergence of other events such as the development of electromyography, purification of botulinum toxin A, and the finding that injection of botulinum toxin type A could paralyze the hind limbs of chicks, led Dr.

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Clinical use of onabotulinumtoxinA evolved based on strategic, hypothesis-driven applications, as well as serendipitous observations by physicians and patients. The success of onabotulinumtoxinA in blepharospasm and strabismus led to its study in other head and neck dystonias, followed by limb dystonia, tremor, and spasticity. The aesthetic use of onabotulinumtoxinA followed initial reports from patients of improved facial lines after injections for facial dystonias and hemifacial spasm.

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Studies in the 1920s found that botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) inhibited the activity of motor and parasympathetic nerve endings, confirmed several decades later to be due to decreased acetylcholine release. The 1970s were marked by studies of cellular mechanisms aided by use of neutralizing antibodies as pharmacologic tools: BoNT/A disappeared from accessibility to neutralizing antibodies within minutes, although it took several hours for onset of muscle weakness. The multi-step mechanism was experimentally confirmed and is now recognized to consist broadly of binding to nerve terminals, internalization, and lysis or cleavage of a protein (SNAP-25: synaptosomal associated protein-25 kDa) that is part of the SNARE (Soluble NSF Attachment protein REceptor) complex needed for synaptic vesicle docking and fusion.

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The development of Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) began in the 1970s as Dr. Scott was attempting to identify an injectable substance that would weaken the extraocular eye muscles in patients with strabismus as an alternative to muscle surgery. This search led to botulinum toxin type A, which was tested and developed over the next 15 years.

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