Association between rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during sleep and masticatory myofascial pain: a polysomnographic study.

Aims: To test for an association between rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during sleep, as assessed according to polysomnographic criteria for sleep bruxism (RMMA-SB), and myofascial pain (MFP), as well as the chance of occurrence of MFP in patients with RMMA-SB.

Methods: Thirty MFP patients (diagnosed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders) and 30 age- and gender-matched asymptomatic controls underwent a polysomnographic examination. Also, any self-reporting of daytime clenching (DC) was registered in 58 of these subjects.

Biglycan overexpression on tooth enamel formation in transgenic mice.

Previously, it was shown that the volume of forming enamel of molar teeth in biglycan-null mice was greater than that in genetically matched wild-type mice. This phenotypic change appeared to result from an increase in amelogenin expression, implying that biglycan directly influences amelogenin synthesis. To determine whether biglycan overexpression resulted in decreased amelogenin expression, we engineered transgenic mice to overexpress biglycan in the enamel organ epithelium.

Changes in regional brain perfusion during functional brain activation: comparison of [(64)Cu]-PTSM with [(14)C]-Iodoantipyrine.

A dilemma in behavioral brain mapping is that conventional techniques immobilize the subject, extinguishing all but the simplest behaviors. This is avoided if brain activation is imaged after completion of the behavior and tissue capture of the tracer. A single-pass flow tracer proposed for positron emission tomography (PET) is a radiolabeled copper(II) complex of pyruvaldehyde bis(N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone), [Cu(64)]-PTSM.

Novel therapeutic targets for autism.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders, diagnosed in early childhood when acquired skills are lost or the acquisition of new skills becomes delayed. ASDs are associated with varying degrees of dysfunctional communication and social skills, in addition to repetitive and stereotypic behaviors. The diagnosis has increased considerably to approximately one in 180 people, but it is not clear whether this is because of a higher prevalence of the disorder, improved awareness by clinicians or a combination of both.

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 matrix metalloproteinase-9 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in oral leukoplakia: immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analysis.

Oral leukoplakia is the most common and potentially malignant disorder of the oral mucosa. The definition of leukoplakia given by the World Health Organization is ?a white plaque that cannot be characterized either from a clinical or from a histopathological point of view?, thus the diagnosis of leukoplakia is based on the exclusion of other lesions of the oral mucosa. We believe it is necessary to identify molecular and immunohistochemical parameters that can contribute to discriminating between the different leukoplakia clinical subtypes coded by the epidemiology.

Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in fish and shellfish from the Adriatic Sea.

Levels of 18 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in some marine species, living both in the coastal area and in deeper seawater. In some species analysis was performed separately in edible parts (fillets) and in viscera. The existence and degree of bioaccumulation was assessed studying individual species of very different size, with the smaller being younger.

Histological and molecular temporomandibular joint analyses after mandibular advancement surgery: study in minipigs.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to elucidate the changes occurring in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) after surgical mandibular advancement with different fixation techniques: bicortical screws (rigid fixation) and miniplates (semi-rigid fixation).

Study Design: Eighteen minipigs were equally and randomly divided into 3 groups: Group I (control), nonoperated animals; Group II, animals submitted to surgical advancement surgery and osteosynthesis by bicortical screws; and Group III, animals submitted to surgical advancement surgery and osteosynthesis by miniplates. Four months after the surgeries, the presence of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 in synovial fluid samples was assessed in ELISA experiments.

A new diagnostic approach to better identify antiphospholipid syndrome.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disorder in which the body produces antibodies to its own phospholipids or plasma proteins. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is associated with many pathologies with several clinical manifestations. It can occur as a primary disorder or may be secondary to connective tissue disorder or tumor.

Periodontitis and cytokine patterns in HIV positive patients.

Objective: Oral and dental problems are common among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals, particularly the periodontitis is common in HIV-infected subjects.

Aim: To evaluate the cytokine patterns in HIV+ patients with periodontitis.

Material And Methods: In this study we analysed: HIV+ patients with and without periodontitis and HIV negative patients with and without periodontitis.

Neuroprotective effects of the novel glutamate transporter inhibitor (-)-3-hydroxy-4,5,6,6a-tetrahydro-3aH-pyrrolo[3,4-d]-isoxazole-4-carboxylic acid, which preferentially inhibits reverse transport (glutamate release) compared with glutamate reuptake.

(+/-)-3-Hydroxy-4,5,6,6a-tetrahydro-3aH-pyrrolo [3,4 -d]-isoxazole-4-carboxylic acid (HIP-A) and (+/-)-3-hydroxy-4,5,6, 6a-tetrahydro-3aH-pyrrolo[3,4-d]isoxazole-6-carboxylic acid (HIP-B) are selective inhibitors of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), as potent as DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartic acid (TBOA). We report here that the active isomers are (-)-HIP-A and (+)-HIP-B, being approximately 150- and 10-fold more potent than the corresponding enantiomers as inhibitors of [3H]aspartate uptake in rat brain synaptosomes and hEAAT1-3-expressing cells. Comparable IC(50) values were found on the three hEAAT subtypes.

Synthesis of novel pyrrolo[3,4-d]pyrazole-dicarboxylic acids and evaluation of their interaction with glutamate receptors.

Chiral pyrazoline amino acids (3aR,4S,6aR)-1a and (3aR,4S,6aR)-1b, and (3aS,6S,6aS)-2a and (3aS,6S,6aS)-2b, which are conformationally constrained analogues of glutamic and homoglutamic acid, respectively, were prepared via a strategy based on the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a nitrile imine to methyl N-Boc-3,4-didehydro-(S)-prolinate. The new 'amino acids' were tested for activity at ionotropic glutamate receptors. Solely the derivative (3aR,4S,6aR)-1a, which is structurally related to the previously described 4,5-dihydroisoxazole analogue (S)-CIP-A, turned out to be a potent and selective agonist for the AMPA receptors.

Microarray expression profiling of human dental pulp from single subject.

Introduction: Microarray is a recently developed simultaneous analysis of expression patterns of thousand of genes. The aim of this research was to evaluate the expression profile of human healthy dental pulp in order to find the presence of genes activated and encoding for proteins involved in the physiological process of human dental pulp. We report data obtained by analyzing expression profiles of human tooth pulp from single subjects, using an approach based on the amplification of the total RNA.

Synthesis and pharmacological characterization at glutamate receptors of the four enantiopure isomers of tricholomic acid.

The two enantiomeric pairs of erythro- and threo-amino-(3'-hydroxy-4',5'-dihydro-isoxazol-5'-yl)-acetic acids were synthesized via the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of bromonitrile oxide to ( R)- or ( S)-3-( tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2,2-dimethyl-4-vinyloxazolidine. The pharmacological profiles of the studied amino acids reflect the relationship between the activity/selectivity and the stereochemistry of the two stereogenic centers: while the (2 S,5' S) stereoisomer is an agonist at the AMPA and KA receptors, its (2 R,5' R) enantiomer interacts selectively with the NMDA receptors; the (2 S,5' R) stereoisomer is the only one capable to activate the mGluRs.

How do rat cortical cells cultured with aluminum die: necrosis or apoptosis?

Aluminum (Al) exposure has been implicated as the cause of neural cells loss in several neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, defining the mechanism of neural cell death in Al toxicity and degenerative diseases might lead to the development of therapeutic agents which promote neural cell survival. Furthermore, knowledge of cell death pathways might facilitate the discovery of treatments for neurodegeneration.

Epileptic EEG discharges and short non-convulsive crisis: Influence on cognitive and psychobehavioural functions in youths.

Purpose: Learning and behavioural difficulties often occur in benign childhood epilepsy. In recent years, several electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristics have been related to the occurrence of learning and behavioral problems. We determined if the cognitive characteristics of epileptic children depend exclusively on illness factors, or if epileptic electroencephalogram discharges during the crisis contribute to these changes.

[F-18]-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET and PET-CT in diagnostic imaging evaluation of locally recurrent and metastatic bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Background: Little data is available on the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) with [F-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with bladder cancer. We retrospectively assessed the diagnostic utility of dedicated PET and hybrid PET-CT scans with [F-18]-FDG in the imaging evaluation of recurrent and metastatic bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Methods: The study group included 35 patients who were previously treated for the primary disease.

Environmental and occupational stress and autoimmunity.

The immune system and the neuroendocrine system machinery modulate each other, including life events-induced stresses and interpersonal conflicts, promoting the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines, overproduction of which influence behaviour. In addition, the balance of systemic and local pro-inflammatory cytokines to systemic and local anti-inflammatory cytokines, is impaired to such an extent that, in genetically-predisposed individuals, this aberrancy may lead to autoimmune diseases. Occupational stress likely influences their onset.

Association between sleep bruxism and temporomandibular disorders: a polysomnographic pilot study.

The aim of this study was to verify the association between sleep bruxism (SB) and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a sample of 14 TMD patients and 12 healthy control subjects. All participants were evaluated using a clinical questionnaire, visual analog scale (VAS) for TMJ/muscle palpation, and by functional examination. The experimental group was divided into three TMD subgroups: joint sounds and pain, muscular tenderness, and mixed diagnosis.

Intramedullary melanotic schwannoma of the conus medullaris: a case report.

Study Design: A case of a very rare type of schwannoma is reported. It is the sixth reported case of intramedullary melanotic schwannoma and the only one localized in the conus.

Methods: A 56-year-old woman was treated in this department for a C5-C6 spondylodiscitis.

Palpation of the lateral pterygoid area in the myofascial pain diagnosis.

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value of intraoral palpation at the lateral pterygoid (LP) area as part of the physical examination to detect myofascial pain, according to modified research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders.

Study Design: Forty-four women composed the myofascial pain group, and 33 symptom-free age-matched were the control group. One examiner calibrated and blinded to group distribution performed 2 intraoral bilateral palpations of the lateral pterygoid.

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: PET/CT evaluation after 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan radioimmunotherapy--initial experience.

Purpose: To retrospectively compare fusion fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomographic (PET)/computed tomographic (CT) imaging with CT imaging alone in the evaluation of yttrium 90 ((90)Y)-ibritumomab tiuxetan radioimmunotherapy treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Materials And Methods: This HIPAA-compliant study was performed with approval from the University of Southern California Institutional Review Board and with informed consent. Five men and five women (mean age, 52 years; range, 38-70 years) with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma underwent FDG PET/CT imaging both 14-27 days before treatment with (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan and 4-6 months after treatment.

Neuroendocrine immunophenotype as predictor of clinical recurrence in 110 patients with prostate cancer.

We evaluated the relationship between NE expression and well-known prognostic factors and assessed whether tumor relapse after radical surgery correlates with the extent of NE differentiation. Radical prostatectomy specimens from 110 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were assessed. Patients were followed up every three months for the first two years after surgery and six monthly for 5 additional years until failure, or for a mean of 48 months from the time of surgery for those who did not experience failure.

Eosinophil recruiting chemokines are down-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of allergic patients treated with deflazacort or desloratadine.

Chemokines are cytokines with chemotactic properties on leukocyte subsets whose modulation plays a key role in allergic inflammatory processes. To better understand the possible anti-inflammatory effects of histamine-1 receptor antagonists in allergic asthma, we studied the mRNA expression of a set of chemokines known to be involved in the eosinophils-basophils activation as well as recruitment and T-cell signaling events, before and after corticosteroid or antihistamine treatment in PBMCs from allergic-asthmatic patients ex vivo. Twelve patients were enrolled, all of whom were allergic to Parietaria judaica and suffering for mild persistent asthma: six were treated with desloratadine (10 mg/day), and six with deflazacort (12 mg/day).