Can we assess quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer? A preliminary report from the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics.

Survival statistics alone may no longer be valid when used as evidence of effective outcomes. Patient satisfaction is an end point that needs further evaluation and should be included in the outcomes assessment. A 133-item questionnaire has been designed by a special committee of the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics (AAMP) to assess the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer impacting the orofacial region.

The patient with Alzheimer's disease.

Victims of Alzheimer's disease show a gradual and steady deterioration in memory, orientation, emotional stability, language capacity, abstract thinking, motor skills, and, ultimately, self care. Cognitive and motor deficits are accompanied by a gradual inability to perform adequate oral hygiene. Alzheimer's disease also interferes with the patient's ability to communicate dental symptoms of pain or dysfunction, and progressive deterioration of cognition interferes with the patient's ability to tolerate most therapeutic interventions.

A simple method of adding palatal rugae to a complete denture.

Restoring patients' speech is an important goal in complete denture fabrication. For those patients who have difficulty with their speech patterns accommodating to the introduction of a prosthesis, texture in the palatal region may prove helpful. This article describes methods of incorporating palatal rugae in a newly fabricated and existing complete denture.

Today's minimal requirements for a practical dental office infection control and exposure control program.

The current climate in society regarding infectious diseases in general, and herpes, hepatitis, and HIV infections in particular, dictates that today's dental practices must use effective infection control techniques. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration continues to inspect, cite, and fine health care facilities. More states are implementing regulations concerning the operation of health care facilities.

Relationship between plasma desipramine levels, CYP2D6 phenotype and clinical response to desipramine: a prospective study.

Objective: The clinical relevance of the CYP2D6 oxidation polymorphism in the treatment of depression with desipramine (DMI) was studied prospectively in depressed outpatients.

Methods: After CYP2D6 phenotype determination with dextromethorphan, 31 patients were treated with oral DMI at a dosage of 100 mg per day for 3 weeks. At the end of the 3rd week of treatment, severity of depressive symptoms was assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and steady-state plasma concentrations of DMI and its metabolite 2-hydroxydesipramine (2-OH-DMI) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Evaluation of the peri-implant epithelial tissue of percutaneous implant abutments supporting maxillofacial prostheses.

The use of commercially pure titanium endosseous implants has become state-of-the-art treatment for patients with craniofacial defects. This study defined criteria that can be used in assessing the peri-implant abutment epithelium. The criteria were then used to examine overall tissue reaction.

Adjunctive fluoxetine in the treatment of negative symptoms in chronic schizophrenic patients.

The effect of adjunctive fluoxetine on negative schizophrenic symptoms was evaluated in 34 chronic schizophrenic in-patients on maintenance therapy with neuroleptics. They received randomly, on a double-blind basis, fluoxetine (20 mg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. In the fluoxetine group, three patients dropped out because of side effects.

[Surgical treatment of hemorrhoids using Milligan-Morgan technique. Survey of 366 cases].

After a careful review of the Author's own case list and of the literature on this subject, Milligan-Morgans' technique is assessed and compared with different surgical techniques as far as early and late complications are concerned. The Authors conclude that the Milligan-Morgan technique is to be preferred because of its simplicity, safety and flexibility, particularly if associated with sphincterectomy, with or without rhagade, in order to prevent the cicatricial scars.

[Staging of gastric carcinoma and consequential therapeutic protocols].

The Authors examine the most recent diagnostic methods of studying gastric carcinoma illustrating their limits and peculiarities. It is underlined that only an integrated use of these diagnostic methods may allow a right staging of the disease, which is very important for a correct therapeutic approach. After a review of the literature the Authors discuss on the extent gastric resection and lymphadenectomy must have to be considered radical and, at the same time, curative.

[Use of BICAP by endoscopic route in the palliative treatment of neoplastic stenosis of the esophagus].

Over the years the palliative treatment of neoplastic stenosis of the esophagus in patients who cannot be operated has seen a variation of endoscopic methods which aimed to reopen the alimentary canal either using simple dilatation, or the insertion of endoprostheses, or sclerosing injection or antiblastic therapy, or lastly using disobstructive laser therapy. In particular, the use of Neodymium YAG laser in endoscopic therapy for the deobstruction of neoplastic esophageal stenosis is currently widely used. More recently deobstruction of the stenosis may also be achieved using bipolar diathermocoagulation with BICAP following esophageal dilatation.

Sodium valproate and valpromide: differential interactions with carbamazepine in epileptic patients.

To evaluate the comparative effects of valproic acid (VPA) and valpromide (VPM) on plasma levels and protein binding of carbamazepine (CBZ) and CBZ-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-E), 12 adult epileptic patients stabilized on CBZ monotherapy were divided into two groups. One group (n = 6) received sodium valproate (1,100 mg/day) for 2 weeks, while the other group (n = 6) was given, for the same period, a dosage of VPM (1,200 mg/day) expected to produce VPA levels equivalent to those achieved with valproate. Plasma CBZ levels were not affected by either treatment.