Development and validation of a practical solution for detecting motion artefacts in the EOS X-ray system.

The EOS™2D/3D system is a low-dose, 3D imaging system that utilizes two perpendicular X-ray beams to create simultaneous frontal and lateral images of the body. This is a useful modality to assess spinal pathologies. However, due to the slow imaging acquisition time up to 25 s, motion artifacts (MA) frequently occur.

Glutathione in the Pons Is Associated With Clinical Status Improvements in Subacute Spinal Cord Injury.

Objectives: In spinal cord injury (SCI), the primary mechanical injury is followed by secondary sequelae that develop over the subsequent months and manifests in biochemical, functional, and microstructural alterations, at the site of direct injury but also in the spinal cord tissue above and below the actual lesion site. Noninvasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can be used to assess biochemical modulation occurring in the secondary injury phase, in addition to and supporting conventional MRI, and might help predict and improve patient outcome. In this article, we aimed to examine the metabolic levels in the pons of subacute SCI by means of in vivo proton MRS at 3 T and explore the association to clinical scores.

[Facial angioedema following pharmacotherapy with an ACE inhibitor].

A 56-year-old women suddenly had a swelling on her right cheek and on the right side of her upper lip, for which she decided to first visit her family physician and subsequently her family dentist. During the past two years, she was treated for an ovarian carcinoma by an oncologist. Recently, she was using the antihypertensive ACE inhibitor enalapril, prescribed by her family physician.

[Medicaments and oral healthcare. Medicaments potentially inducing angioedema and/or urticaria].

Angioedema stems from increased vasodilation and vascular permeability, resulting in extravasation of fluid. Hereditary and acquired types of angioedema can be distinguished, with 3 and 4 subtypes, respectively. Groups of medicaments potentially inducing angioedema are, among others: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, thrombocyte aggregation inhibitors and immunosuppressive agents.

Medications and addictive substances potentially inducing or attenuating sleep bruxism and/or awake bruxism.

Bruxism is a repetitive jaw-muscle activity characterised by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible. It can occur during sleep, indicated as sleep bruxism, or during wakefulness, indicated as awake bruxism. Exogenous risk indicators of sleep bruxism and/or awake bruxism are, among others, medications and addictive substances, whereas also several medications seem to have the potential to attenuate sleep bruxism and/or awake bruxism.

[Medicaments and oral healthcare. Hyperpigmentation of oral soft tissues due to afamelanotide].

The medicament afamelanotide is an analogue of endogenous ?-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It promotes cutaneous pigmentation, providing protection from sunlight. In dermatology, afamelanotide seems to establish therapeutic results for polymorphic light eruption, solar urticaria, erythropoietic protoporphyria, Hailey-Hailey disease, vitiligo and acne vulgaris.

[Series: Medicaments and oral healthcare. Medicaments and addictive substances, potentially inducing or ameliorating bruxism].

Bruxism is described as a repetitive jaw-muscle activity characterised by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible. This article provides an inventory of medications registered in the Netherlands and of addictive substances reported to potentially induce or aggravate bruxism as an adverse effect, and of medications registered in the Netherlands reported to potentially ameliorate existing bruxism. Groups of medications known as having the potential adverse effect of bruxism are amphetamines, anticonvulsants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

A tailor-made approach for causality assessment for ADR reports on drugs and vaccines.

Purpose: To estimate causation of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports, causality methods were developed from a theoretical perspective. In daily practice, not all information is relevant or available, decreasing the applicability. We developed a new causality documentation tool (CausDoc) where an algorithm is combined with expert judgement.

Extended periprostatic nerve distributions on the prostate surface confirmed using diffusion tensor imaging.

Objective: To perform a descriptive microscopic study of prostatectomy specimens from 19 patients which anatomically characterizes the distributions of periprostatic nerve qualities, and to visualize these using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Materials And Methods: Serial whole-mounted sections were stained for cholinergic (neuronal nitric oxide synthase), adrenergic (tyrosine hydroxylase) and sensory (calcitonin gene-related peptide) nerves. Extracapsular stained nerves were counted by prostate surface sector, and classified by diameter.

[Medicaments and oral healthcare. Proliferation of the gingiva].

Adverse effects of medications and self care products on the gingiva can be divided into inflammation, intrinsic discolouration, irritation, trauma, cytotoxicity, lichenoid reaction, and proliferation. This article deals with the last-mentioned type of adverse effects; the other 6 have been discussed in a previous article. Proliferation of the gingiva as an adverse effect of medications has been reported for anticonvulsants, calcineurin inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and isotretinoin.

[Medicaments and oral healthcare. Adverse effects of medicines and self care products on the gingiva].

Medications and self care products may have adverse effects on the gingiva. These adverse effects can be divided into inflammation, intrinsic discolouration, irritation, trauma, cytotoxicity, lichenoid reaction, and proliferation. This article deals with the first 6 types of adverse effects mentioned: a subsequent article will deal with the last type mentioned.

[Medicaments and oral healthcare 5. Adverse effects of -medications and over-the-counter drugs on teeth].

Intrinsic tooth discoloration may occur as an adverse effect of fluoride and tetracyclines. Extrinsic tooth discoloration may occur as superficial staining or as discoloration of the superficial pellicle and/or biofilm due to chlorhexidine, liquid iron salts, essential oils, some antibiotics and stannous fluoride. Inhibition of orthodontic tooth movement has been reported due to the use of prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors.

[Merkel cell carcinoma during treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors: coincidence or warning?].

Background: Increasing numbers of patients are being treated with TNF-alpha inhibitors. Two patients in our outpatient clinic developed Merkel cell carcinoma during treatment with TNF alpha inhibitors. Since this is a very rare malignancy, this is a remarkable observation.

Causality methods in cosmetovigilance: comparison of Colipa and PLM versus global introspection.

The European Cosmetics Regulation requires a post-marketing system for detection of undesirable effects on human health of cosmetic products. Colipa, the European Cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery association, provided guidelines for causality assessment of these effects. In addition another causality method originally designed for causality rating in Post Launch Monitoring (PLM) of novel foods has been employed to assess causality of cosmetic products.

PBT assessment using the revised annex XIII of REACH: a comparison with other regulatory frameworks.

There is no uniform Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic (PBT) or very Persistent, very Bioaccumulative (vPvB) assessment of chemicals in Europe, as the various regulatory frameworks use only limited or dissimilar PBT assessments, or none at all. The European REACH Regulation requires a PBT/vPvB assessment for all chemical substances that are produced within or imported into the EU in amounts exceeding 10 tonnes per year, using the criteria as described in REACH Annex XIII. However, not all substances on the EU market need to be screened according to these criteria under REACH.

[Recurrent attacks of angioedema ascribed to the use of estrogen preparations and a pregnancy (hereditary angioedema type 3)].

A woman experienced recurrent attacks of angioedema from the age of 17 to 21 years and these appeared to be associated with the use of oestrogens. After stopping the medication her complaints disappeared, but they returned during her first pregnancy. Angioedema is a serious condition, which can lead to acute abdominal symptoms, oedema of the upper respiratory tract and death by asphyxiation.

Prediction of metal bioavailability in Dutch field soils for the oligochaete Enchytraeus crypticus.

Current risk assessment procedures ignore that variation in soil properties results in substantial differences for uptake and effects in organisms in different soils. In this contribution is presented the results of a study on the soil-related factors that modulate metal uptake and elimination by the oligochaete worm Enchytraeus crypticus. Uptake of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn was quantified in 20 Dutch field soils as a function of time.

Onset of action of eformoterol by dry powder inhaler: objective and subjective measures.

This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 18 adults with asthma evaluated the onset of efficacy of doses of 12 and 24 micrograms eformoterol delivered as a dry powder, and compared patients' subjective assessments of efficacy with objective measures. Bronchodilatory efficacy was measured in terms of specific conductance (sGaw) and forced expiratory volume in one minute (FEV1). With both doses of eformoterol, a bronchodilatory effect was observed one minute after inhalation.

The onset of action of formoterol, a new beta 2 adrenoceptor agonist.

Formoterol, a new long-acting beta 2-agonist, seems to be a step forward in the treatment of recurrent obstructive airway disease. Obstruction during the night and morning dip are less frequent and patient compliance is expected to be better than with the bronchodilators now in use. We studied the characteristics of the onset of action of formoterol by measuring sGAW (sGAW = specific airway conductance) to see if formoterol could be used as a rescue drug in cases of sudden attacks of obstruction.

Formoterol suspension aerosol. Comparison with formoterol solution aerosol for 12 weeks in asthmatic patients.

Unlabelled: Formoterol solution aerosol has proved to be a fast and long-acting beta 2-sympathicomimetic drug in many clinical trials. The physical stability, however, was such that storage needed to be at 4 degrees C to 8 degrees C before first use; afterwards, the aerosol could be used for another three months at room temperature. To improve the stability, new ways have been investigated to formulate ann aerosol with improved shelf life and thus more convenient storage conditions, which was reached with a formoterol suspension aerosol.

Formoterol as dry powder inhalation. A dose finding study in comparison with formoterol metered dose inhaler and placebo.

We compared the bronchodilator effects and systemic tolerability of 12, 24 and 48 micrograms formoterol DP capsules with 12 micrograms formoterol MDI and placebo in 30 patients with reversible obstructive airway disease. Pulmonary function tests were done and pulse rate and blood pressure were recorded. We observed significant differences between all active substances vs placebo regarding peak effect, duration of effect and AUC value.

The effect of maximal doses of formoterol and salbutamol from a metered dose inhaler on pulse rates, ECG, and serum potassium concentrations.

In a randomized, double-blind, crossover cumulative study, the individual maximal bronchodilator dosages for formoterol (F) and salbutamol (S) were assessed for their respective influence on ECG, pulse rate, and serum potassium levels in 13 patients with stable and reversible asthma. The following dosages were administered with an interval of 1 h: 12-24-48-(48)-(48) micrograms for F and 100-200-400-400-(400)-(400) micrograms for S. The study day was discontinued if pulse rate was above 140 beats min-1, a flattening of T wave on the ECG was recorded, or a maximal bronchodilation in FEV1 was observed (above 110 percent of the predicted value or an increase in FEV1 in the last two measurements below 5 percent).

Formoterol in the treatment of nocturnal asthma.

Formoterol fumarate is a new beta 2-adrenergic agonist with a long lasting effect. The bronchospasmolytic effect of 12 micrograms of formoterol was compared with that of 200 micrograms of albuterol (salbutamol) in a single-center, double-blind, randomized within-patient study. The drugs were given as aerosols by MDI to 16 patients with nocturnal asthma in a stable phase.