1,721,021 research outputs found
A comparison of conservative and invasive dental approaches in the treatment of tension-type headache
No full textObjective: To investigate the efficacy of conservative dental treatment (occlusal splint and pharmacologic therapy) and invasive therapy (prosthetic restorations) in the treatment of tension-type headache (TTH). Method and Materials: The study sample was composed of 70 patients who presented with symptomatic TTH and were assigned to three treatment groups according to their treatment needs. Group A (30 patients): a conservative treatment protocol with a combination of an occlusal splint and analgesic and muscle relaxant medication. Group B (10 patients): invasive prosthodontic procedures. Group C (30 patients): patients who refused any type of treatment but consented to the study served as a control group. Pain quality was measured with the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6). The statistical analysis was performed with the Wilcoxon rank test (P <= .05). Results: Conservative treatment with splints and analgesic medication and invasive treatment by prosthetic rehabilitation relieved the TTH symptoms. The patients who received treatment experienced a significant reduction in their discomfort after 6 months (P <= .01), whereas the patients who refused therapy remained, on average, at the same pain level (P <= .117). In group A, the HIT-6 score was reduced for 26 patients, and in group B for 8 patients. In group C a reduction of HIT-6 scores was observed in 10 patients. Conclusion: Conservative or invasive occlusal adjustments may serve as a useful tool in the treatment of TTH
Cutaneous Mastocytosis as a Rare Differential Diagnosis for Unilateral Chronic Facial Pain and Erythema: A Case Report
No full textCutaneous mastocytosis (CM) has been associated with urticaria, itching, and pain of the affected regions. Although the occurrence of CM in the facial skin is rare, it may be a cause of chronic facial pain, and pain characteristics may mistakenly be interpreted as trigeminal nerve pathology. However, the dermatological appearance of the different variants of cutaneous mastocytosis is distinct and should be considered as an uncommon differential diagnosis in an orofacial pain diagnostic algorithm. This article presents a case of telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans, a rare type of cutaneous mastocytosis, as the underlying cause of chronic facial pain, erythema, and swelling
Clinical Performance and Peri-implant Parameters of 132 Implants Supporting Locator-Retained Overdentures: A Case Series of 33 Patients
No full textPurpose: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term reliability of Locator-retained mandibular or maxillary overdentures and to examine clinical and radiographic parameters of the supporting implants. Materials and Methods: The authors performed a retrospective analysis of a case series. After implant placement and a submerged healing phase of about 3 months, all implants were restored with Locator-retained overdentures. The follow-up examinations included the assessment of the Plaque Index (PI) and sulcus Bleeding Index (SBI) as well as pen-implant soft tissue parameters, such as bleeding on probing (BOP) and pocket probing depth (PPD). The mean marginal bone loss was measured on panoramic radiographs. The clinical performance of Locator components and the prosthetic restoration were evaluated. Descriptive statistics were computed. For statistical analysis, non-parametric and parametric tests with respect to the variable scale were used. The significance level was set as P <= .05. Results: The sample was composed of 33 patients (18 men, 15 women) with a mean age of 66.8 years who received 132 implants (84 in the anterior maxilla, 48 in the anterior mandible). After 32.9 months of follow-up, one maxillary implant was lost. All prosthetic restorations were still functionally in place at the last follow-up appointment with moderate prosthodontic maintenance effort. Clinical parameters and radiographs revealed healthy tissues around most implants. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that Locators are a predictable alternative for anchorage of mandibular and maxillary overdentures with good clinical performance of both the prosthetic restorations and the supporting implants
Der Einfluss von Activin auf die exzitatorische und inhibitorische Neurotransmission des Hippocampus in transgenen Mäusen
Get PDFThe transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family member activin A, a homodimer of two βA subunits, has been characterized as a multifunctional protein in many tissues, including the brain. In addition to its role in neurodevelopment and neuroprotection, activin emerges as a physiologically significant modulator of synaptic plasticity, learning and emotional behaviors like anxiety, which involves especially the hippocampus. Activin exerts its physiological effects via binding to heteromeric receptor complexes containing two type II activin receptors and two type I activin receptors (mainly activin receptor type IB, ActRIB). Disruption of activin signaling by expression of a dominant-negative mutant of ActRIB (dnActRIB) was previously found to reduce hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in young mice. However, it remained unclear whether aging affects synaptic plasticity in these transgenic mice and their wildtype (wt) littermates. Therefore, we examined synaptic properties of the hippocampal CA1-region in 12–15 months old mice of both lines. LTP was induced either by theta burst stimulation (TBS) or high-frequency stimulation (HFS). Old wt-mice showed no reduction of LTP compared to young wt-mice. Furthermore, no difference of LTP was detected between aged transgenic-mice and their wt-littermates. Further investigations are required to elucidate possible correlations with increased activin levels in the liquor, as observed in aging humans, and to determine whether long-term adaptive processes might compensate for the disruption of activin signaling in dnActRIB mice.
In preliminary studies from our lab, dnActRIB mice also showed marked changes in GABAergic inhibition in the hippocampus. In the second part of the thesis, a constitutively active mutant of the activin receptor IB (caActRIB) was used to investigate the effects of the opposite manipulation of activin signaling. To enable a time- and tissue-specific expression of the floxed transgene, transgenic mice were mated with hemizygous CaMKIIα-Cre mice. The different components of GABAergic inhibition were investigated by whole-cell recordings of CA1 pyramidal cells and dentate gyrus granule cells in brain slices of 2–4 months old wild-type and caActRIB mice. In voltage-clamp recordings, the tonic inhibition, which is mediated via extrasynaptic GABAA receptors, was determined as a shift of the holding current after pharmacological blockade of the receptors. Phasic inhibition, caused by synaptic GABAA-receptors, was evaluated with spontaneously occurring inhibitory postsynaptic currents (spIPSCs). As expected, the hippocampi of caActRIB mice displayed changes opposite to those observed in dnActRIB, namely an attenuation of both tonic and phasic inhibition. Unfortunately, this important result for the understanding of the central nervous effects of activin was affected by the unexpected finding that comparable changes in GABAergic transmission were also detectable in the hippocampi of CaMKIIα-Cre mice.
In summary, this work has increased our understanding of the effects of activin on functional connectivity in the adult CNS both in terms of topics and methods. Here, activin was implicated for the first time in the regulation of cognition-relevant synaptic plasticity processes in old age. In addition, a new transgenic mouse line was evaluated regarding its suitability for studying activin effects on GABAergic inhibition
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Semi-Automated Recording of Facial Sensitivity in Rat Demonstrates Antinociceptive Effects of the Anti-CGRP Antibody Fremanezumab
Get PDFDas Neuropeptid Calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) ist ein sehr potenter
Vasodilatator an arteriellen Gefäßen und ein Schlüsselfaktor bei vielen
nozizeptiven Prozessen. Insbesondere bei der Entstehung von Migräne scheint
CGRP eine entscheidende Funktion zu haben, auch wenn der genaue
Mechanismus noch nicht vollständig verstanden ist. Mit dem Wissen um CGRP
und dessen Wirkung wurden bereits einige Migränemedikamente entwickelt.
Besonders zu erwähnen sind hierbei die monoklonalen Anti-CGRP-Antikörper
bzw. Rezeptor-Antikörper, die bei chronischer und ausgeprägter episodischer
Migräne bereits erfolgreich zum Einsatz kommen.
Migräne ist häufig mit kranialer Hyperalgesie und Allodynie assoziiert. Inwieweit
bei deren Pathomechanismus auch CGRP eine wichtige Rolle spielt, ist noch
unklar.
Wir haben mit einem Verhaltensmodell an der Ratte untersucht, ob eine
Behandlung mit dem monoklonalen Anti-CGRP-Antikörper Fremanezumab die
Gesichtssensibilität beeinflussen kann.
Um sich der Rolle des CGRP bei der Ausbildung der kutanen Sensibilität des
Gesichtes zu nähern und den Einfluss eines monoklonalen Anti-CGRPAntikörpers
zu erfassen, entwickelten wir ein Verhaltensexperiment an Ratten mit
halbautomatischer Datenerfassung.
Tieren beider Geschlechter wurde hierfür der Anti-CGRP-Antikörper
Fremanezumab oder ein Isotyp-Kontrollantikörper intraperitoneal injiziert und
deren Sensibilität gegenüber schmerzhaften Reizen im Gesicht untersucht. Um
eine für Ratten sehr anziehende Zuckerlösung trinken zu können, mussten die
Ratten mit dem Gesicht eine ihnen unangenehme thermische oder mechanische
Barriere passieren. In einem halbautomatischen Versuchs-System, in dem die
Tiere sich frei bewegen konnten, wurde erfasst, wie häufig und wie lange sich die
Tiere diesen Reizen aussetzten und wieviel Zuckerlösung dabei konsumiert
wurde. Nach einer gewissen Trainings- und Gewöhnungsperiode wurde die
Untersuchung vor und an mehreren Tagen nach Injektion der Antikörper nach
einem wiederkehrenden Schema durchgeführt. In einer weiteren Versuchsreihe
verwendeten wir zusätzlich den NO-Donor Nitroglycerin (GTN, 10 mg/kg), um
eine migräneähnliche Situation zu provozieren. Dieser wurde den Tieren etwa vier
Stunden vor dem jeweiligen Verhaltensversuch intraperitoneal appliziert.
Ergebnisse und Beobachtungen
In unserem Experiment konnten wir feststellen, dass es bei Tieren, die lediglich
mit einem Antikörper, nicht aber mit GTN behandelt wurden, ein Unterschied
zwischen den Antikörper-Gruppen gab. Ratten tranken 12 und 13 Tage nach der
Antikörper-Injektion bei Behinderung durch die mechanische bzw. thermische
Barriere länger und konsumierten mehr Zuckerlösung, wenn sie eine subkutane
Injektion von 30 mg/kg Fremanezumab erhalten hatten. Signifikant war dieser
Unterschied allerdings nur bei weiblichen Ratten.
Bei einer Vorbehandlung mit GTN konnte das Ergebnis jedoch nicht reproduziert
werden. Die Tiere aller Gruppen verhielten sich inaktiver und zeigten weniger
Interesse an der Zuckerlösung.
Das Ergebnis dieser Versuchsreihe zeigt, dass der monoklonale Antikörper
Fremanezumab die Empfindlichkeit des Gesichtes gegenüber schmerzhaften
Reizen reduzieren kann, insbesondere bei weiblichen Ratten. Dieser Antikörper
könnte also nicht nur bei der Therapie der migränebedingten Kopfschmerzen
helfen, sondern auch die kraniale Überempfindlichkeit bei Migränepatienten
verringern. Das Ergebnis lässt außerdem vermuten, dass CGRP an sich auch
eine Rolle bei der Entwicklung der Sensibilität des Gesichtes spielt.
Die fehlende Reproduzierbarkeit des Ergebnisses unter GTN-Behandlung steht
im Einklang mit einer aktuell diskutierten Hypothese der Entstehung kutaner
Allodynie bei Migräne. Bei der dabei postulierten Signalkaskade ist das
körpereigene NO dem CGRP nachgeschaltet, und damit wäre das extern
zugeführte GTN nicht durch eine Veränderung der CGRP-Konzentration bzw. der
CGRP-Rezeptorexpression beinflussbar
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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