Occipital nerve block is effective in craniofacial neuralgias but not in idiopathic persistent facial pain

Occipital nerve block (ONB) has been used in several primary headache syndromes with good results. Information on its effects in facial pain is sparse. In this chart review, the efficacy of ONB using lidocaine and dexamethasone was evaluated in 20 patients with craniofacial pain syndromes comprising 8 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, 6 with trigeminal neuropathic pain, 5 with persistent idiopathic facial pain and 1 with occipital neuralgia. Response was defined as an at least 50% reduction of original pain. Mean response rate was 55% with greatest efficacy in trigeminal (75%) and occipital neuralgia (100%) and less efficacy in trigeminal neuropathic pain (50%) and persistent idiopathic facial pain (20%). The effects lasted for an average of 27 days with sustained benefits for 69, 77 and 107 days in three patients. Side effects were reported in 50%, albeit transient and mild in nature. ONBs are effective in trigeminal pain involving the second and third branch and seem to be most effective in craniofacial neuralgias. They should be considered in facial pain before more invasive approaches, such as thermocoagulation or vascular decompression, are performed, given that side effects are mild and the procedure is minimally invasive

Complete Genome Sequence of the Aerobic CO-Oxidizing Thermophile Thermomicrobium roseum

In order to enrich the phylogenetic diversity represented in the available sequenced bacterial genomes and as part of an “Assembling the Tree of Life” project, we determined the genome sequence of Thermomicrobium roseum DSM 5159. T. roseum DSM 5159 is a red-pigmented, rod-shaped, Gram-negative extreme thermophile isolated from a hot spring that possesses both an atypical cell wall composition and an unusual cell membrane that is composed entirely of long-chain 1,2-diols. Its genome is composed of two circular DNA elements, one of 2,006,217 bp (referred to as the chromosome) and one of 919,596 bp (referred to as the megaplasmid). Strikingly, though few standard housekeeping genes are found on the megaplasmid, it does encode a complete system for chemotaxis including both chemosensory components and an entire flagellar apparatus. This is the first known example of a complete flagellar system being encoded on a plasmid and suggests a straightforward means for lateral transfer of flagellum-based motility. Phylogenomic analyses support the recent rRNA-based analyses that led to T. roseum being removed from the phylum Thermomicrobia and assigned to the phylum Chloroflexi. Because T. roseum is a deep-branching member of this phylum, analysis of its genome provides insights into the evolution of the Chloroflexi. In addition, even though this species is not photosynthetic, analysis of the genome provides some insight into the origins of photosynthesis in the Chloroflexi. Metabolic pathway reconstructions and experimental studies revealed new aspects of the biology of this species. For example, we present evidence that T. roseum oxidizes CO aerobically, making it the first thermophile known to do so. In addition, we propose that glycosylation of its carotenoids plays a crucial role in the adaptation of the cell membrane to this bacterium's thermophilic lifestyle. Analyses of published metagenomic sequences from two hot springs similar to the one from which this strain was isolated, show that close relatives of T. roseum DSM 5159 are present but have some key differences from the strain sequenced

Italian guidelines for primary headaches: 2012 revised version

The first edition of the Italian diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for primary headaches in adults was published in J Headache Pain 2(Suppl. 1):105–190 (2001). Ten years later, the guideline committee of the Italian Society for the Study of Headaches (SISC) decided it was time to update therapeutic guidelines. A literature search was carried out on Medline database, and all articles on primary headache treatments in English, German, French and Italian published from February 2001 to December 2011 were taken into account. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) and meta-analyses were analysed for each drug. If RCT were lacking, open studies and case series were also examined. According to the previous edition, four levels of recommendation were defined on the basis of levels of evidence, scientific strength of evidence and clinical effectiveness. Recommendations for symptomatic and prophylactic treatment of migraine and cluster headache were therefore revised with respect to previous 2001 guidelines and a section was dedicated to non-pharmacological treatment. This article reports a summary of the revised version published in extenso in an Italian version

Neotropical ant-plant Triplaris americana attracts Pseudomyrmex mordax ant queens during seedling stages

The association between the myrmecophyte Triplaris and ants of the genus Pseudomyrmex is an often-reported example of mutualism in the Neotropics. The ants colonize the hollow stems of their hosts, and in exchange, the plants benefit from a reduced degree of herbivory. The previous studies have shown that workers can discriminate their host from other plants, including a closely related species. Little is known about how queens locate their host during the colonization process, but it has been suggested that host recognition is mediated by volatiles. Since queens of Pseudomyrmex mordax colonize their hosts during the seedling stage, we hypothesized that queens would discriminate leaves of seedlings from adult plants. To evaluate our hypothesis, we used a two-sided olfactometer, to test the preference of queens towards different leaf and plant ages of Triplaris americana. Virgin queens of Pseudomyrmex mordax preferred seedlings over adult plants, as well as plant leaves over empty controls, showing no discrimination for leaf age. Our results suggest that the volatiles virgin queens recognize are either produced or are more abundant at the early growing stage of the host when colonization is crucial for the host's survival. © 2017, The Author(s)

Die Bedeutung des organischen Kationentransporters OCT2 für die Cisplatin-induzierte Ototoxizität

Hintergrund: Für Tubuluszellen der Niere konnte in vitro gezeigt werden, dass der organische Kationentransporter 2 (OCT2) die Cisplatin-Aufnahme in die Zelle vermittelt. Diese Studie untersuchte in einem in-vivo-Modell, ob OCT2 auch bei Cisplatin-induzierten Hörverlusten eine Rolle spielt.Material und Methoden: Nachdem OCT2 immunhistochemisch in der Cochlea der Maus (Stamm FVB) nachgewiesen werden konnte, erfolgten Untersuchungen des Hörvermögens mittels ABR bei 8, 16 und 32 kHz. Untersucht wurden FVB-Mäuse (WT) und OCT1/2-knockout-Mäuse (KO). Beide Stämme erhielten 15 mg/kg Körpergewicht Cisplatin oder das gleiche Volumen NaCl (Kontrollgruppe). Ein Teil der WT-Mäuse erhielt zusätzlich Cimetidin als kompetitives Substrat des OCT2. Die ABR-Messung erfolgte einen Tag vor und 4 Tage nach Injektion.Ergebnisse: WT-Mäuse zeigten unter Cisplatin-Gabe einen signifikanten Hörverlust bei 16 und 32 kHz (p<0,05, T-Test). Bei einer zusätzlichen Gabe von Cimetidin konnte hingegen kein signifikanter Hörverlust festgestellt werden, ebenso zeigten KO-Mäuse mit oder ohne Cisplatingabe keinen signifikanten Hörverlust. Die Schwellenänderung der WT-Mäuse mit Cisplatin bei 32 kHz war signifikant unterschiedlich zu der der anderen Gruppen (p<0,05, multipler Vergleichstest Newman-Keul).Diskussion: Erstmals konnte OCT2 in der Cochlea nachgewiesen und dessen Bedeutung bei der Cisplatin-Ototoxizität gezeigt werden. Die kompetitive Inhibition dieses Transporters eröffnet Möglichkeiten zur Protektion Cisplatin-induzierter Hörverluste. Deutsche Krebshilfe (108539