Aktualisierung der Empfehlungen zur standardisierten Diagnostik und Klassifikation von Kaumuskel- und Kiefergelenkschmerzen

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Im Jahre 2000 veröffentlichte der Interdisziplinäre Arbeitskreis für Mund- und Gesichtsschmerzen in der Deutschen Gesellschaft zum Studium des Schmerzes Empfehlungen zur Diagnostik und Klassifikation von Patienten mit Schmerzen im Bereich der Kaumuskulatur und/oder Kiefergelenke. Ziele der vorliegenden Publikation sind eine Bestandsaufnahme und Aktualisierung der damals gemachten Vorschläge. Ergebnisse: Sichtung und Bewertung der nach Veröffentlichung der Empfehlungen erschienenen Fachliteratur (bis Dezember 2005) zeigen, dass sich das zweiachsige Stufenkonzept zur Erfassung somatischer und psychosozialer Parameter orofazialer Schmerzen bewährt hat. Einzelne Aspekte der Empfehlungen wurden in Form wissenschaftlicher Belege weiter konkretisiert. Schlussfolgerungen: Die vorgeschlagenen Empfehlungen spiegeln die aktuellen Entwicklungen in der Schmerzmedizin wider. Insbesondere in der Zahnärzteschaft sollten sie daher eine noch breitere Verankerung finden als bishe

Manipulating the Tomonaga-Luttinger exponent by electric field modulation

We establish a theoretical framework for artificial control of the power-law singularities in Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid states. The exponent governing the power-law behaviors is found to increase significantly with an increase in the amplitude of the periodic electric field modulation applied externally to the system. This field-induced shift in the exponent indicates the tunability of the transport properties of quasi-one-dimensional electron systems.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Natural and Synthetic Polymers as Inhibitors of Drug Efflux Pumps

Inhibition of efflux pumps is an emerging approach in cancer therapy and drug delivery. Since it has been discovered that polymeric pharmaceutical excipients such as Tweens® or Pluronics® can inhibit efflux pumps, various other polymers have been investigated regarding their potential efflux pump inhibitory activity. Among them are polysaccharides, polyethylene glycols and derivatives, amphiphilic block copolymers, dendrimers and thiolated polymers. In the current review article, natural and synthetic polymers that are capable of inhibiting efflux pumps as well as their application in cancer therapy and drug delivery are discussed

Photoemission Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation of Vapor Phase Co-Deposited Silver/Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Composites

Nanocomposite matrices of silver/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were prepared in ultrahigh vacuum through vapor-phase co-deposition. Change in microstructure, chemical nature and electronic properties with increasing filler (Ag) content were investigated using in-situ XPS and UPS, and ambient AFM. At least two chemical binding states occur between Ag nanoparticles and sulfur in P3HT at the immediate contact layer but no evidence of interaction between Ag and carbon (in P3HT) was found. AFM images reveal a change in Ag nanoparticles size with concentration which modifies the microstructure and the average roughness of the surface. Under co-deposition, P3HT largely retains its conjugated structures, which is evidenced by the similar XPS and UPS spectra to those of P3HT films deposited on other substrates. We demonstrate here that the magnitude of the barrier height for hole injection and the position of the highest occupied band edge (HOB) with respect to the Fermi level of Ag can be controlled and changed by adjusting the metal (Ag) content in the composite. Furthermore, UPS reveals distinct features related to the C 2p (Sigma states) in the 5-12 eV regions, indicating the presence of ordered P3HT which is different from solution processed films.Comment: Scudier and Wei provided equal contributio

Variability and Reliability of Muscle Activity Measurements During Chewing

The objective of this study was to test masseter muscle activity and its variability and reliability in terms of repeatable measurements in fully dentate and healthy volunteers during habitual chewing and deliberate unilateral chewing. Three sessions were performed on three consecutive days, each time recording kinematic data and masseter muscle EMG activities through a series of defined jaw exercises, including maximum voluntary contraction, habitual chewing, and left and right unilateral chewing. Asymmetry index (Al) and deliberate chewing index (DCI) scores were used to evaluate the activities of the left and right masseter muscles, which were separately recorded during each of these chewing exercises. DCI scores were side -specific, including two sets of values for left and right unilateral chewing. Reproducibility testing of the values obtained for all parameters revealed good to excellent reproducibility of masseter muscle activity under standardized recording conditions across the consecutive study sessions, with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranging from 0.68 to 0.93. Different individuals were found to utilize different strategies of bilateral masseter activation during both habitual chewing and deliberate unilateral chewing

Comparative Preclinical Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Novel 4-Aminoquinoline Anti-Malarials

The disposition of three 4-aminoquinoline leads, namely isoquine (ISO), des-ethyl isoquine (DEI) and N-tert-butyl isoquine (NTBI), were studied in a range of in vivo and in vitro assays to assist in selecting an appropriate candidate for further development. Analogous to amodiaquine (ADQ), ISO undergoes oxidative N-dealkylation to form DEI in vivo. Blood clearance of DEI was as much as 10-fold lower than that of ISO in animals and after oral administration, metabolite exposure exceeded that of parent by as much as 14-fold. Replacement of the N-ethyl with an N-tert-butyl substituent substantially reduced N-dealkylation as blood clearance of NTBI was similar to 2 to 3-fold lower than DEI in mouse, rat, dog and monkey. Mean NTBI oral bioavailability was generally higher than the other leads (>= 68%). Blood cell association was substantial for NTBI, particularly in dog and monkey, where blood to plasma concentration ratios >4 were observed. Human plasma protein binding was similar for NTBI, DEI, and des-ethyl amodiaquine (DEA). Allometric scaling predicted human blood clearance (CL) for NTBI to be low (similar to 12% liver blood flow). All the 4-aminoquinolines inhibited recombinant human cytochrome P450 2D6 with similar potency; DEI also inhibited 1A2. On balance, NTBI appeared the most promising lead to progress towards full development. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:362-377, 200