Effect of Botulinum Toxin Injection on EMG Activity and Bite Force in Masticatory Muscle Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is increasingly used in treating masticatory muscle pain disorder; however, safe doses and reinjection intervals still need to be established. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the degree and duration of the impairment of masticatory muscle performance. Fifty-seven subjects were randomly divided into two groups: one of which received BoNT-A first (n = 28) while the other received saline first (n = 29), with the cross-over being in week 16, and a total follow-up period of 32 weeks. A total dose of 50 U of BoNT-A was injected in the masseter and temporal muscles bilaterally. Electromyographic (EMG) activity and bite forces were assessed. A significant reduction in EMG activity was observed up to week 18 (p ≤ 001), with total recovery at week 33. A significant reduction in maximum bite force was observed up to week 11 (p ≤ 005), with total recovery at week 25. In conclusion, when treating masticatory muscle pain disorder with 50 U of BoNT-A, a reinjection interval of 33 weeks can be considered safe since the recovery of muscle function occurs by that time

Effect of Botulinum Toxin Injection on EMG Activity and Bite Force in Masticatory Muscle Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is increasingly used in treating masticatory muscle pain disorder; however, safe doses and reinjection intervals still need to be established. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the degree and duration of the impairment of masticatory muscle performance. Fifty-seven subjects were randomly divided into two groups: one of which received BoNT-A first (n = 28) while the other received saline first (n = 29), with the cross-over being in week 16, and a total follow-up period of 32 weeks. A total dose of 50 U of BoNT-A was injected in the masseter and temporal muscles bilaterally. Electromyographic (EMG) activity and bite forces were assessed. A significant reduction in EMG activity was observed up to week 18 (p ≤ 001), with total recovery at week 33. A significant reduction in maximum bite force was observed up to week 11 (p ≤ 005), with total recovery at week 25. In conclusion, when treating masticatory muscle pain disorder with 50 U of BoNT-A, a reinjection interval of 33 weeks can be considered safe since the recovery of muscle function occurs by that time

Coping Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Peru

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has subjected people around the world to severe stress, evoking a variety of coping responses. Coping responses can be broadly classified into four strategies: 1) problem-focused coping; 2) emotion-focused coping; 3) socially supported coping; and 4) avoidance. While there is a wide variability of individual coping responses, to some extent they are also culturally specific. Objective. This study aimed to compare the differences in the prevalence and factor structure of coping responses during COVID-19 pandemic in three countries: Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Peru. Design. The sample included 501 participants from Russia, 456 participants from Kyrgyzstan, and 354 participants from Peru. The mean age of participants was 28 years in Russia (SD = 13.5); 24 years in Kyrgyzstan (SD = 10.0); and 30 years in Peru (SD = 12.3). In Russia and Kyrgyzstan, coping strategies were assessed with an abbreviated Russian adaptation of the COPE (Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced) questionnaire. In Peru, coping responses were assessed using the Spanish version of the Brief COPE questionnaire. The average scores from fifteen COPE scales were used as the input data for linear modelling and factor analysis. Results. The coping scores varied substantially within each country. Differences between countries accounted for 17.7% of the total variability in religious coping; 15.8% in acceptance; 13.9% in mental disengagement; and less than 7% in the other coping strategies. No difference in the prevalence of coping responses was found between Russian and Kyrgyz participants after accounting for age and gender. In all three countries the coping responses were associated with the same four coping domains: problem-focused coping, socially supported coping, avoidance, and emotion-focused coping. Four factors explained up to 44% of the total variation in the COPE scores. Religious coping and mental disengagement were classified into different coping domains in the three countries. Conclusion. The results suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people from different countries apply the full range of coping responses within the four universal coping strategies. Religious coping and mental disengagement differed the most across the countries, suggesting that some coping behaviors can take on different roles within the system of coping responses to stressful events. We attribute these differences to differing cultural and socioeconomic characteristics, and the different measures taken by governments in response to COVID-19

Combination of searches for heavy spin-1 resonances using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for new heavy spin-1 resonances decaying into different pairings of W, Z, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons or quarks, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV collected during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting quark pairs (qq, bb, , and tb) or third-generation leptons (τν and ττ) are included in this kind of combination for the first time. A simplified model predicting a spin-1 heavy vector-boson triplet is used. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confidence level and are compared with predictions for the benchmark model. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The complementarity of the various analyses increases the sensitivity to new physics, and the resulting constraints are stronger than those from any individual analysis considered. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.8 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario, below 4.4 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, and up to 1.5 TeV in the case of production via vector-boson fusion

Combination of searches for heavy spin-1 resonances using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for new heavy spin-1 resonances decaying into diferent pairings of W, Z, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons or quarks, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV collected during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting quark pairs (qq, bb, tt¯, and tb) or third-generation leptons (τν and τ τ ) are included in this kind of combination for the frst time. A simplifed model predicting a spin-1 heavy vector-boson triplet is used. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confdence level and are compared with predictions for the benchmark model. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The complementarity of the various analyses increases the sensitivity to new physics, and the resulting constraints are stronger than those from any individual analysis considered. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.8 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario, below 4.4 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, and up to 1.5 TeV in the case of production via vector-boson fusion

Combination of searches for heavy spin-1 resonances using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for new heavy spin-1 resonances decaying into different pairings of W, Z, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons or quarks, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV collected during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting quark pairs (qq, bb, tt¯, and tb) or third-generation leptons (τν and ττ) are included in this kind of combination for the first time. A simplified model predicting a spin-1 heavy vector-boson triplet is used. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confidence level and are compared with predictions for the benchmark model. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The complementarity of the various analyses increases the sensitivity to new physics, and the resulting constraints are stronger than those from any individual analysis considered. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.8 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario, below 4.4 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, and up to 1.5 TeV in the case of production via vector-boson fusion

Comprehensive evaluation of botulinum toxin treatment outcomes of a patient with persistent myofascial orofacial pain

The outcome evaluation method presented in this case study, including Axes I and II findings combined with the results of quantitative bite force and EMG measurements, provides a good tool for proper evaluation of the effect of BoNT-A on patients with myofascial orofacial pain and changes in jaw muscle function.Peer reviewe

Effect of Botulinum Toxin Injection on EMG Activity and Bite Force in Masticatory Muscle Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is increasingly used in treating masticatory muscle pain disorder; however, safe doses and reinjection intervals still need to be established. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the degree and duration of the impairment of masticatory muscle performance. Fifty-seven subjects were randomly divided into two groups: one of which received BoNT-A first (n = 28) while the other received saline first (n = 29), with the cross-over being in week 16, and a total follow-up period of 32 weeks. A total dose of 50 U of BoNT-A was injected in the masseter and temporal muscles bilaterally. Electromyographic (EMG) activity and bite forces were assessed. A significant reduction in EMG activity was observed up to week 18 (p ≤ 001), with total recovery at week 33. A significant reduction in maximum bite force was observed up to week 11 (p ≤ 005), with total recovery at week 25. In conclusion, when treating masticatory muscle pain disorder with 50 U of BoNT-A, a reinjection interval of 33 weeks can be considered safe since the recovery of muscle function occurs by that time

Clinical Response to Personalized Exercise Therapy in Heart Failure Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction Is Accompanied by Skeletal Muscle Histological Alterations

Heart failure (HF) is associated with skeletal muscle wasting and exercise intolerance. This study aimed to evaluate the exercise-induced clinical response and histological alterations. One hundred and forty-four HF patients were enrolled. The individual training program was determined as a workload at or close to the lactate threshold (LT1); clinical data were collected before and after 12 weeks/6 months of training. The muscle biopsies from eight patients were taken before and after 12 weeks of training: histology analysis was used to evaluate muscle morphology. Most of the patients demonstrated a positive response after 12 weeks of the physical rehabilitation program in one or several parameters tested, and 30% of those showed improvement in all four of the following parameters: oxygen uptake (VO2) peak, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), exercise tolerance (ET), and quality of life (QOL); the walking speed at LT1 after six months of training showed a significant rise. Along with clinical response, the histological analysis detected a small but significant decrease in both fiber and endomysium thickness after the exercise training course indicating the stabilization of muscle mechanotransduction system. Together, our data show that the beneficial effect of personalized exercise therapy in HF patients depends, at least in part, on the improvement in skeletal muscle physiological and biochemical performance