Impact of new efficacy information on sales of antihypertensive medicines in Japan and Sweden

Objectives

The generic substitution of medicines has been introduced in Europe since the 1990s to increase price competition and the use of cheaper equivalents. Patent expiry is assumed to be associated with changes in sales patterns, particularly when combined with generic substitution. Other changes have been observed when prescribers obtain new information on drug safety and efficacy of medicines. This article examines to what extent patent expiry and new medical information on efficacy influence the pharmaceutical sales patterns of antihypertensive medicines in Japan and Sweden.

Correlation of mandibular bone quality with neurosensory disturbance after sagittal split ramus osteotomy

Our aim was to find out whether the quality of bone around the inferior alveolar nerve is correlated with neurosensory disturbance to the nerve after sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) in patients with mandibular prognathism. Computed tomograms (CT) were taken of 35 patients with mandibular prognathism and 35 without. To assess the density of bone around the inferior alveolar nerve, the width of the buccal cortical bone in the mandibular second molar regions was measured on CT. The Hounsfield units (HU) in the same regions were also measured. The number of HU in the mandible around the second molar regions was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in those with neurosensory disturbance (p < 0.01). The quality of bone measured by HU is associated with an increased risk of neurosensory disturbance, but the width of buccal bone is not.     

Dynamic analysis of articulatory movement using magnetic resonance imaging movies: methods and implications in cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVES: To visualize articulatory movement using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) movie of a subject with cleft lip and palate (clp) and to demonstrate the usefulness of this method for studying oropharyngeal function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Dynamic changes in oropharyngeal structures were assessed with an MRI movie of a man with cleft lip and palate and in a normal adult male volunteer during the articulation of /pa/, /ta/, and /ka/. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Different movement patterns were observed during articulation in the subject with CLP compared with the normal volunteer. Posterosuperior movement of the tongue and the anterior movement of the posterior pharyngeal wall were clearly visualized in the subject with CLP. Thus, MRI movies appear to be a promising tool for evaluating speech function in patients with CLP because of their noninvasive and nonradiation nature.     

A thick frame decreases the fracture toughness of veneering ceramics used for zirconia-based all-ceramic restorations

Purpose

To investigate the influence of firing condition and thickness of a yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) frame on the fracture toughness of veneering ceramics.

Dental rehabilitation using an implant-carrying plate system in a severely resorbed edentulous maxilla: a case report

This clinical article describes a case of dental rehabilitation using an implant-carrying plate system (EPITEC) for a patient with severely resorbed edentulous maxilla and microstomia. In this case, the presence of microstomia prevented bone augmentation procedures through an intraoral approach. Treatment using 2 endosseous implants inserted in the canine regions and an implant-supported overdenture was planned. However, endosseous implants were not feasible on the right side because of insufficient available bone volume. An implant-carrying plate system was then utilized on the right side. Four months later, an implant-supported ball-attachment overdenture was fabricated. At the 2-year follow-up, the clinical course remained uneventful, and the patient remained satisfied with the treatment.