A comparison of thermocouple and infrared thermographic analysis of temperature rise on the root surface during the continuous wave of condensation technique

AIM: This study was designed to use two methods of temperature measurement to analyse and quantify the in vitro root surface temperature changes during the initial stage of the continuous wave technique of obturation of 17 single-rooted premolar teeth with standard canal preparations. METHODOLOGY: A model was designed to allow simultaneous temperature measurement with both thermocouples and an infrared thermal imaging system. Two thermocouples were placed on the root surface, one coronally and the other near the root apex. A series of thermal images were recorded by an infrared thermal imaging camera during the downpack procedure. RESULTS: The mean temperature rises on the root surface, as measured by the two thermocouples, averaged 13.9 degrees C over the period of study, whilst the infrared thermal imaging system measured an average rise of 28.4 degrees C at the same sites. Temperatures at the more apical point were higher than those measured coronally. After the first wave of condensation, the second activation of the plugger in the canal prior to its removal always resulted in a secondary rise in temperature. The thermal imaging system detected areas of greater temperature change distant from the two selected thermocouple sites. CONCLUSIONS: The continuous wave technique of obturation may result in high temperatures on the external root surface. Infrared thermography is a useful device for mapping patterns of temperature change over a large area.     

Antinociceptive and other behavioral effects of the steroid SC17599 are mediated by the mu-opioid receptor

The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the behavioral effects of SC17599 (17alpha-acetoxy-6-dimethylaminomethyl-21-fluoro-3-ethoxypregna -3, 5-dien-20-one) in mice and to determine if these effects are selectively mediated by opioid receptors. Although less potent than morphine, SC17599 produced dose-dependent antinociception in both the acetic acid-induced writhing and warm water tail-withdrawal assays. Pretreatment with the opioid antagonist naltrexone and the noncompetitive mu-opioid receptor-selective antagonist methocinnamox, but not the delta-opioid receptor-selective antagonist naltrindole or the kappa-opioid receptor-selective antagonist nor-binaltorphimine, antagonized the antinociceptive effects of both SC17599 and morphine. Similarly to morphine, administration of SC17599 induced the Straub tail response in a dose-dependent and naltrexone-sensitive manner. At the highest doses studied, unlike morphine, SC17599 did not alter locomotor activity. The steroid SC17599 is structurally a very unusually selective mu-opioid agonist that produces behavioral effects, which are similar, but not identical, to those of morphine.     

Detection of carbamyl phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency using duodenal biopsy samples

The activity of urea cycle enzymes was assayed in duodenal biopsy specimens obtained from a female infant who presented with neonatal hyperammonaemia. All enzyme levels were normal except N-acetyl glutamate-dependent carbamyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) which was half the mean activity in normal control specimens. A similar deficiency of CPS1 was also shown in duodenal specimens from the patient's mother who became slightly symptomatic after relatively high protein meals and during pregnancy, and had spontaneously modified her diet to one with protein restriction. The patient is growing normally on a dietary regimen similar to that spontaneously adopted by her mother. Urea cycle enzyme activity in the duodenal biopsy material from the controls was similar to that found in the normal human liver and appears to have distinct advantages as a means of assaying for urea cycle defects in patients with hyperammonaemia and their relatives.     

Detection of carbamyl phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency using duodenal biopsy samples.

The activity of urea cycle enzymes was assayed in duodenal biopsy specimens obtained from a female infant who presented with neonatal hyperammonaemia. All enzyme levels were normal except N-acetyl glutamate-dependent carbamyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) which was half the mean activity in normal control specimens. A similar deficiency of CPS1 was also shown in duodenal specimens from the patient''s mother who became slightly symptomatic after relatively high protein meals and during pregnancy, and had spontaneously modified her diet to one with protein restriction. The patient is growing normally on a dietary regimen similar to that spontaneously adopted by her mother. Urea cycle enzyme activity in the duodenal biopsy material from the controls was similar to that found in the normal human liver and appears to have distinct advantages as a means of assaying for urea cycle defects in patients with hyperammonaemia and their relatives.     

Clinicopathologic features of sentinel node metastases predictive of positive axillary clearance in grade 1 invasive breast carcinoma

Background  

Sentinel node (SN) biopsy is widely used to stage breast carcinoma and, when positive, typically leads to axillary clearance (AC).     

Massage or music for pain relief in labour: A pilot randomised placebo controlled trial

Research on massage therapy for maternal pain and anxiety in labour is currently limited to four small trials. Each used different massage techniques, at different frequencies and durations, and relaxation techniques were included in three trials. Given the need to investigate massage interventions that complement maternal neurophysiological adaptations to labour and birth pain(s), we designed a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the effects of a massage programme practised during physiological changes in pain threshold, from late pregnancy to birth, on women's reported pain, measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 90min following birth. To control for the potential bias of the possible effects of support offered within preparation for the intervention group, the study included 3 arms – intervention (massage programme with relaxation techniques), placebo (music with relaxation techniques) and control (usual care). The placebo offered a non‐pharmacological coping strategy, to ensure that use of massage was the only difference between intervention and placebo groups. There was a trend towards slightly lower mean pain scores in the intervention group but these differences were not statistically significant. No differences were found in use of pharmacological analgesia, need for augmentation or mode of delivery. There was a trend towards more positive views of labour preparedness and sense of control in the intervention and placebo groups, compared with the control group. These findings suggest that regular massage with relaxation techniques from late pregnancy to birth is an acceptable coping strategy that merits a large trial with sufficient power to detect differences in reported pain as a primary outcome measure.     

Breast and axillary tissue MR imaging: correlation of signal intensities and relaxation times with pathologic findings

We tested a variety of inversion-recovery (IR) and spin-echo (SE) sequences by imaging the breast masses of 22 patients before surgery and 23 tissue specimens with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 0.6 T to determine the most effective pulse sequences to evaluate breast disease. An SE pulse sequence using a long repetition time (TR) of 1,600 msec and a long echo time (TE) of 90 msec was found to be the most sensitive in depicting carcinoma in the excised tissue specimens, with all of the carcinomas (n = 15) demonstrating irregular areas of higher signal intensity (SI) than that of the adjacent fat. However, only five of 11 breast carcinomas present in the preoperative patients produced a higher SI than that produced by fat on the same T2-weighted sequence. Five of the remaining six carcinomas in the preoperative patients appeared as localized distortions of fibroductular architecture on both T2-weighted SE and IR sequences. In axillary tissue specimens, both metastatic carcinoma and hyperplastic lymph nodes produced a high SI on T2-weighted SE sequences. However, metastatic carcinoma had a significantly longer T2 relaxation time than did hyperplastic lymph nodes.     

Cutaneous events during treatment of chronic inflammatory joint disorders with anti‐tumour necrosis factor alpha: a cross‐sectional study

Background Anti‐tumour necrosis factors (anti‐TNF) are more and more used, but the rate of skin adverse events is not known. Objective The aim was to assess the number of skin infections and other dermatoses in patients treated with anti‐TNFα. Patients and methods One hundred eighty‐seven patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis underwent a dermatological exam. Patients with anti‐TNF were compared with those without this treatment in a prospective transversal study. Results Among them, 59 patients were treated with anti‐TNFα and steroids were prescribed in 100 cases. There was no difference in the prevalence of skin infections or eczema or tumours. Skin drug reactions were observed in six patients. Infections by dermatophytes appear very frequent, approaching 70% in both groups. Conclusions This study shows that skin infections (or other skin diseases) are not more frequent in these patients. No differences were observed in infections (bacterial fungal, parasital or viral), tumours, psoriasis or the manifestations of atopic dermatitis. Nonetheless, a long‐term survey might be interesting, especially about skin tumours.     

Differentiation of Epileptic from Nonepileptic Head Drops in Children

To study the differences between epileptic and nonepileptic head drops, 351 episodes in 24 children were analyzed by EEG-videotelemetry monitoring. Drops were classified as either epileptic or nonepileptic depending on the presence or absence of concomitant ictal EEG discharges. Ictal discharges included generalized spike-wave, polyspike-wave, bilateral sharp wave, generalized delta, and generalized beta activity. Children with epileptic drops (group I) were similar to children with nonepileptic drops (group II) with respect to age, sex, number of recorded episodes, and presence of mental retardation or other abnormalities on neurologic examination. Group I patients had a significantly higher prevalence of ictal changes in facial expression, subtle myoclonic extremity movements, generalized interictal EEG discharges, and other seizure types. Drops characterized by rapid head descent followed by slow recovery to the upright position were significantly more common in group I patients, whereas drops in which the velocity of recovery matched that of head descent (head nods) were equal in the two groups. Repetitive nods (head bobs) were observed exclusively in group II patients. These clinical and electrophysiologic features may assist in differentiating epileptic from nonepileptic head drops in children.