Treatment with Sulthiame (Ospolot) in benign partial epilepsy of childhood and related syndromes: an open clinical and EEG study

The effect of Sulthiame on the EEG and on clinical seizures was evaluated in an open uncontrolled study in 25 children with focal sharp waves on the EEG (FSW). 16 children had typical benign partial epilepsy with rolandic spikes (BPERS), 5 children with atypical forms and 4 children with no clinical seizures but cognitive disturbances possibly related to the FSW. The effect of Sulthiame in suppressing the EEG discharges was evaluated on the waking and sleep EEG before introduction of the drug, and at 3 - 6 months, 6 to 12 months and beyond while under therapy. The children were followed clinically for one to several years. The EEG discharges disappeared or decreased under Sulthiame in 13/21 cases at 3 to 6 months but reappeared in 3/13 cases beyond this period. No case had a worsening of the EEG or of clinical seizures under Sulthiame, and no cognitive stagnation was noted. Our data confirm the good tolerance and positive effects on the EEG and justify systematic trials of this drug in the partial "functional" epilepsies, especially when negative cognitive consequences of the epileptic discharges are suspected.     

A new method to assess the results of instrumentation techniques in the root canal

In the present study, the shape of the root canal was assessed with pre- and postinstrumentation silicone impressions. Curved root canals of 30 extracted molars were instrumented with the Canal Leader (CL), the ProFile System (PF), and hand instrumentation (HI). Photographs from each impression were digitized, and the enlargement of the canals was computed by substracting the preinstrumentation from the postinstrumentation images. Technical errors of preparation were also recorded. There was no significant difference in total dentin removal between the systems. However, CL removed significantly more dentin from the convex side of the root canal than PF. Instrument separation occurred in five cases, only with PF. Roughness of canal walls was recorded significantly more often with the use of CL than with PF or HI. CL also produced a significantly higher incidence of elbow formation, compared with PF or HI. With this method of assessment, it was possible to record details and differences between the tested instrumentation techniques.     

An in vitro evaluation of the marginal integrity of a porcelain inlay system.

There is currently no consensus of opinion regarding form of the finish line for porcelain inlays. This study compared beveled and nonbeveled finishing lines. Twenty-four Class II MOD cavities of a standardised design were prepared in extracted premolar teeth. Twelve were finished using a half enamel occlusal bevel and 12 were not beveled. Porcelain inlays were fabricated and luted with a dual-polymerizing resin material. The completed restorations were stored in water, thermocycled, and analysed using a scanning electron microscope. The quality of the enamel/composite resin interface was found to be considerably better than that of the inlay/composite resin interface. The adaptation of composite resin to enamel was of equal quality for both beveled and nonbeveled preparations.     

Virological fitness of HIV in patients with resistance to enfuvirtide

Resistance to the HIV fusion inhibitor enfuvirtide is associated with mutations in the first heptad repeat region of gp41, but little is known of their impact on replicative fitness in vivo. We followed seven patients undergoing salvage therapy that included enfuvirtide in order to document the temporal generation of genotypic and phenotypic resistance in parallel with replicative fitness. Resistance to enfuvirtide was not associated with decreased replicative fitness of HIV strains infecting these patients.     

The effects of thermocycling on the flexural strength and flexural modulus of modern resin-based filling materials

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of flexural strengths and flexural moduli of hybrids, packables, ormocers, compomers and flowables prior to, and after, thermocycling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty specimens, size (25 +/- 2) mm x (2 +/- 0.1) mm x (2+/-0.1) mm, of Herculite (HE), Point 4 (P4), TetricCeram (TC), Miris (MI), TetricCeram HB, (HB), Solitaire 2 (SO), Surefil A (SU), Definte (DE), Admira (AD), Dyract AP (DY), Compoglass (CO) and TetricFlow (TF) were made according to ISO 4049. A three-point-bending test was carried out for the first 10 specimens after 24 h water storage at 37 degrees C and for the second 10 specimens after 30-day water storage at 37 degrees C, followed by 5000 thermocycles between +5 and +55 degrees C. For each test series flexural strengths and flexural moduli were calculated. Statistical significance was p < 0.05. RESULTS: Flexural strengths of DY and CO missed the 80 MPa limit of ISO 4049 for occlusal fillings prior to and after thermocycling. AD missed it after thermocycling. HE, P4, TC, MI, HB, SO, SU, DE and TF did not significantly differ prior to and after thermocycling. Flexural strength of SO and AD significantly decreased after thermocycling. No change of the flexural moduli could be observed for any of the test materials. Only SU exceeded 10,000 MPa prior to and after thermocycling. SIGNIFICANCE: Only DY and CO missed the flexural strength limit of ISO 4049 for occlusal fillings. Only SU exceeded a flexural modulus of 10,000 MPa prior to and after thermocycling.     

Interaction of macrocyclic lactones with P-glycoprotein: structure-affinity relationship.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is involved in the ATP-dependant cellular efflux of a large number of drugs including ivermectin, a macrocyclic lactone (ML) endectocide, widely used in livestock and human antiparasitic therapy. The interactions of P-gp with ivermectin and other MLs were studied. In a first approach, the ability of ivermectin (IVM), eprinomectin (EPR), abamectin (ABA), doramectin (DOR), selamectin (SEL), or moxidectin (MOX) to inhibit the rhodamine123 efflux was measured in recombinant cells overexpressing P-gp. Then, the influence of these compounds on the P-gp ATPase activity was tested on membrane vesicles prepared from fibroblasts overexpressing P-gp. All the MLs tested increased the intracellular rhodamine123. However, the potency of MOX to inhibit P-gp function was 10 times lower than the other MLs. They all inhibited the basal and decreased the verapamil-stimulated P-gp ATPase activity. But SEL and MOX were less potent than the other MLs when competing with verapamil. According to the structural specificity of SEL and MOX, we conclude that the integrity of the sugar moiety is determinant to achieve the optimal interaction of macrocyclic lactones with P-gp. The structure-affinity relationship for interaction with P-gp is important information for improving ML bioavailability and reversal of multidrug resistance (MDR).