Comparative Study of the Quantitative Resolution of Paracetamol and Methocarbamol Mixture by Spectrophotometry with Wavelet Transform and UPLC Techniques

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal - The aim of this study was to develop a new simple and cost-effective spectrophotometric method to be used as an alternative to chromatography for the analysis of...     

Conscious and unconscious brain responses to food and cocaine cues

Brain Imaging and Behavior - Visual presentation of appetitive and negative cues triggers fast responses in the human brain. Here we assessed functional MRI (fMRI) responses to food, cocaine, and...     

Home visits in phenylketonuria: a 12-month longitudinal study

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary education given to the caregivers of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) in their home environment on children's blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels. Thirty-six children with PKU, aged 2-12 years, were recruited. Each caregiver was visited on three separate occasions and given a detailed dietary education. Fasting morning skin puncture blood samples were collected on Newborn Screening Blood Test filter paper for Phe analysis at baseline and 1, 4, 12, 24, and 48 weeks after the home visits. The mean baseline blood Phe level (365 +/- 232 micromol/L) significantly decreased with home visits at the 1st week (314 +/- 226 micromol/L) (p < 0.05). Four weeks after the home visits, the median blood Phe level was still lower than baseline, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The mean blood Phe levels significantly increased at the end of the 12th, 24th and 48th weeks (329 +/- 230 micromol/L; 447 +/- 189 micromol/L and 486 +/- 261 micromol/L, respectively) (p < 0.05). A well-controlled blood Phe level can be achieved with intense, regular and continuing education programs, which include regular home visits.     

Frontal infundibular cells: pathway to the frontal sinus

A frontal infundibular cell (FIC) is an uncommon anatomic variant of an anterior ethmoid pneumatization that originates from the frontal recess and typically extends into the lumen of the frontal sinus ostium. FICs may show several anatomic variants that impact the anatomy of the frontal recess. Familiarity with these variants is required for safe endoscopic sinus surgical procedures. We conducted a retrospective chart review, examining 1,040 frontal recesses in 520 adults with no frontal sinus disease, to explore the anatomy of the healthy frontal recess and to describe the prevalence of FICs in patients without a history of conditions that cause frontal pneumatization. Review of axial and coronal computed tomography data, which were reformatted for sagittal reconstruction, was performed at a computer workstation. Bent and Kuhn's classification was used to define types of FICs. We identified 167 patients (32.1%) as having unilateral or bilateral FICs. Type I infundibular cells were the most common type (found in 15.7% of the entire study population). Type II and type III FICs were found in 3.8% and 12.1%, respectively; type IV FICs were present in 0.4%. The FIC has not been emphasized as an important potential cause of frontal sinus obstruction in the radiology literature, but clinicians should specifically watch for it on all routine computed tomography of the frontal sinus. Fine-cut computed tomography scans aid in the identification of each individual cell and allow the surgeon to formulate a clear and precise surgical plan. A surgical plan with a thorough understanding of the anatomy enables confident dissection of this complex and difficult area.     

Sensory purinergic receptor P2X3 is elevated in burning mouth syndrome

Recent studies show that P2X₃ may play a role in neuropathic pain, including orofacial pain. Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic neuropathic pain condition affecting 0.6–12% of post-menopausal women in the Western world. This study evaluates, for the first time, P2X₃ immunoreactivity levels in lingual mucosa in BMS patients. Patients diagnosed with BMS (n = 9) in accordance with International Association for the Study of Pain criteria and patients attending for wisdom tooth removal (n = 10, controls), were involved in this study. A pain history and score was recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS) prior to obtaining a lingual biopsy. Immunohistochemistry and image analysis were used to quantify submucosal nerve fibres expressing P2X₃ and the structural marker neurofilaments. P2X₃ positive fibres were significantly increased in BMS compared with controls (p = 0.024). In contrast, neurofilament-staining fibres were reduced in BMS, and when expressed as a ratio of the neurofilament percentage area, there was a trend for an increase of P2X₃ positive fibres in the BMS group. Increased P2X₃ immunoreactivity in the trigeminal sensory system may play a role in the symptoms observed in BMS. P2X₃ may therefore be a therapeutic target for treating BMS and trigeminal neuropathic pain.