Evaluation of postoperative diflunisal for periodontal surgery pain

This study evaluated the efficacy of diflunisal as an analgesic to reduce postoperative pain when administered immediately following periodontal surgery. It was a continuation of a previous investigation which tested the effectiveness of diflunisal, administered preoperatively, in reducing periodontal surgical pain. Twenty-four patients were divided into two groups in a double-blind, random manner. Group 1 received postoperative therapeutic doses of diflunisal equal to the preoperative doses administered in the first study, and Group 2 received postoperative placebos. The postoperative diflunisal group reported significantly less pain (P less than or equal to 0.05) than the postoperative placebo group, and used rescue medication significantly less often (P less than or equal to 0.05). There was no significant difference in postsurgical discomfort between diflunisal administered postoperatively in this study and equal dosages of diflunisal administered preoperatively as previously reported.     

Arthroscopic TMJ surgery: effects on signs, symptoms, and disc position

Nineteen subjects with documented intra-articular pathology refractory to nonsurgical therapies underwent temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy involving lysis and lavage in the superior joint space. Following surgery, subjects were evaluated for 6 to 12 months by clinical examinations and questionnaires at designated time periods and by postsurgical joint imaging. Significant improvement was noted in pain, mandibular movement, and diet. No improvement was noted in the incidence of joint sounds, and disc position was unchanged in 80% of the joints. The findings suggest that disc repositioning may not be needed to achieve clinical success.     

The impact of pharmacy-based immunization services on the likelihood of immunization in the United States

Objectives

A major policy to increase immunization rates against infectious diseases in the United States has included pharmacy-based immunization services. We aimed to determine the impact of pharmacy-based immunization services on the likelihood of adult influenza and pneumococcal immunization.

Asthma control and need for future asthma controller therapy among inner-city Hispanic asthmatic children engaged in a pediatric asthma disease management program (the Breathmobile program,Mobile Asthma Care for Kids Network)

Objective: To determine whether significant numbers of asthmatic children with initially rated intermittent asthma later suffer poor asthma control and require the addition of controller medications. Methods: Inner-city Hispanic children were followed prospectively in an asthma-specific disease management system (Breathmobile) for a period of 2 years. Clinical asthma symptoms, morbidity treatment, and demographic data were collected at each visit. Treatment was based upon National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Expert Panel Report 3 asthma guidelines. Primary outcome was percentage of patients with intermittent asthma who had not well or poorly controlled asthma during subsequent visits and required controller agents. Secondary outcomes were factors associated with the maintenance of asthma control. Results: About 30.9% of the patients with initial rating of intermittent asthma had not well controlled and poorly controlled asthma during subsequent visits and required the addition of controller agents. Factors associated with good asthma control were compliance, no previous emergency room visits and previous visit during spring season. Conclusion: Asthmatic children with intermittent asthma often lose asthma control and require controller therapy. This justifies asthma guideline recommendations to assess asthma control at follow-up visits and adjust therapy accordingly.     

Rural and urban injection drug use in Puerto Rico: Network implications for human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus infection

Understanding the short- and long-term transmission dynamics of blood-borne illnesses in network contexts represents an important public health priority for people who inject drugs and the general population that surrounds them. The purpose of this article is to compare the risk networks of urban and rural people who inject drugs in Puerto Rico. In the current study, network characteristics are drawn from the sampling “trees” used to recruit participants to the study. We found that injection frequency is the only factor significantly related to clustering behavior among both urban and rural people who inject drugs.