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Clinical Point (clinical + point)
Selected AbstractsArtificial Oxygen Carriers: A Clinical Point of ViewARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 2 2009Akira T. Kawaguchi MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Interactions Between Oxcarbazepine and Conventional Antiepileptic Drugs in the Maximal Electroshock Test in Mice: An Isobolographic AnalysisEPILEPSIA, Issue 4 2003Jarogniew J. Luszczki Summary: ,Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the types of interactions between oxcarbazepine (OCBZ) and conventional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) against maximal electroshock-induced seizures (MES test) in mice, by using a method of isobolographic analysis. Methods: Adverse effects of combinations were evaluated in the chimney test (motor performance), also using the isobolographic method, which allowed determination of the median toxic dose (TD50) values for individual combinations; thus the protective indices could be determined. Results: OCBZ and phenytoin (PHT) at the fixed-ratio combination of 1:1 were significantly infraadditive (antagonistic) with respect to the antiseizure protection against MES and simultaneously additive in terms of side effects in the chimney test. Interestingly, combinations between OCBZ and clonazepam (CZP) in the MES test proved antagonistic or synergistic, depending on the proportion of both AEDs in the mixture. Low doses of OCBZ with high doses of CZP exerted antagonism. Conversely, high doses of OCBZ combined with low doses of CZP resulted in a synergistic interaction. Remaining combinations between OCBZ and phenobarbital, valproate, or carbamazepine were purely additive, either as regards the anticonvulsant activity against MES or in terms of motor impairment in the chimney test. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that interaction of OCBZ and CZP at fixed-ratio combination of 1:1 might be profitable from a clinical point of view. Conversely, combinations of OCBZ with PHT may not be clinically efficient. [source] Functional effects of mutations identified in patients with Multiminicore diseaseIUBMB LIFE, Issue 1 2007Francesco Zorzato Abstract Multiminicore disease is a recessive congenital myopathy characterized by the presence of small cores or areas lacking oxidative enzymes, in skeletal muscle fibres. From a clinical point of view, the condition is widely heterogeneous and at least four phenotypes have been identified; genetic analysis has revealed that most patients with the classical form of multiminicore characterized by rigidity of the spine, early onset and respiratory impairment harbour recessive mutations in the SEPN1 gene, whereas the majority of patients belonging to the other categories, including patients with ophthalmoplegia or patients with a phenotype similar to central core disease, carry recessive mutations in the RYR1. In the present review we discuss the most recent findings on the functional effect of mutations in SEPN1 and RYR1 and discuss how they may adversely affect muscle function and lead to the clinical phenotype. IUBMB Life, 59: 14-20, 2007 [source] Influence of the remelting process on the fatigue behavior of electron beam irradiated UHMWPEJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006J. A. Puértolas Abstract Electron beam irradiation at doses below 150 kGy is a widely used technique to obtain highly crosslinked ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Its current use in total joint replacement components may improve wear resistance and decrease UHMWPE particle debris. However, currently used post-irradiation thermal treatments, which aim to decrease the free radicals within the material, introduce microstructural changes that affect UHMWPE mechanical properties, particularly the fatigue strength. This influence may be crucial in total knee replacements, where fatigue-related damage limits the lifespan of the prosthesis. Therefore, more studies are required to understand UHMWPE fatigue after current crosslinking protocols. This study was planned to evaluate the influence of UHMWPE remelting after irradiation on the material fatigue resistance. The remelting was achieved at 150°C for 2 h on UHMWPE previously irradiated at 50, 100, and 150 kGy. Fatigue evaluation included short-term tests under cyclic tensile stress with zero load ratio, R = 0, and 1 Hz. In addition, stress-life testing was performed using 12% yield as the criterion for failure. Near-threshold fatigue crack propagation experiments were also performed at a frequency of 5 Hz, and crack length was measured in nonthermally treated and remelted irradiated UHMWPE. Crystallinity percentage was calculated from DSC measurements. The results pointed out that irradiation positively contributed to total life analysis, but the further remelting process decreased the flaw initiation resistance. On the other hand, both processes negatively affected the fatigue resistance of notched components. From a clinical point of view, the results suggest that the material fatigue behavior should be carefully studied in new UHMWPE to avoid changes related to material processing. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2006 [source] Fluoride release and uptake by four new fluoride releasing restorative materialsJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 9 2003P. Dionysopoulos Summary, The present study compared the initial fluoride release and release following refluoridation of a conventional glass,ionomer Ketac-Molar (ESPE), a resin-modified glass,ionomer, Vitremer (3M), and two compomers F-2000 (3M) and Hytac (ESPE). Fifteen test specimens were prepared for each brand and immersed in deionized water. The fluoride released was measured every 2 days for 22 days. Refluoridation of the test specimens was done with solutions of 0·02, 0·04 and 0·2% NaF for 5 min on days 22, 30, 38 and 46. The fluoride released from recharged specimens was measured every 2 days until day 54. The fluoride release was highest during the first days after preparation, after which it decreased sharply and then more slowly. The four materials became ,recharged' with fluoride following repeated fluoride exposure in solution, the 0·2% solution being the most effective. From a clinical point of view, the results from this study imply that all the restorative materials tested may act as intra-oral devices for the controlled slow release of fluoride at sites at risk of recurrent caries. Fluoride release and uptake by four new fluoride releasing restorative materials. [source] Statistical Tests Based on New Composite Hypotheses in Clinical Trials Reflecting the Relative Clinical Importance of Multiple Endpoints QuantitativelyBIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Masako Nishikawa Abstract In clinical trials, several endpoints (EPs) are often evaluated to compare treatments in some therapeutic area. Suppose that there are two EPs in a clinical trial. We propose a new set of composite hypotheses for continuous variables, taking the relative clinical importance of the EPs into account. The main hypotheses were formulated to show that a treatment is so superior to the control treatment, which is not necessarily a placebo, in one EP, that the possible non-inferiority of the treatment by at most a certain value in the other EP can be compensated sufficiently, taking the clinical point of view into account. The maximum non-inferiority margin of one EP might not be a biologically unimportant difference in exchange for much superiority of the other EP. This formulation leads to a new composite EP and a very simple test statistic. The intersection-union principle was employed to derive the proposed test. [source] Dental implants placement in conjunction with osteotome sinus floor elevation: a 12-year life-table analysis from a prospective study on 588 ITI®implantsCLINICAL ORAL IMPLANTS RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006Nicola Ferrigno Abstract Objectives: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the clinical success of placing ITI dental implants in the posterior maxilla using the osteotome technique. Material and methods: All implants were placed following a one-stage protocol (elevating the sinus floor and placing the implant at the same time). Five hundred and eighty-eight implants were placed in 323 consecutive patients with a residual vertical height of bone under the sinus ranging from 6 to 9 mm. The mean observation follow-up period was 59.7 months (with a range of 12,144 months). This prospective study not only calculated the 12-year cumulative survival and success rates for 588 implants by life-table analysis but also the cumulative success rates for implant subgroups divided per implant length and the percentage of sinus membrane perforation were evaluated. Results: The 12-year cumulative survival and success rates were 94.8% and 90.8%, respectively. The analysis of implant subgroups showed slightly more favourable cumulative success rates for 12 mm long implants (93.4%) compared with 10 and 8 mm long implants (90.5% and 88.9%, respectively). During the study period, only 13 perforations of the Schneiderian membrane were detected with a perforation rate of 2.2% (13 perforations/601 treated sites). Ten perforations out of 13 were caused during the first half of the study period and of these, seven were detected during the first 3 years of this prospective study. Conclusion: Based on the results and within the limits of the present study, it can be concluded that ITI implant placement in conjunction with osteotome sinus floor elevation represents a safe modality of treating the posterior maxilla in areas with reduced bone height subjacent to the sinus as survival and success rates were maintained above 90% for a mean observation period of ,60 months. Shorter implants (8 mm implants) did not significantly fail more than longer ones (10 and 12 mm implants): the differences were small compared with the number of events; hence, no statistical conclusion could be drawn. But, from the clinical point of view, the predictable use of short implants in conjunction with osteotome sinus floor elevation may reduce the indication for complex invasive procedures like sinus lift and bone grafting procedures. [source] | ||||||||||