[Use of hypnosis in treating a patient with dental anxiety: A case study].

Dental anxiety is quite common and may lead to dental neglect due to lack of regular visits to the dental clinic. The difficulties in managing anxious patients are characterized by prolonged visits, a tendency to cancel appointments and a tense atmo- sphere during treatment. The use of hypnosis while treating an anxious patient can help create a posi- tive environment and shorten the duration of dental appointments as well. The article describes a case in which hypnosis was used while treating a patient who had suffered from dental anxiety for over 20 years.

Differential activation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathways by vasculotropic amyloid-beta variants in cells composing the cerebral vessel walls.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is an age-associated condition and a common finding in Alzheimer's disease in which amyloid-beta (Abeta) vascular deposits are featured in >80% of the cases. Familial Abeta variants bearing substitutions at positions 21-23 are primarily associated with CAA, although they manifest with strikingly different clinical phenotypes: cerebral hemorrhage or dementia. The recently reported Piedmont L34V Abeta mutant, located outside the hot spot 21-23, shows a similar hemorrhagic phenotype, albeit less aggressive than the widely studied Dutch E22Q variant. We monitored the apoptotic events occurring after stimulation of human brain microvascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells with nonfibrillar structures of both variants and wild-type Abeta40. Induction of analogous caspase-mediated mitochondrial pathways was elicited by all peptides, although within different time frames and intensity. Activated pathways were susceptible to pharmacological modulation either through direct inhibition of mitochondrial cytochrome c release or by the action of pan- and pathway-specific caspase inhibitors, giving a clear indication of the independent or synergistic engagement of both extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms. Structural analyses of the Abeta peptides showed that apoptosis preceded fibril formation, correlating with the presence of oligomers and/or protofibrils. The data support the notion that rare genetic mutations constitute unique paradigms to understand the molecular pathogenesis of CAA.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid prevents E22Q Alzheimer's Abeta toxicity in human cerebral endothelial cells.

The vasculotropic E22Q mutant of the amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide is associated with hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis Dutch type. The cellular mechanism(s) of toxicity and nature of the AbetaE22Q toxic assemblies are not completely understood. Comparative assessment of structural parameters and cell death mechanisms elicited in primary human cerebral endothelial cells by AbetaE22Q and wild-type Abeta revealed that only AbetaE22Q triggered the Bax mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. AbetaE22Q neither matched the fast oligomerization kinetics of Abeta42 nor reached its predominant beta-sheet structure, achieving a modest degree of oligomerization with a secondary structure that remained a mixture of beta and random conformations. The endogenous molecule tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) was a strong modulator of AbetaE22Q-triggered apoptosis but did not significantly change the secondary structures and fibrillogenic propensities of Abeta peptides. These data dissociate the pro-apoptotic properties of Abeta peptides from their distinct mechanisms of aggregation/fibrillization in vitro, providing new perspectives for modulation of amyloid toxicity.

Tropical drying trends in global warming models and observations.

Anthropogenic changes in tropical rainfall are evaluated in a multimodel ensemble of global warming simulations. Major discrepancies on the spatial distribution of these precipitation changes remain in the latest-generation models analyzed here. Despite this uncertainty, we find a number of measures, both global and local, on which reasonable agreement is obtained, notably for the regions of drying trend (negative precipitation anomalies). Models agree on the overall amplitude of the precipitation decreases that occur at the margins of the convective zones, with percent error bars of magnitude similar to those for the tropical warming. Similar agreement is found on a precipitation climate sensitivity defined here and on differential moisture increase inside and outside convection zones, a step in a hypothesized causal path leading to precipitation changes. A measure of local intermodel agreement on significant trends indicates consistent predictions for particular regions. Observed rainfall trends in several data sets show a significant summer drying trend in a main region of intermodel agreement: the Caribbean/Central-American region.

The incidence of chronic post-sternotomy pain after cardiac surgery--a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Post-sternotomy pain is sometimes a sequela of cardiac surgery. The incidence, characteristics and clinical course of post-sternotomy pain are not well known. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of chronic post-sternotomy pain in patients undergoing sternotomy for cardiac surgery in general and according to the specific surgical procedure. METHOD: In a prospective manner, a group of 349 consecutive patients were evaluated for chronic post-sternotomy pain one year after surgery. The patients were asked in a postal questionnaire to describe and score any persistent pain following the surgical procedure. The patients were classified into 3 sub-groups according to surgical procedure. The first group consisted of patients operated for coronary artery by-pass grafting (CABG) including internal thoracic artery grafting (ITAG). The second group included patients operated with CABG without ITAG and the third group of patients with valve replacement without CABG. RESULT: A total of 318 patients (91%) answered the questionnaire of whom 90 (28%) reported chest discomfort different from what they experienced before surgery. The scoring on the visual analogue scale (VAS, 0-100 mm) showed that 41 patients (13%) reported maximum pain intensity > or =30 mm (moderate pain), and 14 of these patients (4%) scored > or =54 mm (severe pain). There was no statistically significant difference in pain incidence and pain intensity when comparing the patients subjected to different surgical procedures. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study shows that the overall incidence of non-cardiac pain after sternotomy for cardiac surgery is high (28%). Most patients experience a modest pain intensity but some (1%) report severe pain, never being lower than 54 mm on VAS. The study also indicates that the incidence of pain after sternotomy is not only associated with harvest of the ITA and additional aetiological factors must be sought.

Prevalence and characteristics of post-partum thyroid dysfunction: results of a survey from Toronto, Canada.

In order to determine the prevalence of post-partum thyroid dysfunction in our region, 1,376 randomly selected mothers were enrolled immediately post-partum and followed prospectively over a 2 year period in a large single-center survey. Beginning at delivery, sequential clinical and laboratory assessments were conducted at 6-8 week intervals up to 1 year post-partum and a questionnaire was administered at 3 months post-partum. Among the 1,376 mothers who qualified for entry into this study, 495 (36%) completed at least 3 months follow-up and 300 (22%) completed at least 1 year of follow-up. Abnormalities in post-partum thyroid function (PTD) were detected in 82 of the 1,376 enrolled mothers for an overall minimum prevalence rate of 6.0%. Hyperthyroidism confirmed to be associated with a low 24h radioactive iodine thyroid uptake (RAIU), compatible with the post-partum painless thyroiditis syndrome (PPT) was documented in 44 (3.2% minimum prevalence of typical PPT) of which 39 (89%) had a typical biphasic (hyperthyroid to hypothyroid) PTD while 5 (11%) had only a hyperthyroid phase with a suppressed RAIU without a subsequent hypothyroid phase. Another 17 (1.2%) had transient hyperthyroidism likely due to PPT but were not confirmed by an RAIU test and did not evolve to a detectable hypothyroid phase; and, 17 mothers (1.2%) had hypothyroidism between 5-7 months post-partum without preceding hyperthyroidism, resulting in an overall minimum prevalence of 5.7% for all variants of PPT. Graves' hyperthyroidism occurred in 3 (0.2%) and toxic nodular goiter was present in 1 (0.07%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Polyglandular autoimmune syndrome: current concepts.

The polyglandular autoimmune syndrome (PGAS) is characterized by the association of two or more endocrine disorders that are mediated by autoimmune mechanisms and usually lead to a hypofunctional state. In this review we classify the various types of PGAS and discuss their clinical features and the pathophysiologic autoimmune mechanisms that are thought to play an important role. Circulating organ- and cell-specific autoantibodies are frequently detected in patients with the syndrome and may be a marker of future organ failure. PGAS should be considered in patients with one or more of the disorders constituting the syndrome; this should facilitate early diagnosis and perhaps even prevention of other components of the disease. Early recognition and replacement therapy can be life-saving, particularly when there is adrenal or thyroid insufficiency.