Use of poxvirus display to select antibodies specific for complex membrane antigens.

Antibody discovery against complex antigens is limited by the availability of a reproducible pure source of concentrated properly folded antigen. We have developed a technology to enable direct incorporation of membrane proteins such as GPCRs and into the membrane of poxvirus. The protein of interest is correctly folded and expressed in the cell-derived viral membrane and does not require any detergents or refolding before downstream use. The poxvirus is selective in which proteins are incorporated into the viral membrane, making the antigen poxvirus an antigenically cleaner target for in vitro panning. Antigen-expressing virus can be readily purified at scale and used for antibody selection using any in vitro display platform.

Management of chronic posttraumatic headache: a multidisciplinary approach.

Although the definitions and possible treatments of posttraumatic headache have been discussed in the literature, treatment of this condition is not standardized. In addition, though various reviews and case studies have supported the use of spinal manipulation in the treatment of tension-type headaches and migraines, few describe the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment for patients with posttraumatic headache. In describing a 38-year-old woman with posttraumatic headache, we illustrate a multidisciplinary approach-including the use of osteopathic principles and practice-to treating patients with posttraumatic headache.

Diagnosing and managing migraine headache.

Headache is one of the chief complaints among patients visiting primary care physicians. Diagnosis begins with exclusion of secondary causes for headache. More than 90% of patients will have a primary-type headache, so diagnosis can often be completed without further testing. Although tension-type headaches are the most common kind of headache, patients with this type of headache rarely seek treatment unless occurrence is daily. Migraine, which affects more than 30 million people in the United States, is the most common headache diagnosis for which patients seek treatment. Migraine is a chronic, often inherited condition involving brain hypersensitivity and a lowered threshold for trigeminal-vascular activation. Intermittent debilitating attacks are characterized by autonomic, gastrointestinal, and neurologic symptoms. Migraine results in a marked decrease in a patient's quality of life, as measured by physical, mental, and social health-related instruments. Accurate assessment of a patient's disability will guide physicians in prescribing appropriate modes of therapy. However, migraine remains underdiagnosed, and patients with migraine remain undertreated. A comprehensive treatment approach to migraine may include nonpharmacologic measures, as well as abortive and prophylactic medications. Informing patients about realistic treatment expectations, possible delayed efficacy of medications, and avoidance of caffeine and overuse of medications is critical for successful outcomes. Management of migraine is a dynamic process, because headaches evolve over time and medication tachyphylaxis may occur, necessitating changes in therapy. Pathologic findings in the neck constitute an accepted etiology or precipitant for headache. Osteopathic manipulative treatment may reduce pain input into the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, favorably altering neuromuscular-autonomic regulatory mechanisms to reduce discomfort from headache.

Divalproex sodium in the treatment of migraine and cluster headaches.

The discovery of a new class of effective migraine-abortive medications, the triptans, has sparked a new interest in the study of vascular headache. Over the past few years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved six new abortive pharmacologic therapies, with several others in various stages of clinical trials. Unfortunately, concurrent pharmacologic changes in headache prophylaxis have not kept pace with their abortive counterparts. However, divalproex sodium (Depakote), which is approved by the FDA as a migraine prophylactic agent, is the first in the anticonvulsant class of medication for migraine headache and has expanded the options in headache treatment. The objective of this retrospective multicenter study of 284 patients with migraine or cluster headaches was to examine the clinical efficacy and safety of divalproex sodium as prophylaxis in monotherapy and in polytherapy. Sixty-one percent of migraineurs and 73% of cluster patients noted a decrease in pain with divalproex sodium and continued that therapy for more than 3 months. Reported negative side effects included weight gain, nausea, somnolence, tremor, alopecia, dysequilibrium, and rash. However, only 14% of subjects discontinued therapy due to these side effects. Overall, divalproex sodium was found to be an effective and generally well-tolerated prophylactic treatment option as monotherapy or in polytherapy for migraine and cluster headache.