Mini-implant-supported twin-block appliance: An innovative modification

Twin block is a commonly used appliance for correction of retrognathic mandible in growing patients. However, it has a drawback of causing lower incisor proclination, which reduces its potential of achieving maximum skeletal effects. Thus, we introduced a novel modification in the present design to facilitate greater anteroposterior effects in skeletal dimension. The aim of the present case reports is to evaluate the efficacy of this modified twin block. Here we present two cases treated with mini-implant-supported twin-block appliance, which successfully controlled the lower incisor position, thereby increasing the envelope for orthopedic correction in class II myofunctional therapy. This modification is useful in growing patients with retruded mandible to achieve maximum skeletal effects.

Biochemical alteration of hepatic functions by histamine H3-receptor agonist and antagonist in immunized rabbits

AIM

The aim of our study was to investigate the functional roles of H3R agonist and antagonist in the development of hepatic functions impairment in immunized rabbits.

METHODS

The study comprised of six groups containing 18 rabbits in each. Group-I (negative control) and group-II (positive control) received sterile distilled water intramuscularly while Group III-VI received histamine (100 µgkg-1, s.c.), R-[-]-α-methylhistamine (H3R-agonist, 10 µgkg-1, s.c.), iodophenpropit (H3R-antagonist, 1 µgkg-1, i.m.), and the combination of iodophenpropit (1 µgkg-1, i.m.) plus histamine (100 µgkg-1, s.c.), respectively, b.i.d. (12 hours [8 am and 8 pm]) for 10 days. Groups II-VI were immunized on day 3 with intravenous injection of sheep red blood cells (1×109 cells/ml).

RESULTS

On each experimental day, the mean values of serum enzymes and bilirubin in group-I and group-II showed no changes while in groups III, IV, V, and VI, these enzymes and bilirubin levels showed significant changes (p<0.05), when compared with their values within the group. Profile of ALT and AST production revealed that ALT and AST levels moderately were changed due to degeneration of the liver.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that R-[-]-α-methylhistamine showed moderate, and histamine and iodophenpropit showed mild degeneration of liver functions; while iodophenpropit plus histamine showed hepatic functions similar to control group. This study suggests that H3R antagonist in combination with histamine may be a non-toxic therapeutic target for histamine research (Fig. 7, Ref. 28). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.

Pharmaco-EcoMicrobiology: a newer component of medical sciences bridging pharmacovigilance, ecology, and environmental microbiology

Environmental scientists are now raising great concern on the impact of drugs on the environment and microbiologists are concerned about increasing antibiotic resistance due to irrational usage. However, a focus on the impact by the use of antibiotics (irrational/prescribed) to the environment at therapeutic doses has not been instituted. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) defined "Pharmacovigilance" activities as the monitoring, detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of any adverse reactions to drugs at therapeutic concentration on animals and humans. Nevertheless, there is little attention being given to identifying the adverse effects (ADEs) of antimicrobial agents on the environment (given at therapeutic doses). This issue has been highlighted in the present commentary and a new domain, "Pharmaco-EcoMicrobiology", has been proposed which should deal with and monitor such adverse effects. The term "Pharmaco-EcoMicrobiology" has been proposed to define the interplay between antimicrobial pharmacological agents and animate microbial ecology. This new domain, "Pharmaco-EcoMicrobiology", has been derived by the aggregation of three important branches of science (pharmacology+ecology+microbiology) and would be responsible for studying the ADEs due to antimicrobial drugs excreted in environment.