[Myofascial pain syndrome in the dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint]

AIM

Selection of the clinical characteristics of pain syndrome in the orofacial region in temporomandibular joint pain dysfunction syndrome (TMJ PDS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred and two patients with TMJ PDS were examined using the Verbal Descriptive Pain Rating Scale of the orofacial area. The Clinical Index of TMJ dysfunction (CID) by Helkimo M. was used for objectification of the level of musculo-tonic disorders in the area of the chewing muscles. The psychopathological status of patients with TMJ PDS was assessed with HRDS and SCL-90-R.

RESULTS

A significant proportion of patients with TMJ PDS, in addition to algic symptoms, have hypertonus of the facial muscles, the nature and severity of which require not only a special diagnostic assessment, but also follow-up treatment. The analysis of data allowed us to identify three clinical groups of patients: with isolated (muscular-tonic), neurological symptoms; with mixed (combination of muscular-tonic and somatoform manifestations) neurological and psychopathological symptoms and with somatoform symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Patients with TMJ PDS are clinically heterogeneous and require clinical differentiation, distinguishing the common group of patients with muscular dysfunction accompanied by pain and emotional response to it (anxiety and minor depressive symptoms) and the group of patients with a somatoform disorder (and manifestations as general anxiety).

[The risk of suicidal behavior in patients with epilepsy]

AIM

To study a role of psychopathological and social factors in the development of suicidal behavior in patients with different forms of epilepsy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred and nineteen patients with epilepsy, 57 men and 62 women, mean age 40.7±0.54 years, were studied using neurological and psychiatric examinations, along with a large battery of scales for assessment patient's state and suicidal behavior.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Clinical and psychological risk factors for suicidal behavior as well as for motivation of suicide prevention are identified. The formation of psychopathology determines the model of personality changes associated with epilepsy and the patients' response to social exclusion and stigma that lead to suicide.

[A comparative study of the efficacy of personality-oriented (reconstructive) and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy in neurotic anxiety disorders with insomnia]

AIM

To study personality-oriented (reconstructive) and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy in patients with neurotic anxiety disorders with insomnia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Ninety-eight patients with disorders coded in ICD-10 as F 40.0; F40.1; F41.0; F41.1; F48.0 were studied. Clinical, psychometric, experimental-psychological methods and polysomnography were used.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Phenomenological insomnia types characteristic of neurotic anxiety disorders and their relationship with types of intrapersonal conflicts are described. A quantitative analysis of the dynamics of symptomatic complains, anxiety level, and insomnia is presented. The efficacy of the both psychotherapeutic treatments is shown. However the personality oriented (reconstructive) psychotherapy has demonstrated better and more stable results. This can be explained first of all by its pathogenesis-oriented nature and involvement of the cognitive emotional and behavioral spheres as well as the resolution of the intrapersonal conflicts, which are the cornerstone of neurotic disorders.

Infrared Laser Activation of Soluble and Membrane Protein Assemblies in the Gas Phase

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) is the dominant method for probing intact macromolecular complexes in the gas phase by means of mass spectrometry (MS). The energy obtained from collisional activation is dependent on the charge state of the ion and the pressures and potentials within the instrument: these factors limit CID capability. Activation by infrared (IR) laser radiation offers an attractive alternative as the radiation energy absorbed by the ions is charge-state-independent and the intensity and time scale of activation is controlled by a laser source external to the mass spectrometer. Here we implement and apply IR activation, in different irradiation regimes, to study both soluble and membrane protein assemblies. We show that IR activation using high-intensity pulsed lasers is faster than collisional and radiative cooling and requires much lower energy than continuous IR irradiation. We demonstrate that IR activation is an effective means for studying membrane protein assemblies, and liberate an intact V-type ATPase complex from detergent micelles, a result that cannot be achieved by means of CID using standard collision energies. Notably, we find that IR activation can be sufficiently soft to retain specific lipids bound to the complex. We further demonstrate that, by applying a combination of collisional activation, mass selection, and IR activation of the liberated complex, we can elucidate subunit stoichiometry and the masses of specifically bound lipids in a single MS experiment.

Dual stoichiometry and subunit organization in the ClpP1/P2 protease from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus

The Clp protease is conserved among eubacteria and most eukaryotes, and uses ATP to drive protein substrate unfolding and translocation into a chamber of sequestered proteolytic active sites. To investigate the proteolytic core of the ClpXP1/P2 protease from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus we have used a non-denaturing mass spectrometry approach. We show that the proteolytic core is a double ring tetradecamer consisting of an equal number of ClpP1 and ClpP2 subunits with masses of 21.70 and 23.44 kDa, respectively. Two stoichiometries are revealed for the heptameric rings: 4ClpP1 + 3ClpP2 and 3ClpP1 + 4ClpP2. When combined in the double ring the stoichiometries are (4ClpP1 + 3ClpP2) + (3ClpP1 + 4ClpP2) and 2 × (3ClpP1 + 4ClpP2) with a low population of a 2 × (4ClpP1 + 3ClpP2) tetradecamer. The assignment of the stoichiometries is confirmed by collision-induced dissociation of selected charge states of the intact heptamer and tetradecamer. Presence of the heterodimers, heterotetramers and heterohexamers, and absence of the mono-oligomers, in the mass spectra of the partially denatured protease indicates that the ring complex consists of a chain of ClpP1/ClpP2 heterodimers with the ring completed by an additional ClpP1 or ClpP2 subunit.

Changes in the geometries of C₂H₂ and C₂H₄ on coordination to CuCl revealed by broadband rotational spectroscopy and ab-initio calculations

The molecular geometries of isolated complexes in which a single molecule of C2H4 or C2H2 is bound to CuCl have been determined through pure rotational spectroscopy and ab-initio calculations. The C2H2···CuCl and C2H4···CuCl complexes are generated through laser vaporization of a copper rod in the presence of a gas sample undergoing supersonic expansion and containing C2H2 (or C2H4), CCl4, and Ar. Results are presented for five isotopologues of C2H2···CuCl and six isotopologues of C2H4···CuCl. Both of these complexes adopt C(2v), T-shaped geometries in which the hydrocarbon binds to the copper atom through its π electrons such that the metal is equidistant from all H atoms. The linear and planar geometries of free C2H2 and C2H4, respectively, are observed to distort significantly on attachment to the CuCl unit, and the various changes are quantified. The ∠(*-C-H) parameter in C2H2 (where * indicates the midpoint of the C≡C bond) is measured to be 192.4(7)° in the r0 geometry of the complex representing a significant change from the linear geometry of the free molecule. This distortion of the linear geometry of C2H2 involves the hydrogen atoms moving away from the copper atom within the complex. Ab-initio calculations at the CCSD(T)(F12*)/AVTZ level predict a dihedral ∠(HCCCu) angle of 96.05° in C2H4···CuCl, and the experimental results are consistent with such a distortion from planarity. The bonds connecting the carbon atoms within each of C2H2 and C2H4, respectively, extend by 0.027 and 0.029 Å relative to the bond lengths in the isolated molecules. Force constants, k(σ), and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, χ(aa)(Cu), [χ(bb)(Cu) - χ(cc)(Cu)], χ(aa)(Cl), and [χ(bb)(Cl) - χ(cc)(Cl)], are independently determined for all isotopologues of C2H2···CuCl studied and for four isotopologues of C2H4···CuCl.

Mass-selective soft-landing of protein assemblies with controlled landing energies

Selection and soft-landing of bionanoparticles in vacuum is potentially a preparative approach to separate heterogeneous mixtures for high-resolution structural study or to deposit homogeneous materials for nanotechnological applications. Soft-landing of intact protein assemblies however remains challenging, due to the difficulties of manipulating these heavy species in mass-selective devices and retaining their structure during the experiment. We have developed a tandem mass spectrometer with the capability for controlled ion soft-landing and ex situ visualization of the soft-landed particles by means of transmission electron microscopy. The deposition conditions can be controlled by adjusting the kinetic energies of the ions by applying accelerating or decelerating voltages to a set of ion-steering optics. To validate this approach, we have examined two cage-like protein complexes, GroEL and ferritin, and studied the effect of soft-landing conditions on the method's throughput and the preservation of protein structure. Separation, based on mass-to-charge ratio, of holo- and apo-ferritin complexes after electrospray ionization enabled us to soft-land independently the separated complexes on a grid suitable for downstream transmission electron microscopy analysis. Following negative staining, images of the soft-landed complexes reveal that their structural integrity is largely conserved, with the characteristic central cavity of apoferritin, and iron core of holoferritin, surviving the phase transition from liquid to gas, soft-landing, and dehydration in vacuum.

Nitration of lysozyme by ultrasonic waves; demonstration by immunochemistry and mass spectrometry

Solutions containing hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and nitrite were exposed to ultrasonic irradiation in order to study the possible sonochemical modifications. This is the first demonstration of the nitration of tyrosine residues in a protein (lysozyme) by the use of an ultrasonic field alone. Sonochemically nitrated lysozyme was detected using the immunochemical techniques dot blot immunodetection and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The sonically oxidised and nitrated protein solutions were analysed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry. Hydroxylated species were found in the absence of nitrite, whereas nitration was the major modification in the presence of nitrating agent, implying a competing mechanism between hydroxyl radicals and nitrite. Circular dichroism (CD) indicated that the ultrasonic experimental conditions chosen in this study had little effect on the tertiary and secondary structures of HEWL. Whilst enzymatic assay showed that the presence of nitrite provided a protective effect on the inactivation of the protein under ultrasonic irradiation, nevertheless partially purified, sonically nitrated lysozyme showed a dramatic decrease in lytic activity.

Top-down mass analysis of protein tyrosine nitration: comparison of electron capture dissociation with "slow-heating" tandem mass spectrometry methods

Tyrosine nitration in proteins is an important post-translational modification (PTM) linked to various pathological conditions. When multiple potential sites of nitration exist, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) methods provide unique tools to locate the nitro-tyrosine(s) precisely. Electron capture dissociation (ECD) is a powerful MS/MS method, different in its mechanisms to the "slow-heating" threshold fragmentation methods, such as collision-induced dissociation (CID) and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD). Generally, ECD provides more homogeneous cleavage of the protein backbone and preserves labile PTMs. However recent studies in our laboratory demonstrated that ECD of doubly charged nitrated peptides is inhibited by the large electron affinity of the nitro group, while CID efficiency remains unaffected by nitration. Here, we have investigated the efficiency of ECD versus CID and IRMPD for top-down MS/MS analysis of multiply charged intact nitrated protein ions of myoglobin, lysozyme, and cytochrome c in a commercial Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. CID and IRMPD produced more cleavages in the vicinity of the sites of nitration than ECD. However the total number of ECD fragments was greater than those from CID or IRMPD, and many ECD fragments contained the site(s) of nitration. We conclude that ECD can be used in the top-down analysis of nitrated proteins, but precise localization of the sites of nitration may require either of the "slow-heating" methods.

Retention of enzyme activity with a boron-doped diamond electrode in the electro-oxidative nitration of lysozyme

In this paper we report the successful use of a non-metallic electrode material, boron-doped diamond (BDD), for the anodic electro-oxidative modification of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL). Platinum electrodes can give rise to loss of activity of HEWL in electrosynthetic studies, whereas activity is retained on boron-doped diamond which is proposed as an effective substitute material for this purpose. We also compare literature methods of electrode pre-treatment to determine the most effective in electrosynthesis. Our findings show a decrease in total nitroprotein yield with decreasing nitrite concentration and an increase with increasing solution pH, confirming that, at a BDD electrode, the controlling factor remains the concentration of tyrosine phenolate anion. Purification of mono- and bis-nitrated HEWL and assay of enzymic activity showed better retention of activity at BDD electrode surfaces when compared to platinum. The products from electro-oxidation of HEWL at BDD were confirmed by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ESI-FT-ICR) mass spectrometry, which revealed unique mass increases of +45 and +90 Da for the mono- and bis-nitrated lysozyme, respectively, corresponding to nitration at tyrosine residues. The nitration sites were confirmed as Tyr23 and Tyr20.

Electron capture dissociation mass spectrometry of tyrosine nitrated peptides

In vivo protein nitration is associated with many disease conditions that involve oxidative stress and inflammatory response. The modification involves addition of a nitro group at the position ortho to the phenol group of tyrosine to give 3-nitrotyrosine. To understand the mechanisms and consequences of protein nitration, it is necessary to develop methods for identification of nitrotyrosine-containing proteins and localization of the sites of modification. Here, we have investigated the electron capture dissociation (ECD) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) behavior of 3-nitrotyrosine-containing peptides. The presence of nitration did not affect the CID behavior of the peptides. For the doubly-charged peptides, addition of nitration severely inhibited the production of ECD sequence fragments. However, ECD of the triply-charged nitrated peptides resulted in some singly-charged sequence fragments. ECD of the nitrated peptides is characterized by multiple losses of small neutral species including hydroxyl radicals, water and ammonia. The origin of the neutral losses has been investigated by use of activated ion (AI) ECD. Loss of ammonia appears to be the result of non-covalent interactions between the nitro group and protonated lysine side-chains.

Activated Ion Electron Capture Dissociation (AI ECD) of proteins: synchronization of infrared and electron irradiation with ion magnetron motion

Here, we show that to perform activated ion electron capture dissociation (AI-ECD) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer equipped with a CO(2) laser, it is necessary to synchronize both infrared irradiation and electron capture dissociation with ion magnetron motion. This requirement is essential for instruments in which the infrared laser is angled off-axis, such as the Thermo Finnigan LTQ FT. Generally, the electron irradiation time required for proteins is much shorter (ms) than that required for peptides (tens of ms), and the modulation of ECD, AI ECD, and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) with ion magnetron motion is more pronounced. We have optimized AI ECD for ubiquitin, cytochrome c, and myoglobin; however the results can be extended to other proteins. We demonstrate that pre-ECD and post-ECD activation are physically different and display different kinetics. We also demonstrate how, by use of appropriate AI ECD time sequences and normalization, the kinetics of protein gas-phase refolding can be deconvoluted from the diffusion of the ion cloud and measured on the time scale longer than the period of ion magnetron motion.

Selected ion flow tube study of the ion-molecule reactions of monochloroethene, trichloroethene, and tetrachloroethene

Data for the rate coefficients and product cations of the reactions of a large number of atomic and small molecular cations with monochloroethene, trichloroethene, and tetrachloroethene in a selected ion flow tube at 298 K are reported. The recombination energy of the ions range from 6.27 (H3O(+)) through to 21.56 (Ne(+)) eV. Collisional rate coefficients are calculated by modified average dipole orientation theory and compared with experimental values. Thermochemistry and mass balance predict the most feasible neutral products. Together with previously reported results for the three isomers of dichloroethene ( Mikhailov, V. A. ; Parkes, M. A. ; Tuckett, R. P. ; Mayhew, C. A. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 5760 ), the fragment ion branching ratios have been compared with those from threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy over the photon energy range of 9-22 eV to determine the importance or otherwise of long-range charge transfer. For ions with recombination energy in excess of the ionization energy of the chloroethene, charge transfer is energetically allowed. The similarity of the branching ratios from the two experiments suggest that long-range charge transfer is dominant. For ions with recombination energy less than the ionization energy, charge transfer is not allowed; chemical reaction can only occur following formation of an ion-molecule complex, where steric effects are more significant. The products that are now formed and their percentage yields are a complex interplay between the number and position of the chlorine atoms with respect to the C=C bond, where inductive and conjugation effects can be important.

Threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy and selected ion flow tube cation-molecule reaction studies of cyclic-C4F8

Using tunable vacuum-UV radiation from a synchrotron, the threshold photoelectron and threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectra of cyclic-C4F8 in the range 11-25 eV have been recorded. The parent ion is observed very weakly at threshold, 11.60 eV, and is most likely to have cyclic geometry. Ion yield curves and branching ratios have been determined for five fragments. Above threshold, the first ion observed is C3F5+, at slightly higher energy C2F4+, then successively CF+, CF2+ and CF3+ are formed. The dominant ions are C3F5+ and C2F4+, with the data suggesting the presence of a barrier in the exit channel to production of C3F5+ whilst no barrier to production of C2F4+. In complementary experiments, the product branching ratios and rate coefficients have been measured in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT) at 298 K for the bimolecular reactions of cyclic-C4F8 with a large number of atomic and small molecular cations. Below the energy where charge transfer becomes energetically allowed, only one of the ions, CF2+, reacts. Above this energy, all but one of the remaining ions react. Experimental rate coefficients are consistently greater than the collisional values calculated from modified average dipole orientation theory. The inclusion of an additional ion-quadrupole interaction has allowed better agreement to be achieved. With the exception of N+, a comparison of the fragment ion branching ratios from the TPEPICO and SIFT data suggest that long-range charge transfer is the dominate mechanism for reactions of ions with recombination energy between 12.9 and 15.8 eV. For all other ions, either short-range charge transfer or a chemical reaction, involving cleavage and making of new bond(s), is the dominant mechanism.

Infrared spectroscopy of Li(NH3)n clusters for n=4–7

Infrared spectra of Li(NH3)(n) clusters as a function of size are reported for the first time. Spectra have been recorded in the N-H stretching region for n=4-->7 using a mass-selective photodissociation technique. For the n=4 cluster, three distinct IR absorption bands are seen over a relatively narrow region, whereas the larger clusters yield additional features at higher frequencies. Ab initio calculations have been carried out in support of these experiments for the specific cases of n=4 and 5 for various isomers of these clusters. The bands observed in the spectrum for Li(NH3)(4) can all be attributed to N-H stretching vibrations from solvent molecules in the first solvation shell. The appearance of higher frequency N-H stretching bands for n > or =5 is assigned to the presence of ammonia molecules located in a second solvent shell. These data provide strong support for previous suggestions, based on gas phase photoionization measurements, that the first solvation shell for Li(NH3)(n) is complete at n=4. They are also consistent with neutron diffraction studies of concentrated lithium/liquid ammonia solutions, where Li(NH3)(4) is found to be the basic structural motif.

Isomeric Effects in the Gas-Phase Reactions of Dichloroethene, C2H2Cl2, with a Series of Cations

A study of the reactions of a series of gas-phase cations (NH(4)(+), H(3)O(+), SF(3)(+), CF(3)(+), CF(+), SF(5)(+), SF(2)(+), SF(+), CF(2)(+), SF(4)(+), O(2)(+), Xe(+), N(2)O(+), CO(2)(+), Kr(+), CO(+), N(+), N(2)(+), Ar(+), F(+), and Ne(+)) with the three structural isomers of dichloroethene, i.e., 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), cis-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), and trans-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) is reported. The recombination energy (RE) of these ions spans the range of 4.7-21.6 eV. Reaction rate coefficients and product branching ratios have been measured at 298 K in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT). Collisional rate coefficients are calculated by modified average dipole orientation (MADO) theory and compared with experimental data. Thermochemistry and mass balance have been used to predict the most feasible neutral products. Threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectra have also been obtained for the three isomers of C(2)H(2)Cl(2) with photon energies in the range of 10-23 eV. The fragment ion branching ratios have been compared with those of the flow tube study to determine the importance of long-range charge transfer. A strong influence of the isomeric structure of dichloroethene on the products of ion-molecule reactions has been observed for H(3)O(+), CF(3)(+), and CF(+). For 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) the reaction with H(3)O(+) proceeds at the collisional rate with the only ionic product being 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2)H(+). However, the same reaction yields two more ionic products in the case of cis-1,2- and trans-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), but only proceeds with 14% and 18% efficiency, respectively. The CF(3)(+) reaction proceeds with 56-80% efficiency, the only ionic product for 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) being C(2)H(2)Cl(+) formed via Cl(-) abstraction, whereas the only ionic product for both 1,2-isomers is CHCl(2)(+) corresponding to a breaking of the C=C double bond. Less profound isomeric effects, but still resulting in different products for 1,1- and 1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) isomers, have been found in the reactions of SF(+), CO(2)(+), CO(+), N(2)(+), and Ar(+). Although these five ions have REs above the ionization energy (IE) of any of the C(2)H(2)Cl(2) isomers, and hence the threshold for long-range charge transfer, the results suggest that the formation of a collision complex at short range between these ions and C(2)H(2)Cl(2) is responsible for the observed effects.