ABSTRACT
Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) belongs to the serine protease family, which is expressed in most organs, including the brain and spinal cord.tPA plays an important role in the removal of intravascular fibrin deposition and has been approved for thrombolytic therapy for acute cerebral ischemia .In the central nervous system (CNS), tPA displays many important functions, such as neuronal survival or death , synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory processes .tPA can be synthesized by many types of cells, so it has additional functions besides the blood vessels and CNS .In this review, we provide the structural features , the role in cerebral ischemia, and other functions of tPA.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare periodontal ligament anesthesia using a computer-controlled local anesthetic delivery system (C-CLADS) and submucosal infiltration anesthesia using a manually operated syringe in terms of the injection pain, anesthetic effect, anesthetic dose, and complications in healthy volunteers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 56 years, were recruited from September 2012 to May 2013 in the Department of Stomatology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. A randomized self-controlled trial was conducted by applying a periodontal ligament anesthesia on one side and conventional manual submucosal infiltration anesthesia to the other (control) side. The differences in the onset time of anesthesia, drug dosage, anesthetic effect, and the degree of injection pain were compared. The complications associated with the two anesthesia methods were also recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When using C-CLADS to perform a periodontal ligament anesthesia, the drug dosage and the severity of injection pain were significantly less than those of conventional manual infiltration anesthesia [drug dosage: (0.34±0.09)ml vs.(0.55±0.13)ml, P<0.01; VRS: 0.42±0.73 vs. 1.38±0.92, P<0.01; VAS: 1.34±1.21 vs. 3.10±1.70, P<0.01]. The anesthesia success rate was approximately 90.0%, showing no significant difference relative to conventional submucosal infiltration anesthesia. Approximately 24% of the volunteers experienced postoperative pain after periodontal ligament anesthesia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with conventional submucosal infiltration anesthesia using manual syringes, periodontal ligament anesthesia performed using C-CLADS can reduce the injection pain and drug dosage while achieving a satisfactory anesthetic effect; however, a considerable proportion of cases may experience postoperative pain.</p>