Bromocriptine in augmentation of antipsychotic response in chronic schizophrenia: a negative pilot report.

To further assess the usefulness of bromocriptine in treatment of schizophrenia seven inpatient chronic schizophrenics with acute exacerbation who had failed to respond to four weeks of antipsychotic therapy were treated with bromocriptine 2.5 mg daily for a treatment duration varying from one dose to four weeks while their antipsychotic dose was continued unchanged. Mean age of patients was 38.9 +/- 11.6 years and mean number of prior psychiatric hospitalizations was 12.0 +/- 7.2. Patients were rated with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale prior to the first bromocriptine dose, at 24 hours after dosage initiation, and at weekly intervals. One patient showed clinically significant improvement in both positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms. One patient showed slight improvement in unusual thought content, and four patients were clinically unchanged. One patient significantly worsened after the first dose. Factors possibly contributing to response and non-response are discussed. This is a report of an open study in 7 patients. It is the only report of bromocriptine treatment in patients previously shown unresponsive to antipsychotics and whose antipsychotics dose was held constant throughout the study. Addition of bromocriptine to the antipsychotic regimen remains an unproven treatment approach which may be considered only in patients refractory to or inadequately controlled with antipsychotics.

Prevalence of shovel-shaped incisors in Saudi Arabian dental patients.

The prevalence of maxillary incisor shoveling was studied radiographically in 990 Saudi patients. According to the radiomorphologic characteristics, a new classification was developed and shovel teeth were categorized. The findings of this study showed 9% shovel-shaped incisors; among those, 4% were central incisors and 5% were lateral incisors. Frequency of dens invaginatus occurrence with the shovel-shaped incisors was also investigated. Eight percent of shovel-shaped incisors showed presence of dens invaginatus. Prevalence was found to be 4% in central shovel-shaped incisors, whereas that in lateral shovel-shaped incisors was 11%.

Shovel-shaped incisors and associated invagination in some Asian and African populations.

Shovelling of the incisors is considered to be a polygenic inheritable trait. Shovelling differs considerably between groups of racial populations but is relatively stable within each group. Presence or absence of shovelling helps in racial identification and in exploration of ancestry. Periapical radiographs of patients of several nationalities from Asian and African continents were obtained. Shovelling and invaginations associated with the shovel-shaped incisors was studied according to nationality. Results indicated that the incidence of shovelling in Syrians, Jordanians, Palestinians and Filipinos was 5-6 per cent. In Saudi Arabians, Pakistanis and Indians, the incidence of shovelling was 10-12 per cent. Among Yemenis, Sudanese and Egyptians, the incidence of shovelling was 20-25 percent. The occurrence of invaginations in shovel-shaped incisors was 11 per cent.

Absorbed radiation doses in transcranial temporomandibular joint radiography.

Lateral transcranial radiographs are commonly used to evaluate TMJ morphology and function. This study evaluated the use of four TMJ positioners in controlling the amount of radiation absorbed at predetermined sites on a phantom head. Use of positioners and collimators can reduce the amount of radiation exposure.

Radiographic detection of porosities in removable partial denture castings.

The purpose of this study was to discern the existence of structural defects in removable partial denture frameworks by means of radiographs. A simple technique was described using a dental radiograph unit and routine periapical dental films. All components of removable partial denture castings were radiographed with different angulations. The visibility of defects was clear. Structural defects were located and classified in two brands of removable partial denture base metal alloys (Ticonium and Nobilium) commonly used in fabrication of removable partial denture castings. The technique described is simple, inexpensive, not time-consuming, and can be implemented with minimum instrumentation. Future studies with this radiographic method for investigation of internal defects in fixed prostheses or dental implants are recommended.