EFFICASY OF THE USE OF NOOFEN® IN THE TREATMENT OF TENSION TYPE HEADACHE

We conducted a study including patients with tension type headache (TTH) (n = 60) at the age of 37.2 ± 10.2. The criteria for the International Headache Classification, third edition (beta version) were used. The following outcome measures were compared: EEG, visual analog scale (VAS), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), pulse variation measurement, Wein Scale. 60 patients presenting with TTH were randomly assigned to phenibut (500 mg/day) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) for 4 weeks. The findings indicate the potential benefit of phenibut as effective and safe symptomatic therapy in diverse forms of tension type headache.

Response of Prochilodus nigricans to flood pulse variation in the central Amazon

The influence of the flood pulse on fish populations has been posited, but infrequently tested or quantified. Here, we tested the effect of habitat on population size, using Prochilodus nigricans as a case study species. Floodplain habitat was based on the littoral zone area occupied by P. nigricans to feed. The magnitude of this habitat in each hydrological year, the moving littoral (ML), was expressed as the sum of daily littoral areas during the advancing flood pulse, using satellite-based passive microwave data. Annual population size was estimated by age class, using a dynamic age-structured model (MULTIFAN-CL) based on catches, effort and fish length frequencies from the Manaus-based fishery over 12.75 years. The principal null hypothesis was that the ML, using three lag times, had no effect on population size of a single age class of P. nigricans . The population size at 29 months of age was positively related ( p = 0.00030) to floodplain habitat (ML) earlier in the same year, when the fish were 21–27 months old. The result implies a density-dependent relationship for the population with respect to its feeding habitat. Potential mechanisms governed by flood pulse variation and habitat quality for this and other species using floodplain habitats are discussed.

Second-Harmonic Generation Imaging of Membrane Potential with Photon Counting

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) can be used for imaging membrane potential in neurons, but poor signal-to-noise (S/N) limits accurate measurements of small voltage transients. We use photon counting to improve the S/N of weak SHG signal detection. Photon counting generates shot-noise limited and integrable signals, eliminates pulse-to-pulse variation, and built-in discriminators reduces the background to practically zero. In single trials, by using photon counting, we obtain a more than a twofold S/N increase over analog voltage detection. Trial-to-trial variability is also reduced by 50%. Finally, we show that, using photon counting, the kinetics of fast events such as action potentials can be recorded more accurately.

Effect of Acupuncture at Tsu San Li (St-36) on the Pulse Spectrum

Effect of acupuncture at Tsu San Li (St-36) was examined by investigating the pulse variation of the radial artery. Our results indicated that acupuncture at Tsu San Li has a specific effect on the Fourier components of the pulse. The harmonic proportions were redistributed (C2, C4 decreased, C5, C6, C8 and C9 increased), and the phase angle of the 5th and 8th harmonic waves were decreased (propagating faster). This specific frequency effect was not found when acupuncture needle was applied on a non-acupuncture point. These results can be explained by the resonance theory, which provides a scientific explanation of the acupuncture effect from the hemodynamic view point.