Daniel M. Laskin

The Specificity of Response to Experimental Stress in Patients with Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome

Comparison of autonomic and muscular response to experimentally induced stress in normal individuals and patients with myofascial pain dysfunction (MPD) syndrome revealed greater masseter and frontalis activity in the patient group, higher gastrocnemius activity in control subjects, and no significant difference in skin conductance and heart rate. This specificity of response to stress supports the psychophysiologic theory of MPD syndrome.

Personality Characteristics of Patients with Myofascial Pain-Dysfunction (MPD) Syndrome Unresponsive to Conventional Therapy

The composite MMPI profiles of 42 successfully-treated and 42 unsuccessfully-treated female patients with MPD syndrome were compared statistically. The profiles did not differ in configuration, but that of the unsuccessful patients was significantly higher than that of the successful group, indicating a greater degree of emotional distress. The pattern of deviation from normal for both groups was diagnostic of a psychophysiological disorder marked by repression and somatization.

Masticatory Muscle Silent Periods in Patients with MPD Syndrome Before and After Treatment

Masticatory muscle silent periods were compared in normal subjects and in patients with MPD syndrome before and after a variety of psychological, physiological, and pharmacological forms of therapy. All patients initially showed prolonged silent periods in one or more of the muscles. There was a direct relationship between prolongation and severity of symptoms. The temporalis (90.9%) and masseter (54.5%) were most frequently involved. In almost all instances the silent periods returned to the normal range following treatment.

Titration curves of colloidal surfaces. II. Connective tissues

Abstract The colloidal charge density of certain connective tissues was measured in vivo by the method of diplaced Donnan potentials at a series of pH values from 7.4 to 2.2 to yield titration curves of the colloidal surfaces. Tendon, dermis, and cartilage of rat and rabbit were studied. Hydrogen ions and other cations including lysine, glucosamine, and protamine displace the titration curves at all pH levels through the formation of complexes or by the neutralization of negatively charged groups. The equilibrium constants and standard free energies of the reactions were estimated. Anions such as picric acid displace the titration constants toward higher pH levels, with a resulting uptake of hydrogen ions at the surface. Complex formation strongly influences the distribution of inorganic ions in tissues. Differences in the shape of the titration curves are explained in terms of internal electrostatic bonds and the distribution of electric charge.

Penetration of Lincomycin, Penicillin, and Tetracycline into Serum and Bone

Summary The penetration of lincomycin into serum, femur, and mandible was compared with penicillin G and tetracycline following intramuscular injection. The concentrations were assayed by the serial tube dilution method using S. aureus. Lincomycin produced higher concentrations than penicillin in serum and bone. Although tetracycline gave higher serum levels than the other two antibiotics, a sufficient quantity could not be extracted from the bone by the method used to permit detection by the test organism. However, its presence was confirmed by the bacteriostatic effect of the bone powder upon inoculated broth cultures.

The authors respond ...) Dear Dr. Levy

Mercuri, L.G., Olson, R.E., & Laskin, D.M. The specificity of response to experimental stress in patients with myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome. J. Dent. Res. 58:1866-1871, 1979. Malmo, R.B. Activation: A neuropsychological dimension. Psychol. Rev., 66:367-386, 1959. Johnson, D.L. Response specificity to stressful stimuli in patients with myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome, Masters Thesis, University of Illinois, 1970. Gale, E.N. & Carlsson, S.G. Frustration and temporomandibular joint pain. Oral. Surg., Oral Med., Oral Path., 45:39-43, 1978.

Tests of Connective Tissue Reactivity in TMJ Dysfunction Patients

Although numerous factors, ranging from alterations in occlusal relationships to tensionrelieving oral habits have been implicated in the etiology of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, there remains the unexplained fact that many individuals in whom these factors exist do not develop such disturbances. Perhaps some thought should be given to the idea of predisposing, as well as exciting, factors in the etiology of these conditions. Among the possible predisposing factors is the state of the connective tissue reactivity. Connective tissue ground substance reactivity was studied in 64 patients with clinical symptoms of TMJ dysfunction and in 57 normal subjects of comparable age and sex using the intradermal saline bleb disappearance test (W. B. McCLuRE and C. A. ALDRICH, JAMA 81:293-294, 1923), the rheumatoid arthritis factor agglutination test,* and the C-reactive protein agglutination test.* Eleven patients with diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 13 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) also received the saline bleb test. Since it was assumed that any change in reactivity of the connective tissue in the articular structures would be a reflection of a general body change, it was not deemed necessary to study these structures directly. For the saline bleb test, 0.2 ml of isotonic saline was injected intradermally into the flexor surface of the forearm with a 25 gauge needle. The disappearance time of the bleb was determined mainly by palpation, because color changes can be deceiving. Near the end point, the bleb should not be confused with the slight