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Statement of problem. There is a lack of long-term follow-up studies that involve post-motor vehicle accident temporomandibular disorders and compensation. Purpose of study. The purposes of this retrospective pilot study were (1) to assess patients who had previously been treated for temporomandibular disorders after motor vehicle accidents to determine the nature of their symptoms in terms of jaw, head, and neck pain and jaw dysfunction and (2) to determine whether there was a difference in the pain and dysfunction between those who had settled and those who had not settled their insurance claims. Material and methods. Thirty previously treated patients with temporomandibular disorders after motor vehicle accidents were questioned by telephone regarding litigation status and current jaw, head, and neck pain and jaw dysfunction symptoms. They did not differ substantially from a smaller group who were not able to be interviewed. Descriptive statistics were calculated and statistical tests were performed. A total of 22 patients had their claims settled. Results. Approximately three fourths had persistent complaints of jaw pain, jaw dysfunction, and headache, and more than 80% reported persistent neck pain. No apparent differences were found between those who had and had not settled their insurance claims. Conclusion. Jaw, head and neck pain, and jaw dysfunction continued to be problems for the majority of this patient population, regardless of litigation status in this retrospective study. (J Prosthet Dent 1997;77:46-53.)

Promoter-glutathione S-transferase Ya cDNA hybrid genes were constructed and analyzed to determine the efficiency with which the Ya coding sequence was transcribed and also to determine the associated levels of Ya-specific enzyme activity in mammalian cells which had received the hybrid gene constructs via electroporation. Promoter-containing fragments from either the SV40 early region or the herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene were positioned 5' to the Ya cDNA present in the pGTB38 plasmid. Both promoters supported transcription in in vitro run-off incubations containing a rat cell extract. Efficient transcription was also observed in both monkey Cos cells and mouse C3H/10T1/2 cells. Constructs containing the SV40 promoter and a residual portion of the homopolymeric G tail used in the original Ya cDNA cloning consistently gave 4-50-fold higher levels of transcript than other promoter-cDNA configurations. Associated with transcription of the hybrid gene was the appearance of a glutathione S-transferase YaYa-specific enzyme activity (delta 5-androstene-3,17-dione isomerization) in cytosols of cells electroporated with the hybrid genes. 50-260-fold increases in Ya-specific enzyme activity were found in Cos or C3H/10T1/2 cells containing multiple, episomal copies of the plasmid constructs; enzyme levels dropped in cells containing fewer, integrated plasmid copies. When a mixed population of Cos cells containing YaYa overexpressing cells was treated with benzo(a)pyrene (+/-)-anti-diol epoxide, a cytotoxic alkylating molecule and known YaYa substrate, a 20-30-fold enrichment in clones of YaYa overexpressing cells was seen among those cells which survived the treatment. The results clearly indicate that glutathione S-transferase isozymes can be overexpressed in mammalian cells and that this is accompanied by significant biological resistance to a known alkylating molecule.

Several positive methamphetamine/amphetamine urine samples were reexamined to determine the chirality of the detected drug or drugs. (S)-N-(Trifluoroacetyl)prolyl derivatives were prepared and analyzed using GC/MS. In one case, pure d-isomers of methamphetamine and amphetamine were detected. In the remainder of the samples involving both drugs, skewed racemates were detected, with the l-isomer of methamphetamine and the d-isomer of amphetamine predominating slightly over their enantiomers. In samples involving amphetamine only, 50:50 mixtures of d- and l-isomers were detected. In no instance was pure l-methamphetamine (from a Vicks inhaler) detected.