The present study was designed to examine the effect of sympathetic tonic activity on parasympathetic vasodilation evoked by the trigeminal-mediated reflex in the masseter muscle in urethane-anesthetized rats. Sectioning of the superior cervical sympathetic trunk (CST) ipsilaterally increased the basal level of blood flow in the masseter muscle (MBF). Electrical stimulation of the peripheral cu...

Introduction: Echinococcus granulosus is a small intestinal tapeworm found in dogs and occasionally in other carnivores. In the literature, information on the incidence of Echinococcus manifestations in the head (noncerebral) and neck region is relatively rare. Purpose: To present a case of an unusual case of echinococcus in the masseter muscle of a young female patient at the Department of Ora...

Rodents are defined by their unique masticatory apparatus and are frequently separated into three nonmonophyletic groups--sciuromorphs, hystricomorphs, and myomorphs--based on the morphology of their masticatory muscles. Despite several comprehensive dissections in previous work, inconsistencies persist as to the exact morphology of the rodent jaw-closing musculature, particularly, the masseter...

Teeth clenching has been shown to improve remote muscle activity (by augmentation of the Hoffmann reflex), and joint fixation (by decreased reciprocal inhibition) in the entire body. Clenching could help maintain balance, improve systemic function, and enhance safety. Teeth clenching from a sports dentistry viewpoint was thought to be important and challenging. Therefore, it is quite important ...

The dopamine system plays an integral role in motor physiology. Dopamine controls movement by modulation of higher-order motor centers (e.g., basal ganglia) but may also regulate movement by directly controlling motoneuron function. Even though dopamine cells synapse onto motoneurons, which themselves express dopamine receptors, it is unknown whether dopamine modulates skeletal muscle activity....

The purpose of this study is to obtain normative values of the masseter muscle of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and healthy volunteers by single-fiber electromyography (SFEMG). Stimulation of SFEMG in the masseter muscle was studied in 15 healthy volunteers (men 8, women 7; mean age 40.2, range 21-77) and 30 patients affected by MG (men 16, women 14; mean age 42.8, range 12-75). The mean cons...

BACKGROUND Masseter hypertrophy has been treated with botulinum toxin injections because of esthetic complaints especially in Asians. OBJECTIVES The goal of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of abobotulin toxin use in masseter hipertrophy treatment in Brazilians. METHODS Ten Brazilian female patients with masseter hypertrophy were subjected to injections of 90U of abobotulinum ...

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a fuel gauge during exercise and stress-induced energy crisis. The function of the masseter muscle changes during postnatal development, along with an alteration in type of muscle fiber. We investigated expression of AMPK subunit isoforms in masseter muscle by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting, and compared it with that in tibiali...

Movement of the mandible could influence pharyngeal airway caliber because the mandible is attached to the tongue and to muscles that insert on the hyoid bone. In normal subjects and patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) we measured jaw position during sleep with strain gauges, as well as masseter and submental electromyograms, airflow, esophageal pressure, oximetry, electroencephalograms...