Clostridum species produce seven serotypes (A-G) of botulinum toxin, four of which (A, B, E, and F) are normally associated with human illness. To date, the most reliable test for botulinum toxin is the mouse bioassay. The authors' laboratory has been exploring the use of an antibody-based assay similar to an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay (ELISA) but utilizing electrochemiluminescent tech...

OBJECTIVE To determine if the use of botulinum toxin during cheiloplasty could help in the management of tension at the surgical wound level. INTERVENTIONS Five children younger than six months of age, who were born with complete cleft lip and palate, were treated with a dose of 10 units of botulinum toxin injected into the upper lip during surgery. Before the surgery, an electromyographic st...

Botulinum toxin has been shown to effectively treat several types of neurological disorders. It has recently been evaluated for the treatment of tension-type headaches in patients who are unable to tolerate or cannot benefit from standard therapies. Most of the open design studies seem to present positive results. However, the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies present contrad...

BACKGROUND Botulinum toxin injections have been investigated for the treatment or prevention of hypertrophic scars in several clinical studies. However, its clinical effectiveness has not yet been established. OBJECTIVE To examine all available evidence that support the use of botulinum toxin injections for the treatment or prevention of hypertrophic scars in current clinical practice. METH...

In this study, we demonstrate that botulinum toxin can be used to chemically denervate muscles to test functional hypotheses. We injected research-grade type A botulinum toxin complex into pectoral fin abductors (abductor superficialis) of green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) to determine whether chemical denervation would eliminate the ability of a particular muscle to contribute to overall pecto...

Sanger and shotgun sequencing of Clostridium botulinum strain Af84 type Af and its botulinum neurotoxin gene (bont) clusters identified the presence of three bont gene clusters rather than the expected two. The three toxin gene clusters consisted of bont subtypes A2, F4 and F5. The bont/A2 and bont/F4 gene clusters were located within the chromosome (the latter in a novel location), while the b...

PURPOSE Crotoxin is the major toxin of the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, capable of causing a blockade of the neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction. The objective of this study was to appraise the action and effectiveness of the crotoxin induced paralysis of the extraocular muscle and to compare its effects with the botulinum toxin type A (BT-A)...

BACKGROUND Localized unilateral hyperhidrosis (LUH) is a rare disorder of unknown origin. We describe a patient with LUH on the forearm, where a fracture was identified as a past injury. OBSERVATIONS We treated the patient with botulinum toxin type A injections, and he was complaint free during the 6 months after treatment. In addition, the initially strong positive results of the iodine star...

Botulinum toxin injections are effective for hyperactivities of muscles and glands that are mediated by acetylcholine (Ach) release in neuronal terminal. The effects of botulinum toxin are reversible because the involved nerves build new sprouts and synapses with time. Thus, botulinum toxin is relatively safe and repeated applications are needed. To maximize effects of botulinum toxin without s...

Erythromelalgia is characterized by intense burning pain, erythema, and heat in affected areas after precipitating factors such as warm temperature or stress. It is refractory to treatment in some situations. We describe a woman with adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the lung and medically refractory erythromelalgia. The symptoms of erythromelalgia presented as refractory to any medical treatment...