Prior to the mid-1950s regular dental hygiene didnât hold much promise for oral health. Toothpastes had been formulated since ancient times with ingredients ranging from burnt oyster shells to ground areca nuts. Americans using a soap-and-water-based dentifrice were developing around 700 million cavities a year.
Drug delivery into muscle using an autoinjector, akin to the EpiPen used to treat serious allergic reactions, is faster and may be a more effective way to stop status epilepticus, a prolonged seizure lasting longer than five minutes, according to a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Midbrain or pontine reflexes may or may not be present. Patients have no awareness of self and interact with the environment only via reflexes. Seizure activity may be present but not be clinically evident. Traditionally, a vegetative state that lasts > 1 mo is considered to be a persistent vegetative state.