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Our findings suggested that individual differences in ear morphology are large and there were some differences between measurement data in our study and EarWell. Application of the EarWell system may lead to localized skin excoriations or breakdown as a result of mismatch with the ear. Therefore, early use of personalized ear molds produced by three-dimensional printing to determine if more deformed auricles may be corrected.

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Benazepril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and candesartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, are common drugs for treating hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the enhanced attenuation of myocardial fibrosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) possibly induced by joint treatment with benazepril and candesartan and the possible involvement of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1)-Smad signaling pathway. SHRs were treated with benazepril at 10 mg.kg.d, candesartan at 4 mg.kg.d, and a combination of 2 drugs at half dose, respectively, for 12 weeks. Echocardiography and histology indicated that joint treatment with 2 drugs more significantly inhibited myocardial fibrosis in SHRs than either monotherapy, as evidenced by the changes in cardiac structural parameters, ultrasonic integrated backscatters, collagen volume fraction, and perivascular collagen area. The collagen analyses further revealed that significant decreases in total collagen concentration, the ratio of collagen type I to type III, and collagen cross-linking were found after the enhanced attenuation of myocardial fibrosis. Western blot analysis showed that the protein expression of TGF-beta1 and Smad3 was significantly decreased after joint treatment with 2 drugs. We conclude that synergistic attenuation of myocardial fibrosis in SHRs is produced by combined use of benazepril and candesartan possibly through the modulation of TGF-beta/Smad signaling proteins.

When people around him yawn, he yawns. When the chatroom he is in starts discussing brownies, biscuits and chocolate-covered strawberries he finds himself salivating. He has perfect trust in authority. He is easily persuaded and always abides by authority's advice. These are all indications that he is very suggestible indeed. It is not difficult to distinguish between these individuals and those who are less suggestible. Those who are more easily impressionable include preschool children, women in weak health and persons with somatization disorders. We have noticed that many psychological, social and behavioural factors tend to influence the efficacy of medication and the overall therapeutic outcome for these individuals compared with those who are less suggestible.Over the last two decades little attention has been paid to two psychosocial dimensions of pharmacology.The first dimension includes the psychological response of patients and families to medications and pharmacotherapy. Individuals in modern countries may accept medications with unwavering belief in their effectiveness, whereas some ethnic groups do not.The second dimension that has been largely overlooked is the psychological, social and behavioural factors that influence drug metabolism, efficacy and side-effects. In order to describe the phenomenon as well as to differentiate it from psychopharmacology, we here coin a new term: psychosocialpharmacology [1].Psychopharmacology studies drug-induced changes in mood, sensation, thinking and behaviour [2]. Psychosocialpharmacology is a new interdisciplinary approach that includes psychology, sociology and clinical pharmacology. It explores the puzzling efficacy differences associated with nonpharmacological factors among patients. It advocates considering the patient's psychological, social and behavioural components that influence drug efficacy in a similar manner as does the patient's genetics and physiology, and the disease itself. Furthermore, psychosocialpharmacology also studies the effect of the medical professional's manner and speech on medication efficacy.As a new element of pharmacology, we think that psychosocialpharmacology demands to answer the following questions: