1 The aim of the study was to investigate the analgesic effects of flurbiprofen enantiomers using an experimental pain model based on both chemo-somatosensory event-related potentials (CSSERP) and subjective pain ratings. 2 Healthy female volunteers (n = 16, age 23-36 years) participated in a placebocontrolled, randomised, double-blind, four-way crossover study. Single doses of (S)-flurbiprofen (50 mg), (R)-flurbiprofen (50 and 100 mg) and placebo were administered orally. Measurements were taken before and 2 h after administration of the medications. During each measurement, 32 painful stimuli of gaseous carbon dioxide (200 ms duration, interval approximately 30 s) of two concentrations (60 and 65% CO2 v/v) were applied to the right nostril. EEG was recorded from five positions and CSSERP were obtained in response to the painful C02-stimuli. Additionally, subjects rated the perceived intensity of the painful stimuli by means of a visual analogue scale (VAS). 3 The CSSERP-amplitude P2, a measure of analgesic effect, decreased after administration of both (R)-and (S)-flurbiprofen, while it increased after placebo. This was statistically significant at recording positions C4 (P < 0.01) and Fz (P < 0.05).The analgesia-related decreases in evoked potential produced by (R)-flurbiprofen were dose-dependent. Comparing similar doses of (R)-and (S)-flurbiprofen, the decrease in CSSERP-amplitudes produced by the (S)-enantiomer was somewhat more pronounced, indicating a higher analgesic potency. 4 The present data indicate that both enantiomers of flurbiprofen produce analgesic effects. Since (R)-flurbiprofen caused only little toxicity in rats as compared with the (S)-enantiomer or the racemic compound, a reduction of the quantitatively most important side effects in the gastrointestinal tract might be achieved by employing (R)-flurbiprofen in pain therapy.
The study aimed to re-investigate differences in olfactory thresholds and odor discrimination between the left and right sides in relation to the handedness of healthy subjects. Twenty left- and 20 right-handers participated; all were in excellent health with no indication of any major nasal or health problems, and all were non-smokers. The two groups were comparable in terms of sex and age (left-handers: 11 women, 9 men, median age 25 years; right-handers: 9 women, 11 men, median age 26 years). Odor thresholds did not differ in relation to handedness. However, in the odor discrimination task the left-handers performed significantly better at the left side compared with the right nostril; this pattern was reversed in the right-handers. The data indicate that, similar to other sensory systems, higher olfactory functions exhibit a certain degree of lateralization.
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