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In the present study, we clarified the TMJ symptoms of Yusho patients. An epidemiologic examination was carried out to identify TMJ arthrosis in patients with Yusho. The patients were collected during annual Yusho examinations in 2012. Nine of 187 patients had TMJ symptoms. The symptoms were pain, trismus, and a clicking sound of the TMJ. We diagnosed these patients with TMJ arthrosis. The rate of TMJ arthrosis in Yusho patients was 4.8%, being similar to the rate of TMJ arthrosis in general. The PCB concentration in the blood of these 9 patients was 2.76 ppb, and the average blood PCB concentration of all patients was 2.98 ppb. We identified no relationship between the blood PCB concentration and TMJ arthrosis.

Thymidylate synthase(TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase(DPD), and orotate phosphoribosyl transferase(OPRT)are initial key enzymes in the 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)metabolic pathway. In this study, we investigated clinicopathological and immunohistochemical expressions of TS, DPD, and OPRT in oral cancer patients who showed a complete response(CR)to UFT. We also evaluated patients showing a partial response(PR)and stable disease(SD)following UFT. The numbers of CR, PR, and SD cases were 3, 5, and 10, respectively. Pathologically, all CR and PR cases were the well-differentiated type, and 5 out of 10 SD cases were of the moderately or poorly-differentiated type. Three out of the 5 cases of moderately or poorlydifferentiated type were DPD-negative. Most cases of CR and PR were DPD-positive. OPRT expression showed no difference with the UFT response. We suggest that UFT affects high DPD patients with the well-differentiated type, but may not influence low DPD patients with the moderately or poorly-differentiated type.