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Maxillo-mandibular advancement (MMA) has attracted attention as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in recent years. We previously evaluated the breathing status during sleep before and after orthognathic surgery and found that maxillary advancement has a greater effect compared with mandibular advancement (J Jaw Deform 2007;17:9–15). The pharyngeal air space, however, exists within the soft tissue surrounded by the jaw bone and the cervical spine, and it can easily be speculated that mandibular advancement will affect its morphology. In this study, changes in the pharyngeal air space before and after periosteal detachment of the inferior and posterior margin of the distal bone fragment of the mandible were investigated.

The patch test is the most reliable method for diagnosing a metal allergy. However, interpretation of patch test results depends on the experience of the investigator and on the conditions of the individual patient. In the case of patch tests for metal salts, irritant reactions such as pustular or follicular reactions are quite common. Therefore, one must be careful not to interpret irritant reactions as allergic responses, and objective standards to evaluate erythema in patch tests need to be established. In the present study, we attempted to objectively evaluate patch test results for metal salts using an erythema index meter. We used the Erythema Index Difference (EID) (patch test site erythema index (EI) minus the mean EI of healthy skin outside the patch test area and at the unit tape site) rather than the EI itself in order to eliminate the effects of the patch test unit and individual differences. We measured the EID over time in patients with suspected metal allergies to various metals. Significant differences in EID were observed among ++ assessments, + assessments and irritant reactions based on International Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG) standards. In considering changes in EID over time, allergic and irritant reactions can be discriminated with high sensitivity (73.3%) and specificity (91.2%). These results suggest that the measurement of erythema over time with an erythema index meter is useful for the objective assessment of metal patch test reactions.

Objective:The diagnosis of epithelial dysplasia at the surgical margins in oral cancer plays an important role in its prognosis and requires careful evaluation. Epithelial dysplasia is usually asymptomatic, but often associated with recurrence and malignant transformation.

The purpose of this study was to use micro-computed tomography to investigate the internal structure of the zygomatic bone, and to evaluate the effects of biting force on the zygomatic bone by comparing the internal structure of this bone between dentulous and edentulous maxillae. In this study, 20 zygomatic bones of dentulous maxillae and 28 zygomatic bones of edentulous maxillae were used (mean age: dentulous maxillae, 72.6 years; edentulous maxillae, 79.6 years). Specimens were obtained from the skulls of cadavers, from the sutura frontozygomatica, posterior to the sutura temporo-zygomatica, down to the sutura zygomatico-maxillaris. From 2-dimensional slice images, we reconstructed the three-dimensional structure by volume rendering methods using micro-computed tomography. We used two anthropological reference points: jugale Ou) at the most concave point between the lateral margin of the upper zygomatic bone and the upper margin of the zygomatic arch ; and zygomaxillare (Zm) at the lowermost point of the zygomaticomaxillary suture. We examined the structure of the zygomatic bone at Ju, Zm and the mid-point between Ju and Zm. The dentulous maxillae had thicker trabeculae at these points than the edentulous maxillae. The thicker trabecular structure in the Ju area was especially pronounced in the dentulous maxillae. These findings indicate that stress from biting force influences the trabecular structure in the zygomatic bone. They also suggest that stress in the zygomatic bone is concentrated in the Ju area, because the masseter muscle and fascia temporalis adhere to the zygomatic bone.

To investigate histopathological characteristics of melanocytic lesions affecting mucous membranes in various anatomical sites. Particular attention was paid to elucidation of morphological characteristics of early phases of mucosal melanoma in order to contribute to effective detection of this highly malignant neoplasm in the curable stages.

ABSTRACTClear findings relative to where in the brain the starting point of voluntary swallowing is controlled were obtained in the present magnetoencephalographic study. Namely, the cerebral activity was observed in the cingulate gyrus and supplementary motor area for about 80 ms between 1,000 and 1,500 ms before swallowing in all test subjects. Thus, it is clear that this type of central control mechanism also plays an important role in complicated swallowing movements.