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lntroduction: Hydrogen (H2) has been reported to be effective in the treatment of oxidative injury, which plays an important role in the process of decompression sickness (DCS). This study was designed to test whether H2-rich saline (saline saturated with molecular hydrogen) protected rats against DCS. Methods: Models of DCS were induced in male Sprague- Dawley rats weighing 300-310g. H2-rich (0.86 mmol L-1) saline was administered intraperitoneally (10 ml. kg-1) at 24 h, 12 h, immediately before compression, and right after fast decompression. Results: H2-rich saline significantly decreased the incidence of DCS from 67.57 to 35.14% and partially counteracted the increases in the total concentra- tion of protein in the bronchoalveolar lavage from 0.33 ± 0.05 to 0.14 ± 0.01 mg ml-1 (mean ± SD; P < 0.05), myeloperoxidase activity from 0.86 ± 0.16 to 0.44 ± 0.13 U/g, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) from 0.80 ± 0.10 to 0.48 ± 0.05 nmol mg-1, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine from 253.7 ± 9.3 to 191.2 ± 4.8 pg mg-1 in the lungs, and MDA level from 1.77 ± 0.20 to 0.87 ± 0.23 nmol mg-1 in the spinal cord in rat DCS models. The histopathology results also showed that H2-rich saline ameliorated DCS injuries. Discussion: It is concluded that H2-rich saline may have a protective effect against DCS, possibly due to its antioxidant action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to investigate maxillofacial morphology in adolescents and adults with unrepaired cleft palate, with or without cleft lip. Twenty-two Chinese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (the UCLP group), and 21 Chinese with cleft palate (the CP group) were cephalometrically evaluated and classified into the five ranges established from the means and standard deviations for matched normal Chinese populations. Many subjects in both UCLP and CP groups showed an intrinsic maxillary retrusion and a steeper mandible. The others had nearly normal maxillofacial morphology. The tendency for maxillary retrusion and a steeper mandible became increasingly remarkable with age. In the long axis of upper incisors in subjects with permanent dentition, there were no UCLP subjects with labial inclination, whereas three CP subjects exhibited labial inclination.