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This paper proposes the criteria for application of acrylic splints in the treatment of various types of maxillofacial fractures. These were based mainly on the number of remaining teeth that are important for the restoration of occlusion. The acrylic splints studied consisted of intermaxillary, lingual and labiolingual types that hold a dental arch and a cap type that covers a dental arch. It was found that the intermaxillary type was best indicated for the loss of multiple teeth, the lingual type for the predicted intraversion of bone fragments and the labiolingual as well as cap types for the deciduous or mixed dentition. Clinical application based on the above standard, which was attempted in our 60 patients, produced successful results. In addition, the usefulness of these acrylic splints as an intraoral apparatus was discussed.

In surgery of the fractured zygomatic arch the skin incision was placed parallel with the skin cleavage lines, directly over the zygomatic arch. The fracture site was exposed by blunt dissection of the subcutaneous tissue. Facial palsy may be predicted as a possible sequel to this incision. In fact, facial paresis occurred in 1/3 of the patients but it disappeared within 6 months. It appeared that the facial nerve was only damaged by stretching during the surgical procedure but was not severed by the incision. The postoperative scars presented no unsightly appearance, if the incision was placed completely parallel with the cleavage lines.

Since the invention of the Autoanalyzer (flow system) by Skeggs in 1953 and Swedish invention of the AGA-Autochemist (discrete system) remarkable developments have been made in the field of clinical laboratory examinations. The Autoanalyzer was improved, from mono-channel to multi-channel, using various methods besides colorimetry, and with the aid of computers, it is now being applied to hematology and immunochemistry as well as chemistry. Although the AGA-Autochemist was something like a chemical factory at the beginning, various instruments using discrete system have been produced according to the refinement of the basic mechanisms of AGA-Autochemist. It is now used in other fields and has contributed considerably to clinical laboratory examinations. This article reviews the development of these instruments at intervals of five years, as reported or reviewed at the scientific meetings of the Japan Society for Clinical Laboratory Automation, and articles of the Journal of the Society. The evaluation of merits and demerits of clinical automation is omitted due to limitation of space.

Detailed investigation on cleavage lines over the entire area of the body was undertaken in 3 each of male and female cadavers. The directions of cleavage lines showed sex and individual differences. Minute comparison of the diagrams obtained in this study with earlier diagrams revealed the presence of delicate differences in the directions of cleavage lines. Microscopical evaluation of cleavage lines showed that in the regions where cleavage lines were linearly arranged, collagen fibers were regularly arranged in a uniform direction, conforming to the direction of cleavage lines from the shallow reticular layer immediately below the papillary layers to the inner reticular layer where sebaceous and sweat glands existed and that in the regions where cleavage lines were ramified, collagen fibers in these layers lacked directional regularity. The morphology of cleavage lines were considered most influenced by collagen fibers in the epidermal reticular layers from their shallow layers immediately below the papillary layers to the layer where sebaceous and sweat glands existed.

A case of complete median cleft of the upper lip and alveolus with holoprosencephaly is presented. An 8-month-old girl was successfully treated by closure of the median upper lip. In addition, 9 patients who have undergone cheiloplasty of complete median cleft of the upper lip with holoprosencephaly reported in the Japanese literature, are reviewed.

2 cases of verrucous carcinoma of the oral cavity are presented. In addition, 19 Japanese patients of verrucous carcinoma of the oral region from the literature are reviewed with respect to several clinical items.

A case of osteochondroma of the mandibular condyle causing severe facial asymmetry and malocclusion (occlusal deviation) is presented. A 63-year-old woman was successfully treated by removal of the tumor and condylectomy. In addition, 4 cases of osteochondroma of the mandibular condyle reported in the Japanese literature are reviewed with respect to several clinical items.

2 cases of long-standing luxation of the mandible are presented. Both patients were successfully operated on by articular eminectomy according to Myrhaug's description, with the purpose of both reposition of the condyles and prevention of redislocation. The articular eminectomy increased the ease of reduction and was effective in preventing future dislocation of the temporomandibular joint.

Pyridinoline, a cross-linking amino acid of collagen, was degraded by irradiation of ultraviolet light. The decomposition rate varied with pH of the solution and wavelength of irradiation light. The maximum of the degradation rate at individual pH coincides with the ultraviolet absorption maximum. Namely, it was maximally degraded by irradiation at 295 nm in acidic solution and at 325 nm in neutral and alkaline solution. At the optimum wavelength, the photolysis occurred more rapidly in neutral and alkaline solution than in acidic solution. The quantum yield in neutral solution was approximately 0.11 and independent of wavelength. One of the photolysis products was identified as hydroxylysine on an amino acid analyser, indicating that the cleavage of the pyridinium ring occurred.

We elucidated the pattern of skin cleavage lines of the neck of Japanese cadavers and studied the scarring in 42 cases of radical neck dissection for the removal of metastatic nodules from the malignant tumors of the oral region, in the operation of which one incision was made parallel to, and another perpendicular to, the cleavage lines. From this study we came to the following conclusions: 1) The cleavage lines run parallel in ring-form around the neck, with the exception of the back and the lowermost part of the base of the neck. Seen from the side, the lines run horizontally across the neck. 2) Raised and widened scars were few at the site of the incision parallel to the cleavage lines but there were seen often at the site of the perpendicular incision. 3) There were no raised postoperative scars in the patients who had received radiotherapy prior to the time of observation.

An extremely rare case of congenital midline sinus of the upper lip in a 12-year-old girl is presented. The sinus had a pit-like orifice in the midline philtral area with a duct extending 4 mm posterosuperiorly. It was excised by extraoral elliptical incision. Histopathological examination disclosed that the duct was covered by a stratified squamous epithelium with sebaceous glands. Twelve cases of this rare disease have previously been reported.

Of the 25,672 patients who visited this clinic between January 1964 and March 1973, 126 were diabetic. These were examined statistically and the following results were obtained. 1. Together with diabetes the following disorders pertaining to the realm of oral surgery were observed: Alveolar pyorrhea (49 cases), infection of oral tissues other than periodontal tissues (24 cases), simple periodontitis (15 cases), tumors (13 cases), dental caries (9 cases), neuralgia (6 cases) and several disorders. 2. Of these 126 cases, 85 needed tooth extraction, which was actually performed in 67 cases with the following results: (a) Of the 67 cases, 13 developed complications such as dry socket, postoperative infection, sequestrum around the extraction socket, etc. This was a significantly higher incidence than in an equal number of controls. (b) In the cases with complications convalescence was prolonged to an average of 54.2 days. (c) In the cases with complications, the preoperative fasting blood sugar level averaged 194.5 mg/dl, which was much higher than in the cases which did not develop complications (average 142.4 mg/dl).

Adenomatosis coli is a very interesting disease accompanied by a number of associated stigmata in the mandible. If left ignored, colonic lesions in patients with this disease proceed almost entirely to malignancy. Hence, detection of the stigmata is very important. The panoramic radiographs of 26 patients diagnosed as adenomatosis coli at the 2nd Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine from 1978 to 1988 were compared with those of 264 controls. Osteomatous lesions were present in 62% of the patients with adenomatosis coli and 14% of the controls. Pantomographic comparison of the numbers and areas of the osteomatous lesions between the adenomatosis coli and control groups indicated that specific pathognomonic symptoms were demonstrated in panoramic radiographs of approximately 42% of the patients with adenomatosis coli.