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This study explored the relationship between the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and glossodynia. The function of the ANS was examined in patients with glossodynia by frequency analysis of heart rate variability. The subjects were 50 women given the diagnosis of glossodynia and 24 healthy volunteers. The heart rate variability of these subjects was evaluated. Mean values of the high frequency power at rest were 1.323 +/- 1.484 ms2 in the group without functional disorders (NF group), 1.861 +/- 1.601 ms2 in the group with functional disorders (F group), and 3.229 +/- 2.044 ms2 in the standard group (H group). Mean values of HF/LF were 0.968 +/- 0.961 in the NF group, and 1.696 +/- 0.847 in the H group. Mean values of the high frequency power at rest were 1.032 +/- 977 ms2 in the group with CMIs in regions III and IV (III-IV group), 3.299 +/- 2.044 ms2 in the H group, and 2.314 +/- 1.883 ms2 in the group with CMIs in regions I and II (I-II group). Mean values of HF/LF were 0.965 +/- 0.744 in the III-IV group and 1.696 +/- 0.847 in the H group. The results of this study suggest that nervous tension, which was the cause of indefinite complaints in patients with glossodynia, had resulted from a pronounced reduction in activities of the parasympathetic nervous system, but not from an excessive increase in activities of the sympathetic nervous system. An assessment of the function of the ANS by means of heart rate variability seemed to be useful for comprehending the clinical conditions of glossodynia.

Obwegeser II method was applied to an 18-year-old male patient with severe progenia and open bite.The reasons for selecting this method were as follows;1. His lateral cephalometric analysis revealed only excessive mandibular protrusion without any maxillary abnormality.2. It was necessary for the mandible to be set back 14 mm posteriorly to obtain the ideal intermaxillary occlusion.3. The anteroposterior width of his mandibular ramus was bilaterally narrow.4. Furthermore, severe open bite still remained at the end of pre-surgical orthodontic treatment.Postoperative cephalometric analysis revealed both skeletal stability and harmonious balance.One of the advantages of this method is that a bigger contact area can be obtained between the two separated bone segments compared with that of sagittal split ramus osteotomy when the width of the mandibular ramus is narrow. In addition, it was suggested that a longer distance between the mandibular second molar and the anterior edge of the mandibular ramus could be a good indication for this operation.

To evaluate the efficacy of screw osteosynthesis for the patient suffering from mandibular prognathism with severe open bite, postoperative stability was studied cephalometrically in 11 cases (positioning screw in 5 and transosseous wiring in 6) who underwent bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy. The degree of “severe” open bite was defined as the difference between pre- and postoperative Mop angle with 1.86 degrees or more considered to be severe.The patients ranged from 17 to 29 years old (mean: 20.5 years). The average period of intermaxillary fixation postoperatively was 16.0 days and 43.2 days for the screw group and the wire group, respectively. Cephalometric measurements at the point of Me and the angle of SN-Mp were performed preoperatively and postoperatively and at release of intermaxillary fixation, 6 months later, 1 year later, and long-term follow-up thereafter in each case.In conclusion, the results revealed some distinct advantages of screw osteosynthesis over transosseous wiring to reduce not only the period of intermaxillary fixation but also postoperative relapse of the distal segment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the craniofacial and occlusal characteristics of the inhabitants in China. The material consisted of cephalograms, pantomograms, dental casts and anthropological measurements taken from 517 inhabitants: 416 Han Chinese in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Changchun and 101 Mongolians in Hohhot. The data were compared among the above five regions and also with the Japanese data. The findings were summarized as follows: I. Craniofacial characteristics; a) The Han Chinese and the Mongolians showed brachycephaly. b) The inhabitants in Guangzhou showed a tendency of bimaxillary protrusion with a smaller facial height, and the inhabitants in Changchun showed a larger gonial angle with a larger facial height than those of the other regions. c) The Mongolians had a larger value of the saddle angle and of the bi-gonial breadth. d) Compared with the Japanese, their craniofacial complex was characterized by a larger facial angle, smaller mandibular plane angle and a smaller gonial angle. II. Occlusal characteristics; a) The inhabitants in China had a similar tendency in the dental arch form and in the dental trait frequency. b) The inhabitants in Beijing had a larger mesiodistal crown-diameter of the anterior teeth than those in the other regions. c) Compared with the Japanese, their teeth were characterized by a smaller mesiodistal crown-diameter (especially on the upper first molar), higher frequency of shovel-shape and lower frequency of Carabelli's tuberculum.

We find that the activity of a 0.4-kb human c-fos gene promoter (-404/+41), which lacks consensus estrogen-responsive elements (EREs), is regulated by estrogen receptor (ER) ligands in MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells through ERs in a manner distinct from ERE-mediated regulation. When ERalpha is coexpressed, both estrogens and antiestrogens upregulate promoter activity. When ERbeta is coexpressed, however, three tested antiestrogens affect c-fos promoter activity, with tamoxifen exerting the greatest effect, while estrogens have no such effect. The tamoxifen agonism through ERbeta is antagonized by 17beta-estradiol, while the 17beta-estradiol agonism through ERalpha is canceled by excess-level coexpression of ERbeta. Deletion analysis revealed that the sequence -206/-110 plays a crucial role in the ERbeta-mediated tamoxifen agonism. Interestingly, there is no ERbeta-mediated tamoxifen agonism when nonosteoblastic cells are tested. Taken together, these results suggest that the transcription of the c-fos gene is regulated by ER ligands possibly through non-ERE elements in ligand structure-, cell type-, and ER subtype-dependent manners.

In bone development and regeneration, angiogenesis and bone/cartilage resorption are essential processes and are closely associated with each other, suggesting a common mediator for these two biological events. To address this interrelationship, we examined the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the most critical growth factor for angiogenesis, on osteoclastic bone-resorbing activity in a culture of highly purified rabbit mature osteoclasts. VEGF caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in the area of bone resorption pits excavated by the isolated osteoclasts, partially by enhancing the survival of the cells. Two distinct VEGF receptors, KDR/Flk-1 and Flt-1, were detectable in osteoclasts at the gene and protein levels, and VEGF induced tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins in osteoclasts. Thus, osteoclastic function and angiogenesis are up-regulated by a common mediator such as VEGF.

Unusual root resorption of 12 central and 11 lateral upper permanent incisors in 11 patients is described. The degree of resorption ranged from loss of the apical 1/4 to almost complete loss of root structure. Excepting 1 case, permanent canines were partially or completely impacted and their crowns were in close apposition to the resorbed surfaces of the incisors. The roots of the canines were either in the process of formation or completely formed. The findings suggest that the pressure from the canine which persists in moving downward despite the lack of space to permit normal eruption could cause root resorption of adjacent incisors even in the absence of systemic factors. Of 14 extracted incisors, 10 were replaced orthodontically by the impacted canines, whereas the spaces of the extracted incisors were restored by prosthetic means in the 4 other cases. 6 incisors were preserved without any treatment and 2 with the aid of a sapphire dento-osseous anchor pin. Since the resorbed incisors were mostly free of pain, early detection by radiographic examination is essential to establish a proper diagnosis.

The incidence and degree of neurosensory disturbance of the inferior alveolar nerve, as well as its recovery course, were studied on 46 sides in 23 patients who had undergone bilateral sagittal split osteotomies, by means of subjective symptoms, light touch, anaesthesiometer and two-point discrimination. The degree of disturbance was classified into mild, moderate and severe grades by the threshold pressure shown in tests with the anaesthesiometer. The disturbance, which was almost exclusively limited to mild (37%) and severe (28%) grades, was observed in 67% of the sample at one week. The disturbance disappeared completely within one to three months postoperatively in most sites with mild disturbance, and within three months to one year in half of the severely affected sites. Although the recovery was delayed in the other half of the severely disturbed sites, the disturbance was of mild grade at one and a half years. The overall incidence of disturbance at one year was 15%. Computed tomographic examination of the ascending ramus showed that the narrowest width between the mandibular canal and the buccal cortical plate ranged from 0 mm to 3.2 mm with a mean of 1.6 +/- 0.9 mm (SD) and it was less than 1.2 mm in 91% of sites with a severe grade disturbance, whereas it was distributed in a range of 0.9 mm to 3.2 mm in sites with no disturbance or with mild or moderate disturbance. The importance of preoperative computed tomography to indicate the location of the mandibular canal and the use of a thin cement spatula for the osteotomy was stressed, to avoid or reduce postoperative development of neurosensory impairment.