Kazuhisa Tange

Primary osteosarcoma of the skull : a case report and review of the literature

SummaryPrimary osteosarcoma of the skull (POS) in a young man with intracranial involvement is reported. After an initial transient remission by surgical intervention and chemotherapy, he began to deteriorate due to tumor recurrence and intracranial hemorrhage, and died 15 months following the time of diagnosis. The rarity and poor prognosis of POS are emphasized together with the review of the clinical and therapeutic aspects in the previously reported 98 cases in the literature.

Necrosis of the articular tubercle after repeated injections of sodium hyaluronate in the temporomandibular joint: A case report

A case of partial bone necrosis of the articular tubercle of the temporomandibular joint is presented. It was probably caused by repeated injections of sodium hyaluronate in the joint. A sequestrectomy was performed under general anesthesia, and the postoperative course was uneventful.

Concentrations of Muscle Fiber Type-specific Proteins of Masseter Muscle in Jaw Deformity. Part 1 -Facial Asymmetry.

Facial asymmetry is considered to be caused by the intervention of masticatory muscles, especially the masseter muscle, in some way or another. In skeletal muscles, several proteins, identified immunobiochemically, have been found in specifically high concentrations. A difference in concentration of these muscle proteins in fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles was found; M-subunit of creatine kinase (CKM) and β-enolase were abundant in fast-twitch muscle, whereas αB-crystallin, S-100a0 and B-subunit of creatine kinase (CKB) were abundant in slow-twitch muscle. In the present study, the masseter muscles of 5 patients with mandibular asymmetry were immunobiochemically analyzed using muscle fiber type-specific proteins.Method: Bilateral masseter muscles of the patients were sampled during orthodontic surgery. All samples were kept frozen at -80°C until analysis.Concentrations of CKM, β-enolase, αB-crystallin, S-100a0 and CKB were determined by the recentlydeveloped sandwitch-type enzyme immunoassay systems. The results showed that the concentration of αB-crystallin and S-100a0 on the deviated side was much higher than on the opposite side. The concentrations of CKM, CKB, and β-enolase were not significantly different.

The Clinical Study of Low Power Laser Treatment for the Patients of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Acupuncture to the meridian point of “Gekan” has been used to treat the patients of temporomandibular joint disorder. In recent studies (Arao et al 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994), instead of using a needle, the author irradiated several times with a low power laser (Nd: YAG at 350mW) for the Type I, Type II and Type III patients with closed-lock. This relieved the pain somewhat, but since the treatment results were determined by the subjective judgement of the patient, the authors evaluated the results objectively. We used thermography to evaluate symptomatic change, and using the Laser Doppler Flowmeter (LDF), we measured the surface blood flow of the skin in the area of the temporomandibular joint.In this study, for the Type IV patients, we used the low power laser. Each patient was treated by low power laser for “Gekan” for 15 minutes from the first examination. After the pain of the temporomandibular region was remedied, we manipulated the mandible. The results were that in several months, the symptoms of temporomandibular disorder ceased. But from the MRI findings, the disk position and the shape of mandibular head did not change.These results suggest that the low power laser treatment for the patients of temporomandibular joint disorder is useful not only for the Type I, Type II, Type III parients with closed-lock patients, but also for Type IV patients.We suggest that it is necessary to continue this line of research for a long period, and to treat a greater number of cases.(J. Jpn. Soc. Laser Dent. 7: 72-82, 1996 Reprint requests to Dr. Arao)