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PURPOSE: The aim of the present prospective study was to compare material-related complications using biodegradable and titanium miniplates after bilateral sagittal split mandibular setback surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The subjects included 200 Japanese adults (67 men and 133 women, age range 18 to 45 years) with jaw deformities diagnosed as mandibular prognathism. All patients were prospectively and consecutively randomized to 2 study groups, receiving biodegradable or titanium fixation plates. Of the 200 patients, 110 underwent bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy with a biodegradable fixation plate and 90 underwent bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy with a titanium metal plate. The clinical records and radiologic findings of the patients were reviewed, and the incidence of material-related complications was compared. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative complications and breakage in the biodegradable group was 8.2% (9 cases) and in the titanium group was 3.3% (3 cases). No statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications was found between the 2 groups. Fractures of the biodegradable plate occurred at a significantly greater frequency in patients with asymmetry than in patients without asymmetry. CONCLUSION: Biodegradable plates were reliable with minimal material-related complications. However, the use of biodegradable plates should be recommended for minimally loaded situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: We assessed serum procalcitonin (PCT) as a screening test for early detection of ischemic colitis. Patients and methods: Ninety-three patients (81 men and 12 women) undergoing elective aortic surgery were enrolled in this study. Their mean age was 70.3±8.1 years old. Serum procalcitonin was measured postoperatively. Results: Four patients suffered from colon ischemia. Based on a cut off value of serum PCT≥2.0ng/ml, fourteen patients had a false positive but none had a false negative result. Sensitivity was 100%, and specificity was 83.9% in detecting ischemic colitis. Negative predictive vale was 100%. Conclusion: Serum PCT is a non-invasive test that has a high negative predictive vale in ruling out colon ischemia after aortic surgery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report lattice QCD results of scattering amplitudes of πK system for both channles. The lattice simulations are made in the quenched approximation at on a lattice. The hopping parameters of and are used. A clear difference of energy shift is found between I=3/2 and I=1/2 channels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Endometriosis is a complex gynecologic disorder that may display features similar to malignancy, including aggressive growth and localized invasion of the myometrium or spread to various organs outside the uterus. Molecular studies of cancer have demonstrated that genomic instability involving chromosome 17 plays a role in the development and progression of various tumor types. These involve gain and/or loss, deletions, and mutations of candidate tumor suppressor genes (eg, BRCA1 and p53 ) on chromosome 17.Study Design: We used a 2-color fluorescence in situ hybridization method for analysis of endometriotic and normal archival tissue. Centromere-specific and locus-specific p53 probes localized to chromosome 17 were selected to study 8 patients with late-stage (severe) endometriosis. Single cells localized to endometriotic lesions or normal endometrial glands were analyzed and identified as normal or abnormal on the basis of the distribution of fluorescence in situ hybridization signals.Results: Overall, chromosome 17 aneuploidy was significantly greater (P <.05) in the endometriosis specimens (mean of 65%) than in normal endometrial cells (mean of 25%). No significant difference (P =.1071) in the distribution of fluorescence in situ hybridization signals was observed among the 5 normal endometrial specimens. However, significant differences (P <. 0001) were observed between the 8 endometriosis tissue specimens.Conclusion: We found increased heterogeneity of chromosome 17 aneuploidy in endometriosis. These findings support a multistep pathway involving somatic genetic alterations in the development and progression of this common disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1980s the Japanese scientific academy defined a functional food as a food having a tertiary or physiologically active function. The current Japanese "Food with Health Claims" include 2 categories. For the first category, "Food with Nutrient Function Claims," the label may be freely used if a product satisfies the standard for the minimum and maximum levels per daily portion usually consumed. The second category is defined as "Food for Specified Health Uses" (FOSHU). FOSHU foods are those that contain dietary ingredients that have beneficial effects on the physiological functions of the human body, maintain and promote health, and improve health-related conditions. Health claims on these foods correspond to the category of "other" function claims of the Codex Alimentarius. However, claims of disease-risk reduction are not currently allowed under FOSHU with an exception for calcium and folic acid. Manufacturers can emphasize the characteristics of their products and promote sales by labeling or claims. Therefore, the labeling should be clear and correct and avoid any chance of misinterpretation. The labeling of health claims on foods should always be based on scientific evidence. Any manufacturer who applies to the government for approval under the FOSHU code for its product must tabulate both published available publications and internal reports on the effectiveness of the product and/or its ingredients and provide a summary of each available publication or report. The tabulation must include in vitro metabolic and biochemical studies, in vivo studies, and randomized controlled trials on Japanese people. The overall philosophy of the Ministry is to maintain and improve the health status of people and to prevent chronic noncommunicable diseases through an approach that involves a well-balanced diet as well as through the use of "health foods" including "Food with Health Claims." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigated the ability of Garcinia cambogia extract containing (−)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA) to suppress body fat accumulation in developing male Zucker obese (fa/fa) rats. We also examined histopathologically the safety of its high doses. Diets containing different levels of HCA (0, 10, 51, 102 and 154mmol/kg diet) were fed to 6-week-old rats for 92 or 93 days. Each diet group was pair-fed to the 154mmol HCA/kg diet group. Epididymal fat accumulation and histopathological changes in tissues were observed. The highest dose of HCA-containing Garcinia cambogia (154mmol HCA/kg diet) showed significant suppression of epididymal fat accumulation in developing male Zucker obese rats, compared with the other groups. However, the diets containing 102mmol HCA/kg diet and higher (778 and 1244mg HCA/kg BW/d, respectively) caused potent testicular atrophy and toxicity, whereas diets containing 51mmol HCA/kg diet (389mg HCA/kg BW/d) or less did not. Accordingly, 51mmol HCA/kg diet (389mg HCA/kg BW/d) was deemed to be the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A soft diet facilitates the development of faster-type fibres in rat masseter muscle in the 9 days after weaning compared with a hard diet. To determine whether insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), IGF receptors (IGFRs) and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) are involved in this fibre-type alteration, the expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC), IGF, IGFR and IGFBP mRNAs in the masseter muscle of rats fed a hard or soft diet for 9 days after weaning was analysed using competitive, reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. A soft diet decreased the expression of MHC IIa (slower type) by 70%, but increased the expression of MHC IIx (intermediate type) and IIb (faster type) by 80 and 582%, respectively, compared with a hard diet. These findings verified that a soft diet facilitates the development of faster-type fibres in rat masseter muscle compared with a hard diet. A soft diet induced reductions of 25–76% (P<0.05–0.01) in the expression of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFR2, IGFBP4 and IGFBP6 compared with a hard diet, but induced a 25% (P<0.05) increase only in expression of IGFBP3. These findings suggest that the changes in expression of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFR2, IGFBP3, IGFBP4 and IGFBP6 are associated with the fibre-type alteration of rat masseter muscle in response to diet consistency soon after weaning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]