PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the possibility of substitution of the zonography for the full-mouth periapical radiography in aspect of radiation protection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rando phantom and LiF TLD chips were used for dosimetry. The absorbed doses at brain, skin above the TMJ, parotid gland, bone marrow in the mandibular body, and thyroid gland during the full-mouth periapical radiography, panoramic radiography, and zonography were measured. RESULTS: From the zonography, the absorbed doses to the brain, the skin over the TMJ, and the parotid gland were relatively high, but the absorbed doses to the bone marrow in the mandibular body and, especially, the thyroid gland were very low. CONCLUSION: The zonography can be an alternative to the full-mouth periapical radiography in aspect of radiation protection.
Bone Marrow ; Brain ; Parotid Gland ; Radiation Protection ; Radiography* ; Radiography, Panoramic* ; Skin ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Thyroid Gland ; Tomography, X-Ray*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Primary Health Care*

No abstract available.
Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; HIV Infections* ; HIV* ; Humans

We report a case of pilomatrixoma presenting in the right cheek of a 6-year-old girl. In the panoramic view, a small, ovoid-shaped, and nonhomogenous calcified mass was superimposed on the right mandibular angle. The mass was located on the skin overlying the right mandibular ramus area in the skull P-A view. The tumor had a strongly reflective pattern with acoustic shadowing in sonographic view. We also illustrate how these lesions can be effectively diagnosed.
Acoustics ; Cheek* ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Pilomatrixoma* ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Skull ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/*diagnosis/pathology/radiography ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to investigate the effect of irradiation on the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and apoptosis induction during the carcinogenesis in hamster buccal pouch. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three months old Syrian golden hamsters were divided into control and 2 experimental groups. Hamsters in control group were left untreated on buccal pouchs. Twenty four hamsters were treated with 0.5% DMBA tri-weekly on the right buccal pouch. Forty eight hamsters were treated with 0.5% DMBA tri-weekly and irradiated with the dose of 5 Gy and 10 Gy at 6, 9, 12, 15 weeks after DMBA application. Resected buccal pouches were sectioned and examined for potential expression pattern of PCNA and apoptosis. RESULTS: The PCNA index was increased with the stages of buccal pouch epithelium carcinogenesis except the hyperplasia stage in control group (p<0.05). The irradiation did not effect on the PCNA index in the dysplasia and the carcinoma in situ stage, but in the hyperplasia stage, the PCNA index was increased with 10 Gy radiation and decreased in the carcinoma stage (p<0.05). The apoptotic index was significantly decreased from the carcinoma in situ stage and the lowest in the carcinoma stage. The apoptotic index was significantly decreased in the hyperplasia and dysplasia stage with the 5 Gy irradiation and significantly increased only in the carcinoma stage with the 10 Gy irradiation (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The PCNA and apoptotic index were varied according to the irradiation period and dosage in each carcinogenesis stage.
9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene* ; Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Carcinogenesis* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Cricetinae* ; Epithelium ; Hyperplasia ; Mesocricetus ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen* ; Radiation Dosage

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the apoptosis induction in tissues constituting the craniofacial region of growing rat by irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The submandibular gland, brain, articular cartilage of condylar head, and calvarium were extracted from 20-day-old rats irradiated 10 Gy. Apoptosis of each tissue was examined by DNA fragmentation and estimated quantitatively using apoptotic index on TUNEL assay. Apoptotic index of each tissue was calculated by the equation for apoptotic cells/total cells X1,000 on the images of confocal laser scanning microscopy. Apoptotic index was analyzed statistically according to the time lapse after irradiation on the tissues. RESULTS: In the submandibular gland, apoptotic index was significantly increased from 6 hours after irradiation showing the highest value at 12 hours and decreased to the control level at 3 days after irradiation. In the brain, apoptotic index was abruptly reached to the maximum value at 6 hours after irradiation and decreased to the control level at 4 days after irradiation. Articular cartilage and calvarium showed no or little apoptotic signals. The results obtained by the apoptotic index accorded with that of DNA fragmentation. CONCLUSION: Radiation was closely related with the apoptosis of submandibular gland and brain but, not related with the apoptosis of the articular cartilage of condylar head and calvarium. The changes induced by radiation of the hard tissues would not be explained by apoptosis.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Brain ; Cartilage, Articular ; DNA Fragmentation ; Head ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Rats* ; Skull ; Submandibular Gland

OBJECTIVE: To determne whether abnormal results of doble saeening tests for Down syndrome with MSAFP and free B-hCG are associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. METHODS: Between October 1994 and September 1997, 205 among 1731 who were screened had increased risk for Down screening program of CIS biointernational, Fetuses with Chromosomal abnormality or congenital anomalies and less than 35 years of maternal age were excluded from this study. Down syndrome screening test was performed between 14-22 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: Of 1731 women, 205 (13.4%) had increased Down syndrome risk. The pregnancy outcome of women with increased Down syndrome risk were compared with those of women without such risk There were no significant difference in the incidence of preterm labor (6[2.9%] vs 112[7.3%)), premature rupture of the membranes (2[0.9%] vs 56[3.6%]), pregnancy induced hypertension (2[0.9%] vs 36[2.3%]), abruptio placentae (0[0%] vs 2[0.1%]), low birth weight (2[0.9%] vs 21[1.3%]), oligohydramnios (4[1.9%] vs 10[0.6%]), intrauterine fetal death (0[0%] vs 2[0.1%]). CONCLUSION: False positive results of Down syndrome screening test in the 2nd trimester do not appear to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. But there are statistically significant increases of adverse pregnancy outcome in wemen with elevation of MSAFP or elevation of free B-hCG.
Abruptio Placentae ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Fetus ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Incidence ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Screening* ; Maternal Age ; Membranes ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Oligohydramnios ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy* ; Rupture

There is no doubt that telecommunication saves a great deal of time and expense when exchanging information, and recent technological advances have increased its popularity in business and educational applications. Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine in which medical information is transferred via the Internet or another communication network for the purpose of consultations, and sometimes also for remote medical procedures or examinations. A telemedicine system can also be applied to medical education. Many doctors and medical students could benefit from telementoring and tele-education based on videoconferencing systems. However, telemedicine in general has not yet become popular in clinical practice or medical education. In our university, we have used a telemedicine system to educate doctors and medical students since 2003. Since our first telemedical conference with Kyushu University Hospital on February 12, 2003 when we have regularly performed telemedical conferences. Here we introduce a general methodology for telemedicine, our experiences of medical conferencing using telemedicine, and future possible directions.
Clinical Medicine ; Commerce ; Congresses as Topic ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Internet ; Referral and Consultation ; Students, Medical ; Telecommunications ; Telemedicine ; Videoconferencing

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Telemedicine is a useful tool for remote education to overcome limitations of location. We have shared medical knowledge by the use of a real-time, high quality digital video transfer system (DVTS). The study aim was to evaluate the use of the DVTS by viewer questionnaire. METHODS: After an endoscopic live demonstration using DVTS and satellite broadcasting system (SBS), questions were provided for the degree of satisfaction about image and sound of the presentation. A questionnaire was composed of 11 questions concerning factors such as a comparison of image quality between the two systems. The preference between DVTS with SBS was analyzed. RESULTS: For image quality, SBS was more preferable than DVTS (65.6% versus 16.7%). However, 16.7% found no difference between the use of DVTS and SBS. For the time delay between the image and sound, 62.5% preferred SBS and 11.5% preferred DVTS. The satisfaction for combining DVTS with SBS were 68% as good and 22% as very good. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated the feasibility of telemedicine by the demonstration of a satisfactory teleconference, although DVTS was utilized as an assistant tool. DVTS should prove to be a promising tool as a useful and economic means to provide remote medicine.
Education, Medical ; Telecommunications ; Telemedicine ; Surveys and Questionnaires