The Cobb's and Ferguson's methods are widely used in order to measure scoliotic angle using the X-ray photograph. Since the scoliotic angle is detected on the bases of the positions of only two and three spines, the measured value includes various kinds of errors. Thus, the present study was designed to examine accuracy and reliability of the Cobb's and Ferguson's methods. The scoliotic angle corresponding to the Cobb's and Ferguson's method were computed using the least square approximating curve that was obtained on the basis of the positions of spines from thoracic to lumbar vertebrae.
As a result, it was found that the scoliotic angle by means of the clinical Cobb's method was closely correlated to that by the least square method with positive correlation coefficient of 0.98. On the other hands, the Ferguson's method showed less relation to the least square method. Thus, it was confirmed that the Cobb's method was more reliable for diagonsis of the scoliosis.

Branching morphogenesis of the fetal mouse submandibular gland (SMG) is regulated by signaling through the ErbB and FGF families of tyrosine kinase receptors, whose members activate the ERK-1/2 pathway. The four Sprouty (Spry) proteins are inhibitory modulators of ERK-1/2. There is little information on their expression during pre- and postnatal development of the SMG. Qualitative RT-PCR detected mRNAs for Spry1, 2, and 4 from embryonic day 13 (E13) through postnatal day 7 (P7), but only trace amounts of Spry1 and 2 in adult SMGs. More sensitive quantitative RT-PCR revealed that transcripts for all four Spry isoforms are expressed, and each shows individual patterns of variation across fetal and early postnatal stages, and that there are very low levels of Spry1 and 2, but no Spry3 and 4, in adult glands. EGF, FGF7 and FGF10 upregulate expression of mRNA for Spry1, but only FGF7 upregulates Spry2 mRNA. EGF strongly induces an activating phosphorylation of all four Spry isoforms, but both FGFs do so only minimally. Quantitative RT-PCR of samples collected by laser capture microdissection showed that transcripts for Spry1 are confined to the epithelium of E13 SMG rudiments. The isoform-specific temporal variation in the patterns of expression of Spry1, 2, 3 and 4 suggests a potentially important role for these negative modulators of growth-factor driven ras/ERK-1/2 signaling at stages when the SMG is most actively undergoing branching morphogenesis.