Relationship between apneic episodes and destruction of temporomandibular joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

There have been only a few investigational reports of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although it may not be a rare condition and may be life-threatening occasionally. The factor precipitating SAS in such patients is thought to be destruction of the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) from RA processes. To assess the relationship of the degree of destruction of the TMJs to the frequency of apnea, we examined them in 10 RA patients who complained of snoring. Those patients were classified as classical RA according to the criteria of American Rheumatism Association. They consisted of 3 males and 7 females with a mean age of 57.8 + 11.0 years and a mean disease duration of 15.9 +/- 9.4 years. In order to numerically evaluate the degree of destruction of the mandibular rami, we quoted a method from the literature (Redlund-Johnell I, Scand J Rheumatol 16:355, 1987) and measured the vertical distance (= ramal height) from the mandibular angle to the palato-occipital line on the lateral view film of the cervical spine in each patient. The mean values of ramal height (RH) of the normal material (we studied in Japanese) are 46.0 mm in males and 38.3 mm in females. There were 8 cases of SAS out of the 10 RA patients studied. Their mean total apneic episode (TAE) was 289.9 mm with a range of 0-611. The mean ratio (%) of RH to mean value of the normal material (%RH) was 68.8 +/- 22.2% for all. There was a significant statistic correlation between TAE and %RH (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Increased expression of cyclooxygenase 2 occurs frequently in human lung cancers, specifically in adenocarcinomas

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression was immunohistochemically examined in 59 human lung cancers as well as in normal and premalignant lung specimens. In contrast to scattered weak reactivity seen in normal peripheral airway epithelial cells, markedly up-regulated COX-2 expression was detected in about one-third of atypical adenomatous hyperplasias and carcinoma in situ specimens, and a significant increase in COX-2 expression was observed in 70% of invasive adenocarcinoma cases. Interestingly, the proportion of adenocarcinoma cells with marked COX-2 expression was much greater in lymph node metastases than in the corresponding primary tumors. In contrast, small cell carcinomas showed virtually negligible expression, and squamous cell carcinomas showed infrequent and low expression. These findings suggest that an increase in COX-2 expression may be associated with the development of adenocarcinomas and possibly with acquisition of an invasive and metastatic phenotype.     

Surgical treatment of syringomyelia associated with spinal dysraphism

Clinical and radiological features of syringomyelia in 15 patients with spinal dysraphism are reported. There were 8 patients with occult spinal dysraphism (lumbosacral lipoma) and 7 with spina bifida aperta (meningomyelocele). Syringomyelia with spinal dysraphism can be radiologically divided into two types according to the dysraphic state. The syrinx in the patients with occult spinal dysraphism occurred immediately rostral to the lipoma and was localized to the lower thoracic to lumbar levels, while in the meningomyelocele patients the syrinx extended from the cervical to the thoracic level. Large syrinx formation was recognized in 1 of the 7 occult spinal dysraphism cases and 3 of the 8 meningomyelocele cases. For syringomyelia with occult spinal dysraphism, 4 patients underwent syringo-subarachnoid shunting (S-S shunt, 2 cases) or syringostomy (2 cases) during an untethering operation. In the case of meningomyelocele, S-S shunts were placed in 2 patients. Collapse of the syrinx was achieved in all 6 patients who underwent S-S shunting or syringostomy. Decreased size of the syrinx was also noted in 3 occult spinal dysraphism patients who underwent untethering operations alone. In conclusion, a large syrinx in the case of spinal dysraphism should be surgically treated. S-S shunting is effective in both types of syringomyelia. Foramen magnum decompression may be an alternative method of surgical treatment for syringomyelia in patients with meningomyelocele.     

400-channel arrayed-waveguide grating with 25 GHz spacing using1.5%-Δ waveguides on 6-inch Si wafer

A large-scale arrayed-waveguide grating with a 400-channel and 25 GHz spacing using 1.5%-Δ silica-based waveguides on a 6-inch Si wafer has been realised. Good demultiplexing properties have been obtained over the full Cand L-band range with an on-chip loss of 3.8 to 6.4 dB and a far-end crosstalk of -30 dB     

Vitrectomy in Coats' disease

Four eyes of four patients with Coats' disease underwent vitrectomy because of exudative or tractional detachments involving the macula or premacular fibrosis. All cases had gelatinous vitreous and had no complete posterior vitreous detachment. The exudates decreased and the retina reattached after removing vitreous traction and coagulating abnormal vessels with endodiathermy and not removing subretinal fluid in 3 eyes with retinal detachment. In one eye with tractional detachment, retinal breaks were found beneath the proliferative membrane during the initial vitrectomy procedure. This eye needed multiple operations because of recurrent traction by the remaining peripheral vitreous. Exudation into the vitreous and vitreous traction may cause mutual progression in these eyes, and vitrectomy is an effective treatment, although there are difficulties in removing vitreous traction completely.     

Phase transitions in nonequilibrium superconductors induced by quasiparticle injection

We discuss the phase transitions induced by the injection of quasiparticles in nonequilibrium superconductors, based upon the equations of Scalapino and Huberman and including nonlinear effects. When the effect of the reaction of quasiparticles with phonons is small the system shows a first-order transition to an inhomogeneous state. As the effect of the reaction becomes larger, the transition becomes of second order. When the effect of the reaction is further increased, the system shows the first-order transition to the homogeneous normal state as was predicted by Owen and Scalapino. The results are in qualitative agreement with the recent experiments of Iguchi. The relation of the present problem to the spinodal decomposition is discussed.