Association of caries and treatment experiences with subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in female adolescents.

A 2-year cohort study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) was performed. A total of 229 female adolescents, all 15 years of age, completed questionnaires and underwent dental examinations at baseline, 1- and 2-year follow-up surveys. The questionnaire included questions on typical TMD symptoms; i.e. temporomandibular joint (TMJ) noise, tiredness in jaws, pain on jaw movements, and difficulty in mouth opening. The relative risk was computed to determine the relationships of the baseline number of filled teeth (FT) and decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) increment with the incidence of TMD. The percentage of subjects with one or more subjective symptoms at 17 years of age was 30.6%, significantly higher than the percentages at 15 (17.0%) and 16 (19.7%) years of age (P < 0.01). The symptom-emerging rate of TMJ noise during the 2-year period was 13.5%, which was the highest among the rates of possible subjective symptoms. Individuals with a 2-year increment in DMFT of > or =2 had a 2.14-times increased risk of experiencing mild symptoms, and individuals with baseline FT of > or =3 had 2.41-times increased risk of experiencing mild or severe subjective symptoms. The results of this study showed that TMD symptoms occurred in a relatively high percentage of female adolescents during the 2-year period and suggested that DMFT is one factor affecting the incidence of TMD.

Oral parafunctions and association with symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in Japanese university students.

We examined whether oral parafunctions are associated with symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in 3557 Japanese university students, aged between 18 and 26 years. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding various oral parafunctions and subjective symptoms related to TMD, and underwent a dental examination. The prevalence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) noise, TMJ pain and impaired mouth opening was 41.7, 16.0 and 16.3%, respectively. The most prevalent parafunction was sleeping on one side (60.2%), followed by supporting the jaw by leaning on the palm of the hand (44.8%). Mean age, decayed, missing and filled teeth, and number of teeth were not significantly different between TMD positive and negative groups according to unpaired t-test. The chi-squared test revealed that the ratio of females was significantly higher among students with TMD than without TMD. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender demonstrated that chewing on one side caused an increased risk of TMJ noise [odds ratio (OR) = 1.52, P < 0.001], TMJ pain (OR = 1.54, P < 0.001), and impaired mouth opening (OR = 2.00, P < 0.001). Tooth clenching also increased the risk of TMJ noise (OR = 1.86, P < 0.001), TMJ pain (OR = 1.79, P = 0.001) and impaired mouth opening (OR = 1.88, P < 0.001). Further prospective cohort studies, including other potential risk factors, are required to clarify these relationships.

Practical asymmetric synthesis of (S)-MA20565, a wide-spectrum agricultural fungicide.

A practical asymmetric synthesis of a wide-spectrum agricultural fungicide, (S)-MA20565 (1), is described. The convergent synthesis was achieved starting from commercially available 3-(trifluoromethyl)aniline (7) in 44% overall yield through five steps and 2-bromobenzaldehyde (9) in 48% overall yield through four steps, respectively. (S)-O-[1-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)ethyl]hydroxylamine (2), a key intermediate of 1, was prepared via ruthenium(II)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)ethanone (6) followed by chlorination using methanesulfonyl chloride and oxyamination using potassium acetohydroxamate with high level of stereocontrol.

[The development of the Japanese pharmaceutical industry (part 7). Histories of medical advertisements from Taisho Era till Showa Era].

Medical advertisements in newspapers have been used quite often as a means of sales promotion since the Meiji Era. Medical advertisements were quantitatively the leading advertisements in Japanese newspapers from the Taisho Era to early in the Showa Era. When World War II broke out, the quanity of advertisements in newspapers decreased markedly. After the war ended, the quantity of radio commercials for medicine increased quite rapidly. In the 1960s, however, pharmaceutical companies were criticized for over-promoting and improperly using medicines.

Widespread distribution of Chlorella viruses in Japan.

An extensive survey for Chlorella viruses was done across Japan and in nine countries of Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Of 150 fresh-water samples collected from 77 distinct areas in Japan, 29 showed plaques on a lawn of Chlorella sp. (strain NC64A). Typically, 10 to 1000 PFU/ml of viruses were present at sampling sites located throughout Japan. Viruses were also detected in two samples from Brazil and China but not from other countries where water samples were screened. Several representatives of these viruses including ones isolated from Brazil and China were compared with respect to genome size, genome structure, and protein components. It was found that these viruses should belong to the same virus group consisting of large icosahedral particles with linear dsDNA genomes. Physiological and ecological factors affecting virus distribution are discussed.

[The effect of copper on o- and m-tyrosine content in the serum of guinea pigs].

The effect of copper on the concentrations of o- and m-tyrosines in the serum of guinea pigs was studied in vivo. When guinea pigs were fed the normal diet and 0.1% CuSO4 solution as a drinking water for 13 d, the concentrations of o- and m-tyrosines in the serum increased more significantly than that of guinea pigs fed normal diet and water without copper. Phenylalanine hydroxylase in the liver and kidney, and tyrosine hydroxylase in the brain and adrenal were not activated by the administration of copper to guinea pigs. The administration of copper caused an abnormal accumulation of copper in the liver, but not in the kidney, adrenal and brain, and significantly depressed the ascorbic acid content in various organs including the liver, kidney, brain and adrenal. The results obtained suggest that o- and m-tyrosines may be also formed nonenzymatically in vivo, in addition to the formation by the participation of enzymes such as phenylalanine and tyrosine hydroxylases.