Development of an electronic device for sialometry of minor salivary glands.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the usefulness of a new electronic device for the measurement of labial gland secretion rate. STUDY DESIGN: The device uses an electrical resistance method. Saliva is absorbed by filter paper, and alternating current at 1.0 kHz is passed through the filter paper that was fixed between electrode plates. A voltmeter in the device shows a low potential difference when the amount of saliva absorbed is small. Labial gland secretion rate was estimated from a calibration curve generated from mean values obtained from quantitative tests using saliva obtained from 3 healthy volunteers. To estimate the labial gland secretion rate of healthy subjects, 40 healthy female subjects were examined. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) labial gland secretion rate was estimated at 2.9 (1.3) µL/cm(2)/min. CONCLUSION: The electronic device was shown to be able to estimate the labial gland secretion rate.

Gait and posture assessments of a patient treated with deep brain stimulation in dystonia using three-dimensional motion analysis systems.

Kinesiologic analysis of gait disorders, postural instabilities and abnormal movements is quite difficult to assess objectively by clinical observation, such as by specific scale and video recordings. In this study, we reported one of the aspects of the usefulness of three-dimensional motion analysis (Vicon Systems, Oxford, United Kingdom), which can measure inclusive data of movement disorders and substitute for conventional assessments. A 49-year-old man who had various dystonic symptoms, mainly on his left side of the body, responded well to deep brain stimulation (DBS). The examination quantified how the involuntary movements or other symptoms with dystonia changed before and after treatments.

Double-resonance quartz crystal oscillator and excitation of a resonator immersed in liquid media.

In this work we propose a novel circuit design: a double-resonance oscillator. Its oscillation shows two oscillation modes: frequency locking to the quartz crystal resonance and LC resonance oscillation. Transition of the oscillation mode and the strength of oscillation are analyzed and reviewed for the fundamental mode in comparison with a Colpitts oscillator. The experimental results support the estimates of negative resistance for the double-resonance oscillator compared with the LC oscillator.

Validity of stimulated whole saliva collection as a sialometric evaluation for diagnosing Sjögren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes were to compare the practice effect of stimulated whole saliva collection (SWSC) with unstimulated whole saliva collection (UWSC), and to investigate the validity of the tests as a criterion in the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome (SS), allowing for the practice effect. STUDY DESIGN: SWSC (n = 34) or UWSC (n = 27) was performed 3 times on healthy volunteers to investigate practice effects; then the differences among the 3 measurements were analyzed. For evaluating the validity of the tests, UWSC and SWSC were performed alternately on 28 SS patients and 34 control subjects, all of whom had had a practice SWSC before the actual test; then the sensitivity and specificity of both tests as a criterion in the diagnosis of SS were calculated. RESULTS: A practice effect was observed for SWSC, but not for UWSC. When an orientation measurement was performed before the actual SWSC, there was no statistically significant difference between the accuracy of SWSC and UWSC as a criterion in the diagnosis of SS. CONCLUSION: If an orientation measurement is performed before the actual measurement, SWSC can be as valid a test for sialometric evaluation in the diagnosis of SS as UWSC.

Operative anatomy and classification of the sylvian veins for the distal transsylvian approach.

Methods for preservation of the sylvian veins in the transsylvian approach have not been established because of the considerable variations. This study attempted to classify the sylvian veins to facilitate systematic dissection of the sylvian fissure for sylvian veins to be preserved. The operative anatomy of the sylvian vein was examined in 82 hemispheres. The type of drainage and the pattern of branching were investigated. The superficial sylvian vein (SSV) was classified into three types according to the number of stems draining into the dural sinus on the inner surface of the sphenoid bone: The SSV was absent or hypoplastic in eight cases, the SSV was single in 38 cases, and the SSV was double in 36 cases. The SSV drained into neither the sphenoparietal sinus nor the cavernous sinus in nine cases. An anastomosis between the SSV and the deep middle cerebral vein (DMCV) was observed in 42 cases. The frontobasal bridging vein (FBBV) drained into the sphenoparietal sinus in 47 cases. The type of connection was further subdivided into four types according to the connections with the DMCV and FBBV. The venous anatomy of sylvian fissure indicates that dissection (skeletonization) of the main stem of sylvian veins from the temporal lobe should be performed to preserve the tributaries from the frontal lobe.