Signs of oral dryness in relation to salivary flow rate,pH, buffering capacity and dry mouth complaints

Background  

This study aimed to investigate the signs of oral dryness in relation to different salivary variables and to correlate subjective complaints of oral dryness with salivary flow rate.     

31P NMR spectroscopic study of bioenergetic changes in radiation-induced fibrosarcoma-1 after radiation therapy

The effects of localized gamma-irradiation on the in vivo 31P NMR spectra of RIF-1 tumors grown subcutaneously in C3H/HeN mice have been examined before and during the week after treatment. Increases in the ratio of phosphocreatine (PCr) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) and in tumor pH, and decreases in the ratio of Pi to the beta phosphorus resonance of the nucleotide triphosphates (beta NTP) were observed in irradiated tumors. The time course of changes in the 31P spectrum following treatment was the opposite of the pattern during untreated growth, and the magnitude and duration of the changes increased with increasing radiation dose, decreasing clonogenic cell survival and increasing growth delay. To examine the possibility that nontherapeutic systemic effects of the tumor irradiation were responsible for the changes observed, a number of animals bearing two tumors were examined. One tumor on each mouse was selectively irradiated. Changes in tumor volume, Pi/beta NTP, PCr/Pi, the ratio of phosphomonoesters to beta NTP, and tumor pH were all significantly different in the treated compared to the untreated tumor on each animal, indicating that these changes in 31P NMR spectra were a response to radiation therapy and not a systemic response to radiation toxicity.     

A computerized Chinese classification of diseases and coding system

The historical review and the necessity of establishment of the Chinese Classification of Diseases (CCD) and Coding System are described. The content, terms used for unified and standardized nomenclatures, coding system including diagnostic terms of traditional Chinese medicine and other codings are introduced. The utility of the CCD system in medical record face sheet management, national native medical statistics, consultative retrieval from terms and codes of diseases, the development and practical trial of ICD-9 CCD is also discussed. Finally, the position and prospect of CCD system in international informatics communication is emphasized.