The prognostic values of stapedius reflex (SR) test on peripheral facial palsy in an early stage were investigated based on the presence of SR and the restoration of the impaired SR in 76 cases with unilateral Bell's palsy.
Results obtained from SR test are as follows. 1. In all cases except for one, SR restored within 4 months after the onset of palsy, not depending upon the severity of facial palsy. 2. An overall tendency revealed that the restoration of SR occurs rather earlier than the recovery of facial palsy, but only several cases showed a complete recovery of facial palsy without any signs of SR. 3. In cases with suprastapedial lesions, the earlier the restoration of SR, the more complete recovery of facial palsy can be achieved. 4. In the early stage (within 3 weeks after the onset of palsy), 35 out of 40 cases (88%) with signs of SR showed a good prognosis. Cases without any signs of SR, on the other hand, did not always show a poor prognosis. Therefore, SR measurements are complementary in the prognostic diagnosis on Bell's palsy in an early stage.

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The age-related histological changes of the human inferior nasal turbinates were studied by means of morphometric and other quantitative techniques. The specimens used in this study Were 100 inferior turbinates (31 females and 69 males) obtained at autopsy. They were from 1.3 to 84 years of age and without any apparent nasal pathology.
The height of mucous epithelial layer and the number of basal cells decreased with age. Although the incidence of epithelial atrophy increases, obvious age effects are not observed in the incidence of epithelial squamous metaplasia and in the population density of goblet cells.
The thickness of basement membrane under epithelial layer increases with age accompanied by marked hyalinization. The incidence of loosening of the basement membrane, however, does not apparently change with age.
In lamina propria, the number of infiltrating small round cells and the proportion of glandular tissue area to lamina propria decreased with age. As the age advances, the intimal thickening of muscular arteries and fibrosis of lamina propria are obviously observed.
Although these changes are caused by either or both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, these changes should be interpreted as a whole to elucidate the age-related histological changes of the entire inferior nasal turbinate.

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Statistical analysis of malignant melanoma of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses was performed on 143 cases which are composed of 11 cases treated at Hirosaki University from 1965 to 1981 and 132 cases collected from Japanese literature during the same period.
Age ranged from 1 to 85 years old and peak incidence was observed in the sixth and seventh decade. Average age was 58.8 years old and the male to female ratio was 1.24 to 1. A yearly incidence in average was 8.4 cases and showed an increase in the recent years. Primary lesion was observed more frequently in nasal cavity than paranasal sinuses, and the ratio was 6.4 to 1. Left to right ratio was 1.7 to 1. Lymph nodes or distant metastasis was observed in 62.5%, Only 5 patients survived more than 5 years and 46 patients died within 5 years.

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The basophil which bears specific IgE degranulates and disappears after challenge with allergen. This phenomenon was used as diagnostic test of allergies. A human basophil degranulation test (HBDT) was carried out on a slide using an enriched cell suspension. On each slide, 20μl of enriched cell suspension and 10μl of the allergen or, as a contaol, 10μl of buffer solution were placed in wells. After fixed and stained, the basophil count was made on an equal number of random distributed microscopic fields. When numbers of basophil decreased more than 35% in allergen wells, HBDT was determined as positive.
In the present report, five allergens were included, namely house dust (HD), mites (mixture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae), pollen, hairs of cat and dog. In all allergens, there were good correlations between results of HBDT and skin test, and the concordance rate were 69.2% in HD, 80.8% in mites, 90.5% in pollen and 91.7% in cat and dog. There was also good correlation between the results of HBDT and RAST score. Its concordance reached 91%.
This HBDT is plain and simple, and shows similar reliability to RAST. HBDT will prove to be an additionally useful diagnostic clue for allergy.

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64 previously untreated patients with carcinoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses except the maxillary sinus were treated at our clinic between 1960 and 1980. In 39 cases the primary site was the ethmoid sinus, in 17 the nasal cavity, in 7 the frontal sinus and in 1 the sphenoid sinus. According to the TNM classification presented by Sakai, 9 patients belonged to T1NO, 22 to T2NO, 9 to T3NO, 17 to T4NO, 4 to T1-4N1 and 3 to T1-4N2-3. 5 cases were treated with surgery alone (S), 10 with the combined therapy of surgery and irradiation (S+R), 47 with irradiation alone (R) and 2 with chemotherapy (C).
The 5-year accumulated survival rates were 54.1% for the entire cases, 100% for T1NO, 64.6% for T2NO, 62.2% for T3NO, 37.6% for T4NO, 0% for T1-4N1 and 33.3% for T1-4 N2-3. The degree of extension and cervical node metastasis correlated with the prognosis. The 5-year accumulated survival rates by the site of origin were 70.3% for the nasal cavity, 51.8% for the ethmoid sinus, 28.6% for the frontal sinus and 100% for the sphenoid sinus. The site of origin influenced the prognosis. No significant difference in the survival rate was noted by histopathological diagnosis. The 5-year accumulated survival rates by therapeutic modalities were 100% for S, 64.3% for S+R, 49.3% for R and 0% for C. S+R achieved better therapeutic result than R.

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A rare case of choristoma in the external auditory canal is reported. The patient was a 23-year-old woman who complained of hearing impairment and fullness of the left ear of approximately 3 years' duration. She had both Peutz-Jegher's syndrome and Cushing's syndrome. On otoscopical examination a tumorous mass was found arising from the posterior wall of the external auditory canal. It was extirpated easily by endaural approach under local anesthesia with modified neuroleptanalgesia. The tumor was not connected directly with the bony tissueof the bony external auditory canal. It was 10×6×5mm in size and 1.2gm in weight. Histopathological diagnosis was made of choristoma, which resembled to osteoma. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the fractured surface revealed that there were many fibrovascular channels surrounded by lammelated bony layers. Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis proved that this tumor mainly contained chemical elements such as calcium and phosphorus, but not sulfur and other elements. From the basis of ultrastructural characteristics and chemical compositions the genesis of choristoma was briefly discussed.

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In the period from 1960 to 1980, 21 patients with cervical lymph node metastasis from unknown primary cancer were treated. They were 1.5% of the patients with malignant tumors of the head and neck region treated during the same period. The presence of primary lesions were confirmed in 7 patients after the treatment of their metastatic lesions. In the group of patients whose metastatic lesions were treated by surgery, four survived more than five years. In one of the 4 patients, the primary lesion was found later, and treated by radiation and surgery. None of the patients whose metastatic lesions were treated by radiation or chemotherapy survived. When the metastatic lymph nodes are not fixed and limited at unilateral side of the neck, surgical treatment by radical neck dissection is recomended.

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