Journal of oral pathology最新文献

In 2 parotid adenolymphomas, the composition of lymphoid stroma was analysed, using stereologic point-counting methods at the electron microscopic level. In the 2 lesions, the stroma was almost identical with respect to organization and composition. Most areas of the stroma showed accumulation of mixed cell populations. On average, the latter were comprised of 5.1% fibroblastic/reticular cells, 2.7% macrophages, 68.9% small and 18.8% medium/large lymphocytes, 0.5% blastforming T-lymphocytes, 2.3% blastforming B-lymphocytes, and 1.6% plasma cells. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mast cells were extremely rare. Areas corresponding to the mantle zone of lymphoid follicles were found to contain 83.0% small and 15.8% medium/large lymphocytes. The present data seem to be in accordance with the speculation that the lymphoid stroma of adenolymphoma represents an immune reaction.

Experiments were undertaken to determine whether lysosomal enzymes obtained from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) might adversely affect the viability of human synovial fibroblasts. The effects of the PMN granule enzymes were additionally determined in the presence of an inflammatory exudate. These in vitro results indicated that as a result of these experimental conditions, the lysosomal enzymes, although present in relatively high concentration, were incapable of cell destruction and could only release cells from their growth surfaces; as could other proteases. However, even this effect was not expressed in the presence of naturally occurring inhibitors widely distributed in body fluids, such as serum; and most importantly which are also present in inflammatory exudates. This was in spite of the relatively high dilution of serum and inflammatory exudate used. So that, in effect, the relatively dilute inhibitors present in both serum and inflammatory exudates prevented the relatively concentrated lysosomal enzymes from exerting any discernible effects on either the cells, or the intercellular substance under these experimental conditions. This possibly suggests that the role of PMN granule enzymes as mediators of the cellular destruction observed in many inflammatory diseases, needs further elucidation.

To find out whether smoking affects the prevalence and intraoral distribution of Candida albicans, swabs and saliva samples from 100 healthy persons, smokers and non-smokers were cultured for the presence of this fungus. The prevalence was the same (35%) in both smokers and non-smokers. Among carriers, the mean concentration of C. albicans colony-forming units in saliva of smokers was twice that of the non-smokers, and the isolation frequency of C. albicans at each of 5 mucosal sites was also higher in smokers than in non-smokers. However, a wide variation was found, and these differences were not significant at the 0.05 level. Men were carriers more often than women (p less than 0.025), and the mucosal site from which C. albicans was recovered most often was the posterior dorsum of the tongue. Although it has previously been claimed that cigarette smoking influences the carrier state of C. albicans, the present study suggests that the effect is only slight.

A case of malignant calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumour is reported in a 75-year-old man. Evidence of local tissue invasion and lymph-node metastasis is presented. Immunoperoxidase studies of the neoplastic cells and tumour amyloid were negative for a variety of antigens, including the epithelial markers CEA and keratin. The histological and clinical findings are discussed.

Sialochemistry was performed on the stimulated parotid secretion of a group of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) having a Grade 4 lymphocytic infiltrate of their minor labial salivary glands and a normal control group. Parameters examined included flow rate, and concentration of sodium, potassium, chloride, urea, calcium, phosphate, total protein, IgA, IgG. albumin, amylase and lactoferrin. Although all SS patients had virtually no parotid secretion in the absence of stimulation, with a gustatory stimulation, 40% of the patients with SS had a relatively normal parotid flow rate, when compared with the control group. The SS patients, regardless of flow rate, exhibited a highly significant (p less than 0.01) elevation in the concentration of sodium, chloride, IgA, IgG, and lactoferrin and a significant (p less than 0.05) increase in albumin concentration, when compared with the control group. The phosphate level was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) in SS patients than in the control group. The elevated IgA in SS was almost all 11S, in contrast to parotitis where 7S was a major contributor. In view of the variation in flow rate in SS patients chemical quantitation of selected salivary components can be a valuable aid in the differential diagnosis of this disease and in monitoring patients over time.

Carbohydrate analyses were performed on dental plaque collected from the teeth of irradiated monkeys, non-irradiated monkeys and a group of Streptococcus mutans free animals, all of which were fed the same standard cariogenic diet. Glucose was the predominant sugar constituent in plaque and was detected in highest concentration in the irradiated animals. Small amounts of pentoses and other hexoses were also present. Plaque from irradiated animals contained, by comparison with the other groups, higher levels of Strep. mutans and lower levels of Streptococcus sanguis and Actinomyces.

Electron microscopic, histochemical and light-microscopic studies were carried out on biopsy specimens of 12 cases of leukoedema and on the desquamated epithelial cells of a further 50 examples. For comparison, similar observations were made of 4 examples of healthy cheek mucosa and 29 cases of a variety of pathological conditions of the oral mucosa. Only in leukoedema were a series of structures encountered which consisted of an aggregation of ribosomes and electron dense masses, or a network of electron-dense material, or an electron-dense network with a central dense core or a solid body with a few central cavities. Histochemical stains and RNA extraction studies showed that they are probably abnormal forms of keratohyalin granules and that ribosomes is an important component of their composition.

The present report investigated the extent of the epithelial dysplastic feature known as "loss of cellular adherence" at the ultrastructural level by quantifying the volume of the intercellular space during hamster cheek-pouch carcinogenesis. Following topical application of DMBA to cheek-pouches, lesions were classified as hyperplasia, dysplasia and carcinoma, with untreated pouches serving as a control. Stereological point counting procedures were used to determine the volume density of intercellular space in defined basal, spinous and granular layers for each group. In general, progressive increases in volume density were detected within each stratum during carcinogenesis. These results indicate that increasing separation of epithelial cells occurs during carcinogenesis, although it is not yet known whether this results from loss of cohesion between specialised (i.e., desmosomal) or nonspecialised membrane areas. In addition, a simple indicator of pathological alteration, the Pathological Alteration Ratio (PAR), is described and was used to evaluate existing published data for intercellular spaces in various oral mucosal conditions. Values of the PAR were found to be substantially higher in carcinogen-treated epithelia than in reports describing changes in wound healing, lichen planus and leukoplakia simplex. These objective techniques are of value for investigating the pathogenesis of diseased epithelium and may find applications in the diagnosis of oral premalignant lesions.

This paper describes the ultrastructural, topographical changes seen in rat gastric mucosa following application of 0.1 N HCl or 1, 10 or 50 mM NaF in 0.1 N HCl to the stomach. No morphological differences were noticed between the 0.1 N HCl (control) and 1 mM NaF in 0.1 N HCl specimens. Ten milliomolar NaF in 0.1 N HCl produced some desquamation of surface mucous epithelial cells while 50 mM NaF produced extensive damage to cells surrounding the gastric gland openings (foveolae) as well as interfoveolar cell loss.