Temporal and spatial distribution of Fos protein in the parabrachial nucleus neurons during experimental tooth movement of the rat molar

The present study was undertaken to reveal spatio-temporal changes in the distribution of Fos-like immunoreactive (-IR) neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), one of the important relay nuclei for processing autonomic and somatosensory information from the oro-facial regions, following the induction of experimental tooth movement in rat upper molars. The experimental tooth movement was induced by the insertion of elastic rubber between the first and second upper molars. In normal animals, the PBN contained a smaller number of Fos-IR neurons. Following experimental tooth movement, the Fos-IR neurons increased in number significantly on both the ipsilateral and contralateral PBN, reaching a maximum at 4 h (about 10 times that of normal animals), and then decreased gradually. However, a significant number of Fos-IR neurons remained at 24 h post-operation. Remarkable side-by-side differences in the number of Fos-IR neurons were recognized at 1 to 4 h following the experimental tooth movement. Their number returned to normal (basal) levels at 5 days post. All subnuclei of PBN showed similar temporal changes in the number of Fos-IR neurons, this being particularly apparent in lateral PBN. Administrations of morphine (3 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) drastically reduced the induction of Fos-IR neurons in all subnuclei of both the ipsilateral and contralateral PBN in a dose-dependent manner, and its effect was antagonized by pretreatment with naloxone (2 mg/kg, i.p.). The reduction of Fos-IR neurons by morphine pretreatment suggests that the appearance of Fos-IR neurons in the PBN may be partly due to the noxious stimulation and/or stress arising from tooth movement. The bilateral expression of Fos-IR neurons in the PBN indicates that the experimental tooth movement causes the activation of PBN neurons for the processing of somatosensory as well as autonomic information. The prolonged expression of Fos-IR neurons in all the subnuclei of bilateral PBN reflects clinical features of the transient discomfort and/or abnormal sensations, which many patients often complain about during orthodontic treatment.     

Cytokine modulation in acute pancreatitis

The clinical manifestations of acute pancreatitis (AP) vary significantly from mild to lethal in form, the severity of the disease being largely determined by the actions of various kinds of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, reactive oxygen species, proteolytic enzymes, and lipids, as well as gaseous mediators. Despite increasing knowledge implicating the involvement of cytokines in the progression of AP, no clinical trials pertaining to cytokine modulation have been performed so far. Progress in intensive care technologies has contributed to the improvement of mortality and morbidity rates in severe AP in the past decade; however, it appears to be reasonable for clinicians to "line up their sights" on the modulation of cytokines as a direct treatment. In contrast to the large body of experimental studies demonstrating the beneficial effects of cytokine modulation on the amelioration of the disease, direct extrapolation from these successful experiments to the clinical situation seems to be extremely difficult.     

Optical coherence tomography of tractional macular elevations in eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To document the findings of optical coherence tomography in eyes with tractional macular elevation associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, paying special attention to differentiating between tractional retinal detachment and retinoschisis. DESIGN: Observational case series. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed images of optical coherence tomography obtained from 17 consecutive eyes (17 patients) with proliferative diabetic retinopathy without vitreous opacity and showing tractional macular elevation with or without foveal involvement. RESULTS: Tractional retinal detachment and retinoschisis could be differentiated in the cross-sectional images of optical coherence tomography. Retinoschisis with or without associated retinal detachment was observed in 16 of 17 eyes (94%), whereas retinal detachment was observed in only six of 17 eyes (35%). Five eyes showed both findings of retinal detachment and retinoschisis. CONCLUSIONS: Optical coherence tomography is useful for distinguishing tractional retinoschisis from retinal detachment in eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular elevation. Tractional retinoschisis with or without retinal detachment is the most frequent pattern of tractional macular elevation in eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.     

Epidermal choristoma arising on the midline gingiva as a congenital epulis: A case report

We report an extremely rare case of epidermal choristoma in the midline of the maxillary gingiva. A 2-month-old Japanese boy presented with a polypoid mass in the midline of the maxillary gingiva. The initial clinical diagnosis was congenital epulis. Microscopic examination revealed a granular cell layer and melanin pigmentation within the basal cell layer. Furthermore, sebaceous glands and hair follicles were observed within the connective tissue. The histological diagnosis was therefore epidermal choristoma, based on clinical microscopic observations.     

Proteome research in urothelial carcinoma

In all creatures including humans, the molecules that function in accordance with the genetic code are mainly proteins. After completing the sequencing of the human genome, rapid progress has been made in proteome analysis. The primary structures of almost all proteins were determined by the human genome sequence. However, the whole picture of proteins cannot be elucidated because of alternative splicing and post‐translational modifications. Therefore, genomic as well as systematic and comprehensive information of proteins is required. Modern methods of proteomics have dramatically improved the quality and speed of protein analysis. Developments in both bioinformatics and mass spectrometry have contributed to the technical improvement, making it possible to identify proteins in a short time with high accuracy even from a very small sample. In the field of cancer research, many studies of useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers using these proteomic technologies have been reported, and target molecules for treatment have been explored. The aim of the present review was to summarize the basic technologies of proteomics and recent research in the field of urothelial cancer obtained using proteomic methods.