Expression profile of chemokines and chemokine receptors in epithelial cell layers of oral lichen planus

BACKGROUND: To understand the immunopathological features of oral lichen planus (OLP), we analyzed the expression of chemokines in the epithelial cell layers. Methods: Epithelia from OLP or healthy gingiva were collected by laser microdissection. The chemokine and chemokine receptor expressions in the epithelia were analyzed by DNA microarray. RESULTS: High levels of MIP-3alpha/LARC/CCL20 and its receptor CCR6 were expressed in the lesional epithelia. Furthermore, DC-CK1/CCL18, ELC/CCL19, SDF-1/CXCL12 and CXCR4 expressions were also increased. Immunohistologial analysis showed that high numbers of Langerhans cells (LCs) were present in the epithelia of OLP. Lesional epithelia also expressed high levels of the ligands specific for CXCR3 (e.g. MIG/CXCL9, IP-10/CXCL10 and I-TAC/CXCL11) and CCR5 (e.g. RANTES/CCL5). CONCLUSIONS: Infiltration of LCs is orchestrated by CCR6. Further, LCs residing in the lesional epithelia may be a mature phenotype. Moreover, infiltration of T cells in OLP could be mediated by signaling pathways through CXCR3 and CCR5.     

Laparoscopic repair of a perforated marginal ulcer 2 years after gastric bypass

The authors present the case of a 43-year-old women who underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass in 2003 for morbid obesity. They report that 2 years later, she had maintained significant weight loss, but had developed acute abdominal pain, followed by nausea and emesis. In the emergency room, she had diffuse tenderness, tachycardia, and leukocytosis. After initial resuscitation, a computed tomography was performed, which showed free air above the liver and thickened small bowel loops. She was brought emergently to the operating room for laparoscopy. At surgery, turbid fluid and inflamed small bowel loops were seen. A perforated marginal ulcer was discovered in the Roux limb, approximately 2 cm distal to the gastrojejunal anastomosis. The perforation was oversewn primarily and patched with omentum. The repair was tested by intraoperative endoscopy. A gastrostomy tube also was placed within the gastric remnant for enteral access. The patient did extremely well postoperatively, and had an uneventful postoperative course. She was discharged on postoperative day 4. The gastrostomy tube was removed at 1 month, and at this writing, she remains well since surgery. An upper endoscopy at 2 months was completely normal, and the Helicobacter pylori test results were negative. The gastric pouch had not significantly enlarged since initial surgery, as indicated by both endoscopy and barium study. Marginal ulcer is reported to be 0.6% to 16% after laparoscopic gastric bypass [1]. Etiologies include gastrogastric fistula, excessively large gastric pouch containing antral mucosa, H. pylori infection, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory use, and smoking [2]. Unfortunately, none of these applied to the reported patient. Because her exact etiology remains unknown, she at this writing continues to receive proton pump inhibitor therapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Extracellular matrix remodeling in oral submucous fibrosis: its stage-specific modes revealed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization

BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chewing habit-related pre-cancerous condition of the oral mucosa affecting predominantly south Asians. It is histopathologically characterized by epithelial atrophy and fibrosis of the subepithelial connective tissue. Fibrosis extends all the way into the muscle layer, leading to difficulty in mouth opening. However, the dynamics of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling with OSF progression is largely unknown. METHODS: Forty biopsy specimens of OSF and 10 of normal buccal mucosa were examined for expression/deposition modes of eight ECM molecules by histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: In the early stage of OSF, tenascin, perlecan, fibronectin, collagen type III were characteristically enhanced in the lamina propria and the submucosal layer. In the intermediate stage, the ECM molecules mentioned above and elastin were extensively and irregularly deposited around muscle fibers. In the advanced stage, such ECM depositions decreased and were entirely replaced with collagen type I only. Their gene expression levels varied with progression of fibrosis, but the mRNA signals were confirmed in fibroblasts in the submucosal fibrotic areas. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the ECM remodeling steps in OSF are similar to each phase of usual granulation tissue formation. Restricted mouth opening may be a result of loss of variety of ECM molecules including elastin into the homogeneity of collagen type I replacing muscle fibers.     

Predictors of oral health quality of life in older adults

There is limited information regarding oral health status and other predictors of oral health‐related quality of life. An association between oral health status and perceived oral health‐related quality of life (OHQOL) might help clinicians motivate patients to prevent oral diseases and improve the outcome of some dental public health programs. This study evaluated the relationship between older persons' OHQOL and their functional dentition, caries, periodontal status, chronic diseases, and some demographic characteristics. A group of 733 low‐income elders (mean age 72.7 ISD=4.71, 55.6% women, 55.1% members of ethnic minority groups in the U.S. and Canada) enrolled in the TEETH clinical trial were interviewed and examined as part of their fifth annual visit for the trial. OHQOL was measured by the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI); oral health and occlusal status by clinical exams and the Eichner Index; and demographics via interviews. Elders who completed the four‐year assessment had an average of 21.5 teeth (SD=6.9). with 8.5 occluding pairs (SD=4.6), and 32% with occlusal contacts in all four occluding zones. Stepwise multiple regressions were conducted to predict total GOHAI and its subscores (Physical, Social, and Worry). Functional dentition was a less significant predictor than ethnicity and being foreign‐bom. These variables, together with gender, years since immigrating, number of carious roots, and periodontal status, could predict 32% of the variance in total GOHAI, 24% in Physical, 27% in Social, and 21 % in the Worry subscales. These findings suggest that functional dentition and caries influence older adults' OHQOL, but that ethnicity and immigrant status play a larger role.     

HPLC法测定盐酸美沙酮含量

本文采用高效液相色谱法，以盐酸布比卡因为内标，检测波长220nm，在Symmetry-C18柱上，以己腈-磷酸二氢钾（pH2．5）（3862，V／V）为流动相，测定盐酸美沙酮及其口服液的含量。方法平均回收率为100．17％，日内及日间的RSD均＜1％。方法简便、快速、准确。     

Cytomorphometric analysis of vaginal cells during normal cycle, under oral contraceptive therapy or in-vitro fertilization stimulation protocol

A cytomorphometric analysis of superficial vaginal cells inwomen in three groups of different types of hormonal concentrationwas made. There were 15 women in each group. Group I was studiedduring a natural cycle, group II under oral contraceptive therapyand group III during an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) stimulationprotocol. Morphometric parameters were measured on an imageanalyser. The area, perimeter and several form factors weremeasured separately for nuclei and cytoplasm. The nucleus:cytoplasmicratio was also determined. The cytoplasmic area was significantlyreduced in group II and was associated with a statisticallysignificant reduction of the nuclear area. The nucleus:cytoplasmicratio appeared significantly increased in group II and reducedin group III. Low oestradiol impregnation obtained with an oralminidosed contraceptive interfered with vaginal cell maturation.High oestradiol concentrations obtained during IVF protocolsinduced marked nuclear pycnosis but did not induce supra-physiologicalcell enlargement. Maximal cell size is genetically regulatedaccording to Driesch's law of volume invariance and hormonalover-stimulation has no effect on cell size. The nucleus:cytoplasmicratio appears to be a powerful parameter reflecting the oppositeeffects of hormones on cell compartments.     

The interactive role of mucosal T lymphocytes in intestinal growth, development and enteropathy

Abstract Over the past 15–20 years, research has progressively focused on the mucosal T cell as the central factor in the initiation of physiological or pathological changes, first in the growth and maturation of the early (postnatal) intestine, and second in adult-type enteropathies resulting from sensitivity to either food or pathogen-derived antigens. T cell-mediated events may be measured, for example, in terms of specific immunopathologic patterns of change and injury, such as type 1 (lymphocyte infiltration), type 2 (crypt hyperplasia) and type 3 (flat-destructive), which can be recognized and quantitated microscopically; by determination of lymphocyte reactivity through secretion of interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R) into plasma or expression by mucosal lymphocytes; by quantitation of lymphocyte subsets emigrating into inflamed tissues by immunoperoxidase-labelled monoclonal antibodies; or by the determination of T cell receptor polymorphisms. Alterations in intestinal growth, structure and function at weaning are likely to be T cell-mediated as they are analogous to the same type 1/2 lesions that reflect modulation of adult mucosal architecture in food and parasite-induced hypersensitivity reactions. Enteropathies associated with HIV infection and T cell deficiency display a milder degree of villous flattening and impaired crypt hyperplasia than that typical of gluten-sensitivity, suggesting a reversion to lesser degrees of mucosal pathology (type 1/2). Clearly more information will accrue; meanwhile the remarks in this brief survey should provide a firm basis whereby clinician and scientist can meet, and together recognize and further dissect the modulatory effect of T lymphocytes on mucosal structure and function.     

A Comparison of Oral and Rectal Absorption of L-Dopa Esters in Rats and Mice

Short-chain alkyl esters of L-dopa were administered to rats and mice via oral and rectal routes. Plasma L-dopa esters and L-dopa were determined in the systemic and portal circulation by HPLC. A comparison of isopropyl, butyl, and 4-hydroxybutyl esters of L-dopa demonstrated significantly higher levels of the esters in both systemic and portal blood samples following rectal administration than following oral administration. In most cases, oral administration resulted in nondetectable (<0.01 µg/ml) levels of the esters in plasma. Correspondingly, the plasma levels of L-dopa itself were consistently higher following rectal administration. At very high oral doses (500 mg L-dopa equivalents/kg body weight), systemic plasma levels of the butyl ester could be detected (1.25 µg/ml at 10 min), which might indicate saturation of the esterase activity of the small intestine. These studies indicate that the systemic availability of L-dopa from short-chain alkyl esters of L-dopa may be best optimized by rectal administration, which avoids the relatively high esterase activity characteristic of the small intestine.     

Simultaneous Quantification of an Enantiomer and the Racemic Compound of Ibuprofen by X-ray Powder Diffractometry

Purpose. An X-ray powder diffractometric method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of the relative amounts of the racemic compound (±) of ibuprofen (I) and S(+)-ibuprofen (II), when they occur as a mixture. Methods. The X-ray powder diffraction patterns of I and II show pronounced differences. This formed the basis for the determination of the relative amounts of I and II when they occur as a mixture. X-ray lines with d-spacings of 14.41 and 4.37 Å were unique to I and II, respectively. Mixtures containing different proportions of I and II were prepared which also contained lithium fluoride (III) as an internal standard. Results. A linear relationship was obtained when the intensity ratio (intensity of the 4.37 Å line of II/intensity of the 2.01 Å line of III) was plotted as a function of the weight fraction of II in the mixture. Similar results were obtained in the case of I. Using these standard curves, the weight fractions of I and II in 'unknown' mixtures were determined. The experimentally determined analyte concentration ranged between 98 and 104% of the true value. The relative error in the analyses of individual samples was < 10%. The minimum detectable weight fraction of I in II and II in I were 0.032 (3.2% w/w) and 0.034 (3.4% w/w), respectively. The minimum quantifiable weight fractions were 0.136 for I and 0.112 for II. Since the X-ray diffraction patterns of S(+)-ibuprofen and R(–)-ibuprofen are identical, the conclusions drawn regarding mixtures of I and II will also hold true in the quantitative analyses of mixtures of I and R(–)-ibuprofen.