The chemokines (CKs) CXCL13, CCL21, and CXCL12 are known to play differential roles in the organization of the lymphoid tissues and the development of lymphoid malignancies. We investigated the expression of these CKs and their receptors in the salivary glands of Sjogren's syndrome patients with lymphoepithelial lesions (lymphoepithelial sialadenitis or LESA) and in MALT lymphoma to understand their involvement in salivary gland lymphomagenesis. We demonstrate that within salivary glands ...

Demonstration of ectopic germinal center-like structures (GC-LSs) in chronically inflamed tissues in patients with autoimmune disorders is a relatively common finding. However, to what extent ectopic lymphoid structures behave as true GC and are able to support class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) of the Ig genes is still debated. In addition, no information is available on whether CSR and SHM can take place in the absence of GCs at extrafollicular sites in an ...

Immunologically, the parotid salivary gland is an effector site that secretes large quantities of polyspecific Abs into the saliva, mainly of the IgA isotype. It is considered to be part of the common mucosal immune system but the inductive site for the Ab-producing cells of the salivary gland has not yet been clearly identified. The origin and diversity of cells of B lineage can be investigated by analyzing their Ig heavy chain genes (IgH). We have obtained sequences of IgM and IgA ...

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is an autoimmune blistering disease frequently associated with scarring of involved clinical sites. At present, therapeutic intervention in the form of immunomodulating or immunosuppressive agents is often reserved until the onset of significant inflammation and/or early cicatrization. We have therefore studied the clinical and immunopathological findings in 67 patients with MMP in order to try to establish a reliable prognostic indicator by which ...

Keratins have been extensively studied in tissues and cultured keratinocytes but limited information is available on epithelia reconstructed in vitro. The aim of this study was to examine keratin expression in organotypic epithelia with normal (NOK), immortalized (SVpgC2a) and malignant (SqCC/Y1) human buccal cells. Organotypic epithelia were derived from 10 days of culture at the air-liquid interface of collagen gels containing human oral fibroblasts using a standardized serum-free ...

BACKGROUND:  Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) are known to precede the development of oral cancer. Detection of OPMD allows delivery of interventions that may reduce the evolution of these disorders to malignancy. Following oral examinations, the accuracy of detection of OPMD by chemiluminescence was evaluated using a commercially available detection kit - ViziLite. Data derived were compared in relation to conventional oral examination and surgical biopsy.

METHODS: A total of ...

BACKGROUND: The histologic grading of the deep invasive margin of oral squamous cell carcinoma recently has been shown to have prognostic value, but previous series have not been homogeneous enough to allow grading parameters to be assessed individually.

METHODS: Forty-seven small lingual carcinomas limited to the lateral border of the tongue and treated by radiotherapy were graded histologically at their deep invasive front. Clinical and grading parameters were correlated by statistical ...

This study was undertaken to analyze keratin gene expression at both the mRNA and protein level in oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL). Comparisons were made with normal lingual epithelium from a similar site, tongue biting, normal buccal mucosa and another condition which disturbs oral epithelial differentiation, white sponge nevus. Combined immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization studies for keratins 14 and 19 were carried out on 2 specimens of OHL from HIV-positive males and one sample ...

Control of keratin (K) gene expression may be important for cell differentiation in complex epithelia such as salivary gland. To investigate differences in distribution between keratin mRNAs and their respective proteins, a combined in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemical study was undertaken on nine normal salivary glands and seven pleomorphic adenomas. ISH employed riboprobes to K7, K8, K14, K18, and K19. Immunohistochemistry was performed on adjacent sections using ...

Dysplasia grading is widely used to assess risk of transformation in oral potentially malignant disorders despite limited data on predictive value. DNA ploidy analysis has been proposed as an alternative. This study examines the prognostic value for both tests used in a routine diagnostic setting to inform clinical management. A retrospective study of conventional dysplasia grading was conducted on 1,401 patients. DNA ploidy analysis was conducted on a subset of 273 patients and results ...

Ten lesions from eight cases are presented of a rare intra-osseous jaw lesion with the combined histological features of giant cell granuloma and central odontogenic fibroma. Lesions arose over a wide age range and presented as monolocular or multilocular radiolucencies with cortical expansion and, in one case, perforation. Two lesions recurred after curettage, one being eradicated by a second curettage and one by conservative excision. Histologically, zones of typical giant cell ...

Early detection of oral cancer is crucial in improving survival rate. Identification and detection of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) allow delivery of interventions to reduce the evolution of these disorders to malignancy. A variety of new and emerging diagnostic aids and adjunctive techniques are currently available to potentially assist in the detection of OPMD. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of autofluorescence against conventional oral ...

Ameloblastoma is a benign but locally infiltrative odontogenic neoplasm. Although ameloblastomas rarely metastasise, recurrences together with radical surgery often result in facial deformity and significant morbidity. Development of non-invasive therapies has been precluded by a lack of understanding of the molecular background of ameloblastoma pathogenesis. When addressing the role of ERBB receptors as potential new targets for ameloblastoma, we discovered significant EGFR ...

BACKGROUND:  The value of chairside adjunctive tests in the detection of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) remains uncertain.

OBJECTIVES:  To determine the effectiveness of toluidine blue in detecting leukoplakia and erythroplakia and its accuracy in identifying cases with oral epithelial dysplasia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:  Ninety-two patients attending two oral medicine clinics in London, presenting with white and red patches of the oral mucosa, were investigated by the ...