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PubMed2006

Sagittal airway dimensions following maxillary protraction: a pilot study.

The relationship between changes in the position of the maxillary structures caused by maxillary protraction therapy and airway dimensions have not been investigated as comprehensively as the accompanying skeletal changes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of rapid palatal expansion (RPE) used in conjunction with maxillary protraction headgear on the sagittal dimension of the airway. The treatment sample consisted of 19 Class III patients (12 girls, 7 boys) with a mean age of 10.51 +/- 1.15 years, presenting with maxillary retrognathism. A cap splint type rapid palatal expander that had hooks between the upper lateral and canine teeth was used intraorally, and a Petit type facemask device extraorally, for an average of 6.78 +/- 0.93 months. Pre- and post-treatment cephalometric radiographs were evaluated. The results of the study revealed that point A moved anteriorly. The palatal plane showed a counter-clockwise rotation matched by the clockwise rotation of the mandible and an accompanying decrease in SNB angle. The vertical parameters showed a statistically significant increase. The head was in a more extensive position in relation to the cervical vertebrae. The nasopharyngeal airway measurements (PNS-ad1, PNS-ad2) showed an increase of 2.71 +/- 3.35 and 3.03 +/- 2.37 mm, respectively. These results demonstrated that limited maxillary widening together with protraction of the maxilla, improve nasopharyngeal but not oropharyngeal airway dimensions in the short term.

Cephalometry↗
PubMed2003

Achieving quality reproducible results and maintaining compliance in molecular diagnostic testing of human papillomavirus.

Laboratories contemplating either the addition of new molecular tests or modifying methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human papillomavirus testing should be aware of a variety of procedural, performance, and regulatory issues surrounding such activity. Diagnostic medical laboratory testing in the United States is regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency formerly known as the Health Care Finance Administration. The regulatory vehicle of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is manifested in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). The CLIA program has put into place specific regulations for laboratory quality control, which includes specific recommendations for method validation. Regulations that must be followed regarding personnel, quality control, quality assurance, method validation, and proficiency testing depend on the complexity category of the individual test. All molecular diagnostic tests, including those for human papillomavirus, are considered high complexity. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services retains the authority to allow private, national accreditation organizations to "deem" that a laboratory is compliant with CLIA '88 requirements. Accreditation organizations, such as the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals, the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation, and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), as well as several state medical laboratory-accrediting agencies, possess the authority to deem laboratories as "CLIA-approved." The CAP, through its Laboratory Accreditation Program, has promoted standards for laboratory performance and method validation. In general, guidelines set forth in the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists specify that all clinical laboratory testing must essentially meet those requirements defined for high-complexity testing under CLIA '88, including test validation standards, reportable/reference ranges, performance criteria, and proficiency testing.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Associations of FGF-3 and FGF-10 with signaling networks regulating tooth morphogenesis.

The morphogenesis and cell differentiation in developing teeth is governed by interactions between the oral epithelium and neural crest-derived ectomesenchyme. The fibroblast growth factors FGF-4, -8, and -9 have been implicated as epithelial signals regulating mesenchymal gene expression and cell proliferation during tooth initiation and later during epithelial folding morphogenesis and the establishment of tooth shape. To further evaluate the roles of FGFs in tooth development, we analyzed the roles of FGF-3, FGF-7, and FGF-10 in developing mouse teeth. In situ hybridization analysis showed developmentally regulated expression during tooth formation for Fgf-3 and Fgf-10 that was mainly restricted to the dental papilla mesenchymal cells. Fgf-7 transcripts were restricted to the developing bone surrounding the developing tooth germ. Fgf-10 expression was observed in the presumptive dental epithelium and mesenchyme during tooth initiation, whereas Fgf-3 expression appeared in the dental mesenchyme at the late bud stage. During the cap and bell stage, both Fgf-3 and Fgf-10 were intensely expressed in the dental papilla mesenchymal cells both in incisors and molars. It is of interest that Fgf-3 expression was also observed in the primary enamel knot, a putative signaling center of the tooth, whereas no transcripts were seen in the secondary enamel knots that appear in the tips of future cusps of the bell stage tooth germs. Down-regulation of Fgf-3 and Fgf-10 expression in postmitotic odontoblasts correlated with the terminal differentiation of the odontoblasts and the neighboring ameloblasts. In the incisors, mesenchymal cells of the cervical loop area showed partially overlapping expression patterns for all studied Fgfs. In vitro analyses showed that expression of Fgf-3 and Fgf-10 in the dental mesenchyme was dependent on dental epithelium and that epithelially expressed FGFs, FGF-4 and -8 induced Fgf-3 but not Fgf-10 expression in the isolated dental mesenchyme. Beads soaked in Shh, BMP-2, and TGF-beta 1 protein did not induce either Fgf-3 or Fgf-10 expression. Cells expressing Wnt-6 did not induce Fgf-10 expression. Furthermore, FGF-10 protein stimulated cell proliferation in the dental epithelium but not in the mesenchyme. These results suggest that FGF-3 and FGF-10 have redundant functions as mesenchymal signals regulating epithelial morphogenesis of the tooth and that their expressions appear to be differentially regulated. In addition, FGF-3 may participate in signaling functions of the primary enamel knot. The dynamic expression patterns of different Fgfs in dental epithelium and mesenchyme and their interactions suggest existence of regulatory signaling cascades between epithelial and mesenchymal FGFs during tooth development.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1989

Pulmonary metastasis from carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Of 817 patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix that were treated and followed-up, 50 (6.1%) developed pulmonary metastases. The incidence of pulmonary metastasis was 3.2% in stage I, 5.0% in stage II, 9.4% in stage III, and 20.9% in stage IV disease. The incidence of pulmonary metastasis in patients with adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma was higher. Of the patients in whom lung metastases were detected, 41.7% had no symptoms; 96% was diagnosed within 2 years from the initiation of treatment. All patients had abnormal shadows in chest X rays. We recommend that chest X rays be obtained every 2 months within the 8 months after treatment and every 6 months thereafter. Eighty-one percent of the patients had local recurrence or other distant metastatic lesions. The main treatment for these patients was chemotherapy, and CAP was effective for the patients with adenocarcinoma. Surgical resection of the pulmonary lesion may be an effective treatment for the patients who have no lesions in other sites.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Transneuronal pathways to the vestibulocerebellum.

The alpha-herpes virus (pseudorabies, PRV) was used to observe central nervous system (CNS) pathways associated with the vestibulocerebellar system. Retrograde transneuronal migration of alpha-herpes virions from specific lobules of the gerbil and rat vestibulo-cerebellar cortex was detected immunohistochemically. Using a time series analysis, progression of infection along polyneuronal cerebellar afferent pathways was examined. Pressure injections of > 20 nanoliters of a 10(8) plaque forming units (pfu) per ml solution of virus were sufficient to initiate an infectious locus which resulted in labeled neurons in the inferior olivary subnuclei, vestibular nuclei, and their afferent cell groups in a progressive temporal fashion and in growing complexity with increasing incubation time. We show that climbing fibers and some other cerebellar afferent fibers transported the virus retrogradely from the cerebellum within 24 hours. One to three days after cerebellar infection discrete cell groups were labeled and appropriate laterality within crossed projections was preserved. Subsequent nuclei labeled with PRV after infection of the flocculus/paraflocculus, or nodulus/uvula, included the following: vestibular (e.g., z) and inferior olivary nuclei (e.g., dorsal cap), accessory oculomotor (e.g., Darkschewitsch n.) and accessory optic related nuclei, (e.g., the nucleus of the optic tract, and the medial terminal nucleus); noradrenergic, raphe, and reticular cell groups (e.g., locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe, raphe pontis, and the lateral reticular tract); other vestibulocerebellum sites, the periaqueductal gray, substantia nigra, hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus, amygdala, septal nuclei, and the frontal, cingulate, entorhinal, perirhinal, and insular cortices. However, there were differences in the resulting labeling between infection in either region. Double-labeling experiments revealed that vestibular efferent neurons are located adjacent to, but are not included among, flocculus-projecting supragenual neurons. PRV transport from the vestibular labyrinth and cervical muscles also resulted in CNS infections. Virus propagation in situ provides specific connectivity information based on the functional transport across synapses. The findings support and extend anatomical data regarding vestibulo-olivo-cerebellar pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Selachian tooth development: I. Histogenesis, morphogenesis, and anatomical features in Squalus acanthias.

We have determined the general features of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during fetal and mature adult stages of odontogenesis in the selachian spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias. The general features of odontogenesis included the formation of an extended dental lamina, bud, cap, bell, and crown stages as identified and described using serial sections from fetal as well as adult specimens and light microscopy. Fetal and adult lengths, the rostrum-caudal fin distance, were correlated with the number of tooth rows and columns present in each specimen. This positional information and terminology was extremely valuable in attempting to acquire reproducible data for analyses. Whereas a number of histologic features of fetal and adult odontogenesis were comparable to those described in Mammalia, we found a number of epithelial-mesenchymal interaction characteristics unique to elasmobranch tooth development, including the persistence of the dental lamina in the adult stages, the coupling of cervical inner enamel epithelia between sequential stages of tooth formation, and the patterns of odontogenesis in the adult dentition.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Scanning electron microscopic study of adults and microfilariae of Dunnifilaria meningica (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae).

Dunnifilaria meningica from naturally infected Neotoma micropus in Mexico were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The anterior end of adults is surrounded by two pairs of buccal and two pairs of cervical papillae. Two amphidial openings lie near the central mouth opening, surrounded by a thick cuticular ring. The cuticular surface of males and females shows fine transversal striations. At the posterior end of the male is a semicircular cloaca, a large preanal central papilla, two pairs of perianal and two pairs of postanal papillae. The short, strong, and almost equal spicules are rolled plates that end in a knob-shaped apex, showing a central groove. In the female, the vulva is located 550 microns from the anterior end. The inconspicuous anus is subterminally situated in the right ventrolateral portion of the posterior end. The anterior tip of the sheathed microfilariae is formed by a cap-like disk. Cuticular annulations were clearly demonstrated across the body.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

[Bacterial pathogen colonization of the uterus in puerperium].

In a prospective study the spectrum of bacteriological organisms in the uterus was analysed within the first 3 days post partum. Smears were taken from the ectocervix and from the cavum uteri from 80 asymptomatic puerperae (70 had delivered spontaneously and 10 had had a vaginal-operative delivery). The smears were achieved using an endometrium catheter with a pilot cap. After the specialised sampling had been undertaken, in 47 of the 70 patients with spontaneous delivery and in 1 of the patients with operative delivery, no bacterial invasion was found in the cavum uteri. After prophylactic administration of antibiotics prenatally, bacterial organisms were found significantly less often (p < 0.05). On the other hand, intrauterine bacterial organisms were found significantly more frequently in patients who had had cervix priming with PGE2 and where foetal blood analysis had been performed sub partum (p < 0.05). Contrary to the smears from the cavum uteri, all ectocervical smears were positive. In 13 of 23 cases with positive proof of intrauterine bacterial organisms, a difference was found in the bacteriological spectrum compared with the parallel cervical smear taken. Further obstetrical factors play a role in influencing the bacterial invasion, however, there were no complications in any of the cases due to the smears being taken and no infections were observed during the rest of the lying-in period.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions during initial enamel organ histomorphogenesis in the mouse.

Relationships between cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions and enamel organ histomorphogenesis were examined by immunostaining and electron microscopy. During the cap-bell transition in the mouse molar, laminin-5 (LN5) disappeared from the basement membrane (BM) associated with the inner dental epithelium (IDE), and nondividing IDE cells from the enamel knot (EK) underwent a tooth-specific segregation in as many subpopulations as cusps develop. In the incisor, the basement membrane (BM) in contact with EK cells showed strong staining for LN5 and integrin alpha 6 beta 4. LN5 seems to provide stable adhesion, while its proteolytic processing might facilitate cell segregation. In both teeth, immunostaining for antigens associated with desmosomes or adherens junctions was similar for EK cells and neighboring IDE cells. Outside the EK, IDE cell-BM interactions changed locally during the initial molar cusp delimitation and on the labial part of the incisor cervical loop. Conversely, cell-cell junctions stabilized the anterior part of the incisor during completion of morphogenesis. Time and space regulation of cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions might thus play complementary roles in allowing plasticity during tooth morphogenesis and stabilization at later stages of epithelial histogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Subcellular localization of beta-catenin and cadherin expression in the cap-stage enamel organ of the mouse molar.

We analyzed the subcellular distribution of beta-catenin in the cap-stage enamel organ and compared it with the expression of E- and P-cadherin by using confocal laser microscopy. The amounts of the molecules in the cytoplasm and the nucleus showed regional variations in the enamel organ, whereas cell surface-associated beta-catenin was ubiquitous. In both the enamel knot and the inner dental epithelium, beta-catenin was detected in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. However, the amount of nuclear beta-catenin was apparently higher in the enamel knot than in the inner dental epithelium. P-cadherin also gave a stronger signal in the enamel knot than in other parts of the enamel organ. In the stellate reticulum, where E-cadherin was preferentially expressed, as well as in the cervical loop and outer dental epithelium, beta-catenin was localized in the cytoplasm but not in the nucleus. The nuclear localization of beta-catenin in the enamel knot suggests a specific activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. A coincident upregulation of P-cadherin was observed in this area. Altogether, these observations suggest the possibility of a linkage between cell adhesion and Wnt signaling in the enamel knot.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Adjuvant chemotherapy as treatment of high-risk stage I and II endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to define the subgroups of patients who benefit from postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in stage I and II endometrial carcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective review of 170 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I and II endometrial carcinoma patients treated between 1988 and 2000 at Niigata University Hospital was performed. All patients underwent surgery, of which 41 patients underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, consisting of intravenous cisplatin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Multivariate analysis was performed for the prognostic factors and actuarial techniques were used for the survival and recurrence rates. RESULTS: The patients were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups based on the number of prognostic factors (tumor grade G3, outer half myometrial invasion, lymph-vascular space involvement (LVSI), and cervical invasion). The 5-year disease-free survival and the 5-year overall survival for the low-risk group were 97.4%, and 100%, respectively, which were significantly better than 77.4% and 88.1% for the high-risk group (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001), respectively. Among high-risk group patients, the 5-year disease-free survival and the 5-year overall survival were 88.5% and 95.2% in 26 patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, and 50.0% and 62.5% in eight cases who underwent only surgery (P = 0.0150, P = 0.0226). Disease recurrence occurred in 7 (20.6%) of 34 high-risk group patients. Four of seven recurrences occurred in patients who did not receive postoperative chemotherapy, in which all four were distant failure. In the remaining three patients who were in the CAP group, two had vaginal wall recurrence and only one had pulmonary recurrence. Three recurrences were also observed in the 133 low-risk group patients. Only isolated vaginal wall recurrence occurred in three patients without adjuvant chemotherapy after the initial surgery. CONCLUSIONS: There is possibility that postoperative adjuvant CAP may be omitted in surgical stage I or II endometrial cancer patients with 0 or 1 prognostic factor. The high-risk group of patients should be treated with postoperative adjuvant CAP to decrease distant failure and improve prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

N-acetyl-cysteine causes a late re-specification of the anteroposterior axis in the Xenopus embryo.

N-acetyl cysteine is an agent which has been shown to interrupt signal transduction processes linking a wide range of stimuli to the activation of NF-kappa B in mammalian cells. We have investigated its effect on the early development of Xenopus embryos by injecting it into blastulae, using concentrations comparable to those effective on cultured cells. High concentrations at the late blastula or early gastrula stage suppress posterior and enhance anterior development, yielding embryos with enlarged cement glands and otherwise consisting of little except head in extreme cases. Reducing the amount of N-acetyl cysteine injected leads to progressively more posterior structures developing. Injection into one- or two-cell embryos gives similar phenotypes, but of reduced severity and the cement gland is not so enlarged. Explants of animal cap cells taken several hours after injection develop to give large amounts of cement gland material. We have examined the expression of a number of genes in the anteriorised embryos. Posterior markers and Xsna are reduced. Noggin and Goosecoid mRNA are up-regulated through the gastrula and persist at these levels until at least the late neurula stage, whereas in controls Noggin is much lower and Goosecoid is absent at these stages. The most anteriorised phenotype may be a consequence of this changed expression.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1987

Autoradiographic study of descending pathways from the pontine reticular formation and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus in the rat.

Descending projections were studied in autoradiographically prepared material after injections of tritiated leucine in the pontine tegmentum of rats. Injections involving the medial pontine reticular formation resulted not only in labeling commissural fibers, the medial reticulospinal tract, and the dorsal cap of the inferior olive, but also, in two cases, in labeling a cerebellar projection that originated from a region near the midline and clearly dorsal to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis. The labeled fibers passed ventral in the midline to the pontine gray, then laterally through the gray and into the middle cerebellar peduncle to terminate as mossy fibers primarily in the flocculus, lobulus simplex, and Crus I of the ansiform lobule. Injections involving the mesencephalic nucleus of the trigeminal nerve (Vmes), resulted in labeling of Probst's tract, which descends in the dorsolateral reticular formation. Probst's tract gave off extensive terminal branches to the lateral medullary reticular formation and weaker projections to restricted portions of the descending trigeminal nucleus, the solitary nucleus, and the hypoglossal nucleus. In one case, fibers could be traced into the dorsal horn of the upper cervical cord.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed1996

Gynecological malignancies.

A large study of tumors of low malignant potential confirmed the favorable survival in this group of patients compared to invasive epithelial ovarian tumors. Only 8% of patients died with recurrent disease after surgery. Patients with stage IA borderline tumors with mucinous histology tended to recur later and carried a poorer prognosis than patients with serous histology and similar stage. The group at highest risk for relapse were age greater than 70, stage II or III tumors, and histology other than serous. Long-term survival in this group was less than 75%. This high-risk group of patients should be targeted for innovative adjuvant treatment strategies. This year several well-designed studies with large sample sizes showed DNA ploidy to be an important new independent prognostic factor in stage I ovarian carcinoma. In patients with well-differentiated early stage ovarian cancer, DNA flow cytometric analysis may indicate subgroups with less favorable prognostic characteristics. This method of analysis may be beneficial in determining the need for additional treatments after surgery for early stage ovarian carcinoma. Recommendations for the definitive management of early stage ovarian cancer awaits completion of current GOG and European randomized prospective studies. Paclitaxel given in combination with platinum-containing agents is an intense area of research for treatment of advanced stage disease. Early data from a prospective randomized trial of patients with advanced ovarian cancer showed a higher response rate and longer disease-free survival in patients treated with paclitaxel and cisplatin compared to a standard regimen of cyclophosphamide and cisplatin. The impact of this treatment on long-term survival awaits maturation of data. Preliminary results evaluating G-CSF in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin for dose escalation was reported. Paclitaxel, 250 mg/m2, and cisplatin, 75 mg/m2, were the maximally tolerated doses, with peripheral neuropathy or myalgias the dose limiting toxicities. Further studies are now underway to test the effect of dose-response with escalation therapies and to determine the optimal dose and schedule for the management of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. IL-3 significantly ameliorated neutropenia but did not prevent cumulative platelet toxicity in a regimen utilizing high-dose carboplatin. This mild improvement in myelosuppression was obtained at the cost of significant toxicity. Nausea, vomiting, malaise, bone pain, headache, fever, chills and facial flushing were frequent. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy was tested as a means of consolidation treatment for patients after having a negative second-look laparotomy. These treatments were shown to be feasible; however, prospective randomized trials will be necessary to determine a benefit over operative therapy alone. Several studies addressed to problem of residual disease after primary surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. A large phase II study conducted by the GOG confirmed the activity of salvage cisplatin-based intraperitoneal chemotherapy in patients with small-volume residual ovarian cancer with favorable pretreatment characteristics. Whether intraperitoneal platinum-based therapy represents an advantage over systemic platinum therapy is being addressed in a prospective SWOG study. The use of six additional cycles of CAP for treatment of residual disease after primary treatment of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy did not significantly improve complete pathological response and survival. Prolonged duration of chemotherapy above six cycles is not likely to impact treatment for residual disease. A regimen of high dose carboplatin was compared to whole abdominal radiotherapy for treatment of residual disease after initial chemotherapy. There was no difference in survival or disease-free survival between treatments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1985

Dosimetric comparison of the Fletcher family of gynecologic colpostats 1950-1980.

The Fletcher gynecologic applicator was developed for irradiation of carcinoma of the uterine cervix in the early 1950's. Since that time, numerous modifications and changes have been made in the colpostat construction and in the location of the shields that provide a reduced dose to the bladder trigone anteriorly and to the rectal wall posteriorly. The original applicators include the preload radium double colpostat and the preload radium single colpostat. In the 1960's, afterloading colpostats were manufactured as the Fletcher-Suit and the Fletcher-Green devices. With the introduction of the Delclos mini-colpostat, a new generation of applicators followed in the 1970's. The Fletcher-Suit-Delclos colpostat recently manufactured by two companies can be used as a mini-colpostat. By adding a shield-containing cap, these applicators function as the original Fletcher colpostat. With the development of new applicators over the past 30 years, numerous changes in the position of the shields and, therefore, the dose transmitted to the surrounding tissues have been made. This paper describes dosimetric evaluation of all of these applicators and the various changes that have occurred through the generations of Fletcher colpostats in an attempt to provide information for radiation therapists and gynecologists who are using these instruments in their clinical practice.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed2005

Identification of the positive and negative cis-elements involved in modulating the constitutive expression of mouse thymosin beta4 gene.

We previously showed that the -278 to +410 region of mouse thymosin beta4 (mT,beta4) gene supports high levels of reporter gene expression in NIH3T3 cells. This region contains part of the 5'-flanking sequences (-278 to -1), the intact first exon (+1 to +133), and portion of the first intron (+134 to +410). However, the size of this exon is much longer than those of its rat and human counterparts. To resolve the question regarding this size discrepancy, transcription start site for the mTbeta4 gene was re-examined by primer extension and bioinformatics analyses. We found that the first exon of mTbeta4 gene spans 56 bp with its cap site situated in a putative initiator highly similar to the consensus mammalian sequence. In addition, a TATA box-like motif and two consecutive downstream promoter elements were also found. To delineate the cis-elements involved in modulating the constitutive expression of mTbeta4 gene, transient transfection assay was performed. Interestingly, expression level of the reporter gene driven by the -117 to +56 region of mTbeta4 gene was approximately 8-fold higher than that directed by the SV40 promoter and significant promoter activity was found to be associated with the smaller (-56 to +56) fragment. A nuclear protein-bound silencer was located in the region between the -167 and -118 and an enhancer whose effect did not seem to be dependent on protein binding was identified in the downstream (-117 to -88) region. However, neither of these cis-elements affected reporter expression driven by a SV40 promoter. Intriguingly, mTbeta4 promoter functioned well in human colorectal (SW480) and cervical (HeLa) carcinoma cells. Taken together, our findings not only provide crucial information for further elucidation of the transcriptional regulation of mTbeta4 gene but also raise the possibility of utilizing its promoter to produce large quantity of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Functional and structural studies concerning the control of activity in zygomatic glands of cats.

The zygomatic gland of the cat consists of at least two parts, separated by a septum, and each drains by a separate duct opening on a mucosal ridge postero-medial to the parotid orifice. It is composed on thin-walled ducts and tubulo-acini, containing mainly mucous cells, but scattered cap cells are also present. In cats under chloralose anaesthesia there is a spontaneous flow of extremely viscous saliva and often, in addition, there is a reflexly elicited component to the secretion. In fact, in contrast to the other major salivary glands, the zygomatic gland is easily made to secrete reflexly even in deep] anaesthesia, e.g. by pinching ipsilateral parts of the tongue, by stimulation of the oesophagus mimicking swallowing, or by afferent excitation of ipsilateral lingual, glossopharyngeal or vagal nerves. The efferent link of the reflex arc is contained in the buccal branch of the mandibular nerve. Section of this nerve abolishes these reflexes, and two weeks later a great loss of acetylcholinesterase positive nerves can be demonstrated in the gland. Efferent stimulation of the buccal nerve evokes a lively secretion that is not affected by hexamethonium but is abolished by atropine. Histochemically, adrenergic nerves are also found surrounding the acini and these nerves disappear after excision of the superior cervical ganglion. Electrical stimulation of the cervical sympathetic trunk causes some secretion, mainly by way of beta 1-adrenoreceptors. Myoepithelial cells are present around the tubulo-acini, and indications of the effect caused by their contraction on the flow from the glands have been observed. Such activity can be induced reflexly and it is then abolished by cutting the buccal nerve or by injecting atropine.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed1988

Inducible and constitutive enhancer domains in the noncoding region of human papillomavirus type 18.

The noncoding region of human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18) is shown to contain at least three enhancer elements. Two of these elements are responsive to papillomavirus-encoded trans-acting factors, and the third element functions as a constitutive enhancer, requiring only cellular factors for activity. The first enhancer (IE2) is located proximal to the E6 cap site and is responsive to papillomavirus E2 trans-activator. The second enhancer (IE6) is located approximately 500 base pairs upstream of the E6 cap site and is dependent upon the viral E6 gene product for function. A third enhancer (C) is located between 200 and 400 base pairs upstream of the E6 cap site and possesses a constitutive activity, requiring no HPV-18-encoded factors for function. The constitutive enhancer element exhibits some cell type preference for epithelial cell lines, but also functions in rodent fibroblast lines. Each of these enhancers manifests activity independent of the other elements and may reflect separate transcriptional control elements for different stages of the HPV-18 virus life cycle.

Animals↗