We have reviewed all cases of goblet cell carcinoid in the Department of Pathology, Edinburgh University. Of the 10 cases identified, two had died as a result of the tumour. This would suggest a poorer prognosis than is generally recognized. Those patients who subsequently had progression of their disease were not predicted by histological criteria. Because of the unpredictable behaviour of the...

BACKGROUND Histamine is known to have immunoregulatory roles in allergic reactions through histamine receptor 1 (H1R), H2R, H3R and H4R. However, its role in goblet cell hyperplasia in the airways of asthma patients is yet to be clarified. OBJECTIVE This study was designed to examine the role of histamine in goblet cell hyperplasia using histamine-deficient mice (Hdc-/- mice) with allergic ai...

By using histochemical methods, the binding pattern of various lectins in the epithelium of normal human appendix vermiformis was assessed. In addition to plant and invertebrate sugar receptors with nominal monosaccharide specificity for alpha-L-Fuc (UEA-I), alpha-D-Man and alpha-D-Gluc (Con A), alpha-D-GalNAc (DBA), D-GalNAc (SBA, HPA) beta-D-Gal (RCA-I) and D-Gal (VAA), a mammalian beta-galac...

CONTEXT Barrett's esophagus is characterized by the presence of goblet cells. However, when alcian-blue is utilized, another type of cells, called columnar blue cells, is frequently present in the distal esophagus of patients with endoscopic evidence of Barrett's esophagus. Cytokeratin 7 and 20 immunoreactivity has been previously studied in areas of intestinal metaplasia at the esophagogastric...

Forty-nine biopsies of bulbar conjunctiva from patients with no apparent conjunctival disease were studied by light and transmission electron microscopy. No significant morphological changes were recorded in those specimens from patients less than 79 years old. However, in the older age group the epithelium showed irregularities in thickness, a reduction in the goblet cell population, and in 25...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common intestinal disease of premature infants. Although increased mucosal permeability and altered epithelial structure have been associated with many intestinal disorders, the role of intestinal barrier function in NEC pathogenesis is currently unknown. We investigated the structural and functional changes of the intestinal barrier in a rat model of...

PURPOSE To evaluate effects of a novel multi-ingredient artificial tear formulation containing carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in a murine dry eye model. METHODS Dry eye was induced in mice (C57BL/6) using an intelligently controlled environmental system (ICES). CMC+HA (Optive Fusion™), CMC-only (Refresh Tears(®)), and HA-only (Hycosan(®)) artificial tears and control ph...

BACKGROUND Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disorder that is associated with mucous cell metaplasia and mucus hypersecretion. Functional genomic analysis indicates that mucous cell metaplasia and mucus hypersecretion depend on members of the calcium-activated chloride channel (CLCA) gene family. It has been reported that the inhibition of CLCAs could relieve the sympto...

Airway goblet cells secrete mucin onto mucosal surfaces under the regulation of an apical, phospholipase C/G(q)-coupled P2Y(2) receptor. We tested whether cortical actin filaments negatively regulate exocytosis in goblet cells by forming a barrier between secretory granules and plasma membrane docking sites as postulated for other secretory cells. Immunostaining of human lung tissues and SPOC1 ...