BACKGROUND/AIM Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune systemic disease characterized by polyglandular tissue destruction, leading to keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. These patients have 44-fold increased risk of developing salivary gland lymphoma, of which 80% are marginal zone (MALT) type. Having in mind that criteria for distinguishing benign lymphoepithelial lesions from MALT l...

BACKGROUND With the global distribution, morbidity, and mortality associated with tick and louse-borne relapsing fever spirochetes, it is important to understand the dynamics of vector colonization by the bacteria and transmission to the host. Tick-borne relapsing fever spirochetes are blood-borne pathogens transmitted through the saliva of soft ticks, yet little is known about the transmission...

Salivary glands secrete K(+) and HCO(-)(3) and reabsorb Na(+) and Cl(-), but the identity of transporters involved in HCO(-)(3) transport remains unclear. We investigated localization of Cl(-)/HCO(-)(3) exchanger isoform AE2 and of Na(+)-HCO(-)(3) cotransporter (NBC) in rat parotid gland (PAR) and submandibular gland (SMG) by immunoblot and immunocytochemical techniques. Immunoblotting of PAR a...

It took nearly 50 years to comprehend the histogenesis and the nature of mucoepidermoid tumors. This story began in 1945 with the publication of a 24-page article, containing 18 photomicrographs and 2 tables, on “mucoepidermoid” tumors of the salivary glands [1]. The principal writers were pathologists, Fred W. Stewart (1894-1991) and Frank W. Foote (1911-1989), of the Memorial Hospital for Can...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of rituximab (anti-CD20 antibody) therapy on the (immuno)histopathology of parotid tissue in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and the correlation of histologic findings with the flow rate and composition of parotid saliva. METHODS In a phase II study, an incisional parotid biopsy specimen was obtained from 5 patients with primary SS before and 12 we...

OBJECTIVE In Sjögren's syndrome (SS), salivary acinar cells are destroyed even though ductal cells are frequently spared from destruction and can sometimes proliferate. We made the hypothesis that abnormalities of the tumour suppressor protein p53, either by mutations leading to proliferation or by activation of the functional wild-type p53, explain this phenomenon. METHODS Immunohistochemist...

CONTEXT Mixed adenoendocrine tumors of the extrahepatic bile ducts are exceedingly rare and most of those who are rarely diagnosed are adenocarcinomas. Neuroendorine tumors accounts for only 0.2-2%. CASE REPORT We report a case of mixed adenoneuroendo-carcinoma of the common bile duct in an 82-year-old male. CONCLUSION Clinical experience suggests that the neuroendocrine component of mixed ...

Dexmedetomidine (Dex), a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist, attenuates inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and induces sedative and analgesic effects. Administration of Dex also reduces salivary secretion in human subjects and inhibits osmotic water permeability in rat cortical collecting ducts. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the effects o...