Merkel Cell Carcinoma Display PIEZO2 Immunoreactivity.

As an essential component of mechano-gated ion channels, critically required for mechanotransduction in mammalian cells, PIEZO2 is known to be characteristically expressed by Merkel cells in human skin. Here, we immunohistochemically investigated the occurrence of Piezo channels in a case series of Merkel cell carcinoma. A panel of antibodies was used to characterize Merkel cells, and to detect PIEZO2 expression.

The Tongue in Three Species of Lemurs: Flower and Nectar Feeding Adaptations.

The mobility of the primate tongue allows for the manipulation of food, but, in addition, houses both general sensory afferents and special sensory end organs. Taste buds can be found across the tongue, but the ones found within the fungiform papillae on the anterior two thirds of the tongue are the first gustatory structures to come into contact with food, and are critical in making food ingestion decisions. Comparative studies of both the macro and micro anatomy in primates are sparse and incomplete, yet there is evidence that gustatory adaptation exists in several primate taxa.

Coenzyme Q10 treatment improved visual field after homonymous quadrantanopia caused by occipital lobe infarction.

Purpose: To report the clinical findings and management of a case of occipital lobe infarction with homonymous quadrantanopia in a patient treated with vitamins and coenzyme Q10.

Observations: A currently 69-years-old patient presenting in 2007 left inferior quadrantanopia following a right occipital lobe stroke with initial visual field index of 82% and 79% in the right and left eyes, respectively. From 2007 to 2010 was treated with vitamin and antioxidant complexes, without specific signs of changes observed in the visual field (81% right eye, 79% left eye).

Hyperplastic sensory corpuscles in nevus sebaceus of labia minora pudendi. A case report.

A vulvar case of nevus sebaceus is presented. During the routine histopatological examination, attention was drawn by several corpuscular structures. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that they were sensory corpuscles, identified respectively as Meissner-like and glomerular corpuscles.

The role of bone marrow mononuclear cell-conditioned medium in the proliferation and migration of human dermal fibroblasts.

Background: Several recent studies have demonstrated the great potential of bone marrow cells in regenerative medicine, not only for their ability to differentiate to match a damaged cell type, but also because they synthesize and release various growth factors and cytokines.We examined the effect of bone marrow cell-conditioned medium in the healing process, especially in terms of fibroblast proliferation and migration.

Methods: These in vitro studies consisted of co-culture (without direct contact) of dermal fibroblasts with mononuclear bone marrow cells and the use of conditioned medium obtained from these cultures in a scratch wound model.

Modelling the vertical distribution of canopy fuel load using national forest inventory and low-density airbone laser scanning data.

The fuel complex variables canopy bulk density and canopy base height are often used to predict crown fire initiation and spread. Direct measurement of these variables is impractical, and they are usually estimated indirectly by modelling. Recent advances in predicting crown fire behaviour require accurate estimates of the complete vertical distribution of canopy fuels.

Biomechanical evaluation of oversized drilling technique on primary implant stability measured by insertion torque and resonance frequency analysis.

Background: This study evaluated the influence of implant site preparation depth on primary stability measured by insertion torque and resonance frequency analysis (RFA).

Material And Methods: Thirty-two implant sites were prepared in eight veal rib blocks. Sixteen sites were prepared using the conventional drilling sequence recommended by the manufacturer to a working depth of 10mm.

Experimental evidence of pharmacological management of anchorage in Orthodontics: A systematic review.

Introduction: Orthodontic anchorage is one of the most challenging aspects of Orthodontics. Preventing undesired movement of teeth could result in safer and less complicated orthodontic treatment. Recently, several reviews have been published about the effects of different molecules on bone physiology and the clinical side effects in Orthodontics.

[Innervation of the intervertebral disc].

Until very recently, intervertebral disc innervation was a subject of considerable debate. Nowadays, the introduction of inmunohistochemical techniques associated to specific antibodies and studies with retrograde tracers in nerves have allowed greater understanding of disc innervation in physiological and pathological conditions and also endings characteristics and their patterns of distribution in both situations. The existing controversies regarding structural basis of discogenic pain, have raised the interest of knowing the influence of innervation in back pain from discal origin and its characteristics.

Evidence of nestin-positive cells in the human cutaneus Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles.

Nestin is an intermediate filament protein expressed in neuroepithelial stem cells during development and it is later replaced by cell specific neuronal or glial filaments. Nevertheless, nestin⁺ cells remain within adult tissues and they can be regarded as potential neural stem cell (NSC). Nestin⁺ cells have been detected in Schwann cells related with sensory corpuscles of rodent and they have been demonstrated to be NSC.

Rhodopsin expression in the zebrafish pineal gland from larval to adult stage.

The zebrafish pineal gland plays an important role in different physiological functions including the regulation of the circadian clock. In the fish pineal gland the pinealocytes are made up of different segments: outer segment, inner segment and basal pole. Particularly, in the outer segment the rhodopsin participates in the external environment light reception that represents the first biochemical step in the melatonin production.

The photoreceptive cells of the pineal gland in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio).

The zebrafish pineal gland plays a fundamental role in the regulation of the circadian rhythm through the melatonin secretion. The pinealocytes, also called photoreceptive cells, are considered the morphofunctional unit of pineal gland. In literature, the anatomical features, the cellular characteristics, and the pinealocytes morphology of zebrafish pineal gland have not been previously described in detail.

BDNF is essentially required for the early postnatal survival of nociceptors.

Neurotrophins promote the survival of specific types of neurons during development and ensure proper maintenance and function of mature responsive neurons. Significant effects of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) on pain physiology have been reported but the contribution of this neurotrophin to the development of nociceptors has not been investigated. We present evidence that BDNF is required for the survival of a significant fraction of peptidergic and non-peptidergic nociceptors in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) postnatally.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase is activated through the pleiotrophin/receptor protein-tyrosine phosphatase beta/zeta signaling pathway: an alternative mechanism of receptor tyrosine kinase activation.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) first discovered as the constitutively active nucleophosmin-ALK oncoprotein in anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL). Full-length ALK has a critical role in normal development and differentiation. Activated full-length ALK also is found in different malignant cancers.

Sodium chloride regulates Extracellular Regulated Kinase 1/2 in different tumor cell lines.

Perturbations of the extracellular ionic content by different hypo- or hyperosmolar stimuli initiate stress responses to maintain cell viability that include activation of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK) in cell lines derived from kidney epithelium. When hyperosmolar conditions induced by different salts occurred in the extracellular environment of tumor-derived cell lines, they activated the Extracellular Regulated Kinase 1/2 by increasing its phosphorylation steady-state on Thr202/Tyr204 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. It was found that Extracellular Regulated Kinase 1/2 activation is a consequence of selective phosphorylation by mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase.

Hypertonicity activates GSK3beta in tumor cells.

Responses to perturbations in the composition of the extracellular environment are crucial to maintain cell and tissue homeostasis. In hypertonic conditions cell lines derived from kidney epithelium initiate a variety of stress responses to maintain cell viability that include activation of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK). We previously showed that NaCl also regulates MAPK in different tumor cell lines and we now show that when hypertonic conditions induced with NaCl and other osmolytes were used to stimulate several tumor cell lines, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) was rapidly dephosphorylated at serine 9 and its kinase activity was increased.

Immunoexpression and prognostic significance of TIMP-1 and -2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that are capable of degrading different substrates within the extracellular matrix, and which are believed to be crucial for tumor invasion and metastasis. Tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) can inhibit the action of MMPs but also can show a paradoxical poor prognostic effect. In order to evaluate the prognostic significance of TIMPs, we studied the expression of TIMP-1 and -2 in series of 68 oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) by immunohistochemistry.

Expression and clinical significance of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

To successfully establish a metastasis from an invasive carcinoma, the first step involves the degradation of the underlying basement membrane, which is mainly made up of type IV collagen. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 are thought to play an important role in its degradation because of their ability to destroy this type of collagen. In order to evaluate the prognostic significance of these proteases, we studied the expression of MMP-2 and -9 in series of 68 OSCC by immunohistochemistry.

Expression of ErbB-3 and ErbB-4 protooncogene proteins in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a pilot study.

Background: To examine the occurrence of ErbB-3 and ErbB- 4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma, as well as investigate statistical correlations between the expression of these protooncogene proteins and clinical and pathological tumor characteristics.

Study Design: Nineteen oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) were analyzed using immunohistochemistry.

Results: Positive immunostaining for ErbB-3 was found in 13/19 (68%) cases and for ErbB-4 in 10/19 (52%).