[Cultivation of human keratinocytes of mucous membranes of the upper aerodigestive tract].

Background: Cultivation of benign epithelial cells under standardized conditions is of major interest in many fields of clinical and basic research. A modified fast and simple method for isolation, growth and passage of epidermal cells has been developed with consideration given to the complex environment of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Methods: Normal human mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract was taken from 15 patients (4-73 years) during diagnostic and therapeutic operations.

DNA ploidy and protein synthesis in squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the head and neck.

Aneuploidy as abnormal nuclear DNA content, is considered almost positive evidence of malignancy. In this study three diploid and three aneuploid squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines were examined for DNA content by flow cytometry. The DNA indices of the SCC cell lines were found to range from 1.

[Effect of various culture media on growth behavior of human squamous epithelial carcinoma cells of the upper aerodigestive tract].

Sera containing media are frequently used for cultivation of epithelial cells, but the influence of serum on analytic methods can be significant. For this reason the development of serum-free media is of great significance. We investigated the influence of serum-free medium on growth characteristics of human squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells of the upper aerodigestive tract and compared these in serum-containing media, using cloned SCC cell lines HLaC-78 and HCFMK-1.