Burning mouth syndrome: an evaluation of in vivo microcirculation.

Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an atypical orofacial algesic syndrome. The aim of the authors' research was to investigate the morphological characteristics of peripheral blood circulation in patients with BMS in comparison with those of the peripheral blood circulation in healthy people.

Methods: The authors examined 28 subjects, of whom 14 (10 women and four men) had BMS and 14 (nine women and five men) were healthy control subjects.

Periodontal morphological microcirculation in oral lichen planus.

This study aimed at evaluating possible differences in the vascular pattern (of periodontal mucosa microcirculation) between healthy patients and patients suffering from PLP (periodontal lichen planus). Fifty-four patients (27 patients suffering from PLP and 27 healthy patients) were examined by means of videocapillaroscopy. The following area was examined for each patient: periodontal mucosa corresponding to 1.

Human temporomandibular joint morphogenesis.

Temporomandibular joint morphogenesis was studied. Ranging in age of fetuses examined was from 6 to14 weeks' gestation. Our results showed the condyle so first element that appear between 6 degrees and 8 degrees week (condylar blastema).

Diagnostic evaluation of serial sections of labial salivary gland biopsies in Sjögren's syndrome.

Objectives: Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disease. The detection of chronic inflammatory infiltrates containing >50 lymphocytes (lymphocytic focus) per 4 mm2 tissue in minor salivary gland biopsies is a diagnostic parameter of the disease. The aim of the study was to examine if an increase in the tissue area of a single minor labial salivary gland biopsy through serial histological sections in patients affected by primary Sjögren's syndrome could facilitate the detection of the diagnostic focus score (grades >1 or >2).

Oral necrotizing microvasculitis in a patient affected by Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) was first described in 1967 by Kawasaki, who defined it as "mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome". KD is an acute systemic vasculitis, which mainly involves medium calibre arteries; its origin is unknown, and it is observed in children under the age of 5, especially in their third year. The principal presentations of KD include fever, bilateral nonexudative conjunctivitis, erythema of the lips and oral mucosa, changes in the extremities, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy.