Transoral removal of a hilo-parenchymal submandibular sialolith.

In sialolithiasis, the lithiasis is often large and located at the junction of the middle and posterior third of the duct, in the hilum region. In such cases, transoral approach for submandibular lithiases (TASL) is a useful treatment of choice in patients with large submandibular stones that can be palpated bimanually.

Non-surgical model for alveolar bone regeneration by bone morphogenetic protein-2/7 gene therapy.

Background: Alveolar bone is a critical tissue for tooth retention; however, once alveolar bone is lost, it may not spontaneously regenerate. Currently, bone grafts or artificial bone is commonly used for alveolar bone regeneration therapy. However, these therapies require surgical procedures, which present risks, particularly in elderly patients.

Determination of cell fate in skeletal muscle following BMP gene transfer by in vivo electroporation.

We previously developed a novel method for gene transfer, which combined a non-viral gene expression vector with transcutaneous in vivo electroporation. We applied this method to transfer the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) gene and induce ectopic bone formation in rat skeletal muscles. At present, it remains unclear which types of cells can differentiate into osteogenic cells after BMP gene transfer by in vivo electroporation.