Beneficial effects of steroid therapy for Mikulicz's disease SIR, Mikulicz's disease (MD) represents a unique condition involving symmetrical enlargement of the lacrimal and salivary glands, the cause of which is unknown. It has been included within the diagnostic criteria for primary Sjo¨gren's syndrome (SS) due to their histological resemblance [1]. However, it is clear that the pathogenesis ...

Head and neck cancer patients treated with irradiation often present irreversible salivary gland hypofunction for which no conventional treatment exists. We recently showed that recombinant neurturin, a neurotrophic factor, improves epithelial regeneration of mouse salivary glands in ex vivo culture after irradiation by reducing apoptosis of parasympathetic neurons. Parasympathetic innervation ...

Patients with salivary gland disease most frequently present with complaints of oral dryness, swelling, or a mass in a gland. This chapter first reviews briefly the anatomy and physiology of the salivary glands and then outlines a diagnostic approach to the patient who has signs and symptoms that are suggestive of salivary gland dysfunction. The examination of a patient with dry mouth is descri...

INTRODUCTION Tumor necrosis factor is a pleiotropic cytokine with potent immune regulatory functions. Although tumor necrosis factor inhibitors have demonstrated great utility in treating other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, there are conflicting results in Sjögren's syndrome. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a locally expressed tumor necrosis factor inhibit...

Salivary gland tumors are rare and account for 2-3% of tumors occurring in the head and neck. Pleomorphic adenoma is a benign neoplasm which is commonly encountered in the parotid gland and other major salivary glands. At times they can also develop in minor salivary glands of the palate. The majority of minor salivary gland tumors are malignant. This case report describes a case of mixed tumor...

Irradiation of salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment of patients with head and neck cancer evokes persistent hyposalivation. This results from depletion of stem cells, which renders the gland incapable of replenishing saliva to produce acinar cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to expand the salivary gland stem/progenitor cell population, thereby preve...

Title: A systematic review of methods to diagnose oral dryness and salivary gland function

HS (heparan sulfate) has been shown to be an important mediator of Plasmodium sporozoite homing and invasion of the liver, but the role of this glycosaminoglycan in mosquito vector host-sporozoite interactions is unknown. We have biochemically characterized the function of AgOXT1 (Anopheles gambiae peptide-O-xylosyltransferase 1) and confirmed that AgOXT1 can modify peptides representing model ...

Salivary gland destruction occurs as a result of various pathological conditions such as radiation therapy for head and neck cancer and Sjögren's syndrome. As saliva possesses self-cleaning and antibacterial capability, hyposalivation is known to deteriorate dental caries and periodontal disease. Furthermore, hyposalivation causes mastication and swallowing problems, burning sensation of the mo...