BACKGROUND: the classification criteria for primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) include a number of oral components. In this study we evaluated if salivary flow and composition as well as dental caries are oral markers of disease severity in pSS. METHODS: in 20 patients fulfilling the American-European Consensus criteria for pSS and 20 age-matched healthy controls whole and parotid saliva flow rat...

Mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC) is a rare and recently described tumour of the salivary glands. MASC has similar histomorphological and immunohistochemical features of secretory carcinoma of the breast. MASC can be mistaken for other salivary gland tumours, especially acinic cell carcinoma. A 28-year-old man was diagnosed with a rare salivary gland tumour in Pretoria, South Africa (...

TO THE EDITOR: In their paper on salivary gland damage after high-dose radioiodine ablation therapy, Nakada et al. discuss an interesting and practical issue (1). The authors propose a radiation protection paradigm based on a concept of the dynamics of salivary gland function. The authors claim to have compared 2 radiation protection regimens in similar patients groups: a group that started suc...

BACKGROUND To analyze protective/regenerative effects of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) on 131I-Radioiodine (RAI)-induced salivary gland damage in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study population consisted of controls (n:6) and study groups (n:54): RAI (Group 1), ADMSC (Group 2), amifostine (Group 3), RAI+amifostine (Group 4), concomitant RAI+ADMSC (Group 5) and RAI+ADMSC a...

We determined mRNA levels of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7), a growth and differentiation factor belonging to the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, in the salivary glands of mice with streptozotocin (200 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced diabetes. We also examined the effects of BMP7 on secretion of saliva and degenerative change in salivary glands in diabetic mice. In normal mice, BMP7 mRNA...

OBJECTIVE To detect immunohistochemically the N-cadherin expression in different types of benign and malignant salivary gland tumors in an attempt to note any possible correlation to their development, stage and invasive properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS N-cadherin expression was examined in tissue specimens from 49 salivary gland tumors including: pleomorphic adenomas (4), Warthin's tumors (...

The Drosophila embryonic salivary gland is a migrating tissue that undergoes a stereotypic pattern of migration into the embryo. We demonstrate that the migratory path of the salivary gland requires the PDGF/VEGF pathway. The PDGF/VEGF receptor, Pvr, is strongly expressed in the salivary glands, and Pvr mutations cause abnormal ventral curving of the glands, suggesting that Pvr is involved in g...

Malignant salivary gland tumours are rare. The most common tumour site is the parotid. Aetiologic factors are not clear. Nutrition may be a risk factor, as well as irradiation or an histologically benign tumour occurred at a young age. Painless swelling of a salivary gland should always be considered as suspicious, especially if no sign of inflammation is present. Signs and symptoms related to ...

The salivary glands are divided into major and minor/accessory glands. Tumours are not rare in salivary glands and are mainly found in major salivary glands. Tumours of accessory salivary glands are relatively less common. Accessory parotid gland is a small unit of salivary gland tissue lying on the masseter muscle and seperated from the main parotid gland with an accessory duct draining into t...