BACKGROUND/AIM The aim of this study was to compare the distribution of interstitial Cajal cells, eosinophils, and mast cells in normal and inflamed appendices, and to evaluate the correlation of presence of these cells with severity of inflammation in appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The appendicitis group (n = 30) was divided further into three groups according to the macroscopic descrip...

Currently, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) have been emphasized considerably in the literature. Following the date of the description of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) by Santiago Ramon y Cajal in the late 19th century, this issue has been very popular. Lately, discovery of the association of GISTs with c-Kit mutations in their development, and the significance of drugs such as imatin...

We have simulated electrical activity of the intestine in a computer model that describes the coupled layers of longitudinal muscle (LM) and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). The model suggests that pacemaker activity is due to the ICC layer, while the pulse propagation involves the LM layer that is in the excitatory state. The model describes well the experimentally observed phenomena: freque...