Characteristics of Clinical and Imaging Findings of Epidermoid Cysts under the Skin of the Mental Region

Epidermoid cyst often arises in the fl oor of oral cavity; however, it is relatively rare to arise subcutaneously in the mental region. We reported characteristics of clinical and imaging fi ndings of epidermoid cysts under the skin of the mental region. The patient was a 53-year-old male. He complained of a subcutaneous mass without pain in the left mental region. A palpable soft and movable thumb-sized mass without pain was observed at the fi rst examination. Ultrasound examination revealed a well-demarcated mass with heterogenous hyper-echoic internal echo and posterior echo enhancement. On power Doppler sonography, a small amount of blood supply was found around the periphery of the mass. Plain CT scan revealeda globular soft-tissue mass with peripheral high and central low CT values area. The mass was removed under local anesthesia using intraoral approach. A histopathologic diagnosis was epidermoid cyst. Recurrence is not observed 2 years after surgery. There were only 3 reports of epidermoid cysts in the mental region, including our case in Japan, clinically characteristics of age ranging 20 to 66 years of age and the mean age of 46 years, with 2 males and 1 female. The size wasfrom 20 mm to 12 mm in diameter and from the tip of a thumb up to the tip of a small fi nger. Ultrasound images of the inside of epidermoid cysts that we experienced this time showed enhancement of relatively uniform hyperechoic image and posterior echo, which was characteristically slightly diff erent from fi ndings of epidermoid cysts generally reported

The efficacy of incretin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Although incretin therapy is clinically available in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing hemodialysis, no study has yet examined whether incretin therapy is capable of maintaining glycemic control in this group of patients when switched from insulin therapy. In this study, we examined the efficacy of incretin therapy in patients with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: Ten type 2 diabetic patients undergoing hemodialysis received daily 0.3 mg liraglutide, 50 mg vildagliptin, and 6.25 mg alogliptin switched from insulin therapy on both the day of hemodialysis and the non-hemodialysis day. Blood glucose level was monitored by continuous glucose monitoring. After blood glucose control by insulin, patients were treated with three types of incretin therapy in a randomized crossover manner, with continuous glucose monitoring performed for each treatment. RESULTS: During treatment with incretin therapies, severe hyperglycemia and ketosis were not observed in any patients. Maximum blood glucose and mean blood glucose on the day of hemodialysis were significantly lower after treatment with liraglutide compared with treatment with alogliptin (p < 0.05), but not with vildagliptin. The standard deviation value, a marker of glucose fluctuation, on the non-hemodialysis day was significantly lower after treatment with liraglutide compared with treatment with insulin and alogliptin (p < 0.05), but not with vildagliptin. Furthermore, the duration of hyperglycemia was significantly shorter after treatment with liraglutide on both the hemodialysis and non-hemodialysis days compared with treatment with alogliptin (p < 0.05), but not with vildagliptin. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented here suggest that patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing hemodialysis and insulin therapy could be treated with incretin therapy in some cases

Morphological association between the muscles and bones in the craniofacial region.

The strains of inbred laboratory mice are isogenic and homogeneous for over 98.6% of their genomes. However, geometric morphometric studies have demonstrated clear differences among the skull shapes of various mice strains. The question now arises: why are skull shapes different among the mice strains? Epigenetic processes, such as morphological interaction between the muscles and bones, may cause differences in the skull shapes among various mice strains. To test these predictions, the objective of this study is to examine the morphological association between a specific part of the skull and its adjacent muscle. We examined C57BL6J, BALB/cA, and ICR mice on embryonic days € 12.5 and 16.5 as well as on postnatal days (P) 0, 10, and 90. As a result, we found morphological differences between C57BL6J and BALB/cA mice with respect to the inferior spine of the hypophyseal cartilage or basisphenoid (SP) and the tensor veli palatini muscle (TVP) during the prenatal and postnatal periods. There was a morphological correlation between the SP and the TVP in the C57BL6J, BALB/cA, and ICR mice during E15 and P0. However, there were not correlation between the TVP and the SP during P10. After discectomy, bone deformation was associated with a change in the shape of the adjacent muscle. Therefore, epigenetic modifications linked to the interaction between the muscles and bones might occur easily during the prenatal period, and inflammation seems to allow epigenetic modifications between the two to occur

Electrochemical preparation of an electroactive polymer poly(dodecyloxy dibenzothiophene) (polyDDBTh) from hydroxyl dibenzothiophene (HDBTh) as a bioconverted monomer

A combination of biotechnological and electrochemical techniques is employed to synthesize an electroactive π-conjugated polymer. The monomer precursor bearing a hydroxyl group is obtained by the bioconversion of dibenzothiophene. An alkyl chain substituent is introduced by Williamson etherification with the aid of crown ether, and electrochemical polymerization is carried out by repeated potential scanning of the monomer in an electrolytic reaction solution. The polymer film thus prepared is shown to exhibit good electroactive characteristics

A case that has been diagnosed with glandular odontogenic cyst by histopathological examination

Glandular odontogenic cyst (GOC) is a rare odontogenic cyst, classified as a developmental odontogenic cyst by the WHO histological typing of odontogenic tumours in 1992. GOC generally occurs in the mandible and arises in each age. The clinical differential diagnosis of odontogenic tumor and cyst is important however, it is difficult to discriminate between them in clinical and radiographical findings. Thus, pathological searches become an essential step for the definite diagnosis. We report a case of GOC, that primary diagnosis was dentigerous cyst by biopsy, but the definite diagnosis was GOC after total extirpation of cyst. Because of a high recurrence rate of GOC, the patients should be followed for a long term

Sustained proliferation in cancer: mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets

Proliferation is an important part of cancer development and progression. This is manifest by altered expression and/or activity of cell cycle related proteins. Constitutive activation of many signal transduction pathways also stimulates cell growth. Early steps in tumor development are associated with a fibrogenic response and the development of a hypoxic environment which favors the survival and proliferation of cancer stem cells. Part of the survival strategy of cancer stem cells may manifested by alterations in cell metabolism. Once tumors appear, growth and metastasis may be supported by overproduction of appropriate hormones (in hormonally dependent cancers), by promoting angiogenesis, by undergoing epithelial to mesenchymal transition, by triggering autophagy, and by taking cues from surrounding stromal cells. A number of natural compounds (e.g., curcumin, resveratrol, indole-3-carbinol, brassinin, sulforaphane, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, genistein, ellagitannins, lycopene and quercetin) have been found to inhibit one or more pathways that contribute to proliferation (e.g., hypoxia inducible factor 1, nuclear factor kappa B, phosphoinositide 3 kinase/Akt, insulin-like growth factor receptor 1, Wnt, cell cycle associated proteins, as well as androgen and estrogen receptor signaling). These data, in combination with bioinformatics analyses, will be very important for identifying signaling pathways and molecular targets that may provide early diagnostic markers and/or critical targets for the development of new drugs or drug combinations that block tumor formation and progression

A multi-targeted approach to suppress tumor-promoting inflammation

Cancers harbor significant genetic heterogeneity and patterns of relapse following many therapies are due to evolved resistance to treatment. While efforts have been made to combine targeted therapies, significant levels of toxicity have stymied efforts to effectively treat cancer with multi-drug combinations using currently approved therapeutics. We discuss the relationship between tumor-promoting inflammation and cancer as part of a larger effort to develop a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach aimed at a wide range of targets to address this heterogeneity. Specifically, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, cyclooxygenase-2, transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase, protein kinase B, and CXC chemokines are reviewed as important antiinflammatory targets while curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, lycopene, and anthocyanins are reviewed as low-cost, low toxicity means by which these targets might all be reached simultaneously. Future translational work will need to assess the resulting synergies of rationally designed antiinflammatory mixtures (employing low-toxicity constituents), and then combine this with similar approaches targeting the most important pathways across the range of cancer hallmark phenotypes

A case of keratocystic odontogenic tumor occupying the maxillary sinus

Odontogenic keratocysts show a marked tendency toward proliferation or biological activity compared with jawbone cysts, being a disease highly　recurrent after extirpation, which has been characterized as a cystic tumor. The WHO tissue classification of odontogenic cysts revised in 2005 states that, of previous odontogenic keratocysts, those whose epithelium histologically becomes parakeratotic are keratocystic odontogenic tumors. We encountered a keratocystic odontogenic tumor that had extensively progressed in the right maxillary sinus of a 17–year–old boy. In diagnostic imaging, an opaque image containing an impacted tooth was detected, which seemed to invade the right maxillary sinus. Then, the tumor in the right maxillary sinus was resected with a radical operation under systemic anesthesia. Histopathological tests showed that the tumor was coated with stratified squamous epithelium presenting with parakeratosis, with no inflammation found in the fibrous connective tissues under the epithelium. Consequently, a keratocystic odontogenic tumor was diagnosed. The postoperative course was favorable, with no recurrence as of 1 year and 8 months after the operation

A case of buccal cellulitis caused by a self–bite to the bilateral buccal mucous membrane

Recently, the development of various antibiotics and increasing awareness of oral hygiene have reduced the incidence of serious cellulitis of the cheek, including dental infections. However, some cases invoive serious disease throughout the mediastinal area in elderly patients and those with underlying diseases. This time, we report a case of cellulitis of the cheek due to a bite to the buccal mucosa. The patient was a 10–year–old male. The patient visited hospital and complained of swelling of the left cheek. At the first examination, diffuse redness and swelling accompanied by spontaneous pain and tenderness from the left cheek to surrounding area of the left orbit as well as trismus and swollen lymph nodes in the left submaxillary were noted. A crateriform traumatic ulcer with a diameter of 2.₅ cm and induration likely due to a bite of the left buccal mucosa and accompanied by tenderness were found. CT revealed a high–density region of the buccal fat layer in the left buccal soft tissues as well as extensive and significant swelling and inflammatory reaction. The infusion of antibiotics, draining the abscess through an incision, and the drainage procedure resulted in effective healing of the cellulitis 6 days after admission. 　Traumatic ulcer and cellulitis may recur due to bite. In addition, for the prevention of adverse habits including teeth grinding and clenching, as well as mental factors due to mental tension and frustration, it is very important to not only undergo dental or oral surgical treatments, but also to consult a psychotherapist or psychiatrist