Pemphigus Vulgaris Confined to the Gingiva: A Case Report

Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune intraepithelial blistering disease involving the skin and mucous membranes. Oral mucosa is frequently affected in patients with PV, and oral lesions may be the first sign of the disease in majority of patients. In some patients, oral lesions may also be followed by skin involvement. Therefore, timely recognition and therapy of oral lesions is critical as it may prevent skin involvement. Early oral lesions of PV are, however, often regarded as difficult to diagnose, since the initial oral lesions may be relatively nonspecific, manifesting as superficial erosions or ulcerations, and rarely presenting with the formation of intact bullae. Lesions may occur anywhere on the oral mucosa including gingiva; however; desquamtive gingivitis is less common with PV than other mucocutaneous conditions such as pemphigoid or lichen planus. This paper describes the case of a patient presenting with a one-year history of painful gingival, who is finally diagnosed as having PV

Expression of DNA Methyltransferase (DNMT) 1, 3a and 3b Proteins in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Alteration of aberrant DNA methylation is one of the most consistent epigenetic changes found in human cancers. DNA methylation is catalyzed by DNA methyltransferase (DNMT). In this study, we examined DNMT protein expression by immunohistochemistry in surgically resected hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). Sections of paraffin-embedded specimens were obtained from 95 patients with HCC between 1989 and 2002. The specimens were stained with anti-DNMTs (DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b) antibodies. There were statistically significant associations between DNMT protein expression and tumor differentiation (P < 0.05) and intrahepatic metastasis (P < 0.05). DNMT3a protein expression was significantly correlated with portal vein involvement of tumors (P < 0.05). The overall survival rates of patients with DNMT3a-positive HCCs and DNMT3b-positive HCCs were significantly lower than those of patients negative for these proteins (P < 0.005, respectively). To further evaluate the correlation between DNMT protein expression and patient survival, we classified patients into 3 groups: Group 1, DNMT1(+), 3a(–) and 3b(–); Group 2) DNMT1(+), 3a or 3b(+); and Group 3) DNMT1(+), 3a(+) and 3b(+). The overall survival rate of patients in Group 3 was significantly lower than those of patients in Groups 1 and 2 (P = 0.0009). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b are cooperatively involved in determining the extent of HCCs, and that DNMT protein overexpression in HCCs may be a predictive factor for poor survival

Desquamative Gingivitis

Desquamative gingivitis (DG) is characterized by erythematous, epithelial desquamation, erosion of the gingival epithelium, and blister formation on the gingiva. DG is a clinical feature of a variety of diseases or disorders. Most cases of DG are associated with mucocutaneous diseases, the most common ones being lichen planus, mucous membrane pemphigoid, and pemphigus vulgaris. Proper diagnosis of the underlying cause is important because the prognosis varies, depending on the disease. This chapter presents the underlying etiology that is most commonly associated with DG. The current literature on the diagnostic and management modalities of patients with DG is reviewed

Gingival Nikolsky’s Sign: A Valuable Tool in Identifying Oral Manifestations of Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid and Pemphigus Vulgaris

Autoimmune bullous diseases are a group of rare, chronic blistering diseases that affects the skin and mucous membranes. Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is the most frequently occurring autoimmune bullous disease in the oral cavity, followed by pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Early diagnosis of MMP or PV is critical for proper management and prevention of potential serious complications. This study was based on a retrospective review of 39 cases that were classified as MMP (25 patients) or PV (14 patients). Nikolsky’s sign characterized by epithelial detachment as a result of slight pressure or rubbing the oral mucosa is a simple test that can confirm the existence of gingival desquamation. A positive reaction was confirmed in 38 patients (97.4%) at their first visit. This result indicates that patients showing positive Nikolsky’s sign should include MMP or PV in the differential diagnosis and, in that case, histopathological examination and direct immunofluorescence testing are critical to establish the final diagnosis. For the early diagnosis of autoimmune bullous disorders, oral healthcare providers should consider the use of the test for Nikolsky’s sign that may ultimately lead to the early diagnosis of MMP and PV or other diseases or disorders

Desquamative Gingivitis: Early Sign of Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid and Pemphigus Vulgaris

Early signs and symptoms of autoimmune bullous diseases such as mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) or pemphigus vulgaris (PV) develop in the oral cavity in almost all cases. Desquamative gingivitis (DG) is a clinical manifestation common to several diseases or disorders and is frequently associated with autoimmune bullous diseases. This is a retrospective study of 37 patients with MMP (24 cases) or PV (13 cases) including 10 males and 27 females with a mean age of 58.4 years. The study indicates that DG is an early sign of autoimmune bullous diseases such as MMP or PV. About 70.3% of the oral lesions were confined only to the gingiva, and DG was the only manifestation of the diseases. Since some lesions remain limited to the oral cavity for a long period of time, patients diagnosed with MMP or PV should be closely followed because they must be immediately referred to other experts when they develop lesions on parts of their body other than the oral cavity. The oral healthcare provider should collaborate with other healthcare experts including dermatologists, ophthalmologists, and otolaryngologists to evaluate and manage patients with autoimmune bullous diseases in the oral cavity

チタン鋳造における鋳型温度の影響

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the titanium castability with a vacuum pressured type casting machine. We tested ethyl-silicate bonded investment "TITAVESTPS" of metal frame work. Four different mold temperatures (room temperature, 300℃, 600℃, and 900℃) were prepared for the present study, and casting was done in five times in each condition. When the mold temperature increased, high percentage of castability was gained. Mold temperature showed a highly significant (p<0.001) correlation on the castability. These results indicate that high performance of castability on the titanium was achieved when the mold temperature increased by using vacuum pressured type casting machine

Human NK cell development in hIL-7 and hIL-15 knockin NOD/SCID/IL2rgKO mice.

The immune system encompasses acquired and innate immunity that matures through interaction with microenvironmental components. Cytokines serve as environmental factors that foster functional maturation of immune cells. Although NOD/SCID/IL2rgKO (NSG) humanized mice support investigation of human immunity in vivo, a species barrier between human immune cells and the mouse microenvironment limits human acquired as well as innate immune function. To study the roles of human cytokines in human acquired and innate immune cell development, we created NSG mice expressing hIL-7 and hIL-15. Although hIL-7 alone was not sufficient for supporting human NK cell development in vivo, increased frequencies of human NK cells were confirmed in multiple organs of hIL-7 and hIL-15 double knockin (hIL-7xhIL-15 KI) NSG mice engrafted with human hematopoietic stem cells. hIL-7xhIL-15 KI NSG humanized mice provide a valuable in vivo model to investigate development and function of human NK cells

The RRM domain of poly(A)-specific ribonuclease has a noncanonical binding site for mRNA cap analog recognition

The degradation of the poly(A) tail is crucial for posttranscriptional gene regulation and for quality control of mRNA. Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is one of the major mammalian 3′ specific exo-ribonucleases involved in the degradation of the mRNA poly(A) tail, and it is also involved in the regulation of translation in early embryonic development. The interaction between PARN and the m7GpppG cap of mRNA plays a key role in stimulating the rate of deadenylation. Here we report the solution structures of the cap-binding domain of mouse PARN with and without the m7GpppG cap analog. The structure of the cap-binding domain adopts the RNA recognition motif (RRM) with a characteristic α-helical extension at its C-terminus, which covers the β-sheet surface (hereafter referred to as PARN RRM). In the complex structure of PARN RRM with the cap analog, the base of the N7-methyl guanosine (m7G) of the cap analog stacks with the solvent-exposed aromatic side chain of the distinctive tryptophan residue 468, located at the C-terminal end of the second β-strand. These unique structural features in PARN RRM reveal a novel cap-binding mode, which is distinct from the nucleotide recognition mode of the canonical RRM domains