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Pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (pMALT) lymphomas are rare, representing 80%. Thus, an index of suspicion and early detection are vital. This case highlights that pMALT should be considered in patients with non-specific symptoms and coeliac disease. Bronchoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool to be used in these cases.

Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune bullous disease which affects the mucous membranes and skin. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is the most prevalent type of pemphigus. PV presents with extremely painful, non-healing oral erosions. However, there are only a handful of reports addressing the pain management of PV. We would like to present a case of a painful PV, which was successfully managed.

Objectives: multi-system ınflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is an immune-mediated process that develops after infections like SARS-CoV-2. The authors aimed to reveal the mucocutaneous findings of patients diagnosed with MIS-C at presentation and evaluate the frequency of these mucocutaneous findings and their possible relationship with the severity of the disease. Methods: A prospective study was conducted of 43 children admitted to a tertiary hospitals between January 2021 and January 2022 who met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for MIS-C. Results: 43 children (25 [58.1%] male); median age, 7.5 years [range 0.5-15 years]) met the criteria for MIS-C. The most common symptom was cutaneous rash 81.4%, followed by gastrointestinal symptoms 67.4%, oral mucosal changes 65.1%, and conjunctival hyperemia 58.1%. The most common mucosal finding was fissured lips at 27.9%, diffuse hyperemia of the oral mucosa at 18.6%, and strawberry tongue at 13.9%. Urticaria (48.8%) was the most common type of cutaneous rash in the present study’s patients. The most common rash initiation sites were the trunk (32.6%) and the palmoplantar region (20.9%). The presence or absence of mucocutaneous findings was not significantly associated with disease severity. Study limitations: The number of patients in the this study was small. Conclusions: The present study’s prospective analysis detected mucocutaneous symptoms in almost 9 out of 10 patients in children diagnosed with MIS-C. Due to the prospective character of the present research, the authors think that the characteristic features of cutaneous and mucosal lesions the authors obtained will contribute to the literature on the diagnosis and prognosis of MIS-C.

Fibroblasts are crucial to normal and abnormal organ and tissue biology, yet we lack basic insights into the fibroblasts that populate the bladder wall. Candidates may include bladder interstitial cells (also referred to as myofibroblasts, telocytes, and interstitial cells of Cajal-like cells), which express the fibroblast-associated marker PDGFRA along with VIM and CD34 but whose form and function remain enigmatic. By applying the latest insights in fibroblast transcriptomics, coupled with studies of gene expression, ultrastructure, and marker analysis, we observe the following

Many lung transplants fail due to chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). We recently showed that transbronchial biopsies (TBBs) from CLAD patients manifest severe parenchymal injury and dedifferentiation, distinct from time-dependent changes. The present study explored time-selective and CLAD-selective transcripts in mucosal biopsies from the third bronchial bifurcation (3BMBs), compared to those in TBBs.We used genome-wide microarray measurements in 324 3BMBs to identify CLAD-selective changes as well as time-dependent changes and develop a CLAD classifier. CLAD-selective transcripts were identified with linear models for microarray data (limma) and were used to build an ensemble of 12 classifiers to predict CLAD. Hazard models and random forests were then used to predict the risk of graft loss using the CLAD classifier, transcript sets associated with rejection, injury, and time.T cell-mediated rejection and donor-specific antibody were increased in CLAD 3BMBs but most had no rejection. Like TBBs, 3BMBs showed a time-dependent increase in transcripts expressed in inflammatory cells that was not associated with CLAD or survival. Also like TBBs, the CLAD-selective transcripts in 3BMBs reflected severe parenchymal injury and dedifferentiation, not inflammation or rejection. While 3BMBs and TBBs did not overlap in their top 20 CLAD-selective transcripts, many CLAD-selective transcripts were significantly increased in both for example LOXL1, an enzyme controlling matrix remodeling. In Cox models for one-year survival, the 3BMB CLAD-selective transcripts and CLAD classifier predicted graft loss and correlated with CLAD stage. Many 3BMB CLAD-selective transcripts were also increased by injury in kidney transplants and correlated with decreased kidney survival, including LOXL1.Mucosal and transbronchial biopsies from CLAD patients reveal a diffuse molecular injury and dedifferentiation state that impacts prognosis and correlates with the physiologic disturbances. CLAD state in lung transplants shares features with failing kidney transplants, indicating elements shared by the injury responses of distressed organs.

For patients with a dentofacial deformity undergoing a planned segmentation of the maxilla for the management of a transverse maxillary arch discrepancy, palatal mucosa tearing may occur during sawing or palatal expansion traction, giving rise to an oronasal communication. This technical note describes the covering of a tear in the palatal mucosa using a buccal fat pad (BFP) flap, in the context of maxillary segmentation during Le Fort I osteotomy. Through the limited buccal incision used for the Le Fort I osteotomy, a small incision is made in the right periosteum posteriorly, and a supraperiosteal dissection is performed to access the BFP. After a sufficient amount of flap is made available, it is gently introduced through the osteotomy gap until it reaches the palatal mucosa defect and is then sutured. In the patient case presented, the palatal mucosa healed fully within 18 days, and the patient reported no nasal regurgitation of food, defective speech, fetid odour, bad taste, or upper respiratory tract or ear infection during the postoperative period. This technique using a BFP flap should therefore be considered in the context of unexpected tearing of the palatal mucosa in patients undergoing a segmented Le Fort I osteotomy.

Nasal administration for vaccine delivery is a novel non-invasive vaccine administration approach that can induce local or systemic immune responses and overcome the disadvantages caused by traditional injectable administration. However, mucosal vaccine and adjuvant delivery systems with sustained-release ability and enhanced immune effects at mucosal sites have still been highly demanded. In this work

Recently, various bioelectronic nose devices based on human receptors were developed for mimicking a human olfactory system. However, such bioelectronic nose devices could operate in an aqueous solution, and it was often very difficult to detect insoluble gas odorants. Here, we report a portable bioelectronic nose platform utilizing a receptor protein-based bioelectronic nose device as a sensor and odorant-binding protein (OBP) as a transporter for insoluble gas molecules in a solution, mimicking the functionality of human mucosa. Our bioelectronic nose platform based on I7 receptor exhibited dose-dependent responses to octanal gas in real time. Furthermore, the bioelectronic platforms with OBP exhibited the sensor sensitivity improved by ∼100% compared with those without OBP. We also demonstrated the detection of odorant gas from real orange juice and found that the electrical responses of the devices with OBP were much larger than those without OBP. Since our bioelectronic nose platform allows us to directly detect gas-phase odorant molecules including a rather insoluble species, it could be a powerful tool for versatile applications and basic research based on a bioelectronic nose.

All mucosal surfaces must deal with the challenge of exposure to the outside world. The urothelium is a highly specialized layer of stratified epithelial cells lining the inner surface of the urinary bladder, a gruelling environment involving significant stretch forces, osmotic and hydrostatic pressures, toxic substances, and microbial invasion. The urinary bladder plays an important barrier role and allows the accommodation and expulsion of large volumes of urine without permitting urine components to diffuse across. The urothelium is made up of three cell types, basal, intermediate, and umbrella cells, whose specialized functions aid in the bladder's mission. In this review, we summarize the recent insights into urothelial structure, function, development, regeneration, and in particular the role of umbrella cells in barrier formation and maintenance. We briefly review diseases which involve the bladder and discuss current human urothelial in vitro models as a complement to traditional animal studies.

The mammalian nasopharynx is an anatomically complex region of the upper respiratory tract that directly communicates with the nasal cavity, laryngopharynx, oesophagus and trachea. The nasopharyngeal mucosa contains moderate quantities of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) that is appropriately located for immunological sampling but also creates vulnerability to pathogens. In recent years, the nasopharynx has been inculpated in the pathogenesis of important diseases of cattle (foot-and-mouth disease) and humans (COVID-19), yet the tissue has never been described in detail in any species. In order to characterize the morphology and cellular composition of the bovine nasopharynx, samples of mucosa were collected from the nasopharynx of five 8-13-month-old steers and examined using light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and multichannel immunofluorescence. Morphologically, the nasopharyngeal epithelium was highly heterogeneous, with a continuum ranging from stratified squamous epithelium to highly attenuated, follicle-associated epithelium (FAE). Distribution of MALT was similarly regionally variable ranging from absent to clusters of multiple lymphoid follicles. Phenotypic characterization demonstrated dense distributions of dendritic cells and T lymphocytes surrounding lymphoid follicles, which comprised mostly B lymphocytes. The FAE overlaying the lymphoid follicles also contained higher numbers of dendritic cells and lymphocytes compared with the adjacent non-lymphoid epithelium, although cytotoxic T cells were notably scarce in the FAE. The bovine nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue had comparable elements to other MALTs with specific differences that may help to elucidate the pathogenesis of infectious agents that have specific tropism for this tissue.

Traumatic tissue develops an uncontrolled inflammatory response that causes secondary damage to the injured tissue and other parts of the body. Therefore, preventing wound infection, reducing inflammatory response, and reducing secondary tissue damage are the keys to early treatment of tissue trauma. In the treatment of gingival soft tissue trauma, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are reasonably selected according to the condition, which can effectively reduce inflammation, and they help periodontal tissue regeneration and healing. However, there are few studies on the mechanism of anti-inflammatory drugs in the early treatment of oral gingival mucosal soft tissue trauma, and the specific mechanism is unknown. Therefore, this paper explored the mechanism of anti-inflammatory drugs in the early treatment of oral gingival mucosa and soft tissue trauma through experiments, which provided theoretical support for the clinical treatment of gingival mucosa and soft tissue trauma repair. In this paper, two anti-inflammatory drugs, levofloxacin and metronidazole, were selected to measure their release properties in vitro and in vivo. Then, the white-eared rabbits were treated with gingival wound treatment experiments, and the physiological characteristics, intratissue pressure, tissue partial pressure of oxygen, IL-6 content, and PGE2 content were determined at each postinjury period, and the mechanism of action of anti-inflammatory drugs was determined. Research results have shown that anti-inflammatory drugs can significantly inhibit the content of IL-6 and PGE2 in gingival soft tissue after injury, reduce the local inflammatory response, and accelerate tissue healing.

Recently, the biological functions of endomucin-positive blood vessels and closely associated αSMA-positive cells in long bones have been highlighted. The surrounding tissues of the flat bones, such as nasal bones covered with mucosa and lamina propria, are different from those of the long bones, indicating the different distributions of endomucin-positive blood vessels and αSMA-reactive cells in nasal bones. This study demonstrates the immunolocalization of endomucin-reactive blood vessels and αSMA-positive cells in the nasal conchae of 3- and 7-week-old mice.The nasal conchae of 3-week-old and 7-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were used for immunoreaction of endomucin, CD34, PDGFbb, TRAP, and c-kit.While we identified abundant endomucin-reactive blood vessels in the lamina propria neighboring the bone, not all were positive for endomucin. More CD34-reactive cells and small blood vessels were observed in the nasal conchae of 3-week-old mice than in those of 7-week-old mice. Some αSMA-positive cells in the nasal conchae surrounded the blood vessels, indicating vascular smooth muscle cells, while other αSMA-immunopositive fibroblastic cells were detected throughout the lamina propria. αSMA-positive cells did not co-localize with c-kit-immunoreactivity, thereby indicating that the αSMA-positive cells may be myofibroblasts rather than undifferentiated mesenchymal cells.Unlike long bones, nasal conchae contain endomucin-positive as well as endomucin-negative blood vessels and exhibit numerous αSMA-positive fibroblastic cells throughout the lamina propria neighboring the bone. Apparently, the distribution patterns of endomucin-positive blood vessels and αSMA-positive cells in nasal conchae are different from those in long bones.

Introduction Eosinophilic otitis media is an intractable otitis media and a fairly common middle ear disease. However, the pathogenesis of eosinophilic otitis media is obscure. Objective To observe the pathological and ultrastructural changes of the Eustachian tube mucosal epithelium in rats with eosinophilic otitis media and further explore the pathogenesis of eosinophilic otitis media. Methods Animals were intraperitoneally injected with 2000 mg ovalbumin and 100 mg aluminum hydroxide (alum) on day 0, followed by 100 mg ovalbumin and 100 mg alum injection on days 7 and 14. Next they were topically boosted by daily application of 100 mg ovalbumin solution via nasal drip and intratympanic injection of 0.1 mL ovalbumin (1000 mg/mL) in the right ear (group A, n = 80) and 0.1 mL saline in the left ear as control (group B, n = 80) starting on day 21 and continuing for 14 days. The temporal bones were dissected on the 35th, 38th, 41st and 43rd day separately under anesthesia. Scanning electron microscopy, hematoxylin-eosin and toluidine blue staining were used to observe the pathological and morphological changes of Eustachian tube mucosa stained samples. Moreover, inflammatory cells and cilia were counted. Results The epithelium of the Eustachian tube in group A was swollen and thickened. The cilia were arranged in a disorderly manner and partially detached. Eosinophils infiltrated the submucosal layer of the Eustachian tube, and their number increased significantly compared with that in group B (p< 0.05). Simultaneously, mast cell degranulation was observed in group A. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the cilia were lodged and gathered along the whole length of Eustachian tube in group A. Ciliated cell density was significantly lower than that in Group B (p< 0.01). Conclusion In the eosinophilic otitis media model, allergy caused significant changes in pathology and morphology of the Eustachian tube mucosa, affecting the normal function of the Eustachian tube which played an important role in the occurrence and development of eosinophilic otitis media.

Background and AimsWe aimed to determine whether a targeted gene expression panel could predict clinical outcomes in paediatric ulcerative colitis [UC] and investigated putative pathogenic roles of predictive genes.MethodsIn total, 313 rectal RNA samples from a cohort of newly diagnosed paediatric UC patients (PROTECT) were analysed by a real-time PCR microfluidic array for expression of type 1, 2 and 17 inflammation genes. Associations between expression and clinical outcomes were assessed by logistic regression. Identified prognostic markers were further analysed using existing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data sets and tissue immunostaining.ResultsIL13RA2 was associated with a lower likelihood of corticosteroid-free remission (CSFR) on mesalamine at week 52 (p = .002). A model including IL13RA2 and only baseline clinical parameters was as accurate as an established clinical model, which requires week 4 remission status. RORC was associated with a lower likelihood of colectomy by week 52. A model including RORC and PUCAI predicted colectomy by 52 weeks (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.71). Bulk RNA-seq identified IL13RA2 and RORC as hub genes within UC outcome-associated expression networks related to extracellular matrix and innate immune response, and lipid metabolism and microvillus assembly, respectively. Adult UC single-cell RNA-seq data revealed IL13RA2 and RORC co-expressed genes were localized to inflammatory fibroblasts and undifferentiated epithelial cells, respectively, which was supported by protein immunostaining.ConclusionTargeted assessment of rectal mucosal immune gene expression predicts 52-week CSFR in treatment-naïve paediatric UC patients. Further exploration of IL-13Rɑ2 as a therapeutic target in UC and future studies of the epithelial-specific role of RORC in UC pathogenesis are warranted.

Mechanical characterisation of the layer-specific, viscoelastic properties of the human oesophagus is crucial in furthering the development of devices emerging in the field, such as robotic endoscopic biopsy devices, as well as in enhancing the realism, and therefore effectiveness, of surgical simulations. In this study, the viscoelastic and stress-softening behaviour of the passive human oesophagus was investigated through ex vivo cyclic mechanical tests. Due to restrictions placed on the laboratory as a result of COVID-19, only oesophagi from cadavers fixed in formalin were allowed for testing. Three oesophagi in total were separated into their two main layers and the mucosa–submucosa layer was investigated. A series of uniaxial tensile tests were conducted in the form of increasing stretch level cyclic tests at two different strain rates: 1% s$$^{-1}$$ - 1 and 10% s$$^{-1}$$ - 1 . Rectangular samples in both the longitudinal and circumferential directions were tested to observe any anisotropy. Histological analysis was also performed through a variety of staining methods. Overall, the longitudinal direction was found to be much stiffer than the circumferential direction. Stress-softening was observed in both directions, as well as permanent set and hysteresis. Strain rate-dependent behaviour was also apparent in the two directions, with an increase in strain rate resulting in an increase in stiffness. This strain rate dependency was more pronounced in the longitudinal direction than the circumferential direction. Finally, the results were discussed in regard to the histological content of the layer, and the behaviour was modelled and validated using a visco-hyperelastic matrix-fibre model.

There are several types of morphea with different levels of connective tissue involvement and morphological manifestations. In this mini review, it was pointed out the most important morphological and clinical aspects of localised scleroderma in the oral cavity. The case presented in this article supports the scientific information and is described with details. The morphea of mucous membrane which was clinically suspected, was proved by histopathological examination of the sample. The unusual location of the local findings posed a diagnostic challenge. The case history should be significant due to the low number of studies. The special attention should be taken to match the clinical with pathomorphological picture in localised scleroderma diagnosis and treatment when the involvement of skin and oral mucosa is.

Abstract Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of the genus Lactiplantibacillus have been explored as potential mucosal vaccine vectors due to their ability to elicit an immune response against expressed foreign antigens and to their safety. However, tools for monitoring LAB distribution and persistence at the mucosal surfaces are needed. Here, we characterize Lactiplantibacillus plantarum bacteria expressing the infrared fluorescent protein IRFP713 for exploring their in vivo distribution in the mucosa and potential use as a mucosal vaccine vector. This bacterial species is commonly used as a vaginal probiotic and was recently found to have a niche in the human nose. Three different fluorescent L. plantarum strains were obtained using the nisin-inducible pNZRK-IRFP713 plasmid which contains the nisRK genes, showing stable and constitutive expression of IRFP713 in vitro. One of these strains was further monitored in BALB/c mice using near-infrared fluorescence, indicating successful colonization of the nasal and vaginal mucosae for up to 72 h. This study thus provides a tool for the in vivo spatiotemporal monitoring of lactiplantibacilli, allowing non-invasive bacterial detection in these mucosal sites. Key points • Stable and constitutive expression of the IRFP713 protein was obtained in different L. plantarum strains. • IRFP713+ L. plantarum 3.12.1 was monitored in vivo using near-infrared fluorescence. • Residence times observed after intranasal and vaginal inoculation were 24–72 h. Graphical abstract

We aimed to clarify the prognostic factors for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) invading into the muscularis mucosa (pT1a-MM) or submucosa (pT1b-SM) after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).This retrospective study enrolled such patients at 21 institutions in Japan between 2006 and 2017. We evaluated 15 factors, including pathological risk categories for ESCC-specific mortality, six non-cancer-related indices, and treatment strategies.In the analysis of 593 patients, the 5-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were 83.0% and 97.6%, respectively. In a multivariate Cox analysis, male sex (hazard ratio [HR] 3.56), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) ≥3 (HR 2.53), ages of 75-79 (HR 1.61) and ≥80 years (HR 2.04), prognostic nutrition index (PNI)45 (HR 1.69), and pathological intermediate-risk (HR 1.63) and high-risk (HR 1.89) were prognostic factors. Subsequently, we developed a clinical risk classification for non-ESCC-related mortality based on the number of prognostic factors (age ≥75 years, male sex, CCI ≥3, PNI45): low-risk, 0; intermediate-risk, 1-2; and high-risk, 3-4. The 5-year non-ESCC-related mortality rates for patients without additional treatment were 0.0%, 10.2%, and 45.8% in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively. Meanwhile, the 5-year ESCC-specific mortality rates for the pathological low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 0.3%, 5.3%, and 18.2%, respectively.We clarified prognostic factors for patients with pT1a-MM/pT1b-SM ESCC after ESD. The combined assessment of non-ESCC- and ESCC-related mortalities by the two risk classifications might help clinicians in deciding treatment strategies for such patients.

This study aims to examine the functional morphology of the proventriculus of the broad breasted white turkey (BBWT) (Meleagris gallopavo, Linnaeus 1758) using gross anatomy, light microscopy, gross/histomorphometric analysis, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The proventriculus was characterized internally by many elevated papillae with a mound, leafy flower, and lotus flower-shapes. Each papilla was enclosed by concentrically organized mucosal folds with distinct or indistinct proventricular gland openings on its top. Longitudinal folds and grooves at the junction of the proventriculus with the esophagus exhibited various sized and shaped openings of esophageal glands with irregular outlines. Histologically, the surface epithelium of the proventriculus was covered by a thin layer of cuticle, particularly evident at its junction with the gizzard. The lamina epithelialis and propria, and secretory units of proventricular lobules were infiltrated by aggregations of lymphocytes and lymphoid follicles (nodules). Variably shaped glandular lobules of proventricular glands occupied the submucosa, surrounded by thin strands of smooth muscle fibers derived from muscularis mucosa. Triangular, cuboidal, or columnar-shaped secretory oxyntico-peptic cells lined the secretory units. Many telocytes (pyramidal or fusiform-shaped cell bodies with lengthy telopodes) were observed in interstitial tissue. Further, two types of argyrophilic endocrine cells were identified within the glandular epithelium. The morphology of the M. gallopavo proventriculus reflects its dietary habits and behavior.

The variable clinical severity of mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) often leads to diagnostic and therapeutic delays.To describe the characteristics of a large cohort of patients with MMP.A retrospective review of clinical and diagnostic characteristics as well as treatment responses in 145 patients with MMP.Monosite involvement was seen in 41.4% and multisite involvement in 58.6% of the patients. The oral mucosa was affected in 86.9% of the patients, followed by the ocular mucosa (30.3%), skin (26.2%), genital mucosa (25.5%), nasal mucosa (23.4%), and pharyngeal and/or laryngeal mucosa (17.2%). Ocular disease developed during the disease course in 41.7% of patients with initially other mucosal site involvement. The malignancy rate was significantly higher in patients with autoantibodies against laminin-332 than in patients with MMP without laminin-332 autoantibodies (35.3% vs 10.9%, respectively; P = .007). Systemic immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory therapy was administered to 77.1% of the patients, mainly to patients with multisite (P .001), ocular (P .001), and pharyngeal and laryngeal involvement (P = .002). The remaining patients (22.9%) received topical therapy. Adverse events were frequently reported.Retrospective design.Patients with MMP present with a heterogeneous clinical presentation, and new symptoms may develop during the disease course. Cancer screening should be considered for patients with MMP and, in particular, for those with autoantibodies against laminin-332.

Recent events involving the global coronavirus pandemic have focused attention on vaccination strategies. Although tremendous advances have been made in subcutaneous and intramuscular vaccines during this time, one area that has lagged in implementation is mucosal immunization. Mucosal immunization provides several potential advantages over subcutaneous and intramuscular routes, including protection from localized infection at the site of entry, clearance of organisms on mucosal surfaces, induction of long-term immunity through establishment of central and tissue-resident memory cells, and the ability to shape regulatory responses. Despite these advantages, significant barriers remain to achieving effective mucosal immunization. The epithelium itself provides many obstacles to immunization, and the activation of immune recognition and effector pathways that leads to mucosal immunity has been difficult to achieve. This review will highlight the potential advantages of mucosal immunity, define the barriers to mucosal immunization, examine the immune mechanisms that need to be activated on mucosal surfaces, and finally address recent developments in methods for mucosal vaccination that have shown promise in generating immunity on mucosal surfaces in human trials.

The nervous system and the immune system individually play important roles in regulating the processes necessary to maintain physiological homeostasis, respond to acute stress and protect against external threats. These two regulating systems for maintaining the living body had often been assumed to function independently. Allergies develop as a result of an overreaction of the immune system to substances that are relatively harmless to the body, such as food, pollen and dust mites. Therefore, it has been generally supposed that the development and pathogenesis of allergies can be explained through an immunological interpretation. Recently, however, neuro-immune crosstalk has attracted increasing attention. Consequently, it is becoming clear that there is close morphological proximity and physiological and pathophysiological interactions between neurons and immune cells in various peripheral tissues. Thus, researchers are now beginning to appreciate that neuro-immune interactions may play a role in tissue homeostasis and the pathophysiology of immune-mediated disease, but very little information is available on the molecular basis of these interactions. Mast cells are a part of the innate immune system implicated in allergic reactions and the regulation of host-pathogen interactions. Mast cells are ubiquitous in the body, and these cells are often found in close proximity to nerve fibers in various tissues, including the lamina propria of the intestine. Mast cells and neurons are thought to communicate bidirectionally to modulate neurophysiological effects and mast cell functions, which suggests that neuro-immune interactions may be involved in the pathology of allergic diseases.

Common challenges encountered for atrophic maxilla rehabilitation are the inadequate width and height of attached keratinized mucosa (AKM) and shallow vestibular depth. This study presents a buccally displaced palatal (BDP) flap technique to increase the tissue thickness and AKM width at the second-stage surgery and reestablish the correct fornix depth. The peri-implant pocket depths, modified Plaque Index score, modified sulcus Bleeding Index score, and soft tissue recession were evaluated 6 and 12 months after prostheses loading. A total of 52 implants were placed and analyzed, and no implant failures were found. No significant changes in peri-implant parameters were observed between 6 and 12 months, and mean recession was less than 0.2 mm after 12 months. Though this change was statistically significant, it was clinically irrelevant. The results demonstrate that adequately healthy peri-implant soft tissues and substantial dimensional stability of vestibular soft tissues at the 1-year follow-up were achieved with the BDP flap technique. The BDP flap could represent a viable option for increasing the width and the height of AKM and establishing the correct maxillary fornix depth.

The oral gingival barrier is a constantly stimulated and dynamic environment where homeostasis is often disrupted, resulting in inflammatory periodontal diseases. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been reported to be associated with gingival barrier dysfunction, but the effect and underlying mechanism are inconclusive. Herein, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of gingiva from leptin receptor-deficient mice ( db/db) to examine the gingival heterogeneity in the context of T2D. Periodontal health of control mice is characterized by populations of Krt14+-expressing epithelial cells and Col1a1+-fibroblasts mediating immune homeostasis primarily through the enrichment of innate lymphoid cells. The db/db gingiva exhibited decreased epithelial/stromal ratio and dysfunctional barrier. We further observed stromal, particularly fibroblast immune hyperresponsiveness, linked to the recruitment of myeloid-derived cells at the db/db gingiva. Both scRNA-seq and histological analysis suggested the inflammatory signaling between fibroblasts and neutrophils as a potential driver of diabetes-induced periodontal damage. Notably, the “immune-like” stromal cells were wired toward the induction of gingival IL-17A hyperresponsiveness in db/db mice. Our work reveals that the “immune-like” fibroblasts with transcriptional diversity are involved in the innate immune homeostasis at the diabetic gingiva. It highlights a potentially significant role of these cell types in its pathogenesis.

To assess the literature on (i) the relevance of the presence of a minimum dimension of keratinized peri-implant mucosa (KPIM) to maintain the health and stability of peri-implant tissues, and; (ii) the surgical interventions and grafting materials used for augmenting the dimensions of the KPIM when there is a minimal amount or absence of it.Two systematic reviews complemented by expert opinion from workshop group participants served as the basis of the consensus statements, implications for clinical practice and future research, and were approved in plenary session by all workshop participants.Thirty-four consensus statements, eight implications for clinical practice, and 13 implications for future research were discussed and agreed upon. There is no consistent data on the incidence of peri-implant mucositis relative to the presence or absence of KPIM. However, reduced KPIM width is associated with increased biofilm accumulation, soft-tissue inflammation, greater patient discomfort, mucosal recession, marginal bone loss and an increased prevalence of peri-implantitis. Free gingival autogenous grafts were considered the standard of care surgical intervention to effectively increase the width of KPIM. However, substitutes of xenogeneic origin may be an alternative to autogenous tissues, since similar results when compared to connective tissue grafts were reported.Presence of a minimum width of KPIM should be assessed routinely in patients with implant supported restorations, and when associated with pathological changes in the peri-implant mucosa, its dimensions may be surgically increased using autogenous grafts or soft-tissue substitutes with evidence of proven efficacy.

Mucosal healing, the result of endoscopic remission, is associated with prolonged clinical remission and delayed deterioration of Crohn's disease, which is significant and accompanied by reduced hospitalizations and surgeries. Currently, the relationship between ultrasonic parameters and mucosal healing remains controversial. To establish an ultrasonic regression model to evaluate mucosal healing, we conducted this preliminary study using multiple parameters from B-mode ultrasonography, colour Doppler flow imaging and shear wave elastography systematically.This study consisted of two single-centre investigations based on development and validation populations who received endoscopies (as the gold standard) and ultrasound. The involved bowel segments were divided into mucosal healing (MH) and nonmucosal healing (NMH) groups according to endoscopic results. Eight ultrasonic parameters were observed, including bowel wall thickness (BWT), mesenteric fat thickness (MFT), median modulus of elasticity (Emean), average shear wave velocity (SWV), Limberg scoring (LG), bowel wall stratification (BWS), ascites (AS) and lymph node enlargement (LN). We developed an ultrasonic regression model in the development phase to evaluate segmental mucosal healing and undertook prospective validation of this model.A total of 124 patients with 380 involved bowel segments from the development and validation cohorts were evaluated. Eight ultrasonic parameters were significantly different between the two groups (P0.05) in the development phase. Four significant parameters with better AUC performance were selected to establish an ultrasonic regression model to predict mucosal healing. The AUCs of this ultrasonic model were 0.975 and 0.942 in the development and validation cohorts, respectively.The multimodal ultrasonic model has the potential to evaluate segmental mucosal healing in Crohn's disease.

Tuft cells are a rare chemosensory lineage that coordinates immune and neural responses to foreign pathogens in mucosal tissues(1). Recent studies have also revealed tuft-cell-like human tumours(2,3), particularly as a variant of small-cell lung cancer. Both normal and neoplastic tuft cells share a genetic requirement for the transcription factor POU2F3 (refs. (2,4)), although the transcriptional mechanisms that generate this cell type are poorly understood. Here we show that binding of POU2F3 to the uncharacterized proteins C11orf53 and COLCA2 (renamed here OCA-T1/POU2AF2 and OCA-T2/POU2AF3, respectively) is critical in the tuft cell lineage. OCA-T1 and OCA-T2 are paralogues of the B-cell-specific coactivator OCA-B; all three proteins are encoded in a gene cluster and contain a conserved peptide that binds to class II POU transcription factors and a DNA octamer motif in a bivalent manner. We demonstrate that binding between POU2F3 and OCA-T1 or OCA-T2 is essential in tuft-cell-like small-cell lung cancer. Moreover, we generated OCA-T1-deficient mice, which are viable but lack tuft cells in several mucosal tissues. These findings reveal that the POU2F3–OCA-T complex is the master regulator of tuft cell identity and a molecular vulnerability of tuft-cell-like small-cell lung cancer.

As central effectors of the adaptive immune response, immunoglobulins, or antibodies, provide essential protection from pathogens through their ability to recognize foreign antigens, aid in neutralization, and facilitate elimination from the host. Mammalian immunoglobulins can be classified into five isotypes—IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM—each with distinct roles in mediating various aspects of the immune response. Of these isotypes, IgA and IgM are the only ones capable of multimerization, arming them with unique biological functions. Increased valency of polymeric IgA and IgM provides high avidity for binding low-affinity antigens, and their ability to be transported across the mucosal epithelium into secretions by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor allows them to play critical roles in mucosal immunity. Here we discuss the molecular assembly, structure, and function of these multimeric antibodies.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a significant health threat worldwide. Although typically mosquito-borne, recent evidence suggests that ZIKV is also a sexually transmitted virus. While persistent ZIKV infections in male reproductive tissues have been identified, little is understood regarding the outcomes of primary sexual transmission in females. We investigated how the route of infection affects vaginal ZIKV shedding and dissemination. In two mouse models, vaginal infection resulted in prolonged ZIKV shedding in the vaginal mucosa with delayed systemic infection. Furthermore, heightened vaginal inflammation did not influence ZIKV replication or dissemination, in contrast to previous studies of mosquito-borne infection. Thus, vaginal infection significantly alters ZIKV infection kinetics and must be considered when developing novel treatments.

Human gastric development has not been well studied. The generation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived gastric organoids (hGOs) comprising gastric marker-expressing epithelium without an apparent smooth muscle (SM) structure has been reported. We modified previously reported protocols to generate hGOs with muscularis mucosa (MM) from hiPSCs. Time course analyses revealed that epithelium development occurred prior to MM formation. Sonic hedgehog (SHH) and TGF-fl1 were secreted by the epithelium. HH and TGF-fl signal inhibition prevented subepithelial MM formation. A mechanical property of the substrate promoted SM differentiation around hGOs in the presence of TGF-fl. TGF-fl signaling was shown to influence the HH signaling and mechanical properties. In addition, clinical specimen findings suggested the involvement of TGF-fl signaling in MM formation in recovering gastric ulcers. HH and TGF-fl signaling from the epithelium to the stroma and the mechanical properties of the subepithelial environment may influence the emergence of MM in human stomach tissue.

Background/purpose Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare autoimmune disease affecting mucous membrane of the body. Oral involvement is common causing chronic and painful lesions. This study aimed to characterize oral MMP in a group of Thai patients and to analyze treatment regimens. Materials and methods The files of patients attending Oral Medicine Clinic were retrospectively studied. Patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria of MMP were included. Chief complaints, medical and dental history, oral manifestations and investigations of individual patients were summarized. Treatment regimens and efficacy were also analyzed. Results There were fourteen patients (age range 33–70 years) with a diagnosis of MMP. The prevalence of oral MMP was 0.51%. The lesions presented as vesicles, blood blisters, erosions, ulcers, erythema, either one type or in combination. Common complaints were chronic painful and bleeding gums. Gingival lesions were found in 13 of 14 patients (92.86%). The most common direct immunofluorescence findings were linear C3 at basement membrane zone (92.31%) followed by linear IgG deposition (84.62%). Most lesions were successfully managed with topical and/or systemic corticosteroids. The average time to control disease was 1.97 months (IQR, 0.69–12.73 months). Conclusion Gingival lesions are very common in MMP. Mainstay of treatment is combination of systemic and topical corticosteroids. Multidisciplinary care including oral hygiene maintenance is necessary.

Studies have examined the benefit of having keratinized peri-implant mucosa width with mixed results.This study examines whether the lack of a prespecified (2 mm) amount of keratinized mucosa width (KMW) is a risk factor for peri-implant diseases.A systematic electronic and manual search of randomized or nonrandomized controlled or noncontrolled clinical trials was conducted. Qualitative review, quantitative meta-analysis, and trial sequence analysis (TSA) of implants inserted at sites with2 mm or ≥2 mm of KMW were analyzed to compare all the predetermined outcome variables. The level of evidence concerning the role of KMW in peri-implant health was evaluated via the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system guide.Nine studies were included in the qualitative analysis and four in the meta-analysis and TSA. No significant inter-group difference (p 0.05) and a low power of evidence were found for probing depth, soft-tissue recession, and marginal bone loss. A significant difference favoring ≥2 mm KMW had a lower mean plaque index (MD = 0.37, 95% CI: [0.16, 0.58], p = 0.002) (3 studies, 430 implants, low-quality evidence). GRADE system showed very low and low quality of evidence for all other outcome measures.Based on the available studies, the impact of amount of KMW (either2 mm or ≥ 2 mm) as a risk factor for developing peri-implant disease remains low. Future control studies with proper sample size and longer follow-up are needed to further validate current findings.

Preclinical studies have shown that the induction of secretory IgA (sIgA) in mucosa and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in sera is essential for designing vaccines that can effectively block the transmission of HIV-1. We previously showed that a vaccine consisting of bacterium-like particles (BLPs) displaying Protan-gp120AE-MTQ (PAM) could induce mucosal immune responses through intranasal (IN) immunization in mice and NAbs through intramuscular (IM) immunization in guinea pigs. Here, we evaluated the ability of this vaccine BLP-PAM to elicit HIV-1-specific mucosal and systemic immune responses through IN and IM immunization combination strategies in rhesus macaques. First, the morphology, antigenicity and epitope accessibility of the vaccine were analysed by transmission electron microscopy, bio-layer interferometry and ELISA. In BLP-PAM-immunized macaques, HIV-1-specific sIgA were rapidly induced through IN immunization in situ and distant mucosal sites, although the immune responses are relatively weak. Furthermore, the HIV-1-specific IgG and IgA antibody levels in mucosal secretions were enhanced and maintained, while production of serum NAbs against heterologous HIV-1 tier 1 and 2 pseudoviruses was elicited after IM boost. Additionally, situ mucosal responses and systemic T cell immune responses were improved by rAd2-gp120AE boost immunization via the IN and IM routes. These results suggested that BLP-based delivery in combination with the IN and IM immunization approach represents a potential vaccine strategy against HIV-1.

The majority of patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) are likely to have observable features under narrow-band imaging, namely beige mucosa. However, the histological features and clinical implications of beige mucosa have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine whether beige mucosa could serve as an endoscopic marker for predicting active inflammatory sites of EoE.We retrospectively analyzed both the narrow-band images and biopsied specimens of 77 esophageal lesions from 35 consecutive patients with EoE. We divided these specimens into two groups: target biopsied specimens from beige mucosa (beige group) and specimens biopsied from non-beige mucosa (non-beige group). The number of eosinophils per high-powered field, thickness of the superficial differentiated cell layer, and depth of the hemoglobin component from the surface layer were compared between the two groups.Forty-four out of the 45 specimens were diagnosed as histological active lesions in the beige group. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of beige mucosa in predicting EoE activity were 97.8%, 96.9%, and 97.8%, respectively. Compared with the non-beige group, specimens in the beige group had a significantly thinner superficial differentiated cell layer.Beige mucosa is associated with thinning of the normal superficial differentiated cell layer, and these histological changes in the active inflammatory sites of EoE could be recognized endoscopically as color differences. Beige mucosa may serve as an endoscopic indicator for predicting the histological activity of EoE.

This study aimed to evaluate the in vivo protective effect of the angico gum biopolymer in reducing the inflammatory response and preserving the integrity of the laryngeal and esophageal mucosa.Animal study.A murine surgical model of gastroesophageal reflux disease was accomplished and subsequently treated with angico gum or omeprazole. On days 3 and 7 post surgery, samples of the larynx and esophagus, respectively, were collected to measure the level of inflammation (wet weight and myeloperoxidase activity) and mucosal integrity (transepithelial electrical resistance and mucosal permeability to fluorescein).Angico gum and omeprazole decreased laryngeal inflammation (wet weight and myeloperoxidase activity) and dramatically improved the integrity of the laryngeal mucosa. It also reduced inflammation (decreased wet weight and myeloperoxidase activity) of the esophagus and preserved the barrier function (inferred by assessing the integrity of the mucosa).This study demonstrates the protective effect of angico gum in an experimental gastroesophageal reflux disease model. Angico gum attenuates inflammation and impairment of the mucosal barrier function not only in the larynx but also in the esophagus.NA Laryngoscope, 133:162-168, 2023.

Memory T cells are fundamental to maintain immune surveillance of the human body. During the past decade, it has become apparent that non-recirculating resident memory T cells (TRMs) form a first line memory response in tissues to tackle re-infections. The fact that TRMs are essential for local immunity highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting this population against tumors and infections. However, similar to other immune subsets, TRMs are heterogenous and may form distinct effector populations with unique functions at diverse tissue sites. Further insight into the mechanisms of how TRM function and respond to pathogens and malignancies at different mucosal sites will help to shape future vaccine and immunotherapeutic approaches. Here, we review the current understanding of TRM function and biology at four major mucosal sites: gastrointestinal tract, lung, head and neck, as well as female reproductive tract. We also summarize our current knowledge of how TRM targets invading pathogens and developing tumor cells at these mucosal sites and contemplate how TRMs may be exploited to protect from infections and cancer.

In this study, the use of a microwave reactor, which allowed high input of energy into a pressurised system in a short period of time, was investigated for preparation of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The aim was to optimise the formulation process by reducing manufacturing time. Two types of LNPs were prepared; non-ionic surfactant vesicles (NISV) and bilosomes (modified NISV incorporating bile salts), with a model antigen (tetanus toxoid, TT) and the immune response induced after mucosal (nasal and oral, respectively) administration was assessed. The TT loaded LNPs were characterised in terms of particle size, size distribution, morphology, and entrapment efficiency. Immunisation was evaluated by lethal challenge with tetanus toxin in an animal model. The efficiency of vaccination was evaluated by measuring the anti-TT IgG antibody levels in the vaccinated animals. Bilosomes formed by this method showed an immunogen entrapment efficiency of ∼30% which was significantly (p 0.05) higher than entrapment efficiency in the NISV. The percentage of animals that survived when challenged with tetanus toxin correlated with the level of IgG determined in the serum of mice immunised with LNPs by the mucosal route. Moreover, there were significant (p 0.05) differences between orally and nasally immunised groups. Animal groups immunised bilosomes via the oral route showed the highest level of IgG (1.2 ± 0.13) compared to the positive control, LN + Xn, and no immunised group. Similarly, groups immunised via the nasal route showed significantly (p 0.0001) higher titres compared with the control group. Mucosal TT was capable of inducing systemic specific IgG anti-TT responses that were higher than the parenteral vaccine.

The mucosal immune system prevents microorganism invasion through mucosal surfaces and consists of inductive and effector sites. Nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) functions as an inductive site, inducing mucosal immune responses in the upper respiratory tract. It follows that intranasal vaccines may prevent upper respiratory infections. To induce and enhance the immune response by administering inactivated antigens intranasally, mucosal adjuvants have been developed, including mutant cholera toxin and cationic cholesteryl pullulan nanogel, which do not accumulate in the central nervous system. Moreover, multivalent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines are used to prevent invasive pneumococcal infections and otitis media, although they only provide moderate protection against acute otitis media because non-vaccine serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae also cause this infection. To address this problem, pneumococcal surface protein A of S. pneumoniae and P6 of H. influenzae are used as broad-spectrum vaccine antigens. Alternatively, phosphorylcholine (PC) is present in the cell walls of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and induces immune responses through antigenic activity. The significant effects of PC as a mucosal vaccine have been demonstrated through intranasal and sublingual immunization in mice. Furthermore, intranasal administration of PC reverses increases in IgE levels and prevents allergic rhinitis. After immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine, intranasal immunization with PC boosts immune responses to vaccine strains and to PC itself. Thus, PC may be useful as a mucosal vaccine to prevent upper respiratory infections and allergic rhinitis, and it could be used as a booster to the currently used pneumococcal vaccine as it protects against non-vaccine strains.

Objective: to determine the characteristics of gastrointestinal allergy in children with allergic and somatic pathology.Patients and Methods. 106 children were examined: study group — 60 patients with an allergy, comparison group — 46 children with digestive diseases alone. Clinical, laboratory (total immunoglobulin E) and endoscopic morphological methods were used.Results. Cow’s milk proteins, citrus fruits, chocolate, strawberry were the most frequent causes of food allergies. Gastrointestinal symptoms in allergy manifested by pain and dyspeptic syndrome (nausea, heartburn), altered bowel elimination. 28 % of patients hadn’t abdominalgia. Blood eosinophilia has been detected in 61.7 % of children. Endoscopically, motor function was characterized by dysmotility of the stomach, esophagus or duodenum, in most cases by refluxes. Incompetence of cardia was diagnostically significant (χ2(1) = 14.095, φ = 0.374) in food allergies. Visual features of the mucous membrane (lymphoid hyperplasia, multiple small white patches) of the upper gastrointestinal tract had no significant correlation in patients from study and comparison groups (χ2 not higher than the critical value). Cases of the combination of bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergy with normal IgE level were detected, which is caused by not-IgE-dependent reactions.Conclusions. Endoscopic and morphological study should be applied in the differential diagnosis of allergic and non-allergic lesions of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal.

Unconventional T cells show distinct and unique features during antigen recognition as well as other immune responses. Their decrease in frequency is associated with various autoimmune disorders, allergy, inflammation, and cancer. The landscape frequency of the unconventional T cells altogether (iNKT, γδ T, and MAIT) is largely unestablished leading to various challenges affecting diagnosis and research in this field. In this study, we have established the age group–wise frequency of iNKT, γδ T, and MAIT cells altogether on a total of 203 healthy adult samples of the Caucasian population. The results revealed that iNKT cells were 0.095%, γδ T cells were 2.175%, and MAIT cells were 2.99% of the total T cell population. γδ and MAIT cell frequency is higher in younger age groups than elderly; however, there is no statistically significant difference in the frequency of iNKT cells. Furthermore, γδ and MAIT cells were negatively correlating with age, supporting immunosenescence, unlike iNKT cells. Our finding could be used for further age-wise investigation of various pathological conditions such as cancer and their prognosis, autoimmune diseases and their pathogenicity. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11357-022-00515-5.

Background. Over-the-counter use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs leads to their uncontrolled consumption among the population, which in some cases makes it impossible to prevent and timely detect adverse drug effects, and their effectiveness does not always satisfy clinicians. The purpose was to characterize the cytoprotective properties of cryopreserved placenta extract according to the condition of the mucous membrane of the proximal (esophagus and stomach) and distal (small and large intestine) parts of the gastrointestinal tract on the model of ibuprofen-induced esophagogastroenterocolonopathy. Mate­rials and methods. In vivo experimental studies were performed on 28 male rats. Subchronic ibuprofen-induced gastrointestinal lesions were reproduced by intragastric administration of ibuprofen to rats at a dose of 310 mg/kg. The condition of the gastrointestinal tract mucous membrane was assessed macroscopically on a scale. Results. The therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy of esomeprazole statistically significantly (р < 0.05) took place in the proximal parts of the gastrointestinal tract but had little effect on the prevalence of ulcerative lesions in the intestine. At the same time, unlike esomeprazole, which is known to have only gastroprotective activity, cryopreserved placenta extract had a cytoprotective effect both in the stomach and in the distal parts of the gastrointestinal tract — small and large intestine. Thus, the prevalence of ibuprofen-induced both entero- and colonopathy on the background of the study of the extract was almost twice lower than in rats that did not receive correction drugs. Conclusions. It is established that the use of cryopreserved placenta extract in the treatment-and-prophylactic mode has comparable to esomeprazole gastroprotective activity. In addition, it was found that the use of the studied cryoextract was accompanied by a decrease in the multiplicity of ulcerative defects in the small and large intestine of rats, by 4.6 and 3.8 times, respectively, compared to the control animals., Актуальність. Безрецептурне призначення нестероїдних протизапальних препаратів (НПЗП) призводить до безконтрольного їх застосування серед населення, що в низці випадків робить неможливою профілактику та своєчасне виявлення небажаних лікарських реакцій. На сьогодні з метою корекції ульцерогенної дії НПЗП застосовують дуже широке коло лікарських засобів, однак всі вони не позбуті власних побічних ефектів, а їх ефективність не завжди здатна задовольнити клініцистів. Мета: охарактеризувати цитопротективні властивості кріоконсервованого екстракту плаценти за станом слизової оболонки проксимальних (стравохід і шлунок) і дистальних (тонка та товста кишки) відділів шлунково-кишкового тракту на моделі ібупрофен-індукованої езофагогастроентероколонопатії. Матеріали та методи. Експериментальні дослідження in vivo проведені на 28 щурах-самцях. Субхронічне ібупрофен-індуковане ураження травного тракту відтворювали шляхом внутрішньошлункового введення щурам ібупрофену в дозі 310 мг/кг. Стан слизової оболонки травного тракту оцінювали макроскопічно за бальною шкалою. Результати. Профілактично-лікувальна ефективність езомепразолу вірогідно мала місце в проксимальних відділах травного тракту, однак практично не впливала на поширеність виразкових ушкоджень у кишечнику. В той же час, на відміну від езомепразолу, який, як відомо, має тільки гастропротективну активність, кріоконсервований екстракт плаценти проявляв цитопротективну дію як у шлунку, так і в дистальних відділах травного тракту — тонкій та товстій кишці. Так, поширеність ібупрофен-індукованої як ентеро-, так і колонопатії на тлі застосування досліджуваного екстракту була майже вдвічі нижчою, ніж у щурів, які не отримували препаратів корекції. Висновки. Встановлено, що застосування кріоконсервованого екстракту плаценти у профілактично-лікувальному режимі має співставну з езомепразолом гастропротективну активність. Крім того, встановлено, що застосування досліджуваного кріоекстракту супроводжувалось зниженням множинності виразкових дефектів у тонкій і товстій кишці щурів у 4,6 та 3,8 раза відповідно відносно показників тварин контрольної групи.

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is an autoimmune condition characterized by subepithelial separation and deposition of autoantibodies and complement along the basement membrane zone. The disease results in the development of vesiculobullous lesions of the mucous membranes and skin. This report discusses the surgical treatment and management and the prosthetic implant rehabilitation of a patient with mucous membrane pemphigoid. The rationale for this treatment was to fabricate a prosthesis that was stable and did not rub against the gingival tissues and that was easily cleaned. The overdenture attachment system used provides more stability than other attachment systems while allowing the prosthesis and abutments to be easily cleaned.

Background/Aim: Allicin has been known to improve wound healing via antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an allicin-coated tracheal tube can prevent tracheal stenosis through improving wound healing after tracheal injury. Materials and Methods: Allicin-coated silicone tracheal tube (t-tube) was prepared by the polydopamine-mediated coating method. Tracheal mucosa was injured, and an allicin-coated t-tube was placed into the trachea to evaluate mucosal changes until designated time point. Anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and cytotoxic effects of allicin were also investigated in in vitro. Results: Allicin-coated silicone was not cytotoxic, and it showed anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects in in vitro analysis. The use of allicin-coated t-tube in a rabbit model showed favorable mucosal healing with significant decrease of proinflammatory cytokines compared to the non-coated tube group. The allicin-coated tube showed obvious decreased number of cocci-shaped bacterial attached to the tube surface. From the histological point of view, the allicin-coated tube showed faster regeneration of the normal respiratory epithelial structure compared to the non-coated group. Conclusion: Allicin-coated t-tube showed anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects on injured tracheal mucosa. We suggest that allicin-coated t-tube can be used for promoting physiological wound healing to prevent laryngotracheal stenosis.

The aim: To reveal the morphological and functional features of the mucous membrane of small and large intestine in patients with COVID-19 and in post-COVID-19 period. Materials and methods: In the present study, the authors used biopsy and autopsy material represented by the fragments of the mucous membrane of small and large intestine. All studied material was divided into 10 groups. Group 1 (comparison group) included autopsy material from the deceased who did not have COVID-19 during their lifetime. Groups 2-4 included autopsy material from the deceased who had COVID-19 of varying severity during their lifetime. Groups 5-7 included biopsy material from patients who had recovered from COVID-19 of varying severity, while the duration of the post-COVID period ranged from 1 to 50 days. Groups 8-10 included biopsy material from patients who had in anamnesis COVID-19 of varying severity (the duration of the post-COVID period lasted from 51 to 100 days). Histological, immunohistochemical, morphometric and statistical research methods were used. Results: The comparative analysis showed a more expressed deficiency of ACE2 in the mucous membrane of small and large intestine in patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 compared with patients in post-COVID-19 period of different duration. In patients who had moderate and severe COVID-19 in anamnesis, ACE2 deficiency decreases with increasing duration of post-COVID-19 period. In patients recovered from mild COVID-19, the ACE2 content increases with the duration of post-COVID-19 period from 1 to 50 days and corresponds to the norm with the duration of this period from 51 to 100 days. Conclusions: The comprehensive morphological study conducted by the authors made it possible, firstly, to clarify the morphological and functional features of the mucous membrane of small and large intestine in patients with COVID-19 of various degrees of severity; secondly, to obtain new data about the morpho-functional state of the mucous membrane of small and large intestine in patients, taking into account different duration of the post-COVID-19 period and the severity of the infection.

The pathogenesis in the development of caries and non-carious lesions, inflammatory periodontal diseases and diseases of the oral mucosa is described. The manifestations of these diseases are most often due to a pronounced sensitization of the body to harmful production factors, in the oral cavity there is a pronounced change in local immunity, homeostasis with the manifestation of dysbiosis, as a result of which the features of their clinical manifestations change.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, excessive polypharmacy was allowed to improve the condition of infected patients, reduce body temperature, improve breathing, help with sputum withdrawal, relieve bone pain, etc., the causes of disability are also the result of unjustified use of drugs. A one-sided approach to prescribing is the leading cause of mortality and disability. The risk of polypharmacy is higher in vulnerable groups, including those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and rheumatic diseases, as well as older patients.

Background/Aim: This study aimed to investigate the process of homeostatic restoration in the tracheal mucosa (TM) after thyroid surgery. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four rats were divided into normal controls (NC) and three experimental groups: (i) flap elevation (FE), (ii) thyroid exposure (TE), and (iii) thyroid isthmusectomy (TI). Expression of mRNA and proteins of key factors regulating homeostasis were evaluated in the TM obtained 3, 7, and 21 days after thyroid surgery. Results: Increased mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were observed 21 days after thyroid surgery in all experimental groups compared to that of NC group. Conclusion: Thyroid surgery leads to an actual increase of TGF-β1, HIF-1α, and MMP-9 expression in the TM. This increased expression of key regulators of homeostatic restoration in the TM lasts for a considerable period of time after surgery, especially if the extent of surgery increased.

Anterior glottoplasty is a commonly used treatment for voice feminization. But it remains in dispute over whether to suture of the ligament as part of the procedure.This study aimed to explore the effect of inclusion of the vocal lamina propia.Anterior webs were created in 8 excised canine larynges by sutures placed at 10%, 20%, and 30% of the vocal fold length, respectively. The suture depth was divided into two groups: epithelium layer (Shallow Suture, SS group) and deep layers of vocal fold lamina propia (Deep Suture, DS group).For anterior webs between 0% and 30%, the frequency elevation ranged from 3% to 151% of the pre-web fundamental frequency (fo) in SS group and from 13% to 222% in DS group. No significance was found between two groups at three different sutures (The frequency in excised canine larynx increased continuously as the anterior glottic webs ranged from 0% to 30%. The inclusion of the vocal fold lamina propia does not affect the frequency elevation.