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Angina bullosa hemorrhagica (ABH) is an oral mucosal blood blister that develops without blood dyscrasia or vesiculobullous disorder. Although a minor mucosal trauma has been suggested as a triggering factor for ABH, its etiopathogenesis, especially the causative role of systemic conditions, is largely unknown. We investigated the presence or absence of local factors as well as systemic background disease in 16 patients with ABH arising in the soft palate. All the lesions were solitary, and 75% of them (n = 12) appeared during the ingestion of hard or crispy food. With regard to underlying systemic conditions, hypertension was the most common (n = 6), and asthma, insomnia, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal disorder and hyperuricemia were also recorded (n = 1 each). Five patients had no significant background disease. There were no recalcitrant or recurrent cases. In conclusion, the present study has revealed that scratching of the oral mucosa during eating plays an important role in the formation of ABH. Hypertension appears to be the most frequent background condition, but its pathogenic relationship with ABH remains speculative, as hypertension is fairly common in adults. (J. Oral Sci. 50, 33-36, 2008)

The treatment of closed jaw locking due to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrosis is described. Conventional mandibular manipulation of the lower and/or upper joint compartments was performed using hydraulic pressure from an imaging X-ray medium. The procedure was used in 40 patients with closed locking (5 acute and 35 chronic). The results of the treatment are evaluated and factors affecting the results are examined. In four of the five patients with acute closed locking, the lock was successfully released after use of the pumping technique on the lower joint compartment. In patients with chronic locking, an average improvement of 6.6 mm in the degree of interincisal opening was observed within 3-4 days of treatment with the pumping technique. In 13 of these patients, satisfactory opening (at least 40 mm) was achieved immediately. All the patients underwent further forward and contralateral manipulation to assist mouth opening, and after a period of 2-3 months 16 patients showed a further average improvement of 5.4 mm in interincisal opening.

The expression of ras-P21 protein and gene alteration of the K-ras gene were examined in 12 cases of pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland. The tumor cells in all 12 cases were strongly stained for ras-P21 protein by the indirect immunoperoxidase method, suggesting the enhanced expression of ras-P21 protein in pleomorphic adenomas. Analysis of the PCR products for the K-ras gene by temperature-gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) revealed that gene alterations such as point mutations occurred in 4 out of 12 pleomorphic adenoma tissues examined.

Although the rat is often used in experiments on bone transplantation, very few immunohistochemical studies on the distribution and proportions of lymphocyte subpopulations and subsets in rat lymphoid organs have been performed, in comparison with other animals. A preliminary immunohistochemical investigation using the immunofluorescence and avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex methods was therefore undertaken to clarify this aspect in various lymphoid organs taken from rats.The results obtained were as follows : 1. Ia-positive cells largely indicative of B cells were localized in the lymphoid follicles of lymph nodes, follicular areas of Peyer's patches and non-periarteriolar lymphatic sheath (PALS) areas of the spleen.2. T cells were densely distributed in the lymphoid pulp of lymph nodes, interfollicular areas of Peyer's patches and PALS areas of the spleen.3. Helper T-and asialo GM1-positive cells were localized in the lymphoid pulp of lymph nodes, interfollicular areas of Peyer's patches and spleen red pulp. The numbers of positive cells with these phenotypes were smaller than those of Ia-and pan T-positive cells.4. These results indicate that the distribution and proportions of lymphocyte subpopulations and subsets in rat lymphoid organs are generally similar to those of other animals such as the mouse.