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To clarify the details of intracytoplasmic granules in the junctional epithelium (JE) of the rat gingiva, phosphotungstic acid (PTA) staining, acid phosphatase cytochemistry and zinc iodide-osmium (ZIO) staining were carried out. Condensing granules containing homogeneous electron-dense materials, measuring about 260 nm in diameter, have been observed at the peripheral cytoplasm of the JE. These granules reveal PTA-positive, ZIO-positive and acid phosphatase-positive staining. These results indicate that the granules contain glycoprotein, phospholipid, lipoprotein and lysosomal enzymes. From their composition and morphology, it is suggested that these granules in the JE may contribute secretory function and secrete glycoproteins or glycolipids. Although it is unclear whether the dense granules correspond to membrane-coating granules by our staining methods, it is surmised that, if the dense granules can engage in establishment of the barrier function, then this role is impeded by the large intercellular space in the JE.

Through X-ray and endoscopic examination of stomach, a 77 year-old man, who complained of epigastralgia, he was diagnosed to have Borrmann III type gastric carcinoma on the antrum. The gastric biopsy specimen obtained from the tumor revealed to be well differentiated adenocarcinoma. Since the patient refused receiving surgical treatment, a combined administration of futraful and uracil (UFT therapy) was performed. 4 weeks after receiving UFT therapy, the patient became less aware of subjective symptom and the gastrofiberscopic picture showed smaller mass lesion compared to that of prior to the treatment. 8 weeks later, the tumor was remarkable reducing its size. When compared 14 cases of gastric carcinoma receiving UFT therapy with 26 cases receiving Futraful therapy (FT therapy), the UFT group responded more effectively than the FT group. In the UFT therapy, complete (CR) and partial response (PR) were obtained in 4 of 13 cases of gastric carcinoma with an effective rate of 30.8% according to the response criteria proposed by the Koyama-Saitoh group and with a Karnofsky scale of IA or better in 6 (42.8%) of 14 cases. On the other hand, in the FT therapy CR and PR were obtained in 5 of 26 cases with that of 19.2%, while a Karnofsky scale of IA or better was achieved in 6 (23.1%). As for 3 cases of PR in the UFT therapy the microscopic view of the biopsy specimen from gastric carcinoma showed well differentiated adenocarcinoma, which responded to the UFT therapy remarkably 4-5 weeks after receiving UFT therapy.

Two cases of acinic cell carcinoma arising in the glossopalatine glands were examined with the electron microscope by means of conventional thin sectioning and freeze-fracturing. Light and electron microscopic observation revealed that the tumors consisted of three types of cells: serous-type, ductlike, and vacuolated cells. Serous-type cells had numerous secretory granules, some of which were discharged into the intercellular spaces. Ductlike cells were smaller, usually lacked secretory granules, and were similar to intercalated duct cells. Vacuolated cells had electron-opaque vacuoles in the cytoplasm. Our findings supported the hypothesis that acinic cell carcinoma may represent a neoplasm of multipotential duct cells which have differentiated mainly into granulated serous cells. Freeze-fracture images of this tumor revealed that tight junctions were composed of ten or more interlinked strands with elongation of basal frontier strands. These findings suggested that the junctional morphology of the tumor resembled that of developing salivary glands and was associated with the degree of cellular differentiation.

Cells of dental pulp, periodontal ligament, bone marrow and muscle derived from the same rat were cultured in vitro. Outgrowth of cells from these four explants were examined using phase-contrast microscope, light microscope and scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, cell lengths were measured randomly from SEM photographs and growth curves were plotted by calculating cell numbers. These cells had different morphology in both shape and length. The bone marrow cells showed the most rapid proliferation rate followed by muscle, periodontal ligament and most slowly in dental pulp cells.

This report contains a statistical study of 874 cases of epulis diagnosed by the Department of Pathology of Tokyo Dental College from 1966 to 1986. 1. Of the 874 cases, 344 were epulis fibrosa, 217 were epulis granulomatosa, 78 were epulis fibromatosa, 74 were epulis fibrosaosteoplastica, 51 were epulis hemangiomatosa, 43 were epulis fibrosa teleangiectaticum, 15 were epulis cementoplastica, 14 were epulis osteomatosa, 3 were congenital epulis, 2 were giant cell epulis, and 1 was epulis cementomatosa. 2. As has been reported in other literature, there is a marked tendency for this condition to occur in females (331 male cases and 539 female cases). 3. Our data indicate a higher occurrence rate in people in their fifties, although the occurrence rates were similar in people in their twenties and in people in their sixties. 4. The epulis was observed most frequently in the maxillary incisor region.

A new method has been devised for preparing artificial cecal pouches lined with mucous epithelium in the lower lips of Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats in order to make carcinogens act continuously for a long time in the oral mucosa. When a 0.5 per cent mineral oil solution of DMBA, a crystal of MC, and a crystal of NG were administered, squamous-cell carcinoma, carcinoma in situ, papilloma, adenoma sebaceum. neurofibroma, fibroma, hemangiosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, hemangioma, and lymphangioma were successfully produced in the oral mucosa of rats. In addition, interesting findings were obtained concerning tissue changes in the process of carcinogensis in the mucous epithelium.

An autopsy case diagnosed as chronic alcoholism was reported. He clinically showed progressive neurological illness. His CNS lesions were composed of disseminated necrotic foci in the cerebral cortices with many Alzheimer type II astrocytes, pachymeningitis hemorrhagica interna, and lesions similar to pellagra and Wernicke encephalopathy. Some clinical and pathological analogous features between chronic alcoholism and pseudoulegyric type of hepatocerebral degeneration were discussed.

The cytoarchitecture of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) in rats was studied with cresyl violet-stained coronal celloidin sections and with sections of the brain impregnated by a Golgi method. Unimodality was established in the frequency distribution histogram of both the somatic cross-sectional area of the LHA neurons and somatic shape (elongation and circularity). The predominant somatic orientation was in the dorsomedial-ventrolateral direction: bimodality of the frequency distribution of somatic orientation was denied. These findings suggest that the LHA neurons examined in the present study are not subdivisible on the basis of the somatic area, shape or orientation. Although the neurons were classified into eight types based upon the dendritic pattern, those in the LHA largely consisted of only three of them; Type III (dendrites extending in two directions along the long axis of soma), Type IV (three directions) and Type VIII (four directions) jointly accounted for 97.1 percent of the total neurons examined. This finding suggests that the parameter of dendritic pattern serves an important purpose in the typing of the rat LHA neurons. The orientation of intrinsic dendrites and intrinsic axons in the LHA has also been described.

Long-term repeated administration of isoproterenol (IPR) 2 mg/100 g bw, once daily for ten days, resulted in morphological changes in the intercellular junctions of rat submandibular glands, which were investigated by means of the freeze-fracture technique. A significantly increased number of tight-junctional strands was present. These junctional strands extended much deeper toward the basal membrane than those in normal acinar cells. The basal frontier strands that branched from the networks of tight junctions were elongated and had either free-endings or terminal loops, which were more frequently observed in the IPR-treated acinar cells than in untreated acinar cells. Some of the strands of tight junctions were connected to small gap junctions. The diameters of gap junctions were not significantly different from those of control acinar cells. However, smooth areas devoid of particles were found intermingling with the usual packed particles in irregularly shaped small gap junctions. There was no significant difference between the desmosomes of IPR-treated and untreated acinar cells, in terms of either morphology or distribution. These changes in junctional morphology in the IPR-treated acinar cells resemble those seen in salivary glands during development, and in some experimental conditions including tumorous changes.

Kimura's disease, eosinophilic granuloma of soft tissues, is a chronic inflammatory condition and appears as subcutaneous tumor-like nodules in the head and neck regions. Histopathologically, it is characterized by the presence of lymphoid follicles, marked infiltration of eosinophils, fibrosis and vascular proliferation. This disease occurring in the orofacial region is relatively rare, only 14 cases having been previously reported. We describe 3 additional cases of Kimura's disease and discuss these in relation to angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia.

Basal cell adenoma of the parotid gland was studied with electron microscopy. The cells constituting this tumor were divided into three types of epithelial cells; ductal, myoepithelial, and squamous cells. The ductal cells, which were polygonal and cuboidal in shape, formed a sometimes distinct lumen. Glycogen were recognized in the cytoplasm of these cells. The myoepithelial cells appeared as plasmacytoid cells which contained abundant microfilaments. The squamous cells were characterized by the presence of well-developed tonofilaments and desmosomes. However, no secretory cells could be found, although small, electron dense granules were detected in the cytoplasm of the ductal cells. The granules were unlike secretory granules in their size, number and location. In consideration of the presence of secretory and myoepithelial cells, we reviewed previously reported literature and discussed the identification of secretory granules. From our and other reported results, we tentatively concluded that the electron dense granules described as secretory granules are not intrinsic secretory granules. Further, we suggested that the cell types and the histogenesis of basal cell adenoma are analogous to those of both pleomorphic and clear cell adenomas.

The selectivity of the impregnation of neurons by the Golgi method was examined by comparing Nissl-stained specimens with Golgi-stained specimens in terms of the somatic orientation, cross-sectional area, and long and short axes of the soma in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of 5-week-old rats. With regard to somatic orientation, we made comparisons directly between the Nissl distribution pattern and the Golgi pattern. The two distribution patterns did not differ significantly in either VMH or LHA (Smirnov test, P greater than 0.05). For somatic cross-sectional area and diameter (long and short), a mean value of every 10% of the total frequency was estimated for each histogram; the histogram was segmented into 10 percentile frequency domains, and a mean value for each domain was estimated. A linear regression was calculated between Golgi mean values and Nissl's at the same place. By use of the linear regression, all of the observed values on Nissl sections for somatic cross-sectional area and diameter were transformed into their corresponding Golgi values. The frequency distribution of these transformed Nissl values was compared with that of the actually observed Golgi values. There was a high degree of similarity between the two distribution patterns in all regions examined for long and short diameters as well as cross-sectional area of the soma (Smirnov test, P greater than 0.05). These findings suggest that the sampling of VMH and LHA neurons in the Golgi method used in the present study is similar to the corresponding sampling in Nissl preparation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Thirty cases of ulcerative colitis were examined endoscopically by means of magnifying colonoscope with dye spraying method (the combined method), and their minute mucosal structures were classified into four categories endoscopically, which correlated well with the histological findings. By this procedure, it was easy to detect the subsidence of inflammation of the mucosa in the quiescent phase or to reveal the active inflammatory involvement of the bowel. Moreover, inspecting the minute changes of the colonic mucosa detected by the combined method, remission was more correctly decided and rigid control is contributing to the decrease in the recent rate of recurrence of ulcerative colitis.

The diameter histograms of cell bodies (cytons) in motor neuron columns at the L5 segment of the spinal cord of adult man reproducibly yield three peaks of increasing height: small (Cs), intermediate (Ci), and large (Cl). Histograms of L5 myelinated axons obtained from the ventral root have two peaks of increasing height: intermediate (Ai) and large (Al). In histograms prepared from seven cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the Cl and Al peaks were decreased selectively and severely. This provides evidence for alpha, but not gamma, motor neuron vulnerability. The Cl peak of spinal ganglion neurons and the Al peak of dorsal roots were significantly reduced in number, without a concomitant increase in Ci, Cs, and Ai peaks. This, plus earlier reports of abnormal cutaneous sensation thresholds, abnormal rates of fiber degeneration in cutaneous nerves, and dorsal column demyelination, provides evidence that large afferent neurons are affected in ALS, but to a lesser degree than alpha motor neurons.

The morphology and distribution of various types of intercellular junctions were investigated in young odontoblasts. Gap junctions were found between odontoblasts as well as between odontoblasts and fibroblasts in the dental pulp. The junctions between odontoblasts were larger and more numerous than those between odontoblast and fibroblast, suggesting that the former may play an important role in regulating cellular activity and the latter may provide a pathway of low electrical resistance between odontoblast and nerve fibres. Irregularly-shaped gap junctions appeared as small aggregations of particles associated with a particle-free area and may indicate that the junction might not yet have been completely assembled. Tight junctions were observed at the distal ends of the young odontoblasts, arranged to form small maculae or faciae occludentes rather than belt-like zonulae. It is therefore not likely that the junction contributes to barrier function in the young odontoblasts. Although structures resembling typical desmosome were recognizable, this type of junction in odontoblasts is properly termed a desmosome-like junction from its morphological peculiarities.

A 21-year-old man had progressive symmetric, distal muscle atrophy and weakness, as well as spasticity of the limbs. Histologic examination of the sural nerve disclosed swollen axons containing membranous tubular profiles, ring tubules, large mitochondria with abnormal cristae, and glycogen like granules. Peripheral sensory nerve fibers also were affected. The pathologic features of the peripheral nerves were similar to those of infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy. Sural nerve biopsy may be useful in the study of pathologic processes in spastic paraplegia.

Ultrastructural study of the biopsied sural nerve in a case of infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy was made. The characteristic change in the ballooned axons is an accumulation of membranous profiles associated with mitochondria, glycogen like granules, dense bodies, vesicles and electron lucent material. The membranous profile is classified into three morphological types and discussed on each of them. Probably tubulomembranous profile of the first type is most common and may be cardinal deposit in this condition. These membranous structures of various types might be, however, only different manifestations occurring on the same morbid process. Enormous amount of glycogen like granules and mitochondria might be related to the metabolic derangement of carbohydrate in the ballooned axons. Electron lucent material we observed was not described in the previous papers on this condition. We added one more example showing that nerve biopsy is helpful to confirm the diagnosis in infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy.