OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out in the submandibular salivary glands (SSGs) of rats to demonstrate the effect of a ketogenic diet (KD) in comparison with dietary chitosan supplementation.
METHODS: Eighteen albino rats were randomly divided into three equal groups of six animals each. Rats in Group I were fed a balanced diet and considered controls. Meanwhile, those of Groups II and III were fed a KD, a balanced diet with high molecular weight chitosan, respectively. After 45 days, rats were euthanized, and the SSGs were dissected carefully for staining with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunohistochemical staining, and Congo red special stain. Quantitative data from α-SMA staining and Congo red staining were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey\'s multiple comparisons post hoc test.
RESULTS: Regarding Congo red and α-SMA staining, one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference between the three groups. For α-SMA staining and Congo red staining, Group II had the highest mean values of 91.41 ± 3.30 and 68.10 ± 5.04, respectively, while Group I had the lowest values of 56.13 ± 3.96 and 16.87 ± 2.19, respectively. Group III had mean values of 60.70 ± 3.55 for α-SMA and 19.50 ± 1.78 for Congo red. Tukey\'s multiple comparisons post hoc test revealed significant differences between groups I & II and between groups II & III (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was a nonsignificant difference between groups I and III (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: A KD has a deleterious effect on rats\' SSG whatever the test we used, and dietary chitosan supplementation ameliorates these damaging effects.

Injuries to equine tendons and ligaments are career-compromising, causing reduced performance and premature retirement. Promising treatment alternatives have been investigated in the field of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, the tissue adherence and protein expression of tenogenic primed mesenchymal stem cells (tpMSCs) after administration to ex vivo tendon and ligament explants is investigated. First, collagen type I (COL I) and smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression was assessed in cytospins prepared from native MSCs and tpMSCs. Second, equine superficial digital flexor tendon and suspensory ligament explants were cultivated, and a lesion was treated with both cell types. Subsequently, cell adhesion to the explants and the amount of COL I and SMA positive cells was evaluated. The cytospins revealed a significantly higher COL I and lower SMA expression in tpMSCs compared to native MSCs. In the explants, tpMSCs showed a significantly higher tendon and ligament adherence. Furthermore, a significantly higher percentage of COL I positive and a lower percentage of SMA positive cells were observed in the lesions treated with tpMSCs. The results of these explant co-cultures may demonstrate at least a part of the mechanism of action and functional properties of tpMSCs in restoring function to tendons and ligaments.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown that inhaled mine dust, such as asbestos, can be translocated to various organs including the lymph nodes. Recently, we have established a protocol that enables us to identify inhaled elements using paraffin embedded lung specimens by in-air microparticle-induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE). However, little research has examined the concentration of these inhaled fibers in various organs or the mechanisms of their translocation. In this study, we compared the concentration of inhaled fibers in the lung parenchyma to the concentration in the hilar lymph node as well as to determine the elemental spatial distribution of the inhaled fibers in a patient with occupational asbestos exposure.
METHODS: Lung tissues and hilar lymph node in a patient with asbestos exposure were used in this study. Elemental analysis was performed by in-air micro-PIXE. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed using anti CD163, smooth muscle actin, vimentin and β-catenin antibody.
RESULTS: The analysis revealed that the amount of inhaled silicon was approximately 6 times higher in the lymph node than in the lungs. The spatial analysis showed that silicon, iron and aluminium were co-localized in the hilar lymph node. The immunohistochemical analysis showed localized agreement of the inhaled fibers with macrophages, smooth muscle actin, and vimentin in the hilar lymph node.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that in-air micro-PIXE could be useful for analyzing the elemental distribution and quantification of inhaled fibers in the human body. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry in combination with in-air micro-PIXE analyses may help to determine the mechanism of mine dust distribution in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Myofibroblasts are fibroblasts with smooth muscle-like features characterized by the presence of a contractile apparatus and found in the connective tissue stroma of normal tissues such as blood vessels and lymph nodes. They are now thought to play a role in the synthesis and reorganization of extracellular matrix, which could contribute to the aggressive biologic behavior of the lesions.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the mean number of stromal myofibroblasts in dentigerous cysts (DCs), keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT) and ameloblastoma; and to derive a correlation between the stromal myofibroblasts and the known biologic behavior of the lesions.
METHODS: A cross-sectional immunohistochemical analysis of cases of DC, KCOT and ameloblastoma.
METHODS: Twenty paraffin-embedded tissue blocks each of DC, KCOT and multicystic ameloblastoma were selected for the study and diagnosis confirmed through hematoxylin and eosin staining. Tissue sections were analyzed for the number of myofibroblasts using alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunostaining.
METHODS: Differences in the mean number of α-SMA positive cells in each group were analyzed using one-way ANOVA test. Intergroup comparisons of mean values of α-SMA positive cells were performed using Mann-Whitney U-test.
RESULTS: Ameloblastoma showed the highest number of myofibroblasts, whereas DC showed the lowest. Among the groups, there were significant differences between the myofibroblast counts among DC and KCOT and between DC and ameloblastoma, whereas the difference in counts was not statistically significant between KCOT and ameloblastoma. A positive correlation was observed between the myofibroblast count and the known biologic behavior of the lesions.
CONCLUSIONS: Myofibroblasts may act in close association with the epithelial cells to bring about changes in stromal microenvironment, favorable to the growth and progression of the lesion. They may be of great value in predicting the biologic behavior and growth potential of such lesions.

BACKGROUND: Although angiomyolipoma (AML) is a relatively rare entity, it is the most common benign mesenchymal neoplasm of the kidney.
OBJECTIVE: To highlight the clinicopathological characteristics of AML and to assess the role of Human Melanoma Black-45 (HMB-45), Melan-A, smooth muscle actin (SMA), S-100 and cytokeratin in its diagnosis.
METHODS: The study included 15 cases of AML. Clinical and radiological data were retrieved from the archival files and all cases were subjected to a histopathological evaluation as well as immunohistochemical staining for HMB-45, Melan-A, SMA, S-100, and cytokeratin.
RESULTS: AML was more common in females (female:male = 4:1), the mean age was 53.9 ± 6.45 years. 60% of patients were symptomatic while the remaining 40% were asymptomatic. A statistically significant relationship was found between size of the tumor and the presence of the symptoms (P = 0.02). Patients with tumor size less than 4 cm were asymptomatic, while those with tumor size larger than 4 cm had different symptoms. Thirteen cases were classic AML, while 2 cases were epithelioid AML. Classic AML demonstrated admixture of fatty tissue, thick-walled blood vessels, and smooth muscle, while epithelioid AML was composed mainly of epithelioid cells and contained no fat. HMB-45 was positive in all cases of AML (100%), Melan-A was positive in 13/15 (87%) while SMA was positive in 11/15 (73%) of AML with variable staining intensity. All cases of AML were negative for S-100 and cytokeratin.
CONCLUSIONS: AMLs have characteristic clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features and their recognition is crucial for proper diagnosis and treatment.