Hisako Ishii

Pseudogout of the temporomandibular joint. A case report.

A case of pseudogout occurring in the temporomandibular joint of a 76-year-old man is reported. The diagnostic work-up and its differential diagnosis is discussed.

Stress response to surgical procedures in the submandibular region and its influence on salivary secretion in mice.

Saliva stimulated by pilocarpine was collected from the mouths of adult ICR male mice after either submandibular-sublingual gland (SM-SL) exposure and SM-SL removal under pentobarbital anaesthesia. Salivary flow rates decreased and salivary protein concentrations increased after both surgical procedures. Serum cortisol was elevated after the operations. Salivary protein separation patterns on sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) from surgically treated animals were very similar to those from mice given an alpha 1-adrenergic agonist (phenylephrine), but differed significantly from those given a beta-adrenergic agonist (isoproterenol). When the SM-SL was completely removed (i.e. parotid saliva), protein concentrations also dramatically increased. The SDS-PAGE protein separation pattern in the mice whose SM-SL had been removed was very similar to that in those whose SM-SL had been exposed. Hence, a surgical insult in the submandibular region in mice enhances the secretion of salivary protein, mainly in response to alpha 1-adrenergic receptor stimulation in the parotid gland. This study suggests the usefulness of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-stimulated parotid salivary protein as a marker of surgical insult.

Inhibition of pilocarpine-induced saliva secretion by adrenergic agonists in ICR mice

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of the adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol (IPR) on saliva secretion stimulated by the muscarinic receptor agonist pilocarpine (PILO) in mice. Mice were injected with either 0.5 mg/kg, i.p. PILO alone or simultaneously with 2 mg/kg, i.p., IPR to evaluate the inhibitory effects of adrenoceptor agonists on saliva secretion. The mechanisms underlying changes in saliva flow rate were evaluated by histological examination of aquaporin 5 (AQP5) and saliva flow rate using the adenylate cyclase (AC) inhibitor SQ22536 (0.25 mg per mouse, s.c.), which was administered 30 min prior to PILO and/or IPR. Saliva volume decreased significantly in the mice treated simultaneously with PILO + IPR compared with that in mice treated with PILO alone. Changes in the intracellular localization of AQP5 were seen in PILO + IPR‐treated mice, and those changes were reversed by SQ22536 pretreatment. In addition, the decreased salivary flow rate in the PILO + IPR‐treated mice was partially restored by SQ22536 pretreatment. There were no significant changes in intracellular calcium or ATP levels among the groups. The results of the present study suggest the existence of an inhibitory effect of the sympathetic nervous system on parasympathetic‐stimulated salivary secretion from the salivary gland.