Computer-assisted analysis of tongue thickness of golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) following topical chronic exposure to distilled alcoholic beverages.

The aim of this study was to measure changes in epithelial thickness in the lingual mucosa of golden hamsters submitted to the topical application of distilled alcoholic beverages. Forty golden hamsters were randomly divided into: Group 1-cachaça 48° GL and Group 2-whisky 40° GL. Alcohol was applied to the right side of the tongue, the left side served as control. Seventy microscopic fields were evaluated. The data were submitted to descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon test and the Mann-Whitney U test (p < 0.05). In Group 1, there was a significant difference in mean total epithelial thickness between the test side and control side (p = 0.044), with significant reductions in the thickness of the epithelial and corneal layers (p < 0.001 and p = 0.021, respectively). At 13 weeks, statistically significant reductions were found in the thickness of both the corneal and epithelial layers (p = 0.032 and p < 001, respectively). At 20 weeks, a statistically significant reduction was found in only the epithelial layer (p = 0.002). In the whisky group, significant increases were found in the thickness of the corneal and epithelial layers (p = 0.015 and p = 0.012, respectively) at 13 weeks. Cachaça 48° GL promoted epithelial atrophy, whereas whisky 40° GL promoted epithelial hyperplasia. Based on the present findings, different types of distilled alcoholic beverages cause different morphometric and morphological changes in the lingual mucosa. Cachaça caused epithelial atrophy, which may facilitate the penetration of carcinogenic agents, whereas whisky caused epithelial hyperplasia, especially in the basal layer, which suggests the onset of the development of premalignant lesions.

Intramuscular hemangioma in lip treated with sclerotherapy and surgery.

Intramuscular hemangioma is a relatively rare, benign tumor of vascular origin, accounting for less than 1% of all hemangiomas. This paper reports a case of a 48-year-old female patient with intramuscular hemangioma in the upper lip, treated with sclerotherapy and subsequent complementary surgery.

Oral squamous papilloma: clinical, histologic and immunohistochemical analyses.

Oral squamous papilloma (OSP) is a benign proliferation of the stratified squamous epithelium, which results in a papillary or verrucous exophytic mass. Twelve patients suspected to have oral papilloma underwent excisional biopsy for histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis. The majority of the patients (75%) were females, and the most prevalent site was the tongue, followed by the palate. The round and whitish form was present in 58.4% of the cases. The lesions were softened/flaccid in 66.7% of cases and a pedunculated attachment was seen in 75% of the lesions. The histopathologic examination revealed hyperparakeratosis, occasional basal hyperplasia, and koilocyte-like cells in 100% of the specimens. Immunohistochemical assays utilizing BP53-12 and Pab240 antibodies for p53 protein showed negative or weak immunostaining (91.6%) for both immunomarkers in all the epithelial layers examined. The findings suggest the benign nature of the lesions and small possibility of becoming malignant.

Salivary flow rate, pH, and concentrations of calcium, phosphate, and sIgA in Brazilian pregnant and non-pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Studies on salivary variables and pregnancy in Latin America are scarce. This study aimed to compare salivary flow rate, pH, and concentrations of calcium, phosphate, and sIgA of unstimulated whole saliva in pregnant and non-pregnant Brazilians. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Sample was composed by 22 pregnant and 22 non-pregnant women attending the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics, São Lucas Hospital, in Porto Alegre city, South region of Brazil. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected to determine salivary flow rate, pH, and biochemical composition. Data were analyzed by Student t test and ANCOVA (two-tailed alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: No difference was found for salivary flow rates and concentrations of total calcium and phosphate between pregnant and non-pregnant women (p > 0.05). Pregnant women had lower pH (6.7) than non-pregnant women (7.5) (p < 0.001), but higher sIgA level (118.9 mg/L) than the latter (90.1 mg/L) (p = 0.026). CONCLUSION: Some of the tested variables of unstimulated whole saliva were different between pregnant and non-pregnant Brazilians in this sample. Overall, the values of the tested salivary parameters were within the range of international references of normality.