Initial periodontal therapy for the treatment of gingival pregnancy tumor.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of initial periodontal therapy in gingival pregnancy tumors. Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with gingival tumors of pregnancy between 2007 and 2015 were enrolled in this study. The patients received initial periodontal therapy, then supportive periodontal therapies at 3- to 6-month intervals. The patients underwent follow up for 6 months to 8 years after treatment. After plaque control, supragingival scaling, and root planning, the tumors in 25 patients were gradually eliminated without the necessity of surgery. In 3 patients, tumors <5 mm in size disappeared in a mean time of 3.6 months, 4 patients with tumors 5-10 mm disappeared in a time of 7.5 months, 11 patients with tumors 10-15 mm disappeared in 10.2 months, 6 patients with tumors 15-20 mm disappeared in 15 months, and one patient with a tumor >20 mm disappeared in 20 months. No recurrence of gingival pregnancy tumors was noted during subsequent follow-up. Initial periodontal therapy combined with oral hygiene maintenance is efficacious in treating gingival pregnancy tumors of patients with normal hormone levels, which can potentially serve as an option to avoid surgery.

Effects of acrylonitrile on the pathological morphology and apoptosis of neurons in rats.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of acrylonitrile (ACN) on neuronal morphology and apoptosis in rats. An ACN solution was administered to Wistar rats by gavage at doses of 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg, 5 days a week for 13 weeks. The morphology of neurons and the presence of apoptosis was examined by light and electron microscope, DNA electrophoresis, immunohistochemistry, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling. Significant vacuolation and the widening of the interspaces around blood vessels were observed in the groups that received the highest dose. Disordered myelin sheaths, malformed neuronal nuclei, and chromatin condensation at the periphery of the nucleus that formed crescents were also observed in the treated rats. The number of apoptotic neurons was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the treated groups (5 mg/kg group: 1.5 ± 1.22 apoptotic neurons/slide; 10 mg/kg group: 2.5 ± 1.05 apoptotic neurons/slide; 20 mg/kg group: 2.34 ± 1.21 apoptotic neurons/slide) compared to the control group (4.5 ± 1.52 apoptotic neurons/slide). The number of Bcl-2-positive neurons and the levels of staining were increased in the treated rats compared to those of the control group. These results suggested that ACN may induce serious morphological changes in rat neurons and inhibit neuronal apoptosis in rats.