Activity of alkaline phosphatase in the major salivary glands of mice at various ages of postnatal life, and during pregnancy and lactation.

Activity of alkaline phosphatase in the major salivary glands of male and female mice at various ages of postnatal life, and in females during lactation was studied histochemically. Enzyme activity was not detected on the day of birth, but was found in the terminal tubules of all major salivary glands during the first postnatal week. Alkaline phosphatase activity was increasing gradually with age and a definitive enzymatic pattern was observed by the age of 6 weeks. No difference in enzyme activity was found among the major salivary glands of young adult and old animals. The parenchyma of fully differentiated submandibular glands showed clear sexually dimorphic patterns of alkaline phosphatase activity. During pregnancy, a significant increase of alkaline phosphatase activity was detected in submandibular gland. From gestation day 15 to the end of pregnancy, enzymic pattern of granular convoluted tubules of pregnant females was the same as in the adult males. Histochemical masculinization of the submandibular gland during pregnancy suggests that besides androgens also progesterone exerts masculinization of the murine submandibular salivary gland.

[Development of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) activity in postnatal differentiation of the submandibular gland in mice]. / Vývoj aktivity dipeptidyl peptidázy IV (DPP IV) v prubehu postnatální diferenciace submandibulární zlázy mysi.

The localization of a serine exopeptidase--DPP IV--in the male and female submandibular gland of the mouse during gland postnatal development was studied histochemically in the light microscopic level. The present results suggest that localization of DPP IV is closely related to the postnatal differentiation and maturation of acini and male granular convoluted tubules. Remarkable sex differences of DPP IV activity were detected in the submandibular gland of pubescent and adult animals. The possible physiological role of DPP IV in major salivary glands is also discussed in the paper.

[Histochemical activity of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) in intracerebral transplantation of the submandibular gland in mice]. / Histochemická aktivita dipeptidyl peptidázy IV (DPP IV) v intracerebrálních transplantátech submandibulární zlázy mysi.

Histochemical activity of DPP IV in the intracerebral homotransplants of submandibular gland of the newborn mouse was investigated in the course of a 5-month period after transplantation. Eight weeks after grafting, the enzyme pattern in the parenchyma of transplants was already comparable with the enzyme pattern of a fully mature mouse submandibular gland in situ. At this time, DPP IV was active in the apicolateral cell membranes of numerous acini of the gland transplants. Enzyme activity in apical cell cytoplasm of granular convoluted tubules was found only in transplants located in the brain of male recipients.

Histochemical localization of succinate dehydrogenase in the mouse submandibular gland during postnatal development.

The activity of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) was examined histochemically in the parenchyma of murine submandibular gland (SMG) during postnatal development on light-microscopical level. In this study, SDH appears as a good marker of differentiating and mature striated ducts of both sexes and convoluted granular tubules of males. Enzyme activity in glandular parenchyma increased from the 1st day to the 7th week of postnatal life. Definitive enzymatic pattern was seen in the gland aged 7 weeks. Histochemical differences between male and female SMG of mouse were noted.

Histochemical localization of succinate dehydrogenase in intracerebral mouse submandibular gland transplants.

Histochemical localization of succinate dehydrogenase in developing intracerebral auto- and homotransplants of the mouse submandibular gland was investigated in the course of a 5-month period after transplantation. Eight weeks after grafting, the enzyme pattern in the parenchyma of homotransplants was comparable with the histochemical picture of a fully mature submandibular gland in situ. At this time, numerous acini showed a weak activity, very numerous striated ducts a strong activity, and less frequent developing convoluted granular tubules slightly weaker activity, than in the striated ducts. Beginning histochemical differentiation of convoluted granular tubules was noted only in homotransplants, located in the brain of male recipients. On the other hand, only a weak activity in the cytoplasm of non-differentiated duct--like structures of some autotransplants was seen. Homotransplants of non-differentiated submandibular gland of newborn donors were found to be a more suitable transplantation object capable of postnatal development of gland parenchyma than autografts of fully differentiated gland of adult animals that did not enter the cytodifferentiation stage.

The ABCD rule of dermatoscopy. High prospective value in the diagnosis of doubtful melanocytic skin lesions.

BACKGROUND: The difficulties in accurately assessing pigmented skin lesions are ever present in practice. The recently described ABCD rule of dermatoscopy (skin surface microscopy at x10 magnification), based on the criteria asymmetry (A), border (B), color (C), and differential structure (D), improved diagnostic accuracy when applied retrospectively to clinical slides. OBJECTIVE: A study was designed to evaluate the prospective value of the ABCD rule of dermatoscopy in melanocytic lesions. METHODS: In 172 melanocytic pigmented skin lesions, the criteria of the ABCD rule of dermatoscopy were analyzed with a semiquantitative scoring system before excision. RESULTS: According to the retrospectively determined threshold, tumors with a score higher than 5.45 (64/69 melanomas [92.8%]) were classified as malignant, whereas lesions with a lower score were considered as benign (93/103 melanocytic nevi [90.3%]). Negative predictive value for melanoma (True-Negative divided by [True-Negative+False-Negative]) was 95.8%, whereas positive predictive value (True-Positive divided by [True-Positive+False-Positive]) was 85.3%. Diagnostic accuracy for melanoma (True-Positive divided by [True-Positive+False-Positive+False-Negative]) was 80.0%, compared with 64.4% by the naked eye. Melanoma showed a mean final dermatoscopy score of 6.79 (SD, +/- 0.92), significantly differing from melanocytic nevi (mean score, 4.27 +/- 0.99; p < 0.01, U test). CONCLUSION: The ABCD rule can be easily learned and rapidly calculated, and has proven to be reliable. It should be routinely applied to all equivocal pigmented skin lesions to reach a more objective and reproducible diagnosis and to obtain this assessment preoperatively.

Cuticular spinning structures reveal evolutionary relationships in araneomorph spiders.

The present paper reviews the results from the study of spigots, i.e. cuticular spinning structures obtained by the scanning of 52 genera belonging to 28 families of araneomorph spiders. The finding of eight morphologically different forms of these structures being attached to ducts of the pyriform type of silk glands is of fundamental importance for the final conclusions. The comparative observations enable me to create a hypothesis dealing with the existence of several evolutionary lines of spiders, each of which is represented with their own form of spigots. Nevertheless the character of these spigots undoubtedly reflects phylogenetic relationships between the spider taxa. The detection of a special mechanoreceptive field on top of the anterolateral spinnerets increases the knowledge of the functional morphology of the spider's spinning apparatus.

[Improving clinical diagnosis of pigmented skin changes in childhood with the dermatoscope]. / Verbesserung der klinischen Diagnostik von pigmentierten Hautveränderungen im Kindesalter durch das Dermatoskop.

Prompted by the development of the lightweight, inexpensive and simple to use dermatoscopy, skin surface microscopy can now be applied in daily practice. The case reports presented here document the diagnostic improvement achieved with dermatoscopy in pigment skin lesions of children.

[The dermatoscope. A simplification of epiluminescent microscopy of pigmented skin changes]. / Das Dermatoskop. Eine Vereinfachung der Auflichtmikroskopie von pigmentierten Hautveränderungen.

The poor prognosis of thick malignant melanomas emphasizes the importance of their early detection. Skin microscopy using a stereomicroscope has been shown to increase the accuracy of clinical diagnosis significantly in pigmented skin lesions. Owing to the development of the Heine Delta 10 dermatoscope, skin microscopy has become less difficult and more rapid. Therefore, this technique can now be applied routinely in daily office practice.