Identification of amylase crystalloids in cystic lesions of the parotid gland.

OBJECTIVE: To identify alpha-amylase crystalloid formations in parotid specimens obtained by fine needle aspiration. STUDY DESIGN: The study concerned three cases of sialadenitis with crystalloid formation observed between 1993 and 1998. In one of these cases, transmission electron microscopy, mass spectrometry and measurement of amylase activity were used to characterize the nature of the crystalloids. RESULTS: Light microscopy revealed the same crystalloid structure in all three cases. In one case, where the material was saved, a biochemical method made it possible to reveal high amylase activity, while protein electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to identify salivary alpha-amylase. CONCLUSION: Crystalloids of salivary alpha-amylase can be identified by May-Grünwald-Giemsa and Papanicolaou stain and can be rapidly confirmed through determination of amylase activity.

Changes in microsomal lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity are correlated with rat parotid gland enlargement induced by chronic administration of isoproterenol.

Chronic (5- and 10-day) administration of isoproterenol, an agent that induces the proliferation of salivary gland cells, produced increases in microsomal 1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate acyltransferase and 1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine acyltransferase activity in rat parotid glands in parallel with gland enlargement. This increased activity was reduced when the treatment was stopped, the reduction corresponding to the reduction in gland weight. There were significant correlations between lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity and gland weight, and between the activities of the two types of lysophospholipid acyltransferase. However, isoproterenol treatment did not affect any of the steps of the subsequent phospholipid N-methylation. These results suggest that the cell proliferation induced by chronic administration of isoproterenol in the parotid gland is accompanied by reversible and selective increases in microsomal lysophospholipid acyltransferases.

Parotid swelling. Does it affect serum isoamylase level?

Serum levels of total amylase and P-type, and S-type isoamylase were measured in 57 patients with chronic parotid swelling (41 men and 16 women; mean age 60.4) and the same number of age- and sex-matched control individuals without parotid swelling (41 men and 16 women; mean age 60.3). None of the three enzyme measurements differed significantly between patients with parotid swelling and control subjects. It is concluded that chronic enlargement of parotid glands does not affect serum isoamylase level.

Extracorporeal piezoelectric shock-wave lithotripsy of salivary gland stones.

Piezoelectric lithotripsy was undertaken on 19 patients with salivary stones, with none of these patients requiring anesthesia, analgetics, or sedatives. All salivary stones were totally fragmented during first lithotripsy. Four months after treatment with extracorporeal shock waves, all patients were free of symptoms and, in 11 of the patients, no calculi could be found sonographically. The piezoelectric lithotripsy of salivary stones caused no serious side effects which could be proven by clinical, biochemical, sonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. Extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy is a new and promising nonsurgical therapy for selected cases of sialolithiasis of the parotid and submandibular glands.

[Determination of serum amylases in parotid diseases]. / Bestimmung von Serumamylasen bei Parotiserkrankungen.

In 50 patients, the majority of them suffering from parotid diseases, serum isoamylases were determined (salivary S-type and pancreatic P-type). After sialography, there was in most cases a slight increase in isoamylase level. Salivary amylase does not seem to be a suitable marker for parotid neoplasms.

Parotid gland recovery from an obstruction--changes of amylase release from the tissue.

The recovery of the parotid gland in the rat was studied by isoproterenol-induced amylase release from the parotid tissue in vitro after the removal of duct ligation following 2 and 7 days of obstruction. The percentage of amylase release did not change, but the activity of amylase in the medium (the released amylase activity) increased gradually after the removal of ligation. When the duct was ligated for 2 days, a complete recovery of the released amylase activity was seen 21 days after the removal of ligature. However, in the case of 7-day-ligation, the recovery was about 70 percent after the same period. An obstruction of a shorter duration produced a more rapid recovery of amylase release. Amylase activity in the parotid tissue increased gradually with time after the removal of ligature, and the recovery rates were very similar to that of the released amylase activity. The present results suggest that the recovery of released amylase activity after the removal of ligature is due to the increase of amylase content in the parotid tissue.

[Parotid sialadenosis. A histoenzymologic and ultrastructural study]. / Sialadénose parotidienne. Etude histoenzymologique et ultrastructurale.

A case of sialadenosis was studied by means of several morphological methods (light microscopy with micrometric measurement, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, immunopathology, histoenzymology). In that disease, these investigations seem to corroborate the hypothesis of a dyscrinism, true perturbation of the salivary excretion with storage of secretory granules in the cells and consecutive hypertrophy. This dyscrinism should result from a deterioration of branches of autonomic nervous system. In the case reported here, no etiology was proved but the hypothetic part of a recent antiulcerous treatment by Tagamet was suggested.

Salivary phosphohexoseisomerase activity in health and salivary gland diseases.

The attitude of phosphohexoseisomerase (PHI), a glycolytic enzyme, in parotid and submandibular saliva of healthy human control subjects of different sex and age was studied flow rate dependent. The results obtained from this group were compared to the PHI activity measured in the saliva of patients suffering from salivary gland diseases. Significantly elevated salivary PHI levels were found in chronic sialadenitis, while in sialadenosis, parotid gland infarction and parotid cysts the enzyme activity was within the normal range. Single patients suffering from parotid gland tumors showed elevated PHI values. A possible role of salivary PHI activity for the differential diagnosis of salivary gland diseases is discussed.