Mandibular ameloblastoma in an elderly patient: a case report.

Ameloblastomas frequently occur in relatively young people, but are rarely seen in people aged 80 years or older. We report a case of mandibular ameloblastoma in an elderly patient with a review of the literature. The patient was a 82-year-old man who noticed swelling of the gingiva approximately 2 weeks prior to his initial visit. Computed tomography showed a radiolucent area with little radiopacity. Internal uniformity was observed at the site, with thinning of cortical bone which lacked continuity in some areas. The excision and curettage were performed under general anaesthesia. No recurrence has been observed 14 months after surgery.

Characterization of phosphodiesterase 1 in human malignant melanoma cell lines.

BACKGROUND: Differentiation-inducing factor 1 [DIF-1; 1-(3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl) hexan-1-one] from Dictyostelium discoideum exhibits antiproliferative activity in mammalian cells. We have previously shown that phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1) is a pharmacological target of DIF-1, but there are no reports of PDE1 in human malignant melanoma cells. Therefore, we characterized PDE1 in human malignant melanoma MAA cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PDE1 mRNA expression was investigated in MAA cells. The full open reading frames for human PDE1C1 and PDE1C3 were cloned. Cell growth was determined by MTS [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt] assay. RESULTS: PDE1C mRNA expression was detected in MAA cells. The nucleotide sequence of PDE1C1 was identical to that of human PDE1C1, previously published. At nucleotide 2246 in PDE1C3, A was replaced by G, but this did not change the encoded amino acid. Cell growth was inhibited by the PDE1 inhibitor vinpocetin. CONCLUSION: PDE1C mRNA is expressed and may play an important role in human malignant melanoma MAA cells.

Functional lateral deviation of the mandible and its positional recovery on the rat condylar cartilage during the growth period.

The objective was to examine the effects of a lateral functional shift of the rat mandible and the effects of a shift release on the condylar cartilage during the growth period. Fifty 5-week-old male Wistar rats were initially divided into three groups: shift, recovery, and control. At 5 weeks of age, each animal in the shift and recovery groups received an appliance designed to produce a lateral functional shift of the mandible to the left side. For the recovery group, the appliance was removed after 2 weeks. For the shift group, the appliance was used for 4 weeks. Total cartilage thickness, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-labeling index, and toluidine blue and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cell number in the condylar cartilage at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks were compared with those in age-matched controls that had no appliances. In the shift group at 2 weeks, the cartilage thickness and labeling index increased in the central region on the contralateral side, whereas these decreased in the lateral region on the ipsilateral side. However, in the recovery group, 1 to 2 weeks after appliance removal, the cartilage thickness and labeling index in both investigated regions became similar to the control groups. These results emphasize the importance of early treatment to normalize occlusion and create appropriate conditions for normal occlusal development.