1,721,001 research outputs found

    Immunocytochemical localization of MG1 mucin in human bulbourethral glands

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    Salivary mucins MG1 and MG2 have been found in the oral cavity where they perform several functions such as the formation of the mucous layer covering the oral mucosa and teeth. Recent studies have demonstrated their presence in other organs and tissues. The aim of this study was to determine their expression in human bulbourethral (Cowper's) glands. Normal bulbourethral glands were obtained at surgery and fixed in a mixture of 1% paraformaldehyde-1.25% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 m cacodylate buffer and embedded in Epon resin. Thin sections were labeled with rabbit antibodies to MG1 or to an N-terminal synthetic peptide of MG2, followed by gold-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG. The granules of all mucous cells were intensely reactive with anti-MG1, whereas no labeling was detected for MG2. These results indicate that MG1 is not exclusively a salivary component and furthermore show that bulbourethral glands represent a significant source of the MG1 detected in human seminal plasma

    Sex related differences in sialoglycoconjugates in the mouse submandibular gland (SMG) visualized by lectin-gold probes

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    The aim of this research I to determine, at the ultrastructural level, the localization and distribution of individual sugar sugar moieties and terminal sialylated sequences of the secretory products of the mouse SMG of both sexes. We therefore investigated the lectin receptors of control and sialidase-treated sections by a post-embedding approach using horse radish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugates (PNA, DBA, LTA, WGA, Con A), anti-HRP antibody and protein A-gold. Qualitative and quantitative differences occurred in the acinar products of males and females. Sialidase digestion revealed that the acceptor sugar for terminal sialic acids exhibit a different expression in the electron-lucent granules of acinar cells. The occurrence of terminal sialic acid-alpha-N-acetylgalactosamine disaccharide was prominent in male acinar cells in contrast to a modest presence in female. In addition, the terminal sequence sialic acid beta-galactose showed a homogeneous location in the male secretory products and a heterogeneous distribution in the paler areas of the electron-lucent granules in females. In agreement with our previous findings by light microscopy and confocal laser microscopy, the lectin-gold data seem to be correlated to a different expression of O- and N-linked oligosaccharides. These results provide further insight into the sexual dimorphism of the mouse SMG, previously though to be restricted to the convoluted granular tubules

    Amylase and cyclic amp receptor protein expression in human diabetic parotid glands.

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    Background: Salivary dysfunction and oral disorders have been described in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the cellular and molecular consequences of diabetes on oral tissues remain to be ascertained. The purpose of this investigation was to study, by means of electron microscopy, the morphologic and molecular changes that occur in salivary glands during diabetes. Methods: Biopsy samples of parotid glands were excised from non-diabetic and diabetic (type 1 and type 2) consenting patients and processed by standard methods for routine morphology and electron microscopic immunogold labeling. Specific antibodies were used to determine and quantify the expression of secretory proteins (alphaamylase and the regulatory subunit of type II protein kinase A). Results: Morphologic changes in the diabetic samples included increased numbers of secretory granules, and alterations in internal granule structure. Quantitative analysis of immunogold labeling showed that labeling densities were variable among the parotid gland samples. In type 1 diabetes amylase expression was greater than in non-diabetic glands, whereas in type 2 diabetes it was not significantly changed. Expression of type II regulatory subunits was slightly, although not significantly, increased in acinar secretory granules of type 1 diabetic samples and was unchanged in type 2 diabetic samples. Conclusions: Our data show that diabetes elicits specific changes in secretory protein expression in human salivary glands, thus contributing to the altered oral environment and oral disease associated with diabetes

    Electron microscopic immunogold localization of salivary mucin MUC5B in human buccal and palatal glands.

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    In recent years, minor salivary glands, due to their involvement in the health and homeostasis of the oral cavity, have been the focus of several research investigations. Despite the fact that a considerable amount of data has been collected, many aspects of their functional features, including the secretory components they produce, remain to be ascertained. In this study we have analyzed the ultrastructural distribution of the MUC5B mucin in human palatal and buccal glands by means of post-embedding immunoelectron microscopy. Thin sections of normal human buccal and palatal glands obtained at surgery, were treated with polyclonal antibodies to human salivary MUC5B. Intense MUC5B reactivity was observed in the secretory granules of mucous cells of all glands examined. The present results provide new data regarding the secretory pattern of MUC5B in human buccal and palatal glands, indicating their significant contribution to the maintenance of the mucous biofilm that protects buccal and palatal mucosal areas

    Ultrastructural localization of salivary mucins MUC5B and MUC7 in human labial glands

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    As a result of their presence throughout the mouth in the submucosa or between muscle fibers, minor salivary glands secrete directly and continuously into the oral cavity, providing mucosal surfaces with highly glycosylated proteins that are active in bacterial aggregation and in oral tissue lubrication. In this study, we investigated the ultrastructural localization of the MUC5B and MUC7 mucins in human labial glands by means of a postembedding immunogold technique. Thin sections of normal human labial glands, obtained during surgery, were incubated with polyclonal antibodies to human salivary mucins MUC5B and MUC7, and then with gold-labeled secondary antibodies. Specific MUC5B reactivity was found in the secretory granules of mucous cells of all glands examined, and was associated with the luminal membrane of duct cells. MUC7 labeling was observed in the granules of both mucous and seromucous secretory cells of the glandular parenchyma. Quantitative analyses demonstrated that seromucous granules have higher immunogold labeling densities for MUC7 than mucous granules. Our immunohistochemical data extend the results of previous light microscopic studies of MUC5B and MUC7 localizations, pointing out the significant contribution of human labial glands in the secretion process of these two mucins

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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