Oral medicine Flashcards
(543 cards)
What are the layers of normal oral tissue? (4)
- Oral epithelium
– Keratin layer
– Granular cell layer
– Prickle layer
– Basal layer - Basement membrane
- Lamina propria
– Papillary layer
– Dense fibrous layer - Connective tissue
What is stratified squamous epithelium?
Epithelium that consists of squamous (flattened) epithelium cells arranged in layers (stratified) upon basal membrane (basement membrane).
Only one layer is in contact with basement membrane.
What are the layers of the oral epithelium (4)
- Keratin layer
- Granular cell layer: contains granuloma cells, thin layer
- Prickle layer: stratum spinosum cells (in the form of star cells)
- Basal layer: mitosis happens here
What makes up the lamina propria? (2)
- Papillary layer - contains nerves, capillaries (blood vessels), lymph vessels
- Dense fibrous layer - fibers laid down on top of each other
What oral tissues have non-keratinised epithelium? (5)
Buccal mucosa
Labial mucosa
Ventrum of the tongue
Floor of the mouth
Soft palate
What oral tissues have keratinised epithelium? (3)
Dorsum of the tongue
Hard palate
Gingivae
What are the 4 different types of papillae? Appearance and function?
- Filiform papillae - NOT TASTE BUDS, small, round
- Fungiform papillae - taste buds present, mushroom shape
- Circumvallate papillae - largest, on the back 1/3 of the tongue, located in V-shape, taste buds.
- Foliate papillae - leaf-shaped, located on side borders of tongue, taste buds.
What are the tongue papillae which have NO taste buds?
Filiform papillae
What are fordyce spots?
Prominent intra-oral sebacous glands
What is a biopsy?
It is the sampling of tissue for histological assessment, diagnosis and therapy
e.g. incisional biopsy, excisional biopsy
What is an excisional biopsy?
Remove all clinically abnormal tissue with a margin surrounding the lesion
What is used immediately after an excisional biopsy?
Formalin
It prevents drying, autolysis and putrefaction (decay/rotting)
Aids straining and tissue preparation in the laboratory
What is H+E staining?
Haematoxylin (blue) and Eosin (red)
Haematoxylin: nuclei, ribosomes, and chromatin a deep blue-purple colour.
Eosin: cytoplasm, collagen, connective tissue, extracellular matrix, and other structures an orange-pink-red colour.
What are 4 types of special stains?
Periodic acid Schiff = mucins, glycogen and fungi
Gram stain = bacteria
Ziehl Neelsen = mycobacteria
Congo red = amyloid
Immunohistochemistry - what is a monoclonal antibody test?
Monoclonal antibodies attach to specific antigens on cells surfaces.
Wide variety of antigens can be identified.
Characterise origin of cells and formulate an antibody profile.
Panels of antibodies to create a profile of the tumour.
What is a frozen section?
Rapid freezing of samples, with immediate assessment (15-30 mins for results)
- usually with intra-operative assessment when patient still under GA
- Cryostat
What is fine needle aspiration cytology?
A minimally invasive procedure that involves using a thin needle to extract tissue, fluid, and cells from a suspicious mass or abnormal area of the body. This is then spread on to a slide and examined.
- Study of cells, their structure, function, origin, and pathology
- Not tissue architecture
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cytology?
Advantages: low cost, fast speed of diagnosis and negligible morbidity or complications.
Disadvantages: tissue architecture not represented and triage only applicable sometimes.
What is immunofluorescence mainly used for and what are the 2 types?
Mainly used for vesiculobullous disorders, uses antibodies to target antigens on cells.
Targets are visualised with fluorescence microscope.
Direct immunofluorescence
A single antibody is chemically linked to a fluorophore and used to identify antibodies bound to tissue antigens. This method is fast and has high specificity, but it’s limited in sensitivity.
Indirect immunofluorescence
A two-step process where a primary antibody binds to the target antigen, and then a secondary antibody conjugated to a fluorophore binds to the primary antibody. This method is more common than direct immunofluorescence and is highly sensitive, but secondary antibodies can bind endogenous immunoglobulin, which can introduce background noise.
Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) is a type of immunofluorescence that uses serum to detect autoantibodies in a patient’s blood.
What are differences between histology and cytology?
Focus
Cytology examines individual cells or clusters of cells, while histology examines entire sections of tissue.
Sample size
Cytology tests require a small sample, such as a fluid specimen or vaginal or oral scraping, while histology requires a larger tissue sample.
Pain
Cytology tests are usually painless, while biopsies are generally more invasive and may require anesthesia.
Uses
Cytology is primarily used to diagnose or screen for cancer, while histology is used to diagnose diseases, analyse treatment effects, and in forensic investigations.
What type of test is specific to candida infections?
Periodic Acid Schiff Test
PASD = periodic acid schiff with digestion
How do you manage chronic facial pain?
- Mediators of inflammatory response are closely associated with nociception
- Peripheral nerve –> Dorsal root ganglion –> Ascending pathway –> CNS –> Pain
Antidepressant drugs, all increase levels of serotonin and noradrenaline
> Amitriptyline
> Duloxetine
> Mirtazapine
Indirect neuromodulation of the CNS opioid system with consequent effects
GABA agonists, they increase levels of GABA (inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS)
> Gabapentin
> Pregabalin (Lyrica)
What are different types of immunosuppressants and what is their general aim?
To treat diseases with a significant auto-immune component in their pathogenesis (e.g. pemphigus vulgaris)
Glucocorticoids
> Systemic steroids such as prednisolone
> Topical steroids, via inhalers, creams and pills
> Short and long term complications of systemic steroids, such as cardiac problems, increased risk of diabetes, reduced healing, osteoporosis and weight gain
Non-glucocorticoid drugs
> calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus and cyclosporine), used for eczema and renal transplant immunosuppression
> pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor (Leflunomide, Teriflunomide) - block lymphocyte activation and inflammatory response
> purine synthesis inhibitor (mycophenolate mofetil and azathioprine) - prevent cell proliferation, especially leukocytes
Antibodies
> They reduce the risk of organ rejection after transplant by blocking T cell activation.
- Polyclonal antibodies (IV immunoglobulin)
- Monoclonal (Infliximab), inhibits TNFa by binding to it
How do calcineurin inhibitors work? what do they usually treat? examples?
- CNIs inhibit calcineurin, a protein that activates immune cells like T-cells. This prevents the transcription of IL-2 and other cytokines in T-cells, which interferes with their activation, proliferation, and differentiation
- Autoimmune disorders and atopic eczema.
Organ and bone marrow transplants as well as inflammatory conditions such as ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and atopic dermatitis - Cyclosporine and tacrolimus