Fibrous stroma in SCC appeared to have a desmoplastic response. However, an independent invasive mechanism may regulate the stroma, with tumor desmoplasia occurring in highly developed, invasive tumors.

CD34+ cells, present at a frequency of 0.18 ± 0.052% among leukocytes from peripheral blood (PB), can be rapidly and efficiently (recovery of 39.0–74.0%) enriched to a frequency of 38.6–87.1% (54.4 ± 12.3%) by high‐gradient magnetic cell separation (MACS) for immunophenotyping, characterization in colony‐forming cell (CFU) assays, and further purification to homogeneity (>98%) by multiparameter fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS). Enriching PB‐CD34+ cells for immunophenotyping allows the detection of small subpopulations, expressing the B‐cell antigens CD10, CD19, and CD20, the T‐cell antigens CD45RA and CD7, and a small subpopulation expressing high levels of CD34 (1.20 ± 0.12%), which mostly coexpress CD19 (91.9 ± 9.05%), CD20 (64.8 ± 14.4%), and CD38 (84.5 ± 10.3%). All PB‐CD34+ cells express elevated levels of CD71 (transferrin receptor), with a subpopulation of high expressing cells, and CD38. Some cells express CD33. MACS‐enriched PBCD34+ cells show “normal” hematopoietic colony formation in vitro. The ease and efficiency of purification of large numbers of CD34+ cells from PB by MACS is not only relevant for the characterization of migrating stem cells but also opens new possibilities for stem cell transplantation and genetic manipulation of the hematopoietic system. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and ramus after sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) with and without Le Fort I osteotomy.The subjects consisted of 87 Japanese patients diagnosed with mandibular prognathism with and without asymmetry. They were divided into 2 groups (42 symmetric patients and 45 asymmetric patients). The TMJ disc tissue was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the TMJ space, condylar and ramus angle were assessed by computed tomography (CT) preoperatively and postoperatively.Medial joint space on the deviation side in the asymmetry group was significantly larger than that in the symmetry group (P=0.0043), and coronal ramus angle on the non-deviation side in the asymmetry group was significantly larger than that in the symmetry group preoperatively (P=0.0240). The horizontal condylar angle on the deviation side in the asymmetry group was significantly larger than that in the symmetry group (P=0.0302), posterior joint space on the non-deviation side in the symmetry group was significantly larger than that in the asymmetry group postoperatively (P=0.00391).The postoperative anterior joint space was significantly larger than the preoperative value on both sides in both groups (the deviation side in the symmetry group: P=0.0016, the non-deviation side in the symmetry group: P<0.0001, the deviation side in the asymmetry group: P=0.0040, the non-deviation side in the asymmetry group: P=0.0024). The preoperative disc position could was not changed in either group. These results suggest that significant expansion of anterior joint space could occur on the deviation side and non-deviation side in the asymmetry group as well as on both sides in the symmetry group, although disc position did not change in either group.

Blockade of the programmed-death 1 receptor (PD-1)/programmed-death ligand (PD-L1) pathway efficiently reduces tumour growth and improves survival. Durable tumour regression with blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint has been demonstrated in recent clinical studies. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is highly immunosuppressive, and PD-L1 expression has been proposed as a potential mechanism responsible for this phenotype. Despite the fact that anti-PD-1 treatment can produce durable responses, such therapy appears to benefit only a subset of patients. Thus, it is important to understand the mechanisms underlying regulation of PD-L1 expression in the OSCC microenvironment. In this study, we showed that PD-L1 expression in high-grade invasive OSCC cell lines was lower than that in a low-grade invasive OSCC line and found a close correlation between PD-L1 expression and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). PD-L1 expression was upregulated in macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) in high-grade invasive human OSCC tissues or co-cultured with mesenchymal-phenotype OSCC cells in vitro. TLR4-inhibitory peptide successfully suppressed PD-L1 upregulation on macrophages and DCs co-cultured with mesenchymal-phenotype OSCC cells, suggesting that some EMT-induced tumour antigen is critical for PD-L1 induction on tumour-associated macrophages and DCs. Further studies are necessary to explore the impact of EMT on the tumour immune microenvironment and to identify potential biomarkers for selecting patients who might preferentially benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 blockade or immunotherapies more broadly.

This study concludes that bFGF and FGFR-1 expressions in fibroblasts at the invasive front are linked to the mode of invasion and the prognosis in OSCC.