Salivary Gland Tumors

     Salivary gland tumors typically occur in the major salivary glands. The three major salivary glands are the parotid gland, submandibular gland, and sublingual gland. The minor glands are found throughout the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and paranasal sinuses. Most of the salivary tumors are benign, meaning that they are not cancerous. There are usually in the parotid gland or in the palate if it is a minor salivary gland tumor.
    Most of the benign tumors are pleomorphic adenoma tumors. This tumor has epithelial tissue with ducts and epithelial cells mixed with areas that have similar characteristics of ground substance of connective tissue. The myoepithelial cells are what produce the tissues that resemble connective tissue. Patients that have these benign tumors claim to have no pain in the affected glands. The reason for this may be that the innervated nerves are numb and weak. What should a patient do with a benign salivary gland tumor? Surgery is a possible option for parotid gland tumors in which the entire gland will be removed.

Pawlina, Wojciech. "Connective Tissue." Histology A Text and Atlas By Michael H. Ross. 6th ed. N..: n.p., n.d 555 Print.               The two main contributors listed for the 6th edition of this textbook, Wojciech Pawlina and Michael H. Ross.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/194522-overview

My Dictionary

Palatine tonsils- located on both sides of the oropharynx opening

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/picture-of-the-tonsils

Tubal tonsils- located behind the auditory tube opening on the later walls
Lingual tonsil- located at the tongue's base

http://www.knowyourbody.net/tubal-tonsil.html

Pharyngeal tonsils- at the top of the nasopharynx

http://hanatomy.com/anatomy-directory/lingual-palatine-and-pharyngeal-tonsils/

Reflections: Integumentary System

     

     As we closed the chapter dealing with the integumentary system, I decided it would be good to do a brief review on what we learned. The integumentary system is composed of two main layers: the epidermis and the dermis, and there are two types of skin (thin and thick). Thin skin has hair and is more prevalent as opposed to thick skin which is only found in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
     The epidermis is the layer of skin that is exposed and is visible. The dermis lies directly beneath the epidermis. Then there is the hypodermis that contains adipose tissue and connective tissue. The epidermis is further divided into 5 layers: stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, and stratum basale. The stratum corneum is the layer that varies in thick skin.
     The cells of the epidermis are keratinocytes, melanocytes, Langerhans', and Merkel's cells. The epidermis is made up of keratinized stratified squamos epithelium. The keratinocytes are the cells that function to separate the organism from the outside environment. Melanocytes are the cells that secrete melanin. Melanin is important because it is the reason that we are protected from UV radiation. It also produces the pigment of the epidermis. Langerhans' cells are the one's that present antigen's to the immune system. Lastly, Merkel's cells function in stratum basale of the epidermis and they are the most abundant in the fingertips and other places that sensory perception is intense.

http://classroom.sdmesa.edu/eschmid/Chapter5-Zoo145.htm