Anatomy of the lymph vessels and nodes of the head and neck in green marmosets]

In 50 mature green monkeys, the lymphatic system of the skin on the hairy part of the skull (occipital, parietal, frontal) and on the face was studied. The lymphatic vessels of cranial and cervical organs flow into submental, submandibular (anterior, medial, posterior) lymph nodes and into profound cervical (cranial, medial, caudal) lymph nodes. Lymph nodes together with efferent lymphatic vessels form lymph collectors of the neck which follow the blood vessels branching: superficial jugular, profound jugular and paratracheal network.     

High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Cervical Lymph Nodes

High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) is widely employed as a non-invasive method for imaging internal anatomic structures in experimental small animal systems. HFUS has the ability to detect structures as small as 30 µm, a property that has been utilized for visualizing superficial lymph nodes in rodents in brightness (B)-mode. Combining power Doppler with B-mode imaging allows for measuring circulatory blood flow within lymph nodes and other organs. While HFUS has been utilized for lymph node imaging in a number of mouse  model systems, a detailed protocol describing HFUS imaging and characterization of the cervical lymph nodes in mice has not been reported. Here, we show that HFUS can be adapted to detect and characterize cervical lymph nodes in mice. Combined B-mode and power Doppler imaging can be used to detect increases in blood flow in immunologically-enlarged cervical nodes. We also describe the use of B-mode imaging to conduct fine needle biopsies of cervical lymph nodes to retrieve lymph tissue for histological  analysis. Finally, software-aided steps are described to calculate changes in lymph node volume and to visualize changes in lymph node morphology following image reconstruction. The ability to visually monitor changes in cervical lymph node biology over time provides a simple and powerful technique for the non-invasive monitoring of cervical lymph node alterations in preclinical mouse models of oral cavity disease.     

Cytologic features of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma in cervical lymph nodes

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the cytologic characteristics of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in cervical lymph nodes and the differences in cervical lymph nodes from those of stage I (intrathyroidal) PTC. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-seven cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma with cervical lymph node metastasis (group A) and 38 cases of intrathyroidal papillary carcinoma (group B) were included in this study. Preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) examination was performed on enlarged cervical lymph nodes (47 cases, group A) and enlarged thyroid nodules (13 cases, group A, and 38 cases, group B). All the cases were surgically excised and pathologically verified. The cytologic smears were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: The cytologic characteristics of metastatic PTC in cervical lymph nodes displayed a higher frequency of foamy macrophages (51.1% vs. 26.3%) and a lower frequency of distinct cell borders (38.3% vs. 71.1%) than those of stage I PTC. Metastatic PTC in cervical lymph nodes also had a higher frequency of cystic degeneration (44.7% vs. 5.3%) than intrathyroidal lesions. In 1 of the 47 cases with lymph node metastasis, the aspirate contained macrophages but no tumor cells. CONCLUSION: FNAC was useful in the diagnosis of metastatic PTC in cervical lymph nodes. However, because cystic degeneration appeared frequently, FNAC combined with thyroid ultrasonography to find the primary lesion is necessary in this situation.     

Segmented lymph nodes in man

Segmentary lumbar, posterior pancreato-duodenal and inferior tracheobronchial lymph nodes have been investigated macro- and microscopically. The segmentary lymph nodes reach 12 X 45 X 45 mm, 10 X 25 X 100 mm in size. Most often these nodes are found among the posterior pancreato-duodenal lymph nodes (92%). They represent a conglomerate of smaller lymph nodes growing together and having their own capsule, parenchyma, sinuses, afferent and deferent lymph vessels and are united into one large node.     

The passive transfer of protective immunity against Angiostrongylus cantonensis with immune lymph node cells from different lymphoid tissues in rats

-Yong W. K. and Dobson C. 1982. The passive transfer of proctective immunity against Angiostrongylus cantonensis with immune lymph node cells from different lymphoid tissues in rats. International Journal for Parasitology12: 423–425. Lymph node cells from the posterior cervical and mesenteric lymph nodes of immune rats passively protected syngeneic recipient rats against Angiostrongylus cantonensis better than cells from the spleen, thymic and inguinal lymph nodes either as reduced worms burdens and/or stunted growth. No antibody was detected in the sera of recipient rats after transfer of the cells and before infection which suggested that the protection was cell- rather than antibody-mediated.     

Anatomo-topographic features of the deep lymph nodes of the neck in adult humans]

Profounod cervical lymph nodes were studied on 35 corpses and 30 complexes of organs of the head and neck in adult man by method of dissection after a preliminary injecting the lymphatic vessels and nodes. Under study were the lymph nodes of the anterior part (prelaryngeal, prethyroid, pretracheal and paratracheal groups) which are disposed under the pretracheal lamina of the cervical fascia. The lymph nodes of the lateral area of the neck are concentrated along the internal jugular vein, accessory nerve and the transversal artery of the neck. The lymph nodes disposed along the internal jugular vein are divided into 3 groups: superior, medial and inferior. The lymph nodes disposed in the lateral area of the neck are of different types. The obtained data can be used for decoding data of lymphography.     

Cellular and humoral IgA responses after single and multiple local injections of antigen

IgA responses in submandibular salivary glands, cervical lymph nodes, and saliva of rats were studied. Immunoglobulin-containing cells of the IgA isotype were examined by immunofluorescence of mononuclear cells isolated from the submandibular salivary glands and cervical lymph nodes after primary and multiple local injections of Streptococcus mutans. Also, salivary and serum antibodies to S. mutans were determined using an ELISA. The results support immunologic memory for the secretory (salivary) IgA system at both the cellular and humoral levels. Comparison of the dynamics of the IgAICC responses among the tissues and secretions after the injection regimes suggests that the cervical lymph nodes may provide an enriched tissue source for secretory IgA responses in the oral cavity.     

Measurement of mRNA of 11 biomarkers by RT-PCR to detect lymph node involvement in cervical cancer

Lymph node metastases are a major prognostic factor in cervical carcinomas. The aim of this study was to characterize the expression of 11 markers in cervical tumors and negative lymph nodes and to determine which ones could be helpful for improving the specificity of molecular diagnosis of nodal involvement. Using TaqMan RT-PCR, we studied the expression of CK19, MUC1, HER1-HER4, VEGF, VEGF-C, uPA, MMP9, and PRAD1 in uterine cervical tumors and in histologically nonmetastatic lymph nodes of 8 patients diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer. We observed that CK19, MUC1, HER1-HER3, uPA, and VEGF had a significantly higher expression in cervical tumors than in the negative nodes, whereas VEGF-C expression level was higher in the negative nodes than in the tumors. PRAD1 harbored similar expression levels in the tumors and in the negative nodes. Interestingly, 1 of the 4 patients who presented a clinical recurrence, showed elevated HER1, HER2, uPA, and VEGF in the histologically negative nodes. Our results suggest that CK19, MUC1, HER1-3, uPA, and VEGF are biomarkers that have a higher expression in tumoral cervical tissues compared with the negative lymph nodes and could be useful to diagnose nodal involvement in uterine cervical carcinoma. Our results should encourage us in continue to investigate a greater number of patients, including patients with histologically involved nodes.     

Epizootiological studies of Salmonella typhimurium infection in guinea pigs

In two natural outbreaks of S. typhimurium infection in guinea pigs, frequent isolations of the organism from the conjunctiva and cervical lymph nodes and high incidences of the conjunctivitis and abscess formation in the cervical lymph nodes were shown, suggesting more importance of the conjunctiva as infection route than oral route. These features in salmonellosis of guinea pigs were tried to reproduce in experimental infections by conjunctival and oral inoculations of 10(2) and 10(6) cells of 4 different strains of S. typhimurium and also by contact infection simulating natural conditions. As the results, it was demonstrated that guinea pigs were more susceptible to the conjunctival infection than the oral infection, because higher infection rates and more frequent incidence of abscess formation in the cervical lymph nodes as well as conjunctivitis were produced by the conjunctival inoculation than the oral inoculation of the organism. Main localization sites of the organism were the cervical lymph nodes, conjunctiva and upper respiratory tract in conjunctivally inoculated guinea pigs but more widely distributed in orally infected ones. These findings were common in animals infected with 4 different strains of S. typhimurium and also in contact infection. Thus the conjunctiva was regarded as an important route of S. typhimurium in guinea pigs.     

The diagnostic value of thyroglobulin concentration in fine-needle aspiration of the cervical lymph nodes in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer

INTRODUCTION: Recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer generally occurs first in the neck. Ultrasound is sensitive in detecting enlarged cervical lymph nodes but is not specific enough. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy increases the specificity but still may fail to detect a recurrence of the disease in the cystic metastatic lymph nodes. The aim of the study was to estimate the value of Tg concentration in the needle washout after fine-needle aspiration of suspicious lymph nodes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The 105 patients studied had presented one or more enlarged suspicious cervical lymph nodes. All had undergone total thyroidectomy and (131)I ablative therapy. Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) concentration was within the 0.15-711.5 ng/ml range (mean 22.24 ng/ml) and Tg recovery range 94-100%. The positive Tg washout concentration cut-off value was established as equal to the mean plus two standard deviations of the Tg washout concentration of patients with negative cytology. RESULTS: Lymph node involvement was diagnosed by cytology in 15 patients and in 28 lymph nodes. Positive Tg washout concentration was found in 22 patients and in 48 lymph nodes. All the lymph nodes which turned out to have positive cytology had a positive Tg washout concentration. All lymph nodes with positive cytology were positive in pathology. Seven patients and 20 lymph nodes with negative cytology were positive in the Tg washout concentration test. All but one patients and all but two lymph nodes with a positive Tg washout concentration had positive pathology. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy is not sensitive enough to detect all metastatic lymph nodes. 2. The Tg washout concentration test is 100% sensitive in the detection of metastatic lymph nodes. 3. Cytology in ultrasound- guided fine-needle biopsy is 100% specific. 4. The Tg washout concentration test carries a risk of false-positive results. 5. Both methods should be used for early detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.     

Smooth muscle distribution in the capsule and trabeculae of the caprine superficial cervical lymph node

This study centers around the dichotomy found in the literature concerning the presence of smooth muscle cells in the trabeculae and capsule of lymph nodes. Various superficial lymph nodes (mammary, mandibular, popliteal, subiliac, and superficial cervical) of the goat were collected and examined by light and electron microscopy. Smooth muscle cells were demonstrated in the capsule and trabeculae of lymph nodes independent of the blood and lymph vessels.     

Cytokine- and Ig-producing T cells in mucosal effector tissues: analysis of IL-5- and IFN-gamma-producing T cells, T cell receptor expression, and IgA plasma cells from mouse salivary gland-associated tissues.

The present study has focused on the analysis of cytokine- and Ig-producing mononuclear cells (MC) that reside in the salivary glands and their associated tissues (SGAT) in the oral region. The SGAT are located under the mandibular area and consist of submandibular glands, periglandular lymph nodes, and cervical lymph nodes. MC were isolated from individual SGAT and examined for T cell subsets and TCR expression, in comparison with T cells obtained from other mucosa-associated and systemic tissues. Forty to fifty percent of MC in submandibular glands were CD3+ T cells, equally divided into CD4+ CD8- and CD4- CD8+ T cell subsets. On the other hand, the intestinal lamina propria and Peyer's patches possessed a approximately 2 to 3:1 ratio of CD4+ CD8- to CD4- T cells. A high frequency of CD4- CD8- (double negative) (DN) T cells (approximately 6 to 10%) was also isolated from submandibular glands. In contrast, approximately 70 to 90% of MC in periglandular lymph nodes and cervical lymph nodes were CD3+ T cells and like the peripheral lymph nodes consisted of fivefold higher numbers of CD4+ CD8- than CD4- CD8+ T cells, with low numbers of DN cells (less than 5%). When expression of gamma/delta and alpha/beta TCR was examined in individual T cell subsets of submandibular glands, the CD4- CD8+ and DN T cell fractions contained 25% and 100% gamma/delta TCR+ cells, respectively. On the other hand, essentially all CD4+ CD8- T cells in SGAT as well as CD4- CD8+ cells in periglandular lymph nodes and cervical lymph nodes were alpha/beta TCR+ T cells. When cytokine production was examined by using IFN-gamma- and IL-5-specific enzyme-linked immunospot assays, the CD3+ CD4+ CD8- T cells in submandibular glands contained T cells spontaneously producing IFN-gamma and IL-5. Further, IL-5 spot-forming cells (SFC) were two- to threefold greater in number, compared with IFN-gamma SFC. The periglandular lymph node T cells contained cytokine producing cells with a ratio of 2:1 for IL-5 and IFN-gamma SFC cells, whereas cervical lymph node T cells did not produce cytokines unless stimulated with T cell mitogens. When the isotype distribution of Ig-producing cells was examined among SGAT, submandibular glands contained large numbers of IgA-producing cells, with few IgM- and IgG-producing cells, a pattern similar to that of the lamina propria. Further, elevated numbers of IgA-secreting cells were also seen in periglandular lymph nodes but not in cervical lymph nodes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Cervical lymph node metastases of thyroid carcinoma - an alternative of the "lateral aberrant thyroid"

The neoplastic thyroid tissue found in the laterocervical lymph nodes of euthyroid patients is associated with an intrathyroid carcinoma identified in the subsequently operated gland, asserting its metastic origin. Eighty percent of the thyroid carcinomas present cervical metastases in a variable number of lymph nodes belonging to more than one topographic group.     

Observations upon rhinoceros cervical lymphatics

As an initial contribution to rhinoceros lymphangiology observations are presented upon the disposition of the lymphatic vessels and nodes associated with the larynx, thyroid gland and parathyroid glands of an adult male Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). A detailed account is given of the topography and connexions of the anterior and intermediate groups of cervical lymph nodes and of the lymph drainage of certain cervical organs. The presence is reported, upon inter-nodal afferent pathways, of specialised and hitherto undescribed formations of a lympho-haemal nature and the functional significance of these is suggested.     

Kinetics of T- and B-lymphocytes in the lymph nodes of human fetuses

Investigations of the lymph nodes embryogenesis had mainly an anatomo-histological character. At the present time a new approach is necessary: elucidation of main immunological characteristics of lymphoid elements, occupying lymph nodes already at early stages of ontogenesis. The aim of the investigation was to study marker composition of lymphocytes, occupying the lymph nodes of various regional groups, that are in anatomical and functional connection with the thymus, Waldeyer-Pirogov lympho-epithelial pharyngeal ring, appendix and Peyer's patches. The anterior, mediastinal, ileocecal and deep cervical lymph nodes have been studied in 23 human fetuses 17-28-week-old. Immunological and morphological peculiarities of development have been followed in the groups of the lymph nodes mentioned. According to the expression of superficial markers the character of heterogeneity in T- and B-cell systems and their kinetics during embryogenesis has been stated to be characteristic for each regional group. In all lymph nodes the number of T-lymphocytes predominate, their greatest content is noted in the ileocecal lymph nodes. The B-lymphatic system in the lymph nodes is presented poorly with its predominance among immunoglobulin-positive lymphocytes of Ig M(+)-cells.     

Comparative morphometric analysis of thyrocytes in a primary tumor and regional metastases in papillary thyroid gland cancer

OBJECTIVE: To perform a comparative analysis of thyrocyte nuclei and the aggregability degree in tumor cells in the thyroid gland with papillary cancer and in cervical lymph nodes with metastases. STUDY DESIGN: Thyrocytes in papillary cancer and those of cervical lymph nodes with its metastasis have been studied with the help of morphometry. RESULTS: As a result of mathematical transformation of the initial morphometric database, quantitative features of thyrocyte nuclei and aggregates characterizing the norm, papillary cancer and regional metastases were obtained. These features were united into 2 systems of decision criteria on the base of a set of quantitative features of thyrocyte nuclei and aggregates. Analysis was performed among the groups of comparison with the help of these systems. CONCLUSION: Malignant cells of the primary tumor have been shown to have evident quantitative features of nuclear atypia and a higher degree of aggregability compared with the norm. The differences between the quantitative features of nuclei and aggregates in malignant cells of the primary tumor in the thyroid gland and its metastases in cervical lymph nodes were less pronounced.     

The anatomy and topography of the human axillary lymph nodes]

The anatomy and topography of the right and left axillary nodes were studied by the method of polychrome injections in 25 corpses of adult people dead from trauma or illnesses not related to lesions of axillary lymph nodes. Injections were made into the skin of fingers, palm and back of the hand, in the delta-shaped area, lateral surface of the chest and exterior half of the mamillary gland and also immediately into the lymph vessels of the upper extremity found with the help of interstitial injections. Detailed data on the topography of axillary lymph nodes relative to the walls, blood vessels and nerves of the axillary fossa were obtained, and the relations between the nodes were specified. From the topography of the axillary lymph nodes under study and approaching the lymph vessels as well as from literature data it is expedient to divide the axillary lymph nodes into 6 groups: lateral, medial, posterior, inferior, central and apical.     

Chitosan-DTPA-Gd舌间质磁共振淋巴造影显示兔颈淋巴的研究

目的：探讨磁共振间质淋巴造影剂Chitosan-DTPA-Gd经舌黏膜下注射后,显示颈淋巴的应用价值。方法：选取健康成年纯种新西兰大白兔12只,麻醉并仰卧位固定磁共振平扫,再于每只兔双侧舌缘中后交界处粘膜下各注射0.1 mL造影剂,注射部位按摩30秒,按摩后5、10、15、20、25、30、35、40 min行三维增强磁共振淋巴造影成像,测量增强前后不同时间颈部淋巴结的信号强度（SI）,计算相对应的信号强化率（E%）,采用SPSS软件进行数据的统计学分析。结果：Chitosan-DTPA-Gd于兔双侧舌缘粘膜下注射后很快吸收进入颈部淋巴引流区,淋巴结及淋巴管明显、均匀的强化,血管无显影。颈部淋巴结于注射后15 min信号强度达到峰值,并可保持一段时间,25 min后信号强化率开始明显降低,40分钟后淋巴系统显影与周围组织无差别。结论：间质磁共振淋巴造影剂Chitosan-DTPA-Gd用量小,强化效应明显,能够有效的显示颈部淋巴结形态及淋巴管走形。     

Adrenergic innervation of lymph nodes and the thoracic duct

By means of incubation of slices in 2% solution of glyoxylic acid distribution of adrenergic fibers in the rabbit lymph nodes and in the thoracic lymphatic duct has been studied. Adrenergic fibers get into parenchyma of the lymph nodes via two ways. The first--the perivascular, when the nervous fibers make a plexus and get into the node along the blood vessels, the second--diffuse nervous fibers get together with trabecules in between the lymphoid nodules. The distribution density of the adrenergic fibers is not the same in different groups of the lymph nodes. In the lumbar nodes it is the highest. In the lymph nodes of the cervical part the density of the sympathetic fibers is, as a rule, lower than in the lumbar, but higher than in the axillary nodes. The lowest density of th adrenergic fibers is in the mesenteric, superficial inguinal lymph nodes and in the lymph nodes, situating near the thoracic part of the aorta. In the lymphatic duct wall small amount of adrenergic fibers are revealed, they form a plexus, predominantly in the cranial part.     

Radiomic models for lymph node metastasis prediction in cervical cancer: can we think beyond sentinel lymph node?

Liu and colleagues performed a retrospective study to validate a computed tomography (CT) scan-based radiomic model to detect lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer. The proposed model incorporating the arterial and venous phase CT-scan features represented a non-invasive method exhibiting high sensitivity in the prediction of lymph node metastasis. It is well established that lymph node metastasis is one of the most significant prognostic factors in cervical cancer. For this reason, management of cervical cancer is strictly related to lymph node status, with international guidelines recommending definitive chemo-radiation in case of metastatic lymph node. More and more evidence supports the use of sentinel lymph node in early-stage cervical cancer but its frozen section analysis may result in false negative results; in locally-advanced stages staging para-aortic lymphadenectomy is proposed by many Authors to tailor chemoradiotherapy treatment, with potential intra-and post-operative related complications. The use of a validated radiomic model able to predict lymph node metastases in radiologically normal lymph nodes may represent an essential tool to possibly spare lympadenectomy related morbidity.