Disease relevance of Uvula

• The reason for the tacitly assumed connection between these two anomalies has, in part, been perpetuated by the generally accepted definition of submucous cleft palate as the triad of bifid uvula, notching of the hard palate, and muscular diastasis of the soft palate [1].
• They had far-advanced inoperable tumor (esophageal cancer: n = 4; lung cancer: n = 3; recurrent laryngeal, uvula, and thyroid cancer: n = 1 each) [2].
• It is characterized by clinical signs localized to the face, such as bilateral or unilateral pits on conical elevations in babies or extensive depressions in adults, both in the vermilion border of the lower lip, with cleft lip, with or without cleft palate and uvula [3].
• A case is reported of severe epistaxis resulting from the use of an aluminium foil-wrapped nasotracheal tube during laser surgery to the uvula [4].
• She has distinctive facial features (long face, broad nasal bridge, and protuberant ears with simplified helices), bifid uvula, strabismus, and joint laxity [5].

High impact information on Uvula

• Uvula and oesophageal ulcerations with foscarnet [6].
• We postulate that a GABA-mediated disturbance affecting the cerebellar nodulus and uvula was responsible for the PAGD in these patients [7].
• Neither the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 nor delta2 glutamate receptor in flocculus and uvula/nodulus was affected by a hypergravity load for 2 h to 1 week [8].
• Dopamine D1-3 receptors, tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter mRNA was detected in the uvula and nodulus (lobules 9 and 10, respectively) of the vermis of cerebellum from normal individuals [9].
• In the lower folia of the uvula and nodulus, Purkinje cell expression of PKC-delta is uniformly high, and the sagittal banding for PKC-delta expression is absent [10].

Biological context of Uvula

• The distribution of vestibular neurons projecting to the flocculus and the nodulus and uvula of the caudal vermis (Larsell's lobules X and IX) was investigated with retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase and the fluorescent tracers Fast Blue, Nuclear Yellow and Diamindino Yellow [11].
• No difference was found for the muscles of mastication, levator and tensor veli palatini muscles, styloglossus muscle, genioglossus muscle, intrinsic muscles of the tongue, digastric muscles, mucosal surface of the lateral and posterior pharyngeal wall, uvula, valleculae, parapharyngeal space and larynx [12].
• Twelve normal fetuses underwent surgical cleft creation by excision of a 20 x 3 mm full-thickness midline section of the secondary palate extending from the alveolus to the uvula, at 85 days of gestation [13].

Anatomical context of Uvula

• From P4 through P21, several Purkinje cells in the uvula, nodule, and flocculus of the cerebellum demonstrated ChAT-like immunoreactivity [14].
• We used the juxtacellular recording and labeling technique of Pinault (1996) in the uvula/nodulus of the ketamine anesthetized rat in an attempt to link different patterns of spontaneous activity with different types of morphologically identified cerebellar cortical interneurons [15].
• Four human soft palate muscles, and palatopharyngeus, the uvula, the levator and tensor veli palatini were examined using enzyme-histochemical, immunohistochemical and biochemical methods and compared with human limb and facial muscles [16].
• Seventeen patients had a diagnosis of submucous cleft palate made preoperatively and of these thirteen presented with the classic triad of a bifid uvula, a palpable abnormality of the hard palate and diastasis of the soft palate musculature [17].
• In contrast, MDM2 protein is always detectable in basal and parabasal cells of morphologically normal epithelium outside the invasively growing tumour, as well as in a normal uvula sample [18].

Associations of Uvula with chemical compounds

• The ventral uvula of the mouse cerebellum: a neural target of ethanol and vestibular stimuli [19].
• Microinjections of fluorescent tracers (Nuclear Yellow and Fast Blue) were used to study the organization of olivary cells in nucleus beta which give rise to climbing fibers to the medial zone of the uvula and the intermediate zone of the pyramis [20].
• To identify the cells of origin of these branching climbing fibers, a pair of retrograde fluorescent tracers, propidium iodide in combination with 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole or diamidino yellow, were injected into two sites in the flocculus, nodulus and uvula [21].
• The rostrolateral part of the MAO projects to the most lateral zone (rostrolateral MAO zone) of the uvula [22].
• Olivocerebellar branching projections to the flocculus, nodulus and uvula were studied electrophysiologically in pigmented rabbits anesthetized with pentobarbital and halothane [23].

Gene context of Uvula

• We conclude that immunoreactive NEP is significantly decreased in the uvula epithelium of patients with OSA [24].
• Injections made in or adjacent to the midline of the uvula resulted in the retrograde labeling of cells, bilaterally in the caudal portion of the medial accessory olive (MAO) [25].
• Carcinoma of the uvula and midline soft palate: indication for neck treatment [26].
• The fibre type and MyHC composition indicate that the palatopharyngeus and uvula muscles are functionally involved in quick movements whereas the levator and tensor veli palatini muscles perform slower and more continuous contractions [16].
• Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by clefts of the lip and/or palate (CL+/-P), lip pits, bifid uvula and hypodontia [27].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Uvula

• LAUP is safely performed under local anesthesia in the office, and it provides progressive enlargement of the oropharyngeal air space by reshaping and restructuring the uvula, soft palate, and pharyngeal pillars utilizing the CO2 laser with special attachments [28].
• The diagnosis of bilateral peritonsillar abscesses should be considered when the clinical presentation suggests the diagnosis of PTA, but the physical examination reveals bilateral swollen tonsils with a midline uvula [29].

References