Salivary gland tumors are rare and account for 2–3% of tumors occurring in the head and neck. Pleomorphic adenoma is a benign neoplasm which is commonly encountered in the parotid gland and other major salivary glands. At times they can also develop in minor salivary glands of the palate. The majority of minor salivary gland tumors are malignant. This case report describes a case of mixed tumor in a minor salivary gland of the hard palate.

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Periodontal disease is one of the most common canine diseases that can have serious systemic consequences. The aim of the study was the identification of the bacterial microflora causing periodontitis as well as its influence on the pathological changes in heart and kidneys. The study was performed on the group of 19 dogs (10 males and 9 females, aged between 6-15 years) sectioned at the Pathological Anatomy Department in Lublin, Poland. In all dogs the periodontal disease (third stage in 5 dogs and the fourth stage in 14 dogs) was diagnosed. A culture of aerobic bacteria from clinical material (swab of gingival, heart and kidneys) and histopathological examination on heart and kidney were performed. In the material the presence of bacteries such as: Escherichia coli, Streptococcus spp., Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus equi, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus spp. and Corynebacterium spp. The results of this study showed the advanced pathological changes in kidney glomeruli and the anterior wall of the left heart in all animals, especially in the dogs with the fourth stage of periodontitis. In histopathological examination of preparations from the anterior wall of the left heart ventricle the intense interstitial cardiac oedema and interstitial fibrosis was diagnosed. Additionally, subepicardially between the muscle fibres and around the vessels single adipocytes were found. The study reveals the important correlations between chronic inflammatory lesions within periodontal tissues and heart and kidneys.

Apoptosis is a physiological process that occurs in the human body throughout the entire life span. This process can be seen in the tissues of the stomatognathic system. A disorder in such programmed cell death processes leads to the development of pathological lesions. Among these are inflammation, osteolytic lesions and neoplastic hyperplasia. We put forward that future studies should concentrate on how to use the knowledge of apoptotic processes and their inhibitors in therapeutic processes involving the stomatognathic system.