title: HIV infection induces morphometrical changes on the oral (buccal mucosa and tongue) epithelial cells.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess morphological and morphometrical alterations of oral squamous epithelial cells in type 1 HIV infected individuals. Oral smears were collected from tongue and buccal mucosa of 30 HIV infected (experimental) and 30 non-infected (control) individuals by liquid-based exfoliative cytology. The cells were morphologically analyzed and the nuclear area (NA), the cytoplasmic area (CA) and the nucleus-to-cytoplasm area ratio (NA/CA) were calculated. No morphological differences were found between the groups. The mean values of CA were decreased in tongue (P=.00006) and buccal mucosa (P=.00242) in HIV infected individual, while mean values of NA were increased (P=.00308 and .00095, respectively) in the same group. NA/CA ratio for experimental group was increased in both collected places, with P=.00001 (tongue) and P=.00000 (buccal mucosa). This study revealed that HIV infection was able to induce morphometrical changes on the oral epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, School of Dentistry, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriane Bastos
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pompermayer
authors.forename: Francisca Berenice Dias
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: Beatriz Helena Sottile
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: França
authors.forename: Maria Ângela Naval
authors.initials: MÂ
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Paula Cristina
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Trevilatto
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Antônio Adilson Soares
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: de Lima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D014059:Tongue / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology