Yonago Acta medica 2000;43:93
Letters to the Editors: The Terminal Swellings of the Langerhans Cell Dendrites
To the Editors:
I have recently come across a paper by Shigeo Oota published in Yonago Acta medica 1999; 42(2):153-161, where, based on an article of Ferreira-Marques (1951), Oota reports as follows: "the swellings of the process terminals seem to have been entirely forgotten along with the negation of the nerve cell theory of Langerhans cells. The author of this study (i.e. Oota) recovered some of the actual forgotten terminals, the button-shaped (knopfförmig) swellings of the process terminals of the cells, beneath the cornified layer of a healthy volunteer epidermis ..." Unfortunately, this was shown in detail in rodents by myself using light as well as electron microscopy and reported in Biotechnique and Histochemistry and Biomedical Research (Aligarh) (Müller, 1996a and b). Furthermore, my both papers were cited in a review article of Misery (1998). To avoid such simple errors in the future, I recommend a thorough use of databases such as Medline, Current Contents and Biological Abstracts before finalizing a manuscript.
Dr. Thomas Müller, Department of Anatomy, University of Mainz, Saarstr. 19-21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
References
1. Oota S. Some new aspects of Langerhans cells in the human epidermis: light and electron microscopic observations on the swelling sites seen in the process terminals of the dendritic cells described by Langerhans in 1868. Yonago Acta Med 1999;42:153-161.
2. Ferreira-Marques J. Systema sensitivum intra-epidermicum. Arch Dermatol Res (formerly: Arch Dermat Syph) 1951;193:191-250.
3. Müller T. Supravital uptake of methylene blue by dendritic cells within stratified squamous epithelia: a light and electron microscope study. Biotech Histochem 1996a;71:96-101.
4. Müller T. The different morphological types of dendritic cells and their innervation in stratified squamous epithelia of the rat as revealed by methylene blue staining. Biomed Res (Aligarh) 1996b;7:149-157.
5. Misery L. Langerhans cells in the neuro-immuno-cutaneous system. J Neuroimmunol 1998;89:83-87.
Reply
To the Editors:
I thank Dr. Thomas Müller for his submitting "The terminal swellings of the Langerhans cell dendrites" as "Letters to the Editors" to Yonago Acta medica. I have studied epidermal Langerhans cells mainly in the normal human materials as in the studies of Langerhans and Ferrerira-Marques, because there are differences, more or less, between the morphology of Langerhans cells in the human and animal epidermis. I discussed the study only on the normal human materials in my paper he cited. Consequently, I regret to say that the papers of Dr. Müller who had experimented with rodents were omitted from my paper. I deeply appreciate Dr. Müller’s sincere attitude toward science studies.
Dr. Shigeo Oota, First Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-machi, Yonago 683-0826 Japan
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I have recently come across a paper by Shigeo Oota published in Yonago Acta medica 1999; 42(2):153-161, where, based on an article of Ferreira-Marques (1951), Oota reports as follows: "the swellings of the process terminals seem to have been entirely forgotten along with the negation of the nerve cell theory of Langerhans cells. The author of this study (i.e. Oota) recovered some of the actual forgotten terminals, the button-shaped (knopfförmig) swellings of the process terminals of the cells, beneath the cornified layer of a healthy volunteer epidermis ..." Unfortunately, this was shown in detail in rodents by myself using light as well as electron microscopy and reported in Biotechnique and Histochemistry and Biomedical Research (Aligarh) (Müller, 1996a and b). Furthermore, my both papers were cited in a review article of Misery (1998). To avoid such simple errors in the future, I recommend a thorough use of databases such as Medline, Current Contents and Biological Abstracts before finalizing a manuscript.
Dr. Thomas Müller, Department of Anatomy, University of Mainz, Saarstr. 19-21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
References
1. Oota S. Some new aspects of Langerhans cells in the human epidermis: light and electron microscopic observations on the swelling sites seen in the process terminals of the dendritic cells described by Langerhans in 1868. Yonago Acta Med 1999;42:153-161.
2. Ferreira-Marques J. Systema sensitivum intra-epidermicum. Arch Dermatol Res (formerly: Arch Dermat Syph) 1951;193:191-250.
3. Müller T. Supravital uptake of methylene blue by dendritic cells within stratified squamous epithelia: a light and electron microscope study. Biotech Histochem 1996a;71:96-101.
4. Müller T. The different morphological types of dendritic cells and their innervation in stratified squamous epithelia of the rat as revealed by methylene blue staining. Biomed Res (Aligarh) 1996b;7:149-157.
5. Misery L. Langerhans cells in the neuro-immuno-cutaneous system. J Neuroimmunol 1998;89:83-87.
Reply
To the Editors:
I thank Dr. Thomas Müller for his submitting "The terminal swellings of the Langerhans cell dendrites" as "Letters to the Editors" to Yonago Acta medica. I have studied epidermal Langerhans cells mainly in the normal human materials as in the studies of Langerhans and Ferrerira-Marques, because there are differences, more or less, between the morphology of Langerhans cells in the human and animal epidermis. I discussed the study only on the normal human materials in my paper he cited. Consequently, I regret to say that the papers of Dr. Müller who had experimented with rodents were omitted from my paper. I deeply appreciate Dr. Müller’s sincere attitude toward science studies.
Dr. Shigeo Oota, First Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-machi, Yonago 683-0826 Japan
Full text in PDF (8 k)
RETURN