The Integrity of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Extracted from Whole Teeth Samples Burnt with Different Accelerants Using Two Extraction Protocols for Forensic Sex Determination

Sex determination is usually the first step in forensic identification of victim(s) in disasters, jungle justice and arsonscenarios for many medical and legal reasons. The use of DNA in forensic analysis offers a good method in sexdetermination and the quality of extracted DNA is very important for downstream PCR. The aim of this study is toinvestigate the viability of DNA obtained from burnt teeth for forensic sex-determination. Two DNA extractionmethods consisting of silica based commercial kit and phenol-chloroform organic method, followed by polymerasechain amplification of amelogenin gene for sex determination were employed. Based on the DNA yield and opticaldensity values, the kit extraction method performed better than the phenol-chloroform method with 100% and85.71% success respectively. A Mann-Whitney U test of 260/280 absorbance showed no statistically significantdifference in the median absorbance for aviation fuel (median = 1.34) and gasoline (median =1.32) burnt samples.Amplification of AMEL genes using the commercial kit and phenol-chloroform method were 52.38% and 22.22%positive respectively compared to pre-extraction sex determination. This study shows that the use of the silica basedcommercial kit technique yielded higher DNA quality and quantity from whole teeth burnt with gasoline andaviation fuel as accelerants for downstream PCR amplification of AMEL genes compared to organic phenolchloroform method

Head and neck cancers: An histopathologic review of cases seen in three Tertiary Hospitals in Northwestern Nigeria

Context: Head and neck cancers (HNCs) display variable biological and geographical variations even within the same country. Aims: This study aims to determine the histopathologic pattern of HNCs in three Northwestern states of Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara in Nigeria. Settings and Design: This was an hospital-based descriptive retrospective study carried out at Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi; Federal Medical Centre, Gusau; and Usmanu Danfodio Teaching Hospital, Sokoto. Subjects and Methods: Medical and histopathologic records of all HNCs seen at these centers between January 2006 and December 2013, were reviewed, and data on time of presentation, sociodemographic, anatomic site, and histology were collected and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 20) (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) statistical software. Quantitative data were summarized using simple descriptive statistics of means and standard deviation (SD). Chi-square tests were used to analyze the nonparametric variables. Statistical significance was inferred at P ≤ 0.05. Results: Three hundred and eighty-one malignant HNCs were seen over a period of 8 years with an annual frequency of 47 cases. There was a male to female ratio of 1.2:1, and the mean age was 39.5 ± 19.2 (±SD). About 70.3% of cases were carcinomas, 15.0% were sarcomas, and 8.7% were lymphomas. Squamous cell carcinoma (34.9%) was the highest carcinomas while non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (6.6%) and rhabdomyosarcoma (4.2%) were the most common lymphomas and sarcomas observed, respectively. The most common sites were those of the lips, oral cavity, and pharynx International Statistical Classification of Diseases-10 (C00–C14). Conclusions: This present study demonstrates the rising trend of HNCs in these regions and highlights the urgent need for adoption of grass root policies that would incorporate public participation especially those under 40 years, in the awareness on the harmful use of carcinogenic substances such as tobacco and alcohol and dangerous sexual habits. There should also be concerted promotion of targeted preventive strategies, early screening, treatment, support, and lifelong rehabilitation

Distribution and Frequency of Salivary Gland Tumours: An International Multicenter Study

Background Salivary gland tumours (SGT) are a relatively rare group of neoplasms with a wide range of histopathological appearance and clinical features. To date, most of the epidemiological studies on salivary gland tumours are limited for a variety of reason including being out of date, extrapolated from either a single centre or country studies, or investigating either major or minor glands only. Methods This study aimed to mitigate these shortcomings by analysing epidemiological data including demographic, anatomical location and histological diagnoses of SGT from multiple centres across the world. The analysed data included age, gender, location and histological diagnosis from fifteen centres covering the majority of the world health organisation (WHO) geographical regions between 2006 and 2019. Results A total of 5739 cases were analysed including 65% benign and 35% malignant tumours. A slight female predilection (54%) and peak incidence between the fourth and seventh decade for both benign and malignant tumours was observed. The majority (68%) of the SGT presented in major and 32% in the minor glands. The parotid gland was the most common location (70%) for benign and minor glands (47%) for malignant tumours. Pleomorphic adenoma (70%), and Warthin’s tumour (17%), were the most common benign tumours whereas mucoepidermoid carcinoma (26%) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (17%) were the most frequent malignant tumours. Conclusions This multicentre investigation presents the largest cohort study to date analysing salivary gland tumour data from tertiary centres scattered across the globe. These findings should serve as a baseline for future studies evaluating the epidemiological landscape of these tumours