Cyclin D1 Expression and Its Correlation with Histopathological Differentiation in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background. Cyclin D1 regulates the G1 to S transition of cell cycle. Its deregulation or overexpression may lead to disturbance in the normal cell cycle control and tumour formation. Overexpression of cyclin D1 has been reported in various tumors of diverse histogenesis. This case control retrospective study was carried out to study the immunohistochemical reactivity and expression of cyclin D1 and its association with site, clinical staging, and histopathological differentiation of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods. Forty formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of biopsy specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma were immunohistochemically evaluated for expression of cyclin D1. Results. Cyclin D1 expression was seen in 45% cases of OSCC. It did not correlate with site and clinical staging. Highest expression was seen in well-differentiated, followed by moderately differentiated, and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, with a statistically significant correlation. Conclusion. Cyclin D1 expression significantly increases with increase in differentiation

Quantification and Localization of Mast Cells in Periapical Lesions

Background: Periapical lesions occur in response to chronic irritation in periapical tissue, generally resulting from an infected root canal. Specific etiological agents of induction, participating cell population and growth factors associated with maintenance and resolution of periapical lesions are incompletely understood. Among the cells found in periapical lesions, mast cells have been implicated in the inflammatory mechanism. Aim: Quantifications and the possible role played by mast cells in the periapical granuloma and radicular cyst. Hence, this study is to emphasize the presence (localization) and quantification of mast cells in periapical granuloma and radicular cyst. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 cases and out of which 15 of periapical granuloma and 15 radicular cyst, each along with the case details from the previously diagnosed cases in the department of oral pathology were selected for the study. The gender distribution showed male 8 (53.3%) and females 7 (46.7%) in periapical granuloma cases and male 10 (66.7%) and females 5 (33.3%) in radicular cyst cases. The statistical analysis used was unpaired t‑test.Results: Mean mast cell count in periapical granuloma subepithelial and deeper connective tissue, was 12.40 (0.99%) and 7.13 (0.83%), respectively. The mean mast cell counts in subepithelial and deeper connective tissue of radicular cyst were 17.64 (1.59%) and 12.06 (1.33%) respectively, which was statistically significant. No statistical significant difference was noted among males and females.Conclusion: Mast cells were more in number in radicular cyst. Based on the concept that mast cells play a critical role in the induction of inflammation, it is logical to use therapeutic agents to alter mast cell function and secretion, to thwart inflammation at its earliest phases. These findings may suggest the possible role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of periapical lesions. Keywords: Mast cells, Periapical granuloma, Radicular cyst, Toluidine blu

Evaluation of the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on whole salivary flow rate

Background: Saliva plays a critical role in maintaining oral homeostasis; it modulates the ecosystem through lubrication of the alimentary bolus, protection against microorganisms, buffer and repair of the oral mucosa, and helps in dental re-mineralization. Various local and systemic factors such as medications, radiation therapy, systemic conditions, etc. can lead to reduction in salivary flow. A decrease in salivary function, known as Xerostomia, increases a patient's risk for caries and other oral infections. Palliative management of Xerostomia includes wetting agents such as ice chips, drugs and saliva substitutes. Systemic agents stimulate salivary flow but often have unfavorable side effects. Newer modalities like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which has fewer side effects, have been used to stimulate salivary flow. The aim of the present study was to assess and evaluate the effect of TENS on whole salivary flow rates in healthy adult subjects. Study Design: A total of 80 healthy adult subjects were enrolled in the study. Unstimulated and stimulated saliva (using TENS) was collected for 5 minutes and the mean salivary flow rates were calculated. Data obtained was analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences) version 15. Students "t" test was employed for comparative analysis. Results: Sixty-five of the 80 subjects demonstrated an increase in the salivary flow rate on application of TENS. Twelve subjects demonstrated a mild reduction in the salivary flow rates. Seven subjects experienced transient mild twitching of facial musculature as side effects. Conclusions: Significant increase in salivary flow rates was observed on application of TENS with minimal or no side effects

Conservative Management of Unicystic Ameloblastoma of Mandible Evolving from Dentigerous Cyst in a Paediatric Patient: A Case Report

Massive cystic lesions involving a mandible always present a diagnostic and treatment challenge. Unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) is a variant of ameloblastoma encompassing about 6% of ameloblastomas. They represent cystic lesions that reveal clinical and radiographic features of a cyst, but the histopathological features demonstrate a typical ameloblastomatous epithelium lining the cyst. It is a variant of ameloblastoma, usually having clinical and radiographic similarities with dentigerous cysts, hence posing preoperative diagnostic difficulties. Adult treatment protocol cannot be applied to the pediatric population since resection may cause an alteration in craniofacial development leading to functional and esthetical damage, which can directly affect their quality of life. A more conservative approach of enucleating the lesion seems to be a promising treatment modality of UA in the pediatric age group. We present a case of mural variant of UA arising from dentigerous cyst in an 8-year-old male patient

Knot Invariants for Intersecting Loops

We generalize the braid algebra to the case of loops with intersections. We introduce the Reidemeister moves for 4 and 6-valent vertices to have a theory of rigid vertex equivalence. By considering representations of the extended braid algebra, we derive skein relations for link polynomials, which allow us to generalize any link Polynomial to the intersecting case. We perturbatively show that the HOMFLY Polynomials for intersecting links correspond to the vacuum expectation value of the Wilson line operator of the Chern Simon's Theory. We make contact with quantum gravity by showing that these polynomials are simply related with some solutions of the complete set of constraints with cosmological constantComment: 22 page

Building automation pipeline for diagnostic classification of sporadic odontogenic keratocysts and non-keratocysts using whole-slide images

The microscopic diagnostic differentiation of odontogenic cysts from other cysts is intricate and may cause perplexity for both clinicians and pathologists. Of particular interest is the odontogenic keratocyst (OKC), a developmental cyst with unique histopathological and clinical characteristics. Nevertheless, what distinguishes this cyst is its aggressive nature and high tendency for recurrence. Clinicians encounter challenges in dealing with this frequently encountered jaw lesion, as there is no consensus on surgical treatment. Therefore, the accurate and early diagnosis of such cysts will benefit clinicians in terms of treatment management and spare subjects from the mental agony of suffering from aggressive OKCs, which impact their quality of life. The objective of this research is to develop an automated OKC diagnostic system that can function as a decision support tool for pathologists, whether they are working locally or remotely. This system will provide them with additional data and insights to enhance their decision-making abilities. This research aims to provide an automation pipeline to classify whole-slide images of OKCs and non-keratocysts (non-KCs: dentigerous and radicular cysts). OKC diagnosis and prognosis using the histopathological analysis of tissues using whole-slide images (WSIs) with a deep-learning approach is an emerging research area. WSIs have the unique advantage of magnifying tissues with high resolution without losing information. The contribution of this research is a novel, deep-learning-based, and efficient algorithm that reduces the trainable parameters and, in turn, the memory footprint. This is achieved using principal component analysis (PCA) and the ReliefF feature selection algorithm (ReliefF) in a convolutional neural network (CNN) named P-C-ReliefF. The proposed model reduces the trainable parameters compared to standard CNN, achieving 97% classification accuracy

Awareness of forensic odontology among dentists in Australia: are they keeping forensically valuable dental records?

BACKGROUND: Forensic odontologists provide an important service to the community by identifying unknown deceased people, allowing both legal outcomes and family closure. Non-visual identification may be achieved by comparison of post-mortem data with ante-mortem dental records provided by oral health practitioners. Success is dependent largely on the accuracy and adequacy of data in the dental records. METHODS: An online self-administered questionnaire evaluated Australian dentists' knowledge and behaviours relevant to forensic odontology. Reported record keeping practices were assessed for detail, legibility, accessibility and retention. Behaviours were classified according to the frequency of response. RESULTS: Dentists reported overall reasonable awareness of the major applications of forensic odontology. Personal information and details of restorative treatment were recorded at high levels, while tooth anomalies, photography, additional patient details and denture marking were recorded inadequately. Legible tooth coding was reported at a high level, while other key legibility practices were recorded inadequately. Few of the behaviours related to retention or to maximise accessibility were recorded at a high level. CONCLUSIONS: Australian dentists have high expectations of the forensic value of their dental records; however many practices that would enhance the diagnostic, medico-legal and forensic value of dental records are not routinely applied.Abdul Rahman Al-Azri, Jane Harford and Helen Jame

Genetic association in chronic periodontitis through dermatoglyphics: An unsolved link?

Introduction: Because dermatoglyphic features are strongly affected by genetic and environmental factors, using it as supportive evidence in the diagnosis of hereditary disorders becomes a reality. Offspring of patients suffering from chronic periodontitis have a high prevalence rate of periodontal breakdown, suggesting strong familial influence. Aims: The present study intends to evaluate and compare the dermatoglyphic patterns in controls and periodontally compromised patients. Settings and Design: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted, including a total of 60 individuals, divided into study and control groups of 30 each. The study group included clinically diagnosed periodontitis patients.Materials and Methods: The digital prints were collected using biometric scanner and palmer prints using digital flatbed scanner. Care was taken to ensure that full prints of ridges were obtained. The periodontal status of all 60 participants was assessed clinically for attachment level and pocket depth. Later, Russell's periodontal index was also calculated. Statistical Analysis: The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using chi square and Student's t-test. Results: Among the finger ridge patterns, whorl pattern was found to be the most common in the study group whereas loop pattern was the most common in the control group. Mean total finger ridge count in the study group (165.69 ± 25.30) was significantly higher (P = 0.001) than the control group (125.4 ± 16.38). Mean dat angle was significantly higher (P = 0.039) in the study group (60.60 ± 2.76) than the control group (59.20 ± 2.62). Conclusion: Dermatoglyphics may serve as an early predictor in identifying high risk group individuals of developing diseases like periodontitis

Oral alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report with immunohistochemical analysis

Rhabdomyosarcomas are among the most common soft-tissue tumors in children. These tumors are derived from mesenchymal tissue with a tendency toward myogenic differentiation that probably originates from immature and highly invasive satellite cells associated with the embryogenesis of skeletal muscle. Some of these tumors are associated with high rates of recurrence and metastasis. The diagnosis is made by microscopic analysis and auxiliary techniques such as immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, cytogenetic analysis, and molecular biology. We report a case of 28- year-old man who presented with a painless progressive swelling of gingiva since 3 months, which was gradually increasing in size without any systemic symptoms or signs of any metastatic spread. An incisional biopsy was done and histopathology reported an alveolar variant of rhabdomyosarcoma. Immuno - histochemistry with panel of markers was done which showed positivity for CD99, vimentin and negative for desmin and myogenin. So the characteristic immunohistological expression was negative in present case. Hence we conclude that haematoxylin and eosin morphology and ultra structure are needed to classify rhabdomyosarcoma and immunohistochemistry act only as an auxiliary