Minimally invasive approach to eliminate pyogenic granuloma using Er, Cr: YSGG laser

Backgroung. PG or granuloma pyogenicum is a common tumor like growth of the oral cavity that is considered to be of non-neoplastic nature, arising commonly as a result of constant low grade trauma and poor oral hygiene and in few instances because of hormonal disturbances. Since it is a benign lesion, choice of treatment is surgical excision with removal of underlying cause if any. A newer treatment modality using laser has been reported. Case report. A 16-year-old male patient reported to our sector of oral medicine with the chief complaint of intra-oral painless growth since four months. Past history and medical history did not reveal any relevant information. He was taking no medication and had no history of known drug allergy. On intra-oral examination smooth surfaced and lobulated growth of approximately 1.5 × 1 × 0.5 cm in size was present in the palate. The lesion was pedunculated and was freely movable over peduncle. The surface of the lesion showed non-omogenous red color whereas in certain area was covered by yellowish plaque like material. On palpation, growth was non-tender, nonfluctuant, hard and fibrous in consistency. Treatment plan comprising of excisional biopsy of the lesion using an Er, Cr: YSGG laser. An elliptical incision was made around the peduncle, the lesion was lifted along with the underlying periosteum from the bone surface and removed. Hemostasis was achieved with the same laser and healing was obtained for second intention. Excised specimen was preserved and sent for histopathological examination. At 7 days recall, the gingival tissues were healthy with successful healing. Conclusion. Excisional surgery is the treatment of choice for PG. The use of laser may be a valid approach for the excision of this lesion, as it is minimally invasive and offers many clinical advantages (minimal intra-operative bleeding,hemostasis, reduced times of healing)

Diode laser treatment of a large oral hemangioma

Background. Several options can be taken into account to treat hemangiomas; the most considered is the surgical excision, although total removal is not always possible, especially for large lesions, since vital structures can be involved. Another treatment includes the diode laser therapy. Objectives. The aim of this study was to report a clinical case of micro-invasive treatment of a large oral hemangioma in the buccal mucosa using a 900 nm diode laser. Case report. A 49-year-old female patient was referred to our sector of oral medicine reporting difficult chewing, swelling, and occasionally bleeding, from a congenital neoformation. Clinical examination revealed a dark blue and multiglobular (size 5x3 cm) lesion of the right buccal mucosa. After diascopy, loss of normal coloration in the place of the lesion was observed. After the eco-doppler evaluation, a diagnosis of congenital haemangioma was formulated, and the patient was treated by photocoagulation by diode laser at 900 nm wavelenght, and 2.5 W of power, in continuous wave mode for 90 s. Irradiation was delivered by means of a flexible quartz fiber that was kept 2-3 mm away from the lesion. Treatment was performed without topical, local, or general anesthesia, in six-monthly-sessions. All stages of treatment and healing were photographically documented. After the treatment, the lesion was blanched and visibile shrinkaged. No adverse effects (atrophy, scars, hyper- or hypopigmentation) were observed after the treatment. No intra and postoperative pain was reported by the patients. On 3-months follow-up, no recurrence was observed. Conclusions. Likewise reported by other studies, diode laser photocoagulation treatment proved to be an useful method for the treatment of oral hemangiomas. For the safety of use and the absence of intra and postoperative discomfort for patients, it would be considered a valuable tool in the treatment of large hemangiomas

Evaluation of waterborne exposure to heavy metals in innate immune defences present on skin mucus of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

Aquatic animals are continuously exposed to chemical pollutants but the effects evoked in mucins and the carbohydrate nature of the glycoproteins in the unicellular glands in fish epidermis skin surfaces, which receive the most direct contact with them, has not been fully studied and characterized. Moreover, microorganisms use lectins to recognize and bind to host terminal carbohydrates to facilitate the infection whilst host lectins bind to pathogen carbohydrates to exert protective effector functions, such as agglutination, immobilization, and complement-mediated opsonization and killing of potential pathogens. Thus, terminal carbohydrate composition and the presence of a fucose binding lectin (FBL) were determined by lectin ELISA and western blot, respectively, in skin mucus of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) specimens exposed to waterborne sublethal dosages of heavy metals [arsenic (As2O3), cadmium (CdCl2) and mercury (CH3HgCl) at 5, 5 and 0.04 μM, respectively] after 2, 10 and 30 days. Results showed little effects of heavy metals in the presence of several terminal carbohydrates with few increments or decrements depending on the sugars, exposure time and heavy metal studied. Moreover, the FBL was undetected in any of the control fish skin mucus but was evident in all the heavy metal exposed fish. Further studies are needed to understand the relation of terminal carbohydrates and lectins in skin mucus fish defense and the implications during contamination exposu

Identification of antimicrobial peptides in the gonad of European sea bass males and females

In vertebrates, the gonad is considered an immunologically privileged site as it triggers lower immune responses aiming to avoid germ cell damage. In fish,several studies reported that leucocytes show conditioned immune response and modulate some reproductive functions, allowing the pathogen to establish chronic and latent infections into reproductive organs. In mammals, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently been recognised as important effectors in male reproductive tract immunity. In fish, AMPs are increasingly recognized as a critical first line of defence against many pathogens as bacteria, fungi, virus, protozoa and even tumour cells. We have recently determined that the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) gonad showed antimicrobial activity and constitutively expressed different AMPs genes previously characterized in the immune response. However, it is possible that gonadal specific AMPs play an important role in gonad immune responses, as occurs in mammals. The present study is an attempt to identify and characterize molecules having antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi, from the gonad of mature European sea bass males and females. Our results show a very different profile of active AMPs between sexes, suggesting the existence of different AMPs in males and females. However, further characterization of isolated peptides is needed to fully characterize the molecules and determine their role upon infection

Calibrating accelerometer data, as a promising tool for health and welfare monitoring in aquaculture: Case study in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in conventional or organic aquaculture

Both the conventional and organic aquaculture sectors have grown rapidly over the past few years. Moreover, welfare has attracted increased attention on the part of both consumers and governments. However, fish welfare assessment is complex and thus needs to adapt measurements that are easily applicable to aquaculture conditions. In this study, in addition to classical welfare indicator measurements (physiological stress indicators and growth performance), we recorded the swimming activity data using acoustic transmitters to evaluate the welfare of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed a conventional vs. an organic diet. Prior feeding trial, the swimming activity recorded by tag has been calibrated with water speed during critical swimming speed (Ucrit) tests. This calibration allowed us to increase the power of the recorded data, providing information on swimming activity with respect to the Ucrit value and on the metabolic cost of swimming. After a four-month experimental period, physiological stress indicators and growth performance did not differ significantly between the two diet groups. However, we observed a subtle difference in swimming activity: the fish in the organic diet group were more active during the feeding period in the morning. All indicators considered, our results suggest that an organic diet does not incur higher metabolic costs and does not affect the welfare of the European sea bass. Moreover, this study shows that the use of acoustic transmitters previously calibrated with physiological indicators, such as Ucrit, is a promising tool for welfare monitoring in aquaculture conditions

POSSIBLE ROLE OF CRY1 AND CRY2 IN ORAL CARCINOGENESIS

Aim. Dysfunction of the circadian clock is involved in tumorigenesis, and altered expression of some clock genes has been found in cancer patients. It has been shown recently that the occurrence, development, prognosis, and treatment of cancer are closely related to the abnormal expression of certain circadian-clock genes. CRY1 and CRY2 circadian-clock gene plays an important role in the regulation of many normal hysiological rhythms. This proteins act as light-independent inhibitors of CLOCK-BMAL1 components of the circadian clock. It has been revealed recently that abnormal expression of CRY1 and CRY2 correlate closely with the occurrence and development of many cancers. However, the expression and significance of this proteins in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of CRY1 and CRY2 in oral cancer. Materials and methods. CRY1 and CRY2 expression in cancerous and peritumoral tissues (when it was present) from 27 patients with OSCC was detected by immunohistochemistry techniques. Of all samples were received medical records (age, sex, grading, TNM, site of localization of the tumor). Immunohistochemistry was then performed on two sections for each of 27 sample mounted on poly-Llysine-coated glass slides to evaluate respectively the expression of CRY1 and CRY2.Results. In this study, out of the 27 cases, 11 were +/- positive in tumor area for CRY1 (most of which are well (differentiated), while out of 23 cases in which we evaluated the peritumoral tissue present in the section, 18 were positive. Also in the cases of positive tumor, almost always cytoplasmic, the CRY1 appears to be more strongly positive in dysplastic areas or even more in healthy epithelium, with a negative regulation in the areas most undifferentiated. As for the CRY2, out of the 27 cases analyzed, 17 were positive in the tumor area while about 23 cases in which we evaluated in peritumoral tissue present in the sections, 20 cases were positive. In tumor epithelium were found positivity also medium / high, present in tumors of different degree of differentiation, in some cases in other nuclear or cytoplasmic and nuclear/cytoplasmic, but when present the CRY2 is expressed, in most cases, in a manner similar or more intensely in peritumoral dysplastic epithelium. In the case of CRY2, there were no positivity in healthy epithelium (when present), but only in dysplastic epithelium. In addition, the positivity observed especially in peritumoral epithelium were present in states intermediate/surface. Conclusions. In conclusion, abnormal expression levels of CRY1 and CRY2 in OSCC tissue compared to healthy or dysplastic tissue may be related to the process of tumorigenesis. Further research focusing on these genes may, from the perspective of biological rhythms, provide novel ideas and methods for a better understanding of the occurrence and development of tumors, and for treatment of oral cancer

Surgical implantation of electronic tags does not induce medium-term effect: insights from growth and stress physiological profile in two marine fish species

Abstract Background Telemetry applied to aquatic organisms has recently developed greatly. Physiological sensors have been increasingly used as tools for fish welfare monitoring. However, for the technology to be used as a reliable welfare indicator, it is important that the tagging procedure does not disrupt fish physiology, behaviour and performance. In this communication, we share our medium-term data on stress physiological profile and growth performance after surgical tag implantation in two important marine fish species for European aquaculture, the sea bream (Sparus aurata) and the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Results Blood samples after surgical tag implantation (46 days for the sea bream and 95 days for the sea bass) revealed no differences between tagged and untagged fish in cortisol, glucose and lactate levels, suggesting that the tag implantation does not induce prolonged stress in these species. Moreover, the specific growth rates were similar in the tagged and untagged fish of both species. Conclusion Surgical tag implantation does not have medium-term consequences for the stress physiology and growth performance of these two marine fish species in a controlled environment. These observations support the use of accelerometer tags as valuable tools for welfare monitoring in aquaculture conditions. This study also shows that tagged fish can be sampled during experiments and considered a representative portion of the population, as they display growth and physiological parameters comparable to those of untagged fish