Oral microbiota and salivary levels of oral pathogens in gastro‐intestinal diseases: Current knowledge and exploratory study

Various bi‐directional associations exist between oral health and gastro‐intestinal diseases. The oral microbiome plays a role in the gastro‐intestinal carcinogenesis and fusobacteria are the most investigated bacteria involved. This paper aims to review the current knowledge and report the preliminary data on salivary levels of Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Candida albicans in subjects with different gastro‐intestinal conditions or pathologies, in order to determine any differences. The null hypothesis was “subjects with different gastro‐intestinal diseases do not show significant differences in the composition of the oral microbiota”. Twenty‐one subjects undergoing esophagastroduodenoscopy or colonscopy were recruited. For each subject, a salivary sample was collected before the endoscopy procedure, immediately stored at ‐20°C and subsequently used for genomic bacterial DNA extraction by real‐time PCR. Low levels of F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis were peculiar in the oral microbiota in subjects affected by Helicobater pylori‐negative chronic gastritis without cancerization and future studies will elucidate this association. The level of C. albicans did not statistically differ among groups. This preliminary study could be used in the future, following further investigation, as a non‐invasive method for the search of gastrointestinal diseases and associated markers

Overview on Molecular Biomarkers for Laryngeal Cancer: Looking for New Answers to an Old Problem

Laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) accounts for almost 25–30% of all head and neck squamous cell cancers and is clustered according to the affected districts, as this determines distinct tendency to recur and metastasize. A major role for numerous genetic alterations in driving the onset and progression of this neoplasm is emerging. However, major efforts are still required for the identification of molecular markers useful for both early diagnosis and prognostic definition of LSCC that is still characterized by significant morbidity and mortality. Non-coding RNAs appear the most promising as they circulate in all the biological fluids allowing liquid biopsy determination, as well as due to their quick and characteristic modulation useful for non-invasive detection and monitoring of cancer. Other critical aspects are related to recent progress in circulating tumor cells and DNA detection, in metastatic status and chemo-refractoriness prediction, and in the functional interaction of LSCC with chronic inflammation and innate immunity. We review all these aspects taking into account the progress of the technologies in the field of next generation sequencing

Una tecnica minimamente invasiva per il rialzo del seno mascellare tramite accesso transcrestale: un caso clinico.

Questo articolo descrive la Smart Lift technique, ovvero una tecnica mini-invasiva per il rialzo del seno con accesso attraverso la cresta ossea residua. Tale procedura è basata sull’uso controllato di frese e osteotomi. Il suo razionale è ottenere un rialzo prevedibile del pavimento osseo del seno mascellare sfruttando come innesto dotato di capacità osteoinduttiva l’osso residuo presente in situ e limitando l’incidenza statistica della perforazione accidentale della membrana sinusale e il tasso di morbilità postchirurgica. Gli step chirurgici di tale procedura sono qui illustrati nei dettagli facendo riferimento ad un caso clinico esemplare

Association of tooth agenesis with dental anomalies in young subjects

Aim: The aim of the current study is to correlate the presence of tooth agenesis with other dental anomalies in 7- to 15-year-old patients. Materials and methods: After evaluating 4000 panoramic radiographs of young subjects, 430 revealed the presence of tooth agenesis, except for the third molar, and are retrospectively observed and compared with a non-agenesis control group of 500 subjects, in order to investigate the existence of other associated dental anomalies in both groups. Results: The prevalence of tooth agenesis was approximately 9.30% (430/4000); no significant gender differences were found. A significantly higher prevalence of microdontia of the maxillary lateral incisors (p < 0.001) and delayed tooth development (p = 0.0001) was observed in the agenesis group (group A), while delayed development of permanent teeth (p < 0.0001) and hypo-occlusion of the primary molars (p = 0.0130) were found in the control group (group B). Conclusions: Agenesis patients presented a significantly higher prevalence of microdontia of the maxillary lateral incisors. Instead, non-agenesis patients presented a high prevalence of delayed permanent tooth development and hypo-occlusion of the primary molars. Moreover, further researches are needed to elucidate the role of genetics and environmental factors in the current sample group