Aggressive salivary duct carcinoma with widespread dissemination: a case report

Salivary duct carcinoma is a rare and aggressive salivary gland malignancy with a poor prognosis. Due to the paucity of literature, very little is known about this neoplasm. We have described such a case in this case report and highlighted the clinical and histopathological features associated with this disease. A sixty-year old male patient reported in the outpatient department of a regional dental college and hospital with a circular firm growth in the mandibular anterior region and mobility of adjacent mandibular teeth. An array of investigations including radiographic, tomographic, ultrasonographic as well as histopathological were performed. It was diagnosed as invasive salivary duct carcinoma with distant metastases in the shoulder joint, ribs as well as pelvic bones. Currently, no National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for the specific treatment of salivary duct carcinomas exist. National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend complete surgical excision of tumors for major salivary gland tumors without nodal involvement (N0) with or without neck dissection for high-grade and T3/T4 salivary gland tumors.

Dietary Activation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) to Treat Insulin Resistance

Lipodystrophy is a rare condition that generates lipotoxicity resulting in significant insulin resistance. However, lipodystrophy is only one of many chronic conditions associated with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is defined as the impaired ability of insulin to activate GLUT4-mediated glucose transport into target cells. The molecular reason for the failure of glucose transport is less apparent. Considering the wide range of chronic conditions associated with insulin resistance, a new potential understanding of insulin resistance in terms of an accumulation of metabolic stressors resulting in the inhibition of 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may be warranted. Since AMPK is under robust dietary control, nutrition, as opposed to pharmacological strategies, may be more appropriate to activate AMPK to treat insulin resistance in lipodystrophy and any condition associated with insulin resistance. The focus of this chapter is to outline an AMPK-centric theory of insulin resistance and the combination of defined dietary strategies likely to be necessary to activate AMPK to reduce insulin resistance

Sarcomatous transformation of florid cemento-osseous dysplasia: a case report

Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia (COD) represents a rare group of benign fibro-osseous disorders, while osteogenic sarcoma (OS) on the other hand, is a malignant tumour of ominous prognosis. The malignant transformation of a benign fibro-osseous lesion of the jaw is quite uncommon and has few reported cases. The clinico-radiological findings and histopathological analysis of a lesion present in all four quadrants of the jaw of a patient who reported at the outpatient department of a regional dental college is presented here. The lesion underwent sarcomatous transformation over two months and the findings were confirmed by histopathological evaluation. Although florid cemento-osseous dysplasia is a benign lesion of the jaw with a very low propensity for malignant transformation, it should be closely monitored in patients with tumour predisposition syndromes. Further research and molecular studies are required for better understanding of inadvertent changes

Estradiol regulates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis via hypothalamic AMPK

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Haitian Variant Vibrio cholerae O1 Strains Manifest Higher Virulence in Animal Models

Vibrio cholerae causes fatal diarrheal disease cholera in humans due to consumption of contaminated water and food. To instigate the disease, the bacterium must evade the host intestinal innate immune system; penetrate the mucus layer of the small intestine, adhere and multiply on the surface of microvilli and produce toxin(s) through the action of virulence associated genes. V. cholerae O1 that has caused a major cholera outbreak in Haiti contained several unique genetic signatures. These novel traits are used to differentiate them from the canonical El Tor strains. Several studies reported the spread of these Haitian variant strains in different parts of the world including Asia and Africa, but there is a paucity of information on the clinical consequence of these genetic changes. To understand the impact of these changes, we undertook a study involving mice and rabbit models to evaluate the pathogenesis. The colonization ability of Haitian variant strain in comparison to canonical El Tor strain was found to be significantly more in both suckling mice and rabbit model. Adult mice also displayed the same results. Besides that, infection patterns of Haitian variant strains showed a completely different picture. Increased mucosal damaging, colonization, and inflammatory changes were observed through hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy. Fluid accumulation ability was also significantly higher in rabbit model. Our study indicated that these virulence features of the Haitian variant strain may have some association with the severe clinical outcome of the cholera patients in different parts of the world

Curcumin Alleviates Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 and -9 Activities during Eradication of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Cultured Cells and Mice

Current therapy-regimens against Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infections have considerable failure rates and adverse side effects that urge the quest for an effective alternative therapy. We have shown that curcumin is capable of eradicating Hp-infection in mice. Here we examine the mechanism by which curcumin protects Hp infection in cultured cells and mice. Since, MMP-3 and -9 are inflammatory molecules associated to the pathogenesis of Hp-infection, we investigated the role of curcumin on inflammatory MMPs as well as proinflammatory molecules. Curcumin dose dependently suppressed MMP-3 and -9 expression in Hp infected human gastric epithelial (AGS) cells. Consistently, Hp-eradication by curcumin-therapy involved significant downregulation of MMP-3 and -9 activities and expression in both cytotoxic associated gene (cag)+ve and cag-ve Hp-infected mouse gastric tissues. Moreover, we demonstrate that the conventional triple therapy (TT) alleviated MMP-3 and -9 activities less efficiently than curcumin and curcumin's action on MMPs was linked to decreased pro-inflammatory molecules and activator protein-1 activation in Hp-infected gastric tissues. Although both curcumin and TT were associated with MMP-3 and -9 downregulation during Hp-eradication, but unlike TT, curcumin enhanced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and inhibitor of kappa B-α. These data indicate that curcumin-mediated healing of Hp-infection involves regulation of MMP-3 and -9 activities