Profiling salivary miRNA expression levels in Fanconi anemia patients - a pilot study.

The overarching goal of this study is to predict the risk of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Fanconi anemia (FA) patients. We have compared the microRNA (miRNA, miR) expression levels in saliva samples from FA patients (n = 50) who are at a low-moderate and/or high risk of developing OSCC to saliva samples from healthy controls (n = 16). The miRNA expression levels in saliva samples were quantified using qPCR. We observed that miR-744, miR-150-5P, and miR-146B-5P had the best discriminatory capacity between FA patients and controls, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 94.0%, 92.9% and 85.3%, respectively. Our data suggest that miR-1, miR-146B-5P, miR-150-5P, miR-155-5P, and miR-744 could be used as panel to predict the risk of developing OSCC in FA patients, with a 89.3% sensitivity and a 68.2% specificity (AUC = 81.5%). Our preliminary data support the notion that the expression levels of salivary miRNAs have the potential to predict the risk of developing OSCC in FA patients and in the future may reduce deaths associated with OSCC.

Salivary protein biomarkers for head and neck cancer.

Introduction: Saliva has gained attention as an important diagnostic fluid because it contains biomolecules that have the potential to detect early-stage cancer or to monitor the response to treatment in patients. Several saliva-based proteins have been proposed as potential biomarkers for head and neck cancers (HNC).Areas covered: This review aims to provide an update on saliva-based protein biomarkers for HNC, often studied in observational research and clinical trials.Expert opinion: Despite the increasing number of studies relating to salivary proteins as biomarkers for HNC, there is no consensus regarding which proteins have the best clinical utility. Most studies have analyzed individual proteins and not a protein panel approach. It must be considered that combining different proteins as a panel can increase the accuracy and will have the potential to change the current clinical practice for HNC patients.

Two enemies, one fight: An update of oral cancer in patients with Fanconi anemia.

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare inherited genetic condition that may lead to bone marrow failure, leukemia, and/or solid tumors. It is caused by the loss of function of at least 1 gene of the FA/BRCA pathway, which is necessary for DNA repair. Patients with FA have a 200-fold to 1000-fold risk of developing head and neck cancer, mainly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and of doing so at a much younger age than individuals within the general population. Also, patients who have FA with OSCC have poor overall survival rates, reinforcing the necessity to detect OSCC early. The scope of the current review is to provide an update on OSCC in patients with FA.

Oral and Maxillofacial Complex Lesions in Adolescents: A Retrospective Study of 20 Years / Lesiones Orales y del Complejo Maxilofacial en Adolescentes: Un Estudio Retrospectivo de 20 Años

Studies assessing the prevalence of oral lesions show that 5.2% to 12.8% of biopsy specimens are from children and adolescents. In Brazil, there are few studies analyzing the distribution of oral lesions in that population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of oral and maxillomandibular lesions of adolescents, admitted to the Department of Oral Diagnosis of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) from 1994 to 2013. A study based on the review of the charts was done and the lesions were classified in 11 categories: salivary glands disease, dental pathology, gingival and periodontal pathology, odontogenic cysts, odontogenic tumors, non odontogenic cysts, bone pathology, mucosal pathology, connective tissue pathology, malignant tumors and other pathology. Variables including age, sex, ethnicity, diagnosis and lesion location were also evaluated. Upon analysis, 376 lesions were identified, most in girls, 51.9% and 77.1 % of patients were white. The most frequent site was the lower lip followed by the gingiva. Mucocele was the most common lesion (27.6%), followed by fibroepithelial hyperplasia (8.2%) and pyogenic granuloma (5.3%). Although there is a wide range of pathologies that can occur in the oral cavity, traumatic injuries are the most common in this age group.

Los estudios que evalúan la prevalencia de lesiones orales muestran que entre el 5,2% hasta el 12,8% de las muestras de biopsia corresponden a niños y adolescentes. En Brasil, hay pocos estudios que hayan analizado la distribución de las lesiones orales enesa población. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la distribución de las lesiones orales y maxilofaciales de adolescentes, ingresados en el Servicio de Diagnóstico Oral de la Universidad Federal de Paraná (UFPR) entre 1994 a 2013. Se llevó a cabo la revisión de historias clínicas y las lesiones halladas fueron clasificadas en 11 categorías: enfermedad de glándulas salivales, patología dental, patología gingival y periodontal, quistes odontogénicos, tumores odontogénicos, quistes no odontogénicos, patología ósea, patología de la mucosa, patología del tejido conectivo, tumores malignos y otras patologías. También se evaluaron otras variables como edad, género, etnia, diagnóstico y localización de la lesión. Luego del análisis, se identificaron 376 lesiones, la mayoría en niñas (51,9%), siendo el 77,1% de los pacientes de raza blanca. La localización más frecuente fue el labio inferior seguida de la encía. El mucocele fue la lesión más común (27,6%), seguido de hiperplasia fibroepitelial (8,2%) y granuloma piógeno (5,3%). Aunque existe una amplia serie de patologías que pueden ocurrir en la cavidad oral, las lesiones traumáticas son las más comunes en este grupo de edad.

Micro-marsupialization as an alternative treatment for mucocele in pediatric dentistry.

BACKGROUND: Mucocele is a common oral lesion in children and adolescents. Different techniques have been described for the treatment; however, all of them are invasive. AIM: This work studied the efficacy of micro-marsupialization for the treatment for mucoceles in paediatric patients. DESIGN: A retrospective review was performed using the clinical records of patients aged between 0 and 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of mucocele. The following data were obtained: age, gender, location and size of the lesion, duration of mucocele development, and type of treatment and its results. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 11.1 ± 3.95 years. Mucoceles were found in the lower lip (83.7%), buccal mucosa (11.6%), and tongue (4.7%). From the overall cohort of 86 cases, 33 were treated by micro-marsupialization, of which five developed a recurrence that required surgical excision. The other 53 cases were treated by surgical excision, and three of these had recurrent disease. No statistically significant difference was found between the treatment methods. CONCLUSIONS: Micro-marsupialization can be used to treat mucoceles in paediatric dentistry. It is simpler to perform, minimally invasive, requires no local infiltration of anaesthesia, has a lower postoperative complications rate, and is well-tolerated by patients.

[Minor salivary gland tumours: a 10-year study]. / Neoplasias de glándulas salivales menores: estudio de 10 años.

Salivary gland tumours represent between 2 % and 6.5 %, approximately, of all head and neck tumours. The aim of this paper was to identify the frequency of minor salivary gland tumours among patients in the Oral Medicine Clinic of the Federal University of Paraná during the period from 1997 to 2007. A retrospective study was conducted on 1,923 histopathological analyses of oral lesions. Fourteen cases of salivary gland tumours were found, of which 7 were benign and 7 malignant. The lesions were localized mainly in the palate (71.5 %). By histological type, 50 % of the lesions were characterized as pleomorphic adenoma, 28.6 % mucoepidermoid carcinoma, 14.3 % cystic adenoid carcinoma and 7.1 % as polymorphous adenocarcinoma. These findings suggest that salivary gland tumours have a low incidence in the population and that the pleomorphic adenoma is the most common type of tumour, followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Neoplasias de glándulas salivales menores: estudio de 10 años / Minor salivary gland tumours: a 10-year study

Las neoplasias de las glándulas salivales representan aproximadamente un 2-6,5 % de todos los tumores de la cabeza y cuello. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar la frecuencia de neoplasias de glándulas salivales menores en pacientes de Medicina Oral de la Universidad Federal de Paraná atendidos de 1997 a 2007. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo mediante el análisis de 1.923 laudos histopatológicos, y se halló 14 casos de neoplasias de glándulas salivales. Las lesiones encontradas fueron 7 tumores benignos y 7 malignos. Las alteraciones, en su mayoría, se encontraban en la mucosa palatina (71,5 %). En cuanto al tipo histológico, el 50 % se caracterizó como adenoma pleomorfo; el 28,6 %, como carcinoma mucoepidermoide; el 14,3 %, como carcinoma adenoide quístico, y el 7,1 %, como adenocarcinoma polimorfo. Estos resultados permiten concluir que las neoplasias de glándulas salivales tienen una baja incidencia en la población y que el adenomapleomorfo es el tipo de neoplasia más común, seguido del carcinoma mucoepidermoide (AU)

Salivary gland tumours represent between 2 % and 6.5 %, approximately, of all head and neck tumours. The aim of this paper was to identify the frequency of minor salivary gland tumours among patients in the Oral Medicine Clinic of the Federal University of Paraná during the period from 1997 to 2007. A retrospective study was conducted on 1,923 histopathological analyses of oral lesions. Fourteen cases of salivary gland tumours were found, of which 7 were benign and 7 malignant. The lesions were localized mainly in the palate (71.5 %). By histological type, 50 %of the lesions were characterized as pleomorphic adenoma, 28.6 % mucoepidermoid carcinoma, 14.3 % cystic adenoid carcinoma and 7.1 % as polymorphous adenocarcinoma. These findings suggest that salivary gland tumours have a low incidence in the population and that the pleomorphic adenoma is the most common type of tumour, followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma (AU)

Dental management of patients receiving anticoagulation or antiplatelet treatment.

Antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents have been extensively researched and developed as potential therapies in the prevention and management of arterial and venous thrombosis. On the other hand, antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs have also been associated with an increase in the bleeding time and risk of postoperative hemorrhage. Because of this, some dentists still recommend the patient to stop the therapy for at least 3 days before any oral surgical procedure. However, stopping the use of these drugs exposes the patient to vascular problems, with the potential for significant morbidity. This article reviews the main antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs in use today and explains the dental management of patients on these drugs, when subjected to minor oral surgery procedures. It can be concluded that the optimal INR value for dental surgical procedures is 2.5 because it minimizes the risk of either hemorrhage or thromboembolism. Nevertheless, minor oral surgical procedures, such as biopsies, tooth extraction and periodontal surgery, can safely be done with an INR lower than 4.0.

Comparison between semi-automated segmentation and manual point-counting methods for quantitative analysis of histological sections.

The aim of the present study was to compare results obtained using the manual point-counting method with results obtained using the semi-automated segmentation method, in the quantitative evaluation of histological sections by light microscopy. The tongues of 40 rats (Ratus norvergicus) were processed using the paraffin technique, in which a 5-mum-thick tissue slice cut from each tongue is stained with picrosirius and methyl green. Three digital images were captured randomly from each section, which were later converted to black-and-white. The collagen fibers shown in each image were quantified using the semi-automated segmentation method and the manual point-counting method. The results obtained using the 2 different quantification methods were compared using the paired t-test and Pearson's correlation test, with statistical analysis using the methods of Bland and Altman. The t-test indicated that there was no significant difference in results between the 2 different quan-tification methods. Pearson's correlation test indicated a strong correlation (r = 0.987), and a comparison of the methods using the Bland and Altman plot indicated no significant error. These findings indicate that both quantification methods can be reliably used to evaluate tissue sections, without discrepancies between the 2 methods.

Avaliação de funções estomatognáticas em idosos institucionalizados e independentes em uma instituição geriátrica de Porto Alegre / Stomatognathic function evaluation in the institutionalized independent elderly in a geriatric institution of Porto Alegre

Este estudo investigou as características de funções do sistema estomatognático em idosos institucionalizados e independentes em Porto Alegre a fim de identificar características das funções mastigatória, da deglutição e da respiração em idosos. Os idosos foram examinados com materiais que consistiram em um protocolo com dados básicos e a avaliação fonoaudiológica. Verificou-se que 46,7 apresentaram problema de deglutição, 60 tinha mastigação bilateral e 40 tinha mastigação unilateral. Estes resultados revelaram que orientações sistemáticas podem prevenir incapacidades e promover bem estar físico e emocional no contexto pessoal e social.

Bases genéticas do carcinoma espinocelular da cavidade bucal / Genetic bases of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Este artigo revisa os mecanismos genéticos básicosenvolvidos no desenvolvimento do carcinoma espinocelular da cavidade bucal. Além disso, introduzir e familiarizar os profissionais da área de saúde aos conceitos contemporâneos de oncogênese, às técnicas atualmente utilizadas em biologia molecular, bem como suas aplicabilidades clínicas e no campo das pesquisas. Foi feita uma revisão bibliogáfica não sistemática sobre o tema abordado, utilizando-se base de dados do MEDLINE. O carcinoma espinocelular (CEC) é a neoplasia maligna mais frequente da cavidade bucal . A epidemiologia do CEC é complexa devido à natureza multigênica dessa lesão e ao número de fatores ambientais que os indivíduos estão, tais como: tabaco, álcool infecções virais e radiações. Estes fatores produzem mutações em diversos cromossomos e as consequências desses danos genéticos são defeitos na regulamentação de algumas funções celulares, como a perda de sinalização, alterações no ciclo celular ou nos mecanismos de reparo e eliminação de células defeituosas. O conhecimento das bases genéticas que participam no desenvolvimento do CEC é fundamental, pois permite aos profissionais da saúde uma nova abordagem para a comprensão da sua etiopatogenia, diagnóstico, estadiamento, prognóstico e tratamento dessa lesão.