Salivary Gland Tumors in Iran: A Systematic Review of 2870 Cases Based on the New WHO Classification.

Background & Objective: There is no consensus on the prevalence of salivary gland tumors (SGTs) in Iran. Thus, we systematically reviewed the literature about the prevalence of SGTs in Iran and applied the last world health organization (WHO) classification. Methods: The systematic literature search was performed in EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran; we searched for "salivary gland," "tumor," "prevalence," and "Iran" until 1 March 2021. The studies included were written in the English and Farsi languages. The weighted mean prevalence of SGTs was calculated as prevalence (%) * (N/the sum of all N). We used the unpaired Two-sample T-test to compare the weighted means. Results: A total of 17 studies, including 2870 patients, were selected for the data synthesis. The weighted mean prevalence of benign and malignant tumors was 66% (95% CI: 59-73) and 34% (95% CI: 27-41), respectively. The patients' mean age was reported in 10 out of the 17 studies. The weighted mean age of the patients was 40 (95% CI: 37-42) and 49 (95% CI: 43-55) years for benign and malignant tumors, respectively (P=0.01). Pleomorphic adenoma (PA), followed by Warthin's tumor (WT), was the most prevalent benign tumor. Moreover, the most common malignant tumors were mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC). Conclusion: More than one-third of SGTs in Iran were malignant, which is higher than the reports from Middle Eastern countries. Information about risk factors and the burden of SGTs in Iran is insufficient. Thus, further well-designed longitudinal studies are warranted.

Immunohistochemical Expression of CDC7 in Dentigerous Cyst, Odontogenic Keratocyst and Radicular Cyst.

CDC7 is a serine/threonine kinase which has an essential role in initiation of DNA proliferation and S phase. It increases the invasion and proliferation in many pathologic lesions. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of CDC7 in the most common odontogenic cysts. We evaluated 17 dentigerous cysts, 18 odontogenic keratocysts (OKC) and 13 radicular cysts immunohistochemically. The mean expression of CDC7 was analyzed using ANOVA and Post-HOC methods. All specimens revealed CDC7 expression. Higher expression of CDC7 in OKC and radicular cyst was shown in comparison to dentigerous cyst (P < 0.001), while radicular cyst and OKC groups showed no difference in CDC7 expression (P = 0.738). The high expression of CDC7 in OKC suggests that this protein could be related to the higher proliferation rate and invasiveness of OKC. On the other hand, the higher CDC7 expression in radicular cyst may simply be related to inflammation as this cyst is neither aggressive nor invasive.

Desmoplastic Fibroblastoma in Maxillary Alveolar Bone Mimicking An Odontogenic Lesion: A Novel Case Report with Review of Literature.

Desmoplastic fibroblastoma (Collagenous fibroma) is a rare benign soft tissue tumor that disseminates widely and can be intramuscular or subcutaneously. There are seven reported cases in the oral cavity so far. We reported a novel case of collagenous fibroma that has been found in the anterior part of maxilla in a 58-year-old woman as an intraosseous radiolucent lesion that has been discovered during routine radiography. Histopathologically, spindle and stellate-shaped fibroblasts in a collagen-rich stroma as well as binucleated and multinucleated fibroblasts with prominent nucleoli were seen. Desmoplastic fibroblastoma could be found in jaw bones and excision of the lesion is curative, and no aggressive growth has been reported.

Drug Abuse among University Students of Rafsanjan, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the frequency of drug abused in a sample of university students in Rafsanjan, Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1,260 students volunteered (311 males and 949 females) with mean age of 21.35 years. Data were collected by a self-administrated questionnaire regarding drugs abuse and demographic information. RESULTS: Benzodiazepines were the most common abused drugs which were reported in 94 students (7.4%). Other agents studied were cigarette and tobacco (159, cases 12.6%), alcoholic drinks (60 cases, 4.7%), and opiates (42 cases, 3.3%). Forty-three students (3.4%) had used methylphenidate in the last 6 months. Of this, 39 (90.6%) experienced insomnia. All students who abused methylphenidate indicated that the reason for this behavior was to raise alertness and conscious levels. CONCLUSION: The pattern of drug abuse among the students here seems similar to other reports from Iranian universities.

T helper and B cell escape mutations within the HBc gene in patients with asymptomatic HBV infection: a study from the South-Eastern region of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Escape mutations potentially allow viruses to avoid detection and clearance by the host immune system and may represent a mechanism through which infections may persist in some patients. The association of the mutations in the HBcAg gene with Hepatitis B asymptomatic carriers (ASC) has not been studied adequately. The current study was aimed to investigate HBcAg18-27 CTL epitope mutations in ASC patients in the South-Eastern region of Iran. METHODS: 100 ASC patients were selected for this study and screened for HLA-A2 using flow cytometry. HBV-DNA was extracted from the HLA-A2 positive patients and the HBc gene was amplified using PCR. Direct double sequencing was performed to analyse mutations in the HBc gene of HBV isolates from patients with ASC. RESULTS: Overall, 25 (25%) of individuals were HLA-A2 positive. Direct double sequencing indicated no mutations in the HBcAg18-27 epitope. However, four mutations within the T helper and three mutations within the B cell epitopes of ASC patients were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of mutations within the HBcAg18-27 epitope suggests that the antigenicity of this region is not altered in HBV isolates of our patients and therefore antigen presentation would occur normally to the patient's immune system through HLA-A2. However, in the course of this study we revealed some novel mutations within the T helper and B cell epitopes that may affect the efficiencies of immune response of ASC patients against these novel HBV epitopes.