Ectopic parotid gland in the left cheek: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The parotid glands are one of the major components of the salivary glands. Their function is to secrete serous saliva to facilitate chewing and swallowing. The normal position of the parotid glands is anterior to and below the lower half of the ear; superficial, posterior, and deep to the ramus of the mandible. CASE PRESENTATION: In this article, we present a rare case of an ectopic left parotid gland located in the left cheek of a 45-year-old Middle-Eastern female who presented with a painless mass inside the left side of her face. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined mass in the left buccal fat, which was isosignal with the right parotid gland. CONCLUSION: Further evaluations of detected cases are necessary to obtain more information regarding the pathogenesis and possible etiologies of this condition. There is a need for more reports of similar cases, as well as diagnostic and etiologic studies, to understand the cause of this condition further.

Circulating Irisin Levels and Redox Status Markers in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: Irisin, mostly known as an exercise-induced fat browning myokine, has been recently detected in several cancer cells, and its potential for being utilized as a biomarker for early diagnosis of some cancers, such as Gastric cancer (GC), is the subject of speculation. The present study aims to compare serum irisin levels in GC patients and healthy controls and assess the interrelation between irisin and oxidative stress markers. METHODS: In this case-control study, 22 newly diagnosed GC patients and 29 healthy controls were recruited based on the inclusion criteria. Serum levels of irisin were quantified in duplicates by ELISA. Oxidative stress indices, including total antioxidant power in sera, thiol group, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase concentrations, were also measured in both groups. An independent-sample t-test was used to compare the means between the two studied groups. RESULTS: Serum levels of irisin were significantly higher in the GC group compared with those of their healthy counterparts (p =0.032). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the serum total antioxidant power or the oxidative stress marker, including MDA, thiol groups, and SOD concentration in sera. Furthermore, there was no significant association between irisin, FRAP, the Thiol group, and the SOD activity. CONCLUSION: According to the finding, the increased serum levels of irisin in GC patients can play a potential role in the early diagnosis of the GC patients; hence, this peptide can be employed as a new diagnostic indicator of GC.
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